Have you ever had a mental itch that just HAD to be 'scratched'? You know what I mean; an irresistible idea that just won't go away and that you have just GOT to use? I have ... and it is a result of Archduke Piccolo's very simple and very effective method for using normal D6 dice to determine the outcomes of combat.
Ever since I read his original blog entry I had wanted to incorporate his dice system into a simple set of wargames rules for the late 19th century ... and today I decided that I just had to 'scratch' that 'itch'. At present my progress can best be described as 'slow but steady', and I doubt if the first draft will be ready much before the weekend, but when I do I would hope to play-test the rules fairly soon afterwards.
Ever since I read his original blog entry I had wanted to incorporate his dice system into a simple set of wargames rules for the late 19th century ... and today I decided that I just had to 'scratch' that 'itch'. At present my progress can best be described as 'slow but steady', and I doubt if the first draft will be ready much before the weekend, but when I do I would hope to play-test the rules fairly soon afterwards.
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Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteAs a man of numerous 'itches' - all needing a degree of scratching - you have my sympathy! I will look out for the end result with relish...!
Seriously though, what a great idea and I one that is crying out to be expanded upon.
All the best,
DC
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteI have been experimenting with the dice concept and the results are interesting. One thing I noticed almost as soon as I started was that it is very quick and easy to 'see' the results
I have decided that doubles should count as hits on units that are in the open and that it will require a triple to cause a hit on a unit that is behind hard cover.
I have also decided that there will a single combat system for fire and close combat, with infantry, cavalry, and artillery throwing dice as per BATTLE CRY.
All the best,
Bob
"I have decided that doubles should count as hits on units that are in the open and that it will require a triple to cause a hit on a unit that is behind hard cover."
ReplyDeleteA triple '1' to hit Artillery in hard cover? How many dice would be rolled per combat?
I should just mention, I think, that in its present incarnation, I take doubles as forcing retreats and triples as 'kills'. The idea there is to try and reduce the attrition rate (though it was not successful in my little example).
ReplyDeleteI did consider some jiggery pokery with higher numbers of the same pip score (quadruples and higher), but aside from whether to call four 1 'kill' or two retreats, or one side or the other chooses, I haven't yet decided.
To any force I added an arbitrary two dice. This was to allow a single unit of cavalry, say, a chance, however remote, of scoring a 'kill'. As for terrain, I hadn't yet decided, but was leaning towards counting only towns, fortifications and maybe mountainous regions, all of which would advantage a defender. But what sort of advantage: a plus to the force, or a multiplier?
The sort of game I had in mind was probably something along the lines of the R.L. Stevenson/Lloyd Osbourne sort of map game. But I can see that the whole idea could be adapted to other systems.
Combat systems with the outcome shown directly on the dice, Reisswitz rides again!
ReplyDeleteLook forward to seeing the outcome of your trials.
Cheers
Nick
Kaptain Kobold,
ReplyDeleteA good point. I shall have another think about using the triple dice score causing hits on units in hard cover.
All the best,
Bob
Archduke Piccolo,
ReplyDeleteWhat you have written in your comment makes things a bit clearer.
I hope to use your dice mechanism in a tactical wargame rather than a strategic one ... and I suspect that I will have to make compromises regarding terrain effects that would not be required in a strategic wargame.
I don't know if what I plan to do will work, but I will have fun giving it a go.
All the best,
Bob
Nic101 (Nick),
ReplyDeleteIt is such a simple system that it just has to be used!
All the best,
Bob