Rules for Self-propelled Guns

Whilst sorting out the troops I will use in the next play-test of my modified version of Joseph Morschauser's ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules, I decided to include a couple of self-propelled guns in the forces that the Eastlanders will be using.

There are no specific rules for self-propelled guns in the original rules, but they are so simple that it was almost a 'no brainer' to come up with some. They are:

• They move like Tanks on and off roads
• They have the Close Combat Power of Armoured Cars
• Their armament has the same weapon range and uses the same dice scores as the non-self-propelled version of the gun they carry
• Their armament can only fire in a 90-degree arc forward

I look forward to seeing how they perform in the play-test.

Planning the next play-test

Over the past week or so I have been trying to cope with a lot of pressure at home and at work, but today the burden has just begun to lessen slightly and I have been able to begin the planning process for the next play-test of my modified version of Joseph Morschauser's ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules.

The first step was to decide on the scenario. This has been designed so that the number of tanks involved will be greater than in the previous play-test, and that the defending side (the Morschauserlanders) will be able to use pillboxes, minefields, and barbed wire as part of their defence system.

The second step was to get the troops that will make up the two sides out of their storage units and check that everything is in order.

The final step was to draw up the map of the battlefield, and this is shown below.

With a bit of luck I might be able to begin the play-test tomorrow evening and complete it either on Saturday or Sunday. I will then write up an appropriate battle report and publish it via this blog.

Modified Morschauser ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules

On Monday I received a very interesting email from Rob Dean, who has used the original version of Joseph Morschauser's 'Modern' Period Wargame Rules with his sons.

Attached to the email were two scanned in images of the original rules with the additional hand-written amendments that Rob had made. These included rules about:

• Saving throws for Units that are behind cover
• The use of antiaircraft missiles
• The use of helicopters
• Attacks on ground targets by aircraft

These additional rules were of great interest to me, and I will be looking long and hard at them to see if I should include any of them in the next draft of my version of Morschauser's rules.

Minefields, Pillboxes ... and Gary: Tank Commander?

Yesterday was far too hectic for a man of my advanced years, and I ended up too tired to even put fingertip to keyboard to write my blog. This evening looked like it was going to be just as busy, but I finally managed to grab a few minutes to write my first blog entry for December.

This morning, before going to work, I actually constructed some minefields for my forthcoming play-test. 'Constructed' is probably making the process sound far more impressive than it actually was; what I did was cut out some pieces light green felt to size and cover them with a regular pattern of black dots!

I have used this technique before to indicate minefields, and in my opinion it works quite well. They are simple to place on the tabletop battlefield and are easily recognise as minefields.

I also needed some pillboxes, and this time I had a brainwave ... well I thought that it was a brainwave. Some time last year (I think it was in the run-up to last Christmas) my wife and I bought some small cardboard boxes in Hobbycraft to use to pack some small presents. I remembered that there were some hexagonal boxes in the same range, and whilst driving to work I took a small diversion to the local branch of Hobbycraft and bought three small hexagonal trinket boxes.

Now that I have seen them on the battlefield I think that they look just like the concrete pillboxes that were built all over the UK during the early years of World War II. They don't even need painting, and at the princely sum of 89p each they are ideal for my needs.

Finally, has anyone else seen the new sitcom about the British Army called GARY: TANK COMMANDER? I found it purely by accident on the BBC iPlayer ... and I enjoyed it.

Now I cannot remember many military-based British comedies except THE ARMY GAME (1957-61), DAD'S ARMY in the (1968-77), and GET SOME IN (1975-78). My impression is that all of these were rather slow-burners to begin with, but got better (and more appreciated) as they progressed. Perhaps GARY: TANK COMMANDER will be the same. I don't know ... but I will try to see each episode of this series as they come out.

Will it ever stop raining?

It has rained again today (and we had hailstones as well) ... just like it rained yesterday ... and the day before that ... and the day before that ...

Now wet days should be good wargaming days, as they give you an excuse to stay indoors and keep dry ... and get on with all those wargaming tasks that you wanted to do. But life has a habit of finding other, more pressing things for you to do, and today has been no exception. So most of today has been dedicated to doing all sorts of non-wargaming things.

I had plans to make some minefields and pillboxes for my next play-test, but I have made no progress at all and have no idea when I will be able to sit down and make them.

C'est la vie!

A typical Saturday

I have not been able to do much today on the wargaming front as most of my time has been taken up dealing with various family-related situations.

I did, however, manage to visit the Arts & Craft section of the small department store that is situated in the Retail Outlet Centre at Chatham Maritime, where I bought some more pieces of coloured felt. These will be used for the forthcoming play-test of the latest draft of the Modified Morschauser ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules.

Something to ponder ...

At what point does something cease to be a development of someone else's work and become one's own?

I pose this question because of the recent work I have done – with the help and assistance of Jim Wright and Ross Macfarlane – modifying and developing Joseph Morschauser's wargames rules.

Whilst the basic mechanisms are still very definitely Morschauser’s, the wording of the rules is gradually moving away from his style, content, and layout to become much more like my own. Rules have also been added to those in the original version, and some of the original ones have been changed or even removed. At some time in the future I intend to add some explanatory notes and diagrams to the text, and at that point I suspect that over 50% of the content will be my original work rather than Joseph Morschauser’s.

But is it right to call the result mine?

My gut feeling is that the answer to this question is ‘NO!’ because the fundamental elements of the rules will still be Joseph Morschauser’s.

Perhaps the answer is to look for a solution in the world of music, where composers have used the work of others to produce variations. For example, Brahms's wrote VARIATIONS AND FUGUE ON A THEME BY HANDEL and the VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY HAYDN. So when I cast around for a name for the rules I am still developing, perhaps I should subtitle them something along the lines of VARIATIONS ON A SET OF WARGAMES RULES BY MORSCHAUSER.

Comments anyone?

Modified Morschauser ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules

I have made a few changes as a result of the recent play-test. They can be summarised as being:

• Reformatting the ‘Units’ table so that the Unit Types are separated into Infantry, Artillery, AFV, and Miscellaneous
• Removing Antitank Grenades from the list of weapons in the ‘Units’ table that Infantry Units can use
• Adding Minefields to the list of Unit Types
• Removing the rules that allow Tank Units to run down other types of Unit
• Removing the rules pertaining to the use of Antitank Grenades
• Removing the rules that stopped Tank Units from engaging in Close Combat
• Adding new rules that deal with Woods & Built-up Areas, Minefields, and Barbed Wire to the ‘Special Rules’ section.

Although these are still very much a ‘work in progress’, they are now becoming a very workable set of simple, fast-play ‘Modern’ period wargames rules.

Guy Debord and The Game of War

I am grateful to Clive Smithers of Vintage Wargaming for sending me a link to the Class Wargames website.

Class Wargames has recently launched a film about Guy Debord's THE GAME OF WAR, and it is possible to view the film in five sections on the website. Whilst I found this ... interesting ... I actually found the rules of Debord's game more relevant to my studies of wargames that use gridded playing surfaces. They are certainly worth looking at in more detail, and I shall be doing so sometime over the next few days.

Morschauser ‘Modern’ Period Wargames Rules – Even more thoughts on the recent play-test

Since my blog entry of yesterday I have time to think a bit more about the next draft of the rules and to exchange emails with Jim Wright. As a result I have:

• Removed the section of the rules that allows Tank Units to run down other Units and destroy them (This immediately reduced the complexity of the rules and increased their simplicity)
• Given AFV – Tanks a Close Combat Power = 3
• Given AFV – Armoured Car a Close Combat Power = 5
• Removed the use of Antitank Grenades from Infantry – Rifles and Infantry – Submachine Gun Units
• Added a rule about what Units can move through woods off road
• Added a rule about the ability of Units in woods to fire at enemy Units
• Added a rule about the ability of Units to see enemy Units that are hidden inside woods

I am also thinking about introducing rules for minefields and barbed wire before the next play-test. Time ... and pressure of work ... will be the determining factors as to whether I manage to do so or not.