XTR's Operation Solace game (Command #5) lends itself beautifully to Play by Mail -- particularly over long distances (the authors played when they were in Saudi Arabia and Japan respectively). There are a small number of counters to keep track of, action is fairly quick and the game is fun. Some adaptation to the rules is necessary and we offer the following turn sequencing as a way to deal with the elements that do not readily offer themselves to PBM. TURN ONE 1. The North Vietnamese (NVA) player sets up first. MAIL 2. United States (US) Player sequence a) Drop airborne b) Resolve activity c) Drop commandos d) Resolve activity e) Land marines f) Move (we interpreted the movement rules so that only airborne & marines may move in this phase and the coastal hex for the USMC is a freebie) g) Engage ground troops h) Commit air power (the NVA doesn't have any) i) Resolve combat j) Evacuation (if appropriate) k) Mechanized movement l) Air Interdiction (We assumed that the US could not interdict reinforcements for the purpose of the PBM method. Our rationale was to assume poor intelligence.) MAIL 3. NVA Player sequence a) Reinforcement roll b) Movement c) Commit ground troops to combat (designate where you want defenders sent) MAIL 4. US Player Sequence a) US commits air power. b) Withdrawal of commandos (as appropriate) c) Arc Light designated and resolved. d) Rest of combat resolved. DO NOT MAIL YET! TURN TWO 1. US Player (continues -- do not mail until this phase is completed) a) Reinforcements b) Evacuation c) Movement (The airmobile through AA is resolved here by the US player and the results forwarded to the NVA player with this "move") d) Commit Ground Troops to Combat e) Commit Air Units to Combat f) Calculate odds & modifiers g) Resolve US Combat phase h) Evacuation i) Mechanized Movement j) Air Interdiction MAIL 2. NVA Player Turn a) Reinforcement b) Movement c) Combat d) Commit Ground troops to combat. MAIL 3. US Player a) Commit Air units (if any) b) Commando withdrawal before combat c) Designate ARC Light attack d) Calculate combat odds and resolve HERE AGAIN DO NOT MAIL YET TURN THREE (and following) 1. US Player a) Reinforcements b) Evacuation c) Movement (including AA resolution) d) Commit Ground Troops to Combat e) Commit Air Units to Combat MAIL 2. NVA Player a) Commit air units b) Calculate odds & resolve US combat phase MAIL 3. US Player a) Evacuation b) Mechanized Movement c) Air Interdiction MAIL 4. NVA Player a) NVA Reinforcement b) Movement c) Combat Commit Ground troops to combat MAIL 5. US Player a) Commit Air units (if any) b) Commando withdrawal before combat c) Designate ARC Light attack d) Calculate combat odds and resolve e) Start next turn (finish US sequence before mailing) Comments Our sequencing is a bit awkward and certainly not the way the designers set up the game. But it seemed the most workable solution for PBM. One of the aspects we were concerned about was the amount of US player resolved combat in the first two moves. However here we ran into the age old problem of PBM -- trusting your opponent. It is silly to cheat if you're going to go through the problem of setting up the game and spending the time to mail the moves, but there are probably people who do that. Thankfully we've never encountered such a person, but you simply don't know. There are lots of ways around this problem and while we didn't use them they're worth summarizing. The most basic method is to build a 6 by 6 grid (or larger if there are going to be a lot of die rolls) of random numbers between 1 and 6. This can be done with the standard random number table out of the back of any statistic textbook or by generating a table using either Lotus 1-2-3, Excel or any spreadsheet program. Player #1 retains one copy of HIS table and sends a copy in a sealed envelope to the other player. Player #2 does the same thing. Resolving combat, or other things such as weather and "options" is fairly simple. For example, Player #1 is going to launch ten attacks against Player #2. Before resolving combat Player #2 sends the results of two die rolls designating the row and column that Player #1 will begin resolving combat. Using those coordinates, Player #2 proceeds in vertical or horizontal direction on the table (it doesn't make a difference as long as he maintains the same direction for all ten resolutions.) He records the results, (including the Die Roll), and takes any necessary action (Retreat, remove units, whatever). When the game is over you can open your opponents table of die rolls and double check them against what he or she said was the result. This aspect deters "cheating" and has the advantage to this method is that there is a way to double check your opponent if you think he is cheating. However, there is something almost sinister about this sort of method. It is, as one of us said, like it was designed by the CIA "cloak and dagger" crew. But, there are always those who insist on this sort of precaution. Cheating in PBM is obvious anyway. The laws of probability which govern die rolls do make it a losing cause if enough die rolls happen. And, if nothing else, you do not ever play with a cheater again. Anyone interested in a random number generator that works under either Excel or Lotus 1-2-3 should send an inquiry to Dave Tschanz. Back to Cry Havoc #3 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by David W. Tschanz. 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