My original article, PHASED MOVEMENT, in Vol I, No. 6 of THE COURIER described two techniques designed to shorten game-turn length using a combination of alternate and simultaneous movement sequences.
The first technique divided each move-turn into 3 movement/time phases. The faster moving units, cavalry, were permitted to move during one or more phases, the slower moving infantry, only one. By giving the cavalry more move/time increments, it was therefore able to react to the one- phase-perturn infantry, thus making the cavalry a truly mobile striking force, able to outmaneuver the infantry rathe; than always moving simultaneously with them.
The second technique focused on the movement sequence within each of the 3 phases of the bound, the objective being to arrange, in logical fashion, the order of movement of each unit concerned. This was done using a listing termed a SITUATION CHART wherein each interacting unit (an interacting unit is one that impacts on another either through melee contact, or through firing) was assigned certain posbabilities in carrying out its orders before the enemy could carry out theirs. The intent of the listings was to eliminate the necessity for order writing. Each side merely stated their intent and, by reference to the table, the assigned probabilities would decide the outcome.
For example, if Red announced that his 999th had orders to advance 6 inches in good order, while Blue stated that he wished the 77th Line to fire on the 999th, the question arose as to when the 77th would fire . . . would they be so nervous as to blast the 999th before that unit moved, or so disciplined as to hold their fire until the 999th moved forward, thus firing at a shorter range? The Situation Chart, for this configuration, listed the following, with a roll of the dice acting as the probability pointer:
- A throw of 01 to 60 and the 77th fires
before the 999th advances.
A roll of 61 to 100 and the 77th fires after the 999th advances.
The dice are thrown . . . an 82 resulted . . . and the 999th advances, after which the well disciplined 77th brings its muskets to bear. Other interacting configurations were listed, and in each one, after Red and Blue announced their given orders for their unit, the outcome was described in terms of a probability function.
For purposes of this article let us assume that after the 77th unleashed their volley, the effect was such as to cause the 999th to check, and fail, a morale test . . . hence the 999th is now in disorder. On the next turn, Blue announces that the valiant 77th will charge, seeking to take advantage of the momentary disorder in the 999th's ranks. Red, of course, states that before the 77th makes contact, the 999th will attempt to rally and reform to accept the charge. And so, the question is . . . do they?
The Situation Chart listing for this interaction showed the following possibilities based on the 999th's morale factor:
-
A dice throw of 1/4 or less of the 999th's
morale factor and the 999th rallies and
meets the charge in good order.
A dice throw from 1/4 to the full morale factor and the 999th fails to rally in time and the 77th descends on it while it is still in disorder.
A dice throw higher than its morale factor and the 999th breaks and flees before the 77th makes contact.
Assume that, according to the rules used, the basic morale grade of the 999th is 95%. They are in disorder, which knocks off 15%, and they are being charged . . . another 10 points off. Their present morale factor is thus 70%. Red now throws the dice, looking for a number less than 1/4 of 70, i.e., Iess than 17, which would permit the 999th to rally and reform. He throws . . . a 47 . . . and the elated 77th moves into contact with a still disordered 999th. These two examples were chosen to illustrate the technique of simultaneous movement WITHOUT written orders. Red announces what he would like his unit to do, Blue states his desire for his unit, and the Situation Chart acts as an impartial referee in spelling out the possible outcomes.
The procedure is rapid, it is effective, and it works! Each turn the dice are thrown to determine Red and Blue. Red then simply goes down the gaming table, unit by unit, declaring his intentions. Blue now states his desired response, on a unit by unit basis, to Red's declarations, and, in each interacting situation, the chart is called upon to decide who did what to whom and when.
It turns out, even in a fairly large battle, that the number of interacting units is usually a small percentage of the total forces involved. This means that, for the most part, since there is no imioact of unit on unit, the Situation Chart is not brought into play and the non-impacting units move quickly and i ndependently.
The basic system works. What remains is to "fine tune'' it, to work out the improbabilities, and to ensure -- to the maximum extent possible -- that is governs all situations. Working with the Situation Chart in game after game resulted in the conclusion that the TYPES of interactions involvec were few in number. It was also noted that for an interaction to take place, one of the units involved had to take positive offensive action, i.e., to impact on the enemy, it had to either fire on him or attempt to contact him.
After further cogitation, it was realized that situations in which units interact fall into only two basic categories. First, there are those configurations in which the target of the offensive unit takes some counteroffensive action of its own, e.g., it fires back or countercharges. The second category encompasses those in which the target unit tries to adopt a defensive stance, e.g., infantry forming square against a cavalry charge, or a unit trying to run for cover before the offensive unit fires on it.
Still more agitation of the little grey cells, and the idea slowly dawned that the Situation Chart made no provision for the status of the troops involved. Consider the previous example of Blue's 77th Line who are firing on the 999th as that unit advances; the 77th, we recall, have a 40% chance of holding their fire until the 999th is at the shorter range. Now if the 77th are Guards, shouldn't their chance of holding fire be greater than 40% . . . conversely, if they are conscripts, shouldn't the percentage be reduced?
It was decided to revamp the Situation Chart. Not because it didn't work, but because the factors spelled out above require that the outcome of an interaction between two units was not so much a function of the configuration, as it was a function of the difference in unit capabilities. The SITUATION CHART, therefore, became a UNIT CAPABILITY CHART, with situation factors still prevalent, but now playing second fiddle.
The UNIT CAPABILITY CHART (WCC) is shown in Figure 1. It tabulates the probabilities that a unit of certain status will react more quickly than its opponent, who also has an assigned status. Four status grades are listed: Elite, Grenadier, Line and Conscript. The UCC is obviously tailorec to Napoleonics but can be expanded -- or shrunken -- to fit any era. The numbers, of course, are purely subjective. It was deemed that a unit on the offensive, all other things being equal, would have a 70% chance of carrying out its orders against an enemy unit of like status. Thus in our example of the 77th Line firing on the oncoming 999th, Blue throws the dice and any result up to a 70 and the 77th fires at the shorter range. Note that if the 77th were elite and the 998th conscript, the probability goes up to 90% . . . whereas conscripts trying to hold their fire against elites would have a miserable 50% chance of doing so.
The UCC still does not take into account the parameters of the actual situation (as noted before, interacting situations may be divided into two classes). The factors in the new Situation Chart (SC) of Figure 2 are used to modify the basic probabilities listed in the UCC to account for the interaction classes.
It should be noted that the roles of offensive and defensive player may reverse during the resolution of the various interactions occurring in a bound. Initially, all offensive actions are Red's . . . where Red is determined at the beginning of the bound by high throw of the dice. This gives Red the initiative.
But consider the following two cases:
- Red declares his 222nd Line Battalion
will fire on Blue's 55th Line. Blue declares
his 55th is advancing.
Red declares his 999th is advancing. Blue states his 77th Line is firing.
In Case 1, Red, having won the initiative, kept it by acting offensively, i.e., his decision to fire. Red then goes to the UCC and determines that his 222nd has a 70% chance to hold fire until the Blue 55th gets closer. In Case 2, Red's 999th was not ordered to impact, either through contact or by firing, on Blue's 77th. Thus by ordering the 77th to fire, the interaction was initiated by Blue, and it is Blue that goes to the chart and determines that his 77th has a 70% chance to hold fire until the 999th draws closer. This means then, that Red can keep the initiative and obtain the favorable probabilities tabulated in the UCC by continually impacting on Blue. In any given situation, however, Red loses the initiative. when he doesn't interact with Blue . . . and the shoe is on the other foot as Blue becomes the aggressor for that particular interaction.
Another example is Blue's decision to.have the 77th charge the 999th while that unit is still in disorder from the effects of the 77th's volley. Regardless of who won the dice toss for that bound, Blue, in this interaction, becomes the party initiating impact and Red, the unit taking defensive action. If both are line units, the UCC indicates a basic 70% chance for Blue to charge and make contact before Red's 999th even has a chance to rally. Reference to the SC indicates that the 999th's disorder adds another 15% to Blue's chance of success, making a total of 85%.
The possible outcomes are as follows:
-
a. Blue dice roll is an 85 or less. The 77th
charges home on an unhappy 999th
while that unit is disordered.
b. Blue rolls a number greater than 85. Here the 999th gets its chance to rally before the 77th makes contact. But note that here, too, there are 2 possibilities:
-
(i) The 999th passes its morale test,
reforms in place, and meets the
77th in good order.
(ii) The 999th fails its morale test, in which case it remains in disorder as the 77th makes contact and takes its lumps in the melee.
3. Blue now goes down the line and, for each of his units, gives his response to the Red declarations. When he reaches the 77th, he may say: Blue 1 . . . "If you advance, I shall fire." Blue 2 . . . "If you fire, l shall fall back."
4. Red now selects, for his units, which of the choices he stated. All non- interacting units may now be moved. This will leave a few interacting situations to be settled. Red, for the 999th, may delcare for Red 1: "I shall advance."
5. Red's selection immediately activates Blue's response: Red 1 -- Blue 1 or Red 2 Blue 2. Here the 999th is advancing (Red 1), the 77th is firing on them (Blue 1), and the question to be resolved is: when does the firing take place?
6. The UCC and SC listings are referred to as previously described, with Blue, in this instance, denoted the aggressor, and the turn completed.
Although presented in conjunction with the phased movement system, the bound does not have to be divided into phases for the WCC/SC movement sequence to function. Normal movement distances and procedures may be used. Doing away with the phased system, as originally described, eliminates all preturn writing requirements. In effect, simultaneously movement is obtained without prior written orders.
Some have voiced a criticism of the technique stating that, without written orders, the effect of "surprise" has been lost, that since all options are announced openly, there can be no surprise tactics. But this confuses the "surprise" experienced by the gamer with the "surprise" inflicted on the units involved.
Use of the UCC and SC is straight forward and quite simple when only 2 units interact. More than 2 units involved occasionally requires some elementary analysis. For instance, consider the 77th and 78th battalions both simultaneously charging the same enemy unit, the 999th, where the 999th is in disorder. Each attacking unit has an 85% chance of contacting the 999th before that battalion gets a chance to rally. The outcome may be one of the following:
-
a. Both the 77th and the 78th throw 85 or
under. Both, therefore, contact the
999th before it attempts to rally.
b. Both throw over 85. The 999th does get its chance to rally. But, of course, only one chance.
c. One throws under, the other over, 85. Does this mean the 999th gets a chance to rally before one unit hits it, but not before the other does? Clearly the answer is no . . . if one of the two charging units contacts the 999th before it can react, this forecloses any attempts to rally at all.
Other situations can be as easily resolved. A very common occurrence is the 77th and 78th both firing on the 999th, which is advancing. Each of the firing units has a 70% chance to hold its fire until the 999th moves up.
Thus the 77th may roll a 53' indicating that it fires after the move, at the shorter range. If, at the same time, the 78th rolled an 86, then the 78th fires immediately, before the 999th moves. Casualties are assessed, a morale test taken if required, and, if passed, the 999th moves forward to be blasted by the 77th. Note, however, that if the 999th broke and fled after being fired on by the 78th, the 77th would not get to fire at all, their target having disintegrated!
The actual sequence for each bound is as follows:
-
1. Dice for initiative. Red is high; Blue is
low.
2. Red, then, for each of his units, states 2 options. He may say, for example, for the 999th: Red 1 . . . "I may advance." Red2 . . . "I mayfire."
On the tabletop, Red sees Blue's Cuirassiers approaching the ill-fated 999th, still in road column formation. Written orders or not, Red will not be surprised when Blue orders a charge. The question is not whether Red is surprised, the question is whether or not the 999th is "surprised"; can they form square in time to repulse the oncoming Cuirassiers? In a given situation, tactics are pretty much set and the gamers know what's coming.
There are no mysteries in what one's opponent will do. The real issue concerns the actions of the units involved and that is where the charts step in as an impartial judge of unit response.
| UNIT CAPABILITY CHART (figure 1) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive Unit Action | Offensive Unit Action | Modifier | ||
| Target Unit Acting Defensively | ||||
| Unit in disorder, attempts to rally | Cavalry Charging | + 15 | ||
| Infantry charging | +1 | |||
| Unit is firing | +10 | |||
| Unit attempts to form square | Cavalry charging | -1 per inch of charge distance | ||
| Attempts to enter cover | Cavalry charging | +10 | ||
| Infantry charging | +5 | |||
| Unit is firing | + 10 | |||
| Attempts to reform/reface | Cavalry charging | -1 per inch of charge distance | ||
| Infantry charging | -(1/2) per inch of charge distance | |||
| Unit is firing | 0 | |||
| Attempts to move | Cavalry charging | + 5 | ||
| Infantry charging | 0 | |||
| Unit is firing | 0 | |||
| Any of the above | Horse artillery is Moving & Firing, or Unlimbering & Firing | -20 | ||
| Target Unit Acting Aggressively | ||||
| Firing | Firing | Fire occurs simultaneously | ||
| Firing | Any unit is charging | Fire occurs at the % waypoint | ||
| Charging | Countercharging | Melee occurs at the % waypoint | ||
| SITUATION CHART (figure 2) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status of Offensive Unit | Basic Probability of Offensive Unit's
Success Status of Defensive Unit | |||
| Elite | Grenadier | Regular | Conscript | |
| Elite | 70 | 75 | 85 | 95 |
| Grenadier | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 |
| Regular | 55 | 60 | 70 | 80 |
| Conscript | 50 | 55 | 60 | 70 |
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