One example might suffice. One player I dueled with on occasion simply had to win. No matter what he must win. To do this he would attempt to terrorize the other players, argue his interpretation of the rules (right or wrong). When confronted with the computer, simply refused to participate. After one game, in which he fared badly (I got him to play), he refused ever to even return. The rest of us went on to have a good recreational time enjoying a game -- beer and pretzels included! The Computer allowed us all to enjoy the game more and each other as well. Found more bantering and conversation on various subjects.

The most fun was when one of the players would be entering information for a particular combat of consequence. We would all gather around the screen and eagerly wait the results. It got to be really enjoyable. The rules we used were reduced to four pages of tables and a page for the order of events. A rule booklet was available for support, if needed. It was rarely used. I had to do a lot of thinking on how to apply the computer to the battle tactical events to keep the game a game - enjoyable for all the players. It has taken many hours of effort and redesign to get the balance -- a good level of accuracy while maintaining an enjoyable game.

Campaign Tool

A DOS program called Berthier from http://www.nelson.co.nz/wargaming/VnB.htm will handle logistics, effects of differing terrain, and smaller battles/skirmishes. To modify the forces once the campaign has been set up requires manually editing the game file.