Might it be possible to meld ShamBattle with the Portable Wargame?: Part 4: The rules

The original rules for SHAMBATTLE will no doubt give the players a lot of fun, but my plan was to see if I could meld elements of the concept with some of the game mechanisms used in my PORTABLE WARGAME rules.

Before I started to write my new rules, I looked at the original SHAMBATTLE rules and wrote lists of what I liked and what I didn't like in them. I hoped that this would then help me to concentrate my thinking.

What I particularly liked

• The map/battlefield.
• The limitation on the size of each side's forces.
• The limitations as to where those forces could be place before the fighting started.
• The time restriction placed on how long a player could take to complete their turn. (This might not be applicable in a solo wargame, but as well as being in SHAMBATTLE, it harks back to HG Wells' LITTLE WARS.)
• The use of the movement marker and figure base length to determine the speed at which an individual figure can move. (This does not fit in with my use of grid area movement BUT it is a nice and simple mechanism that reduces the need to measure movement distances and is something that I want to use at some point if I can.)
• The use of hospitals where casualties can be 'recovered' for future use. (Again, this is a nice mechanism BUT I cannot as yet see how I can incorporate it into my existing PORTABLE WARGAME rules.)

What I didn't particularly like

• The turn sequence. I much prefer to have artillery fire first during any turn, then movement to take place, followed by any combat. That said, in the following rules I stuck with the sequence laid down in SHAMBATTLE.
• The combat mechanisms. Both the bayonet charge/melee mechanism - which is very Wellsian - and the artillery/machine gun firing mechanisms - which rely on the use of templates - don't feel right to me. They might be easy and fun to use but I am not convinced that they are any better than the mechanisms I incorporated into my PORTABLE WARGAME rules.
• The spy seems a rather pointless although I can see why they were included in the original rules to add a bit of extra drama and fun.

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The ShamBattle/Portable Wargame Rules (Draft 1)

Armies

• Each side has an army that has a total of no more than 40 SPs (Strength Points). This includes a general who is worth 6 SPs.
• Armies comprise a number of units; each unit representing an infantry regiment, an engineer battalion, a machine gun company, a cavalry regiment, an artillery regiment, or a commander.
• Armies should have no more than two artillery and one machine gun unit.
• Units are grouped together to form brigades and/or divisions. These brigades and/or divisions may be commanded by the general.
• The only limitation to the number of units that can be placed in a hex is the size of the hex. No unit is allowed to span the border between one hex and another.

Units

• Each type of unit has a preset Strength Point (SP) Value, maximum distance in grid areas that it may move each turn, weapon range in grid areas for the weapons it is principally armed with, and a number of D6 dice it can roll in combat.
• Infantry regiments: 2 bases @ 3SPs each = 6 SPs; move 1 grid area; weapon range of 1 grid areas; 1 D6 combat die per base.
• Engineer battalions: 1 base @ 3 SPs = 3 SPs; move 1 grid area; weapon range of 1 grid areas; 1 D6 combat die.
• Machine gun companies: 1 base @ 2 SPs = 2 SPs; move 1 grid area; weapon range of 2 grid areas; 3 D6 combat dice when firing but only 1 D6 combat dice in close combat.
• Cavalry regiments: 2 bases @ 2 SPs each = 4 SPs; move 2 grid areas; weapon range of 1 grid areas; 1 D6 combat die per base.
• Artillery regiments: 1 base @ 2 SPs = 2 SPs; move 1 grid area; weapon range of 4 grid areas; 2 D6 combat dice when firing but only 1 D6 combat dice in close combat.
• Generals: 1 base @ 6 notional SPs; move 2 grid areas; no weapon range; add 1 to the D6 dice scores of any friendly units they are co-located with (i.e. that are in the same hex as the general).

The prewar placement of units

• In accordance with prewar treaty agreements, no unit may be placed in a hex that adjoins the boundary between the opposing countries. Until war breaks out, this part of the battlefield is regarded as a demilitarised zone.
• Each city must have a garrison that is at least 8 SPs in strength. (The general is NOT counted when garrisoning a city.)
• Any units that are not in a city may be placed anywhere in that side's country.

Exhaustion point

• Both sides have an Exhaustion Point of 14 SPs.
• When a side has lost that number of SPs, it has reached its Exhaustion Point.
• A side that has reached its Exhaustion Point must immediately stop taking aggressive action (i.e. it will continue to fight to defend its existing position but will not continue any movement towards the enemy).
• If all of a side's units are within their own country when that side reaches it Exhaustion Point, it must surrender and the war ends.
• When both sides have reached their Exhaustion Point, the war ends.

Timescale

• The game day is divided into four daytime turns and a night turn. These are:
• Morning (6.00am to 10.00am)
• Midday (10.00am to 2.00pm)
• Afternoon (2.00pm to 6.00pm)
• Evening (6.00pm to 10.00pm)
• Night (10.00pm to 6.00am)
• No fighting is allowed during the night turn. Units may move during the night turn but may not move into a grid area that is adjacent to the front, flank, or rear of enemy unit.
• During the night turn, units that have not been destroyed may regain a lost Strength Point (SP) by rolling one D6 die per unit.
• Results:
• D6 die score = 5 or more: The unit regains 1 SP.
• D6 die score = 4 or less: The unit does not regain any lost SPs.

Turn sequence

• At the beginning of each turn, both sides roll a D6 die. The side with the higher score moves first this turn.
• Side A moves.
• Side B moves.
• Machine guns fire.
• Artillery fires.
• Close combat takes place. (A formation or unit may only initiate close combat once each turn but can defend themselves every time they are attacked).

Movement

• The movement rates for all units is laid down above.
• Any unit that makes its entire move along a road benefits from an additional hex of movement that turn.

Machine gun and artillery fire

• Machine gun units and artillery units may only fire at targets that are in direct line-of-sight. They may not fire over other units unless they are on a hill above the unit they are firing over.
• Machine gun and artillery fire is simultaneous.
• Each machine gun unit and artillery unit rolls their D6 dice and inflict casualties as follows:
• D6 die score = 6: Enemy loses 1 SP even if they are in cover.
• D6 die score = 5: Enemy loses 1 SP if they are in the open.
• Losses of SPs are allocated to co-located units in turn (e.g. one to this unit, then one to the next unit, and so on).

Close combat

• Close combat takes place when opposing units are in adjacent hexes or the same hex.
• All close combat is simultaneous.
• All units involved in a close combat contribute their D6 dice to the combat dice roll.
• Both sides involved in a combat roll their D6 dice and the results are as follows:
• D6 die score = 6: Enemy loses 1 SP even if they are in cover.
• D6 die score = 5: Enemy loses 1 SP if they are in the open.
• Losses of SPs are allocated to co-located units in turn (e.g. one to this unit, then one to the next unit, and so on).
• The side that loses the most SPs during a close combat is deemed to have lost the close combat and may reduce the number of SPs that they have lost by 50% (rounded up) by immediately withdrawing out of contact with the enemy (e.g. a side loses 5 SPs in a close combat. By immediately withdrawing out of contact they reduce the number of SPs they have lost by 5/2 = 2.5, which when rounded up = 2. They have therefore only lost 3 SPs.)

Generals in close combat

• If a general is in a hex with a unit or units that lose a close combat, they may have been hit. To determine if they have been hit, a D6 die is rolled. and the results are as follows:
• 1: The General is killed, and 6 SPs are lost.
• 2 or 3: The General is wounded, and 3 SPs are lost.
• 4, 5, or 6: The General escapes injury.

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The rules outlined above are very much a work in progress and require play-testing. When writing them I have tried to meld together aspects of both SHAMBATTLE and the PORTABLE WARGAME ... but until I have set up some forces and start to use them on this battlefield, I have no idea how well these rules will work.