Wargame Design: Heirs to Empire - The Late Persian Army

 

This is a ruleset that has been out for a while now, and the focus is on the wars of the Diadochi after the death of Alexander the Great.  Therefore, all your favorite Greek generals get a shout-out and have their own Lines of Battle.  However, one thing I do not think the rules cover very well is Lines of Battle for the Late Persian Army or rather Lines of Battle for rebel Persian Satraps who mostly drew their forces from the remains of the Late Persian Army.  We know from the sources that Perdiccas and others had to contend with rebel Persians after Alexander's Death.

Therefore, this will be a post where I try to rectify that situation and "build a better" Late Persian list to be used in your games.  This is not the first time I have gone back to add a new Line of Battle for this game.  Long-time readers and fans will recall my efforts to add a Mauryan Empire list to potentially face off against Seleceus during his Eastern Anabasis.  You can find that here.  The very sharp-eyed of you will also see that I updated the games cover since those halcyon days too!  

This is also not the first time going to take a closer look at the Late Persian Army for me either.  The Ionian Revolt supplement for Men of Bronze also has an updated Line of Battle for the Late Persian army to update it from the core rulebook.  Therefore, the list you see here will build off this as a source.  That supplement also details many of the foes of the Persian Empire as well and is a great resource for those of you who want to expand your games with Persian armies.  I think it is also important that Heirs of Empire was written before The Ionian Revolt so my thinking and scholarship around these forces has evolved.   

Who Were the Persians?

The Persians were a vassal tribe of the Medes from the Iranian steppe. Their king Cyrus the Great led them to victory over the Medes, and then the Babylonians, and finally the Lydians.  At this point, the Achaemenid Empire was declared.  The empire continued to expand outward under other kings.  At its height, it covered the majority of the known world, stretching from the Indus River Valley to the Balkans to Egypt. 

Cyrus and his descendants brought a new model of control to the region.  The Assyrians had brought a reign of terror for their subject people including royal massacres, forced deportations, destruction of temples, and brutal military tactics designed to cause terror.  The Medes and the Babylonians followed this successful example.  However, when Cyrus took over he did not bring brutality with him.  Instead, he offered stability.  His empire respected local religions, kept local leadership in charge, and showed mercy.  The Persians had a relatively hands off approach to their provinces as long as the taxes were paid, the levied troops provided, and the Kings orders were followed.  This approach allowed the Persian Empire to flourish and grow.    

In addition, the Persians brought an efficient bureaucracy and administration to their holdings.  They built infrastructure like the great Royal Road that crossed the Empire.  This infrastructure allowed a series of message relays and a post-offices that made Royal communications swift.  In addition, the infrastructure allowed the King’s soldiers to get from one end of the Empire to the other rapidly to maintain order.  They also professionalized government officials and created a professional army.  

The Persians were very wealthy from the taxes they collected from their subject people.  They used this wealth shrewdly to expand trade, professionalize their leadership, and to de-stabilize their enemies.  After the Greco-Persian Wars, the Persians cannily used their wealth to play one Greek city-state off against another to keep them focus inward instead of on the Persians.  This policy was very successful for a number of decades as internal warfare kept the Greeks mostly focused inward.

The Persians were a religious people.  They believed in the Flame of Truth and its avatar Ahura Mazda.  To their way of thinking, as the Empire expanded they rolled back the darkness and brought the light of Truth.  Ahura Mazda was leading them to expel the darkness.  Despite this religious philosophy, they did not expect their subject people to convert to their religion or abandon their own gods.  Instead, the empire was tolerant of local custom and religious practices.  

The Persian Empire began to decline as outside pressures grew.  The taxation burden became heavy on the satraps who controlled the various provinces, and the economy began to stagnate from too much wealth not being re-invested.  In addition, the Empire’s hands off approach meant that no national identity or larger shared ethnic identity was ever achieved for the empire.  Therefore, when Alexander and the Macedonians took over, there was not real change to the average Persian Imperial citizen’s life.  They continued on much as they had before.      

How Did They Fight? 

By the late period of the Persian Empire, the way that they fought had evolved a lot over the centuries.  Generally speaking, by the late period the army was made up of 2 main branches.  They were the infantry and the cavalry.  There was also several "novelty" units like scythed chariots, camel cavalry, war elephants, and mercenaries like Greeks.  

Persian Infantry was drawn from across the Empire.  However, the backbone was the Medes and Persian troops.  These were primarily armed with spears, swords, and most importantly bows.  The Persians specialized in range firepower.  From there, other troops came from across the empire to fill their own niches like skirmishers, light troops, etc. However, as the Empire came apart access to these auxiliary troops became restricted.  

Much has been written about the Kardaks as a troop type in Late Period Persian armies.  I tend to think that this was a reference to Persian troops.  It is unclear who they are, but they were light and heavy troops of various branches of the military.  It does not seem like they were a unique unit type and could possibly be "new recruits" or troops still in their training phase.  

Perhaps the most important arm of the Persian Late Period army was the cavalry.  Again, this was mostly Persian nobles who were the Heavies.  However, they also had lighter cavalry made up of allied groups like Bactrians or Sogdians.  The infantry would pin down the enemy troops with archery while the cavalry would maneuver for flank attacks.  The Persian army was known for its mobility as well as its size.

What draws many people to the Persian Army is their novelty units.  They had a wide variety of mercenary and specialty units in their forces.  This included Greek Mercenaries of the heavy and light variety.  War Elephants from India, Egyptian Marines, Camel cavalry from Arabia, and Scythed Chariots from the Steppe all had their place in the Late Empire army.  Of course, after the death of Darius and the sundering of the Empire access to all of these troops might no longer be available thereby limiting the Line-of-Battle.                      

Building the Line of Battle for Late Persians for Heirs of Empire

It may have been a while since you have looked at the rules for Heirs of Empire.  However, it is a game that makes use of army wings on the table.  Therefore, the Lines-of-Battle focus on what units can make up the Left, Center, and Right of the army.  

We know that traditionally the Core or center of the army will be the infantry forces with the cavalry moving around on the flanks.  We saw this formation during the famous late period battles against Alexander.  Therefore, the Line-of-Battle should match-up with these formations.  

I wanted to add some infantry with bow armed troops integrated into the units.  Therefore, I am adding the following option: 

Bows

The bow was an integral part of the Late Persian Army.  Bows were a cultural icon of the Persians, and therefore many of the Mede and Persian soldiers were equipped with a compound bow. Therefore, mixed units of infantry and bows was a common feature of their armies.  

You can add Bows to Epilectoi Cavalry, Asphract Cavalry, Drilled Infantry and Warband Infantry for +1 Point.  They would allow the unit to have the following added to their profile: 

Bows: Shoot 2 (12MU)

Hoplite Mercenaries

One of the biggest employers of Greek mercenaries was the Late Persians.  They used these mercenaries as their melee-shock infantry.  The Persians preferred the bow and cavalry tactics.  Therefore, they were happy to let the Greek Hoplites be their heavy infantry.  

They have the following profile: 

Mercenary Hoplites                                                5 Points

Move    Attack     Armor    Courage     Discipline

6 MU    3            1                4                3

Special Rules: Phalanx, Drilled, Counter-Charge

Scythed Chariots

Part of the Late Persians "Novelty" units were the Scythed Chariots.  Xenophon writes a compelling account of how such units could be very effective against unorganized or isolated Greek troops.  However, against the Macedonians they were much less effective.  

They have the following profile:

Scythed Chariots                                                    5 Points

Move    Attack     Armor    Courage     Discipline

6 MU    3            1                4                3

Special Rules: Pursue, Counter-Charge

Other "novelty" units can be accounted for in the standard Heirs to Empire profiles.  For example, Camel Cavalry would simply be Asphract cavalry.  

Late Persian Line of Battle

The following is the Line-of-Battle for the Late Persians and their rebel Persian forces after the death of the Great King.   The Lines of Battle help to choose the appropriate Units for your Historical forces. Check the scenarios for starting point cost for a force. 

Each Line of Battle will have an entry with a number. The number indicates the limit of that Unit you can take in the army. If an entry says 1+ your army must have at least one of these units in it. If it is 0+ any number of that unit may be taken. If a Unit is not on the list, it can not be chosen.

Center: 

0-2 Skirmishers

0-2 Elephants

1+ Drilled Infantry

 -- Bows for +1 Point

0+ Warband Infantry

-- Bows for +1 Point

0-4 Archers/Slingers

0-2 Irregular Peltasts

0-2 Scythed Chariots

0-2 Mercenary Hoplites

Left/Right Wing: 

0-1 Companion Cavalry

0+ Epilektoi Cavalry

0+ Asphract Cavalry

0-2 Scythed Chariots

0-2 Elephants

0-2 Skirmishers 

0-2 Slinger/Archer 

0-2 Irregular Peltast 

0-2 Warband Infantry

-- Bows for +1 Point

Sample Line of Battle

Below you can see a Sample Army built from the Lines of Battle provided. It gives you an idea of what your force could look like. It is built to a 54-point force per the examples in the main rulebook. The Late Persians has 9 Units in the force. 

Center: 

1 Drill Infantry with Bows 

1 Warband Infantry with Bows

2 Irregular Peltasts

1 Mercenary Hoplite

1 Skirmisher

Left Wing: 

Epilektoi Cavalry with Bows

Scythed Chariots

Right Wing: 

Asphract Cavalry with Bows

Final Thoughts

These Late Persian Rebel Satraps will give a much different feel to a traditional Diadochi army.  Their hitting power is reduced up-close, but their ranged firepower is greater.  It will take a skilled commander to maneuver and fight these units against a Macedonian Phalanx force, but hopefully the extra troops and Commander's Gaze can give the Late Persian player an edge and the ability to "kite" against the harder hitting Phalanx units of the other Successors?  

I look forward to you giving them a try on the battlefield and letting me know what happens in the comments.  I think they lead to very different strategic and tactical challenges for your games of Heirs of Empire. 

Until next time.  

 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                       

Wargame Design: Maneuver Warfare

 I have noticed a trend in modern wargames to try and make games quicker and quicker to play.  This is not a bad thing.  However, in order to accomplish this task requires the designers to make some sacrifices in the game play.  A common method to do this is to shorten the engagement distances or even start the game In Media Res.  

•  Engagement Distance- The games begin with the two-sides at a range where they can immediately begin to engage with each other.  First activation and units are exchanging fire or moving to melee.  

• In Media Res- The game is starting with the combat "in-progress".  The two sides are all ready heavily engaged.  I.e. the game assumes that actions like maneuvering to contact, scouting, etc have all ready occurred.  

Both of these are especially prevalent in smaller Kitchen Table sized games.  Since the spaces are smaller the engagement distances have to be up-close and personal too.  Many designers believe these methods are a good way to "get to the good stuff" of a game, which is resolving the combats.  

I have a bit of an "old-school" take on this.  I enjoy having a few turns where the main focus is moving your models to contact.  To me, this is where the "action" is in the game.  Where the soldiers move and what positions they can take should be important for how the combat unfolds.  I want some time for players to try to establish these advantages outside of deployment.  There should be space on the battlefield where the enemy can only cause minimal impact on your actions and you can maneuver freely.  This will then provide a contrast and context to later in the game when a player's actions are more constrained by the actions of their foe.  Removing this contrast and maneuver element means the player may not feel or recognize the increased friction as they engage.  Losing that sense of friction loses a great deal of what I think makes wargames interesting.

My interest in Maneuver Warfare also comes from my interest in historical games.  Frequently, battles and wars were decided by one side simply being to out-maneuver their enemy.  This gave them a tactical or strategic advantage.  I think of the description of many campaigns where one side maneuvers to a location that makes holding that ground untenable and forcing them to move again, without even a battle being fought.   

There are a few ways to think about how you can introduce maneuver warfare in your games, and some of them can even align with the quicker gameplay and smaller game size models.  

1. The Traditional Method

The traditional methods is create deployment zones that are far enough apart that movement speeds of the units will allow for a turn or two of maneuver before engagement can occur.  There maybe some harassing elements, but those are not decisive and come at a cost.  

You do this by creating a firepower range in proportion to the movement of the troops.  This is often why firepower ranges on the table are not realistic.  

For example, Castles in the Sky is intentionally designed for fleets to start far enough apart so that they can choose how to maneuver to contact with the enemy.  Fleets start far enough apart where firepower can not effect the other player at deployment.  In addition, most firepower is not decisive at longer ranges, and you need to close to put overwhelming force on a target.  

2.  Objectives

In this model, you use Objectives to induce movement in the players.  If they sit in one place or stay still, they will lose.  The forces need to get to and hold or capture objectives in order to win.  As soon as one side has more objectives than the other, the game is over.  This makes movement vital to gain success.  

For example, in Fury of the Northman there are a few scenarios that end as soon as one side has secured the majority of the objectives.  Therefore, you have to move fast to gather them, and block your opponents from getting there before you do. 

3.  Tactical Advantage

Being in different locations compared to your foes can give you a tactical advantage.  The simplest form is flanking or even taking cover.  By moving your troops into an advantageous position, you will gain benefits in a combat.  Therefore, moving to gain these tactical advantages will be organic decision making and favor maneuver warfare.   

For example, in a game like Wars of the Republic when you maneuver to attack an opposing unit in the Flank or Rear you gain bonus dice for combat resolution.  

4. Abstraction

In this model, you use rules to abstract elements of warfare you are trying to mimic.  You could "telescope" movement when outside of a certain range of enemies.  You could use a mini-game in order to represent scouting and maneuver.  This means those things matter, but you can still get to a resolution quickly. 

For example, in Chain of Command you use a scouting phase to place deployment zones for the rest of your force.  This allows your troops to deploy closer to the combat without losing the maneuver part of the game.  Another example is in a game like Blucher units that are outside of a certain range from the front can make a larger, sweeping movement to get them into the action quicker. 

5. Unlimited Move

Using this approach, units can move an unlimited amount in an activation until they hit some rules related barrier.  I.e. they can move in a straight line until they come in contact with terrain or an enemy.  There may be more or less restrictions depending on what the games POV.   

For example, in Rogue Planet models can move as far as they want in a turn until they get within a certain distance of another unit or terrain piece.  

6. Ordered Movement

In this situation, a unit may have a certain number of actions or orders they can complete in a turn.  One of these actions/orders is to move.  Therefore, a unit could potentially have multiple movement actions in a single turn to move large distances if needed.  The number of actions could be pre-determined or based on a dice roll.    

For example, Hail Caesar uses a command roll to determine the number of orders a unit may get in an activation.  A good roll can allow a great deal of movement while a low roll may see a unit get few moves or even stagger backwards!  

7. Strategic Advantage

In the case of miniature wargaming, the maneuver can be abstracted to a pre-game process that allows the re-arrangement of terrain, unit bonuses, or other strategic (or off-board generated) advantages one side will gain for the next battle.  

For example, in Necromunda some gangs may gain access to a territory called tunnels or vents.  These allow gang members to deploy closer than normal to the enemy forces.  It is gained via an off-board process but allows on-board benefits. 

8. Combination Platter

Of course, depending on what the designer is trying to achieve, they may choose some sort of combination plate of these and other solutions to help achieve the tabletop effect they want to see.  They may combine Ordered Movement, Tactical Advantage, and Objectives all in one game to encourage maneuver warfare in their games.  

Maneuver Warfare and the Kitchen Table Game

Small, quick, and fast play games are in vogue right now.  Generally speaking, folks do not have the time to paint large forces, the space for big battles, and the drive for huge games that take days to get a result.  Therefore, the focus is on games you can play in your kitchen in an hour or two.  However, that does not mean Maneuver Warfare is not possible in a 2x2 space.  

The easiest way to add Maneuver Warfare is to use some of the methods outlines above to condense the action into the space provided.  You can use small engagement ranges and In Media Res elements combined with Tactical Advantage, Objectives, Strategic Advantage, and Ordered Movement to easily capture the flow of Maneuver Warfare into a small space.  Combine these with other options to create Tactical Gameplay and you can pack a great deal of movement into a small space.  Many of these Kitchen Table games do just that. 

Final Thoughts

Movement and create a sense of movement in a wargame is a vital piece to add vitality and replayability to a game.  These can be added to any scale or size of game from a game in an auditorium to one on your kitchen sink.  Maneuver Warfare is what leads to interesting decisions and creating tactical gameplay on the tabletop.  Maneuver Warfare creates choices for your players and meaningful choices are the heart of a fun game. 

Free Bonus Content!

General Reddington and Marshal Bluey had a rematch of Perry Miniatures Travel Battle.  However, the game had to be called early as it was occurring outside and the wind picked up and started blowing miniatures around!  Therefore, we did not fight it out to a decision.

Both of us tried different Brigade structures than we did last time.  As Marshal Bluey I tried more combined arms units.  Reddington mixed more Cavalry and Infantry on the flanks, but stayed with the cannons in a Grand Battery in the center.  

Marshal Bluey was able to take and fortify the town, while Reddington's cavalry secured several vital crossroads.  

Most of the initial fighting took place on Reddington's Left, and the French managed to gain a strong advantage there.  They reduced the enemy brigade down to an Infantry regiment thanks to combined Cavalry and artillery fire.  The Marshal's artillery proved very effective today!  

This led to the main action moving to the Center.  With Reddington's flank weakened, Marshal Bluey tried to sally forth with Guards units leading the way.  They were successful in cutting a swathe into Reddington's center.  

Meanwhile, on Reddington's Right, things were mostly stalled as the woods kept both sides relatively pinned in place, with the Marshal's troops trying to wait out an imminent attack, and Reddington's officers trying to bait the enemy into a foolish move.  The lack of artillery in this space seemed to stall progress.  

Reddington was on the back foot with many of his cavalry and infantry smashed.  His Left Brigade was almost non-existent, his center was collapsing, and the Right was stalled.  Reddington was happy the wind picked up and the game was called.  Things were not in his favor today!       

It was much easier to launch an attack from a village, than to try to take one.  The battle for the Plantation I had to attack and it was rough.  Attacking from it was much easier.  The location of the farm on the board seems to be a decisive factor in game play.  The woods also seem to be a big factor too.  More plays will be needed.  :) 

Until next time!

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                                  

     

  

Battle Report: Travel Battle - The Battle for El Azul Plantation

With Red and Blue teams all painted up, the terrain boards ready; it was time to give these rules a spin.  A nice thing about Travel Battle is that they are only a few pages long.    

General Reddington moved his army half-way across the world.  It was time to put an end to the march of Emperor Bluenapart's forces.  They had been expanding across Europe and no one else; Green, Yellow, or White had been able to stop them. 

Reddington's government had deployed him to the edge of the conflict.  Incensed by their intervention, Bluenapart had deployed a counter force led by Marshal Bluey to try and push Reddington back into the Sea.  After maneuvering for a few weeks, the two forces met at a mutually agreeable location and deployed for a pitched battle.   

Forces

The first thing to do was to divide the two armies into their 3 brigades.

Lord-General Reddington

Right - 2 Heavy Cavalry, 2 Light Cavalry

Center - 2 Cannons, 2 Guards, 2 Infantry

Left - 4 Infantry  

Marshal Bluey

Right - 1 Heavy Cavalry, 1 Light Cavalry,1 Cannon and 2 Infantry

Center - 2 Guards and 2 Infantry 

Left - 1 Heavy Cavalry, 1 Light Cavalry, 1 Cannon and 2 Infantry

Neither of us have played the game before, so we have no idea how to properly do this.  I think we are both going to find out!  Reddington took a page out of old Boney's playbook and amassed cannons in the center for a centralized battery.  Bluey was going with reinforced flanks with a weak center.  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. 

The Lay-out

We pulled out the terrain boards and laid them down next to each other.  We counted off the sides and rolled the dice.  In the end, it looked like this......

We jokingly referred to the bigger farm like built-up area as El Azul Plantation, and the name stuck for the rest of the battle. 

Reddington (My wife) deployed first.  We took turns and deployed by Brigade per the rules.  When it was all set-up the board looked like this. 

As usual for a Battle Report, I won't cover it roll-by-roll.  Too challenging for me to keep track of it all while trying to play.  Instead, I will just try to capture some of the highlights and the results as the game unfolds.  

Opening Moves

General Bluey won the initiative roll to go first! 

The opening rounds do not go General Bluey’s way as General Reddington’s artilllery battery in the center completely collapses the front of the attacking column and then forces a Guards unit back in the center.  This forces Bluey to take a static position there. 

Meanwhile Reddington’s cavalry brigade races down on Bluey’s left.  The infantry form square, protected by a hill and manage to fend off initial attacks from Heavy Cavalry.  

Main Action

Reddington’s aggressive cavalry attack soon stalls and slowly falls apart to Marshal Bluey’s command of infantry squares and cavalry counter-attacks.  

On Reddington’s left, Marshal Bluey’s troops assault the Plantation and manage to push the infantry defending it out.  However, it is a short-lived victory as they fell back in good order, soon regroup and counter-attack! 

In the center, perhaps too late; Reddington’s begins to move to support his flanks. 

Final Gambits

Reddington’s infantry try to re-take El Azul but Marshal Bluey’s forces stubbornly beat them back inflicting heavy losses!  

General Reddington’s cavalry brigade is also stalled near the woods.  However, as night very literally falls on the battlefield the action proves indecisive.  My wife and I could barely see the board in the fading light in our bus.   

Conclusion

I think we both learned a lot about how this game is played.  We had to go back into the rulebook a few times, but thankfully it is only 4 pages so we had no issue finding what we needed.  In addition, my wife has no knowledge of Horse-and-Musket games and I am not super familiar with the tactics of the period either.  Therefore, it was two novices to the system and period trying to figure it out as we went.  

Maneuver is surprisingly complex!  It is very easy to overextend and leave a unit temporarily stranded, block your own line of attack, or even mismanage where your brigade commander is! 

My wife’s (General Reddington) initial artillery success lulled her into a sense of security.  However, my artillery did nothing!  Artillery is the only ranged unit, but the closer you are the more effective it can be.  It is also easy to overestimate the effectiveness of Re-rolling units like Heavy Cavalry and Guards units. 

There was some questions about what “pushed back meant”. Ie which direction?  We generally decide the opposite of any attack.  Therefore a diagonal attack led to a diagonal pushback.  It was also unclear how multiple bonuses may stack.  Finally, there was some quibbling over how to move units back into the fight that were sent back to the baseline.  However, we made calls and played on. 

Bluey lost 3 infantry stands while Reddington lost a Heavy Cavalry, Light Cavalry, and two infantry stands. 

The battle for El Azul plantation ended indecisively.  Both sides took casualties and fell back at nightfall to lick their wounds.  However, Marshal Bluey’s forces had managed to secure the plantation, but Reddington still had a strong force-n-being on the peninsula.  The battle was a draw but the campaign was far from over. 

Until next time!  

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles Website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!   

Wargame Design: Play Too Find Out

Some of my faithful readers will recall when I spoke about how fun can not be a design goal for your game.  In that discussion, I highlighted a few things that I find fun in order to highlight my own bias.  To save you some trouble my list looked something like this: 

• Making a meaningful decision is fun
• Seeing the stories of the world unfold is fun   
• The spectacle of the game is fun
• Learning about new things is fun
• Seeing what happens is fun

At least half of those things fall into a category that I call "Playing to Find Out".  This was a term that was coined from Role-Playing Game (RPG) discussions.  However, today I want to apply it to wargames and see what we come up with.  

Are you ready to go on a journey and see what happens?  I guess we will have to read along to find out! 

Wars of the Republic

What Does It All Mean?

First of all, it is a philosophy.  That means it is a way to approach the game.  A way to think about what playing wargames means.  

In this case, the philosophy you bring to the game is one of action.  You intend to explore the games reality by actually taking actions and playing the game.  You are going to explore it mechanically, narratively, and through decision-making.

In RPG parlance, that means an emphasis on open-play, with emergent story-telling, player agency, and multiple choices.  Similar philosophies can be applied to wargaming.  I would categorize it as scenario-focused, meaningful decision-making, friction, and cooperation before competition.  To have a "Play to Find-out" mentality in wargames means being willing to engage with the game and see where it goes.

Sometimes, it is illuminating to define something by talking about what it is not as well.  "Play to Find-Out" is not about playing to try to manage the outcome of the game.  You are not trying to optimize the results.  You are not trying to see which player is better at using and understanding the mechanics of the game.  It is not about game state or rules mastery.              

Restless Sun

Philosophy Not Rules, BUT.....  

You may recall that I also said in the What is Fun article that designers need to have an idea of what they find fun.  That should be the foundation of their own POV to help create games that meet those criteria.  So how do you make a game that is conducive to a "Play to Find Out" mentality?  Let's talk about it.

I have referenced Ash Barker's design notes for Last Days in the past.  I still recommend that folks give them a read.  One of his own ideas is something he calls a "Cracker Jack".  For those unfamiliar with the old-style snack, they were a caramel cover popcorn and peanut snack.  However, their claim to fame was having a "prize inside each box".  This was often a sticker or temporary tattoo.  The idea is that you can access the prizes once you eat all the Cracker Jacks.  

Ash Barker uses the term to mean the surprises players uncover from engaging with the game.  What are the "cool" things that you can unlock as you play.  This could mean picking up found equipment, enhancements from objectives, challenge events, how it rewards clever use of mechanics stacking, or campaign buffs and debuffs.  

Therefore, as a designer you can apply this philosophy of Play to Find Out into the rules.  

Odin's Ravens

The Wrong Way? 

In my opinion there is a right way and a wrong way to implement a Play to Find Out philosophy in your game.  It is a method that was popular in the early days of wargaming.  However, it has since fallen out of fashion.  I use the term "wrong way" but that is not the correct way to think of it.  It was a method that worked for what the designers were attempting to do at the time.  However, time has moved on and methods have changed.  

To me, the wrong way of going about adding these surprise moments is by adding random tables of effects that are applied "in game".  Now, I think random tables have a place BUT that is in the Strategic portion of the game, away from the tactical action of the game.  

For example, in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader there were numerous charts and tables to help determine the effects of things.  Where you hit a vehicle, effects from Shokk Attack Gunz, psychic effects, etc.  These were charts that would break the flow of the game as you had to roll the result, open the book, and cross-reference the dice roll with the effect, and then apply the effect.  It lead to some amazing, memorable, and crazy events but things that would take seconds on the battlefield ended up taking multiple minutes to resolve fully. 

However, there were also a lot of tables for determine things like equipment load-outs, missions, mutations, flora and fauna, etc.  These charts were used PRIOR to game play and not during game play.  These also led to crazy, memorable, and interesting events happening in game.  

To summarize, randomized charts and tables during game is bad, randomized charts and tables before or after game is fine.   

 

Restless Stars

The Modern Way?

Since the days of Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader wargames have found new and different ways to create interesting situations via rules-interactions and on-table activities in order to "Play to Find Out".  Here are a few examples that I have seen and would like to touch-on: 

1. Complications 

A complication is something that is placed on the board or game-wide effect that can make it harder for players to achieve their objectives.  As the name implies, they make it harder for players to freely act within the confines of the game.  

For example, Pulp Alley has various tokens on the board.  When a player's models interact with them they draw a card from a deck.  This will lead to a challenge that the Model will have to overcome with a dice roll.  if successful, they gain a beneficial result, if failed they gain a handicap. There is no way to know what will happen until it is resolved.  All components needed to resolve the complication are on the card so you do not need to go back to the rulebook.  

2. Resource Allocations

In this scenario, players can choose to allocate special resources to units to improve their performance or abilities.  These resources are often finite and their allocation on one part of the battlefield means they are unavailable elsewhere or at a different time of the game.  You can not decide how to use them until you are actually playing the game, and the results are determined within the game.  

For example, Dux Bellorum has Leadership tokens that you can use to boost the combat power of a unit.  How you allocate and when you use them is a key part of the game.  They stack and can allow you to push or defend a key part of your battle line.  These are played out immediately in the turn.       

3. Rules Overlaps

In this example, various rules overlap and interactions are built into the game to trigger various effects.  You know these effects prior to the game, but how they will interact with other special rules will come into effect when the game is played.  

For example, War Machine is well known for their chaining of special rules together to trigger effects.  It is these cascading results that happen once they begin tumbling like dominoes on the battlefield that means you need to play to find out how they will interact together. 

4. Chrome

Chrome is special rules that come into play during the game.  These rules impact how a unit or model will perform in the moment.  These are often gained as the game itself is being played or when certain criteria occur during the game.  

For example, the game Ragnarok has the models collect "power-ups" that can unleash extra effects when they defeat foes or interact with terrain.  These power-ups can be stacked and used as the player wishes during the battle.  

5. Mechanics 

The mechanics themselves allow a degree of randomness in the results beyond the normal fail/succeed states.  This is often in the form of a critical hit or critical failure states that add further success or complications into a normal rules interaction.  

For example, Dystopian Wars is famous for using something called "exploding dice".  Essentially, as you roll a maximum result on the dice, you can re-roll and keep adding effects until you stop rolling maximum results on the die.  This can lead to unexpected outcomes of over-reach or surprising success levels that are outside the normal statistical range.

6. Campaigns

Adding a post-game campaign sequence is a great way to add surprise for players.  This can come in a variety of forms.  However, the idea is that the players unlock new abilities, equipment, or other options and complications for future games.  

For example, Outremer from Osprey Games has a very in-depth and elaborate campaign system that makes each member of your warband a unique individual.  If you played a new warband, they would also each develop their own unique abilities and niche.  This makes each member unique and each game using them a different experience.  You have to play to find out.              

Heirs of Empire

Final Thoughts

Play to Find Out is a philosophy for approaching games that encourages the players to engage with the game to see what happens and how the outcomes unfold.  It is one of many philosophies.  Typically, these types of philosophies of play should be provided by the players.

As a designer, you may wish for players to bring certain philosophies to the games you design.  You can influence these with the way you design your rules to lean into these philosophies.  To do this, you will want to bring a POV of the game.  Then, as always; you can apply the right game design tools to the job. 

The best way to lean into the "Play to Find Out" philosophy is to create "surprises" that the players will be able to unlock by playing the game.  The more they play, the more they can potentially unlock.  Therefore, they will want to "Play to Find Out" what can happen in a game. 

Until next time. 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                  

   

      

On the Painting Desk: Finishing off the Tormentors of Telor's Queen?

 

Back to finish off the final miniatures from Spirit Queen's Torment and The Prophecy of Telor.  I finished off the Greenskins and the Undead.  However, that left the forces of Dread and the Abominations.  So about 7 guys.  However, the Dread Warriors, Gargoyle and Wizard I typically paint individually while the Abominations I batch.  That means these guys took a weekend to complete.  

First off, all these miniatures were all ready base-coated and ready to go.  Therefore, I decided to work on one of the Dread Warriors first.  I had the idea of a fallen former King's Guard knight who did not really even know he had fallen.  Therefore, he was not in typical Dread livery, but instead Paladin like Golden armor with a white cloak.  

Thankfully, I have a set of Metallic speedpaints, and one of the colors happens to be Golden Armor.  How nice.  I also wanted to use White for the cloak and Loincloth.  The hardest part was the shield, because I wanted to incorporate the Golden Armor but not the whole thing!  That would be too gaudy.  Therefore, I used Zealot Yellow as the other color.  Finally, I gave it a nice Light Tone wash and based the usual Heroquest way.  

Behold..... Sir Beauregard the Chosen!  Once and future champion of Kings!  I guess I see him a bit like Sir Ragnar but this guy did not make it back.  

As Sir Beauregard was drying I also worked on the Abominations.  I had to go remind myself how I painted them in the Core set and Kellar's Keep.  I used Plasmatic Bolt on their leg plates and tentacles with Abomination Green for the skin.  That was the bulk of these guys.  Their eyes are Zealot Yellow and their teeth and claws are Pallid Bone.  Their loincloths are Zealot Yellow, Crusader Skin, and Fire Giant Orange.  They got a Light Tone wash and based as normal.  

From there, I went back to my last Dread Warrior.  My Core set Dread Warriors were all painted in the colors of a different Chaos god.  You may know them as Khorne, Slaaneshi, Nurgle, and Tzeentch.  Well, I wanted to keep that theme and there was one Chaos God I had not painted.  You know him, you love him; of course I am talking about Malal!  The Chaos God opposed to the Chaos of the Chaos Gods.... or something.  There was a concept and business reason he never made it into the big Chaos Gods club.  

Anyway, one of the challenges of Malal was that his color scheme is not easy to paint!  It is a Black and White checked or Quartered pattern!  I had never done a quartered pattern before because they look like a right pain to paint!  However, with this guy I was going to try it!  I did not want Malal to be left out of the Dread Warrior club..... that would be bad luck! 

I used the Black I use for the base edge to draw a line down the center of the model's chest and helmet.  I made the right side arm and leg white, with the chest black.  The opposite colors on the other side.  I used Grim Black on the black side and a mix of pure white and Holy white on the white parts.  I did the same on the hilt of his sword, and even quartered the cloak.  The shield I followed the design but used Black and White mix.  When I was done, I gave the whole thing a Dark Tone wash this time and based per usual methods. 

That left the female Dread Wizard and her pet Gargoyle.  Again, I had to recall how I painted the last Gargoyle from the Core set.  I wanted that trad stone Gargoyle look.  I turned out really easy!  Runic Grey on claws, teeth, and horns.  Red on the eyes.  The rest was a watered down Dark Tone wash.  Easy-peasy.  

The Dread Wizard I wanted in Magic Blue and Yellow as those were the colors of Tzeentch.  However, I also wanted to add the jewelry in Prismatic Green for a Jade style effect.  I also used Aztec Gold for the metallics.  It is one of my favorite of the metallics as it has a slightly greenish hue.  I finished it up, gave it a dark wash and based as normal.  

With that, I had two of my Heroquest mini-boxed sets finished.  The only carry-over from 2025 is the Jungles of Delthrak now, and I have painted all the Heros and Merc critters from that all ready.  Still a big accomplishment as I am now above 80+ models painted for the year.  

That said, I think I am going to pivot and paint something different next.  I need a break from Heroquest for a bit. 

And here is all the blue-ish and Orange-ish plastic minis from the two sets all painted up.  

Until next time! 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!