Napoleonics and The Hidden Table

Wargaming

by David Commerford, UK

Now, I would be the first to admit that what follows is not the most original thing in the world, in fact the immediate concept stems from the last century (I've been waiting six months to use that line!) and the idea from the century before that! However, it is a nice twist in the appreciation of Command and Control problems and worth a try if only to shake up people's perception of the problems of commanding in the pre-radio era. The Beginning Kreigspeil, as most of you will know, was invented in the early 1820's as a game for the instruction and amusement of officers in the Prussian Army. It required a minimum of two players and an Umpire and usually three maps, one for each side and one where the umpire combined the opposing moves and supervised the game. While the third map was not essential the physical separation of the contestants certainly was, in order to ensure a realistic lack of universal knowledge on their behalves. Some years ago one or two articles appeared in the wargames press describing a method of playing figure games in a manner similar to Kreigspeil, either by using separate rooms with a table for each side, or with a concealed table. I had some very successful evenings in the late 80's with the later concept, while playing 20mm World War Two games, which leant themselves to the advantages of total hidden movement. (I might tell you that many an allied player still awakes in a cold sweat at the memory of my Jagdpanther but that, as they say, is another story!) In the mean time, I have tried the same game principals on Napoleonics with equal success and thought I might share the process with you. The Method In practical terms. The Hidden Table is a very simple concept. Two tables are set up with a screen between them. This can be constructed in any fashion, as long as it can be made high enough to obscure the view to some one seated on either side of the screen, not only of the table area but also, as to where the opposing player is located. Preferably the movements of an umpire and the opposing player, around their half of the table, should also be hidden, as much as possible, to avoid "reconnaissance by deduction" based on their handling of the table top units. At my club we are lucky enough to have access to some tall poles on weighted bases, used for holding up display screens. Set either side of the table centre line and with a couple of old sheets slung on a line between them, they do an effective, if not very attractive, job of keeping things hidden. Spare tables stood on end will do the job just as well but either way, remember to make your screen wider than the table top, so as to stop movement being detected down both sides. With the screen in place the umpire should layout an identical terrain set-up on both sides. We have found that for practical reasons the terrain should be fairly simple in that is easier to replicate if the features are of regular construction. How much of it is up to you but a good amount that lends itself to a degree of concealment is preferable. As the whole purpose is to give a truer sense of restricted vision to commanders, it's a bit pointless to play on a flat plain! All that's then needed are two opposing forces, or rather I should say four opposing forces, as each side will have to provide two identical sets of troops. One which will appear on their half of the table and one which their opponent will see as they are revealed. If figure availability is tight and you have to use a substitute it's good practice to give the "real" unit to the force on the opponents side. It enhances their gaming experience and makes the umpires life easier as he will always know what he is looking at depending where he is standing. It also lessens the chances of giving the game away by his having repeatedly be reminded what's, what. You will of course need a set of rules. Any will do. However, those lending themselves to the tactical rather than grand tactical end of the spectrum are to be preferred as the method lends itself more to close quarter action than the sweep of battle. For what it's worth we use General de Brigade but anything that does not need stacks of units should be fine. It is possible to play this way with bigger games but the figure requirements, table size needed and the chances of find an umpire who can keep it all in their head, while whirling like a Dervish, tend to work against it. The Playing There are a number of things that if adhered to make the game go better. Due to the fact that when playing in this style (certainly after the first couple of times) people develop a very healthy sense of caution. Like their real life counter parts, they become somewhat reluctant to push on, when they have absolutely no idea what they have in front of them. While this may be a realistic result, it also means that the game stalls somewhat. Therefore, it's a good idea to give each player and objective located beyond that you give to his opponent. Naturally you don't tell either one what the other has to do. For example: On the table there is a river running across its width. South of the river there is a town. You tell the side coming from North of the river they have to take the town and the side approaching from South of the town that they have to take the river crossing. This should ensure that a decent fight happens. Umpires make or break this system. They should be careful, accurate and be sure not to give things away by their position at the table and handling of units. Also, when checking line of sight they should never, ever, look in one direction alone. Wander round the table, check a number of options, look thoughtful and then act. Don't agonise in one place, suck your teeth and walk away shaking your head. Unless nothing's there at all, in which case it's a laugh, provided you do it to both sides and only once per game! Players should be encouraged not to explain their intentions to the umpire in too bold a manner. They would not be the first to give the game away by keenly explaining their grand plan to the umpire at the top of their voice! It is necessary for players to inform the umpire of their intentions but it is easy to forget there is someone on the other side of the table if you can't see them! Talking of sight. One other thing you might like to try in this medium or your general gaming is to physically restrict your observation distance in line with some practical research. Two independent U.S. Army studies in 1989 & 1991 concerning line of sight and its effect on main combat engagement ranges, in a European environment, showed that the average LOS only stretched to 1200 meters. With smoke often halving this distance, you can imagine that even the degree of hidden movement this way of playing provides, needs to be further reduced. Of course the physical distance you can see is not automatically an indicator that a force will be spotted. Smoke obscuration is not the only problem. Some one has to be in position to actually spot the approaching enemy other than Private Bloggs in the front rank of, the last file on the right of Battalion X. A person in authority, or at any rate in touch with a person in authority, needs to see the approach, realise what it means and then act on this information. In our games we tend to assume that all units are RT equipped and that when a Battalion gets a glimpse of something, the commanding general of their Brigade, several hundred meters away, supervising the redeployment of two other Battalions knows at once what they have seen! You might want to take this into consideration when using this system just to put a bit of extra polish on the detail. Finally, for those of you who are interested in Command and Control aspects of Napoleonic Wargames, a little plug for an upcoming article in First Empire. When space and His Editorial Excellence will allow. I will be doing a feature on the historical development of C2 in gaming. Which will include information on an exciting development in games design by Major James R.Machin, U.S. Army, that allows for an unprecedented level of realism in this area. Watch this space! 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