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.
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.
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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!
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