Wargaming Small Wars (merged thread)

[Rex Brynen]

Warning: geeky wargaming posting ahead.

I'm playing around with the idea using a wargame to illustrate the basics of small unit warfare as an ancillary element of a course next year. (This probably falls into the category of "ideas I'll be too busy to follow up on," but there it is.) I could go with a computer simulation... but there are certain challenges in teaching from that in a group. I could go with a boardgame, but they're rather dry, abstract, complicated, and non-visual for non-gamers. The third option (assuming it doesn't fall into the trap of "my prof plays with toy soldiers") is to use a miniatures-based wargame, which allows you to lecture as the game progresses (to a small group at least).

The question is, however, what scale?

Hobby wargamers largely game COIN/IW operations in 15mm, 20mm ("Airfix" or 1/72) or 25/28mm scales. Even though the ground scale of the rules need not equal the visual scale of the figures, for aesthetic reasons you are confined to 3-4 city blocks (or equivalent) at most, meaning that the tactical decisions involved are not much more than "do I go left through those building, or right around those?"

You can also wargame this is 1/285 (or, in the UK, 1/300) "microarmour" scale. With the ground scales used in most rulesets, a 4x8" table will give you something like 2.5 x 5 km of simulated battlefield, which allows you to get much more in to approach routes, overwatch positions, blocking forces, IED placement, etc. On the down side, infantry are so small as to almost be invisible (although depicted as fire teams with several figures to a "base", they're still very useable).

Of course, the fourth option is to do what I do now, and just lecture from powerpoint. That might actually be the most effective of all (although arguably considerably less fun for the students).

[M-A Lagrange]

Playing a lot (when I am at home) whith 25/28mm scale, I would say that it’s not the best scale for what you attend to do. This scale goes really fine and is extremely visual and friendly used but 3 or 4 blocks means a very large board: around 2x2 metres. This in the idea that you have 4 blocks with let say 3 to 4 buildings per sides.
I would rather recommend that scale for a village position with a 1x1 m board and something like 5 to 6 houses and 1 mosque/church… Plus some surrounding country area.

For what you plan, the 1/72 scale seems the most adapted. Also it will be the cheapest option. You will be able to create your building easily with cookies boxes and beer canes (eat and drink first ) and vehicles are easy to find. Toy cars (matchbox or other brand) for civilian vehicles and miniatures from Heller or Airfix (or any other brand) military vehicles but you will probably have to assemble them.

It is extremely visual and shows well (if you have veteran with you) what does work on paper and not in reality. There is always a crazy angle you find in miniature that basically is blind in reality just because there is a tree, a civilian, a donkey or some garbage some where…

The pb you may find with the 1/72 scale is that players cannot really “see” what the soldiers can see. With a 25/28mm scale, it’s easier for the players to jump in the suite of the “combatant”. This because figurines in 1/72 are too small so you do not necessarily pictures the head of a guy above a wall.
The good point with that scale is that you can find easily civilians by going to the small train section. That you cannot find in 25/28mm (or more difficult).

Also, do not forget, those games are time consuming. Average 30 min/player/turn. With the 1/72 scale you can move a lot more figurines in the same amount of time.

The best would be 10 or 15 mm but it’s a hell to find and it’s definitively not made for neophytes. The visual effect works on large scale operation where you play a division.

[BayonetBrant]

http://www.ambushalleygames.com/

[Steve Blair]

You also might be able to modify Warhammer 40k or standard Warhammer to work for this. Lots of terrain and such out there, and the miniatures are of a good size as well.

[Rex Brynen]

You also might be able to modify Warhammer 40k or standard Warhammer to work for this. Lots of terrain and such out there, and the miniatures are of a good size as well.

Believe it or not, my Warhammer 40k Orks are already modelled on the West Side Boys. However, what shreds of credibility I still have would vanish if I put those in front of a class.

[M-A Lagrange]

While searching for wargame board material to play with a Yemeni officer who is rotting in the same hole than me, I found that game: Breaking news

I did not play it but thought it could be interesting as this game seems to integrate the media dimension (have to read the rules in depth).
Believe can be an interesting teaching material for 1st course/introduction to media management on operation field.
Especially as the scenarios are mainly focussed on counter terrorist/swat operations with civilian population involved.
http://www.dadiepiombo.com/bnrules.html


For those like me who are stuck far from nice little plastic angry warriors ( I do miss my WH40K and LoTR in the field), I found that game: Iraki Roads.
The very good point of it is that everything is available for paper soldiers. Just have to download your squad, vehicules... print it and play.
http://www.iraqiroads.de.tl/
(Tips: adverts and pop up are very, VERY annoying on that site)

[Rex Brynen]

I did not play it but thought it could be interesting as this game seems to integrate the media dimension (have to read the rules in depth).
Believe can be an interesting teaching material for 1st course/introduction to media management on operation field.
Especially as the scenarios are mainly focussed on counter terrorist/swat operations with civilian population involved.
http://www.dadiepiombo.com/bnrules.html

I've seen those.

Phil Barker, of Wargames Research Group fame (arguably the best rules-writer in the business, ever) has been working on a set of modern company-level COIN-type rules for the past few years. I'm not sure I like the dice system, but they otherwise look excellent. You'll find them here (at the bottom of his page, as a .doc file).

[pvebber]

I think this site may have been brought up in the past, but a great resource for classroom wargames is:

http://www.juniorgeneral.org/

Simple, rules, that can be modified easily, and easy to make components.

Pete Pelligino, a contributer to the site, has used the simple rules to run "cocktail party games" on the parque dance floor at the O-Club here in Newport to commemorate Trafalgar, Midway and Tsushima.

[Brian Train]

I would say that doing something with miniatures would probably be more satisfying to the students, from a tacticle and visual viewpoint. Making up some simple terrain would not be hard, and I think 1/72 scale would be easiest to find miniatures cheaply, in plastic (there are British outfits like Irregular Miniatures who do ranges of unusual figures in metal, of different scales, that would fill the bill for you but they are more expensive and would need to be painted).

I once made a demonstration-size game of my "Battle of Seattle" riot game (http://www.islandnet.com/~ltmurnau/text/gamescen.htm) with a large homemade paper map and two or three bags of "policemen" figures I got from a dollar store. They were about 54mm size, I used the figures as-was for "Authority" forces (reinforced with a few other dollar-store soldiers for National Guardsmen) and my little son and I had fun painting up and making small signs for the "Protestors". The latter needed a bit of surgery with a craft knife - cutting off pistols and holsters, changing police caps into Mohawks with Sculpey etc. - but it didn't take long.

As for rules sets, I've been looking into the Peter Pig "Rules for the Common Man" series, specifically a set called "AK-47 Republic". It's designed for playing out brushfire wars, is fairly simple and the rulebook and website has a lot of advice and hints on making scenarios and scenery. (Oh yes, and Peter Pig makes all kinds of miniatures for these conflicts too). (http://www.peterpig.co.uk/rules.htm)
(review of first edition, set was revised last year: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/...ak-47-republic)

The problem with many urban games, as you and M-A pointed out above, is that you get too tactical and then you lose all the flavour of the conflict - it's just one kind of infantry facing off against another in an alley somewhere. You do need to step back a bit and AK-47 does allow for this. I'd recommend it.