Most wargamers know that gaming played an important role in the rise of the Prussian Army, where the Kriegspiel became an important tool in the rehearsal of war plans and the training of officers. Indeed, the hobby today and the modern computer-driven wargames used in the Pentagon trace their origin back to groups of German officers hunched around mapboards adorned with variously colored wooden blocks. What is not generally known is that many of those stiff-necked Junkers strove to make their wargames fun and well-balanced. The reasons are obvious enough; anyone who has suffered through a poorly run game, laden with mind-numbing rules and a lockstep scenario, can sympathize with the 19th century Prussian officer who lamented that "A tedious war game is the grave of all interest." If wargames were to be used to teach young officers tactical principles, they had to be interesting, fairly balanced, and (most importantly) playable to a conclusion in a single evening. These same principles hold true for a regular club-meeting today. It is with this in mind that I present a scenario taken from an Imperial German manual on wargaming. The Regimental Wargame, by Major Friedrich Immanuel, an instructor at the Kriegsakadamie. Published in 1903, this handy book was later translated for use at the U. S. Army Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. The scenario can be played with any set of rules covering warfare from 1870 to 1914, or, as we shall see, can be conducted without using any rules at all. I have modified some of the more complex and technical aspects of the scenario to make it more suitable for the hobbyist. OPPOSING FORCES: FRENCH 6 Battalions of infantry organized into two regiments 2 Squadrons of Dragoons 3 Batteries of field artillery GERMAN 4 Battalions of infantry in two regiments 2 Squadrons of Uhlans 2 Batteries of field artillery GERMAN MISSION. The army has been defeated by a much stronger French force and is currently withdrawing to a bridgehead over the Rhine. Your brigade has been detached from the main body to guard against any French efforts to cut off this withdrawal. You must prevent any sizeable French force from exiting north on the road to the bridgehead. Your force enters the board on turn 1 at entry point E. The situation is very fluid, and intelligence is scarce as to what direction the French may approach from. FRENCH MISSION. Your brigade, held in reserve during the previous day's battle, has been tasked to pursue the beaten Germans as they withdraw to the Rhine. Avoid engagement with enemy covering forces, unless they can be easily overrun, and exit north on the road to the bridgehead as quickly as possible. You may enter at Entry Point A on turn 4, at Entry Point B or C on turn 5, or at Entry Point D on turn 6. You may delay entry at any point if you wish. For instance, you may want to enter at Entry Point B on turn 6. You may enter different parts of your force at different Entry Points. Prior to the start of the game, each commander designates his order of March, while the French commander designates where he will enter and on which turn. Both commanders then allocate cavalry to scouting duties. RECONNAISSANCE: As mentioned before, prior to the first turn, each player secretly allocates cavalry to scouting duties. They may allocate none, some or all of their cavalry for this purpose. Cavalry is allocated in quarter-troop increments. Any cavalry allocated to reconnaissance is subtracted from the two squadrons available to each player, i.e., they are not used on the table-top. For example, if the French player allocates two quarter-squadrons to scouting, then one of his squadrons would enter the board at half-strength. Each player then reveals the number of quarter-squadrons he has allocated to reconnaissance. Results are listed below: If the French player allocates more cavalry to reconnaissance than the German player does, then the German may not use hidden movement. Additionally, the French may alter their order of march, but not their entry point(s) or turn of entry. If the French player allocates twice as much as the German, the above applies, except that the French may also alter their entry point. If both sides allocate the same number of quarter-troops for scouting, or the German player allocates more, he may use hidden movement. If the German player allocates twice as much cavalry to reconnaissance, he may use hidden movement, and the French player must reveal which entry points he is using. Example: Prior to turn one, the German uses two quartersquadrons of cavalry for scouting, while the French uses four. The first French unit is scheduled to enter the board on turn 5. The German, having lost the advantage of hidden movement, now openly moves his units for four turns. After watching his opponent's moves, the French player decides to alter his order of march and change his original entry points. Note that the French still may not use Entry Point D at this point, since it cannot be used earlier than turn 6. PLAYING THE GAME WITHOUT AN UMPIRE: Any set of rules may be used for this scenario. The table should be large enough so that an infantry column marching on a road could reach about halfway across in three turns. This will allow the Germans to reach suitable defensive terrain without being able to march all the way across the board to block one or more entry points. At the same time, it ensures that the opposing forces will quickly come to grips while leaving plenty of room for maneuvers. Unless otherwise indicated, the German should move his units on a map until they are actually sighted by the French. If you believe this may cause some trouble between inexperienced (or testy) players, than deploy the Germans on the board as soon as the first French unit enters. PLAYING WITH AN UMPIRE: To truly get a feel for how the old Kriegspiel played, try running your game in the following manner. Give each player only the information (mission, forces) pertaining to his own side. Do not allow either side to view the board, but give them a map which may or may not be completely accurate, while the players determine their strategy, order of march, entry points, turn of entry, and amount of cavalry to allocate for scouting. Then determine the results of the cavalry reconnaissance and proceed as described above. The only rules needed when using an umpire are those determining movement rates and the cost to change formations. No rules need be used for melee, artillery fire, or, in fact, any other aspect of play. When orders are dispatched or combat takes place, the results are adjudged solely by the umpire. At the same time, the players should explain to the umpire what it is they are trying to do and why they believe their tactics are effective. The umpire may take the players arguments into account when deciding upon the outcome of a particular combat. For example, consider the following discussion as a German infantry battalion attacks a line of French Dragoons. FRENCH: I will dismount and form a skirmish line along the edge of the woods, while my attached artillery deploys here so as to catch the Germans in the flank. The horseholders will retire into the depth of the woods, and the skirmish line will attempt to fall back in front of the German attack. GERMAN: My battalion will move forward in line, using extended order. My supporting artillery will focus its efforts on silencing the French battery. I believe the ground will mask the French artillery at this point, and I will pause here until the French artillery is silenced before rushing the edge of the woods. UMPIRE: I agree with the German commander that this low ridge will protect him from the enemy's artillery up to this point. I also rule that German artillery fire will destroy one French gun and force the rest of the battery to retire into the woods before it can effectively fire on the German flank. However, by pausing, the German infantry is exposed longer to the fire of the Dragoons, causing them to lose two figures and go to ground. Given the extraordinary difficulty in getting a line in extended order moving again once it has stopped, I rule that the attack has failed, and that the German battalion is pinned here for the rest of this turn. This is the way that Kriegspiels were often adjudicated, and the outcome of the battle in game terms is clearly subordinated to learning about tactics, unit capabilities, and battlefield intangibles. What do you need in order to make such a free-play system work~ First, a knowledgeable umpire who is willing to listen to the players, judge fairly, and explain his decisions. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, you need players eager to learn who are more concerned with having a good time than winning at all costs. Rules lawyers are definitely not welcome here. This method is not for all groups, all the time, but I have participated in and run such games, and found them to be highly enjoyable when the chemistry is right. They are also, by the way, an excellent way to introduce novices to a particular period, or to wargaming in general. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier # 61 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by The Courier Publishing Company. 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