FiveCore Company Command.....

More conversion issues

I have had some really useful feedback on the CC hex grid conversion. Rather than hide my response in the blog comments I thought it would be useful to talk through the issues here.

I did the work very quickly, because the muse had taken me, and took a few very quick decisions without much reflection on certain issues. Norm, with whom I have an ongoing conversation about these sorts of things, has come up with some really good questions (thanks Norm!) which are worth contemplating:

1. Custom dice: In my original thoughts (link) I talked about D2s. Basically a 50:50 shot usually represented as 4 or more on a d6. D2 is a good short hand way of talking about these sorts of die rolls. There are some really great custom dice available and these would be ideal, for example, to use a d2 for all terrain rolls. That would be nice and simple. But I can't help thinking back to Piquet. For those short of memory (or young) these used a whole raft of different dice including d6, d8, d10 and, I think, d12. A real nightmare for me. In the conversion guide I have therefore reverted to the use of d6 with appropriate rolls rather than custom dice. Longer winded to write about but nice and simple.

2. Movement rates: One of the big problems with hex grid conversions is converting movement rates to hexes. This is largely because movement rates for infantry don't always convert in the same ratio to vehicles. We have that problem here with infantry basic move of 6" (one hex) plus 1d6" if dashing (an additional hex at 50:50 in the conversion). Vehicles, however, have a standard move of 9" and a scramble move of 12". I ended up going with 1 and 2 hexes respectively. Partly because I think that tanks moving tactically with infantry will tend to move at infantry pace (lots of film of Churchills supporting infantry in Normandy have imprinted this in my mind). 

3. Obstacles: Norm makes a good point that the die roll for obstacles crossing might actually result in units getting permanently stuck with rubbish die rolls. He suggests an automatic success after an initial failure and I think this is very reasonable. One other thought occurs and that is that this sort of roll might be better related to troop morale or competence (paras crossing an obstacle might present a different set of odds to some very unhappy conscripts). The current set up in CC doesn't support this but a revised version taking account of the more nuanced Five Men at Kursk rules might help with this.

4. Smoke and LoS: I must admit that it was late and I thought about LoS rules and then decided to see if I could get away without any. Norm has raised an interesting point about smoke and the precise line of sight (where it might not be blocked if only one hexside is "smoked"). This needs some thought.

5. Facing: Are there any facing rules and does this mean there are no flank armour rules? Really good questions. They can easily be added and would make the game even better provided they are kept simple.

More things to ponder:

• Infantry in a hex with tanks will rally quicker because the tank provides the cover for NCOs and Officers to stand up and get their troops moving. An interesting fact that I can no longer substantiate with evidence but which has stuck in my mind because it feels really true!
• Infantry can't assault an enemy tank if it is protected by enemy infantry in the same hex (in the conversion guide). What wider impact does terrain and infantry protection have, especially in respect of the ability of enemy troops to launch close range Panzerfaust or Bazooka attacks? Remember that Panzerfaust attack in Fury? Allied tanks often refused to move without infantry alongside.
• I like the lack of range restrictions on weapons. Although they are more effective the closer you get (within 1 or 2 hexes), the fact that you can be in danger anywhere on the board feels very realistic. Usually movement rates have to be considered in relation to weapons ranges. I think that CC has it right that if the enemy can see you they have a chance of shooting you.  

Prove it

Can we test whether the rules converted to a hex grid remain true to the original rules (which they should as we are not in the business of reinventing them) and can we test if they appear realistic (shock horror)? In my minds eye I do see a line of British or Canadian infantry advancing down a shallow slope through cornfields to assault a farm or village in Normandy followed by a platoon of Churchills. I think it would be good to design a classic scenario on these lines and play both a hex and non-hex version and see what they feel like. Any volunteers to help?

Airfix Battles: Unboxing the Introductory Wargame

Well, I wasn't going to resist blogging this one, was I?

I blame Norm again.....

he asked me a question and then I just.....

In one of the comments on my earlier post Norm asked about difficult choices when converting games to a hex grid. I understood exactly what he meant so I then had to work out what the answer would be. So, here it is, the hex grid conversion guide for FiveCore Company Command. This is a draft and may need some revision. Let me know what you think!

Next grid conversion?

FiveCore Company Command!

Following my last post and some interesting comments from Ivan, Norm and le Duc, I have taken a look at the Five Core Company Command (CC) rules as a potential hex grid conversion. My thought experiments with Bolt Action and Neil Thomas' WWII rules had left me with a sore head. This one, however, is quite exciting.

Here are some bullet points:

• CC table size: 3' by 3'.
• Standard move: 6".
• Dash: 6" plus 1 d6 (say 6" with a 50% probability of another 6").
• Vehicle move: 9" or 12" if scrambling (a bit tricky, see below).
• Squad base: 1.5".

So to my mind, we can use a hex representing 6". My hex grid uses 125mm (5") hexes because I'm funny that way (and it fits my table nicely). Like this.....

My big hexes representing a 3' square table in this picture. Tanks are 15mm (KVs at that), the squad bases are FoW standard and designed for my 20mm troops (I don't mind mixing scales, same as Art of Tactic). The 10p bit is a weapons base but I'll use 2ps in real life. Attachments will be on 1ps. This looks OK to me with a good sized Company Command force. 

• Infantry move: 1 hex.
• Vehicle move: 1 hex or 2 if scrambling. A/C = d2 for plus 1 hex.
• Road: vehicle move = d2 for extra 1 or 2 hexes.
• "Stacking": Four squads or mix of four squads and weapons teams. Squads can have attachments as well. Two tanks or one tank plus two squads/weapons teams.  
• Platoon order: All units in same hex.
• Obstacles: Treat as hexside with a success roll to cross for movement and a fire combat modifier.
• Terrain: Fills each hex. Hexes count as open or cover. Troops to have indicator if they are peeking. 
• Smoke: Completely fills one hex. Might be an issue with smoke grenades (need more than one squad to do this?) but should not be a problem for a light or medium mortar strike.
• Anti-tank fire: Treat as current rules, firer chooses target in hex.
• Anti-personnel fire: Allocate hits to squads first, each target gets a shock dice first then allocate any kills. Apply results at the end of the turn to take account of multiple attacks. Shows need to disperse your troops! 
• Assault: All assaults on one hex to be added together as one large assault.

This is just a first pass but the fact that there are no show stoppers here is great. It fits my table, my base sizes and troop scale thoughts. An identical approach can be used for Five Men at Kursk which would allow 20mm tanks to be used as the scale is tactical. Use 6mm troops and you have Brigade Commander. And all on my kitchen table, brilliant! 

Loads of rules.....

Very sore head!

I spent last weekend with the in-laws in Scotland. I enjoyed a little piece and quiet for a change and was able to do some thinking. The subject of this difficult enterprise was the idea that Bolt Action could be turned into hex based game. This is an idea I have had before but have never thoroughly tested out.

First off I actually had to read the rules. Easy enough I thought, many better people before me have done this and survived. My first issue is that the rule book is 216 pages long, that's a big read even if it does have lots of pictures. 

The second issue is that the infantry game is quite straightforward. Using hexes significantly simplifies a lot of the mechanisms including unit cohesion, line of sight, who can shoot etc. However, when you get to the vehicle bit it looks like a bolt on (sorry). Superficially similar rules actually follow a different path, for example, "down" and "pinned" for infantry are interpreted differently for tanks. Not a surprise in itself but, for me at least, a sign that the underlying mechanics are not holistic. They have been bolted together (sorry again) to make a game. 

The third issue is the army lists. Loads of really boring points led stuff. Tedious in the extreme, great for selling miniatures though.     

The fact that people buy Bolt Action, get the miniatures and have a nice time is great and I don't begrudge that at all. The rules just don't fit the inside of my head.

I then had another look at the Neil Thomas WWII rules from his Wargaming: An Introduction. Firstly, very short. 30 pages including introduction, rules, army lists and scenarios. The army lists are very simple which is also great and give lots of nice options when combined with some nice simple scenarios. 

So far so good. When I started to look at a hex conversion I was struck by the similarities with Bolt Action. Things like unit cohesion and firing ranges etc are simplified by using hexes. I didn't enjoy working out firing dice by range band. I had to do a similar thing for Bolt Action. The numbers just didn't look right in either game and I concluded that range attenuation isn't really handled very well.

I then looked at the tank thing. Again, the NT rules have a separate approach to the tank rules. Tanks don't take morale tests for example. OK fine, in real life tanks are different. But I also know that tanks and infantry in real life are inseparable. They can't do without each other and must have a way of interacting effectively. 

My only other comment about the NT rules is that the 30 pages probably leave out some important stuff, although I think NT trusts us to work this out for ourselves. 

This all sounds a bit depressing. However, both sets of rules show their connections with the origins of the hobby. Neither are revolutionary and both can be linked back to stuff written in the 1960s. Again, nothing wrong with that either. However, I ended up turning to boardgaming back then because I was not satisfied with these sort of miniatures rules.

I still have two further sets of rules to explore: FiveCore and Blitzkrieg Commander (BKC). I'll be pursuing these further. BKC is very interesting because it bridges the infantry/tank game divide by having a conscious combined arms approach. FiveCore is a bit more traditional but has some other very unique features. Wherever this goes, I do keep coming back to the simple army list ideas in the NT rules and will want to keep these in future.

News

Interesting Weasel developments:

• From Shako to Coal-Scuttle: The beta version has been updated following feedback and can be obtained from Wargames Vault.
• Company Command: An updated version of this has been announced for a few weeks time incorporating some of the Five Men at Kursk features. I'll wait for these before doing more work on the hex thing.

And finally....

I have mentioned a potential hex version of Lion Rampant before. An article on a conversion of Lion Rampant to the Napoleonic wars has appeared in the latest edition of WI. This is great and quite exciting, especially if I can fit it to hexes. However, it is called Eagle Rampant whereas I would automatically have called it Dragoon Rampant. Never mind.

Ambassador, you are spoiling us....

or you must need the box for something!

A slight bit of R&R today with just enough time to catch up with my Zvezda backlog. Well, not all of it but at least the vehicular element.

Spot the new guys.......

Nice new Matilda I and II by Zvezda to join my A&A Miniatures Matilda II. Quite a good match. Arras era heavy tank platoon.

Another A13 for the  cruiser tank platoon. Again, for Arras. A Crusader hiding at the back and pretending to be a cruiser.

A good job I got some Ferrero Rocher for my other half at Xmas. Especially since I have also acquired 2 KV1, 1 KV2 and a new Tiger I. All of these for my Plan B rules.

Tank park nicely installed. 
  

Hey, there's room for more. Quick, pass the credit card!

Personal self-satisfaction announcement 

Well, I don't make many of these so I must be due one about now! This weekend, after a year of on-off staggering around the countryside trying to get fit I have passed a personal milestone. I have successfully run two 5ks, one yesterday and one today. Due to a major bit of uncertainty about plans I did not manage to do the Sport Relief 3 mile run today, although I had assumed I would not be ready for it just yet.

The satisfaction lies in the fact that I am nearing 58, have had a serious back operation and developed diabetes type 2. I'll now celebrate with four pints of Stella and a nice curry. The best thing is that I enjoyed both runs, I had got my pace right, breathing spot on and my brain in the right sort of neutral (which doesn't happen often). I'm therefore very chuffed. Will I give up wargaming and take up sport? Not bloody likely. However, I think the exercise should be just the ticket to keep an old bastard on the road to Moscow for a good few years yet. Hurrah! 

Free game and ....

New Weasel stuff 

I keep wanting to do the old joke about the difference between weasels and stoats, luckily for everyone I just can't bring myself to write it down! Hobby time very strictly limited at present but I am keeping myself up to date on a few things which are worthwhile sharing more widely.

Waterloo Squares

A neat little print and play game on a 10 by 10 square grid by Eddy Sterckx covering the whole of the battle of Waterloo. Uses a card system for command and combat. Very nice. Its free and available from BGG here. This was designed for the 2015-16 BGG wargame PnP competition. More information about this year's competition and the games is here.

The Weasel stuff

First up up is a beta set of 19th century rules covering Waterloo to Mons (that sounds like a book I've got). They are described as:

From Shako to Coal-scuttle is aimed at a game with 8-12 units of infantry or cavalry, each 4 stands strong, supported by a few artillery batteries. It should be playable with any figures you already own, whether you are gaming 1815 or 1915.

Its a beta version so unfinished and, as a result, you can get them on a pay what you want basis from here. 

Second up is a really very cool tool for the new Five Men at Kursk rules. It randomly generates missions, forces and even the map. All you need to do is enter some details about the year and combatants etc and there you go. By the way, when I say really very cool I mean absolutely brilliant in case you thought I was being halfhearted about it. Check it out here.