Chance is an integral part of wargaming. Indeed, this element of risk provides most of the excitement and tension in the hobby, at least during the actual gaming. In most wargame rules, change affects firing, combat and morale considerably, but has no effect on maneuver. A unit takes the same amount of time (depending on its level of training and present formation) to perform a maneuver in all cases. Yet this seems to defy our perception of "historical reality". A colonel who orders his unit to form line from column cannot always be certain how long it will take, no matter what his men might do on the parade ground. Proximity to the enemy, fire losses, morale state, even the weather can affect the unit in ways he cannot guess. Maneuver time is as much "imponderable" in war as fire effect or reaction to morale tests. Rule authors and wargamers in general are painfully aware of this fact. Howe~er, they are also aware of the necessity to balance historical accuracy with playability. An author will go to a drill book, calculate the "average" time a unit will take to perform various maneuvers, write his rules accordingly and go on to other subjects. He is willing to let movement and maneuver be constants to avoid too much complication. This article presents a playable rule to bring chance into formation changes. The general idea is that a unit must pass a "reaction test" to complete a formation change. A unit may take more than one turn to finish a formation change, or fall apart totally if poorly trained and in difficult circumstances. This article presents the rule in terms of the Wargames Research Group's "1685-1845" rules. Readers who use other rules can easily make the necessary changes in the mechanics to meet their needs. The idea is important here, not the specific details. Some background information on the WRG rules may be necessary to help understand the rule. A unit tests morale by making a series of "reaction tests" in various circumstances. For each test, the unit adds "reaction points", and must beat the final total on a six-sided die to pass the test. Thus, positive numbers on a test are bad and negative numbers are good. The rules are move-countermove, with each turn divided into "bound" for each player with each "bound" divided into "phases". Firing and combat come before movement in each bound. When a unit charges, it has an "initial charge" that equals a full normal move, and a "final charge" that occurs during the opponent's bound. This article adds another reaction test as follows: Reaction Test to Complete a Formation Change Unit Changes from Line to Column or Column to Line 2 Unit Changes from Line to Square or Square to Line 2 Unit Changes from Column to Column 1 Unit Changes from Column to Square or Square to Column 1 Unit was Hit by Enemy Fire Last Bound 2 Unit is Raw, Irregular or Shaken 2 Unit is the Target of an Enemy Charge 1 Unit is Changing Facing at least 45 Degrees 1 Unit is Light Infantry, Reforming from Skirmish Order 1 Unit is other Infantry Reforming from Skirmish Order 2 Unit is Veteran or Elite -1 Pass. The unit has completed the formation change and can act normally in its new formation for all purposes. Fail: The unit has failed to complete the formation change. The unit may not move or fire this bound. Pass: The unit has completed the formation change and can act normally in its new formation for all purposes. Fail: The unit has failed to complete the formation change. The unit may not move or fire this bound. Units affected must take this reaction test during the RESPONSE PHASE of the player's bound (at the start of the turn), after testing reaction for being the target of an enemy charge and before testing reaction to start a charge. if the unit fails the test ' it must spend that entire bound and the next enemy bound stationary (unless it routs or is engaged in combat). In combat, treat the unit as if shaken and as if disordered (and therefore unsteady) onall other reaction tests. In the WRG rules, it is much easier to charge an unsteady unit than a steady one. The player announces formation changes during the MANUEVER PHASE of his bound. This comes after firing and combat. if a unit fires or moves, it may not start a formation change. If the unit performs an about face with no formation change just count this as a normal "about face". Wheeling is not a formation change but a unit that wheels may not change formation. After the unit announces its formation change, place it in its new formation. The rules will assume the unit is in this new formation, but disordered. Thus, if a line forms square, treat it as a disordered square until it passes the reaction test. Since the unit cannot test to complete the change until the start of its player's next active bound, it will be "vulnerable" for at least one enemy bound. This makes changing formation near the enemy a risky proposition. Here is an example of the rule in action. Assume a unit of 12 veteran French infantry are in a column 75 paces from a line of Austrian infantry. It is the start of the French bound. The column does not fire that bound. During its maneuver phase it changes into a line. At the start of the Austrian bound, the Austrians announce a charge against the French regiment. Since the French are now in an unsteady line, the Austrians have no trouble passing the test to begin a charge. The Austrian player also points out (with glee) that he can fire his line and still have enough movement left to reach the French. The Austrian line can move 50 paces after firing, plus a 25 pace final charge. The Austrians fire close-range musketry and inflict three losses on the grumbling French player's unit. During maneuver, the Austrians move their 50 paces. Now the French must test reaction to a charge. They must beat a "3" for three losses that bound, a "1" for being disordered, with a "-1 "for veteran morale. The player rolls a "4" and passes the test. Now he can try and complete his unit's formation. The unit changed from line to column for a "2", was hit by fire for "2", is the target of a charge for a "1"and is veteran for a "-1". He must beat a"4" or fail the test. Assume he rolls a "2". Since it is still changing formation, the unit gets no defensive fire and the Austrians charge home. in the ensuing combat, the French will be shaken. If the French player had rolled a "5" or"6", his unit would have completed the change in time and been in a steady line. The line could have done a defensive fire and perhaps stopped the Austrian charge. But if the French had been raw instead of veteran, they would have had to beat a "7" to pass the test. Obviously, this is impossible. Poorly trained troops have real problems maneuvering under this rule. With this rule, limbering and unlimbering guns is also a formation change. Since no modifier applies on the chart, the base is a "0", making the test automatic unless some other condition applies. However, the guns must still wait out one enemy bound while unlimbering. Although the above example seems a little tedious to describe in words, the rule actually works very easily since all the calculations are straightforward and easy to make. Players using the rule will quickly learn not to try and maneuver under fire when close to the enemy or with poorly trained troops. These are all factors that historical commanders were very careful to consider. Even the Old Guard could not successfully deploy into line under fire at Waterloo, and at Camden the American militia fell completely apart just trying to form line from column. This rule will lend wargames a better feel for battlefield problems without adding to their complexity. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VII #5 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com