Here's a game for those of you who think re-enactors are too serious, survival gamers are too anal retentive, and laser taggists are too technocratic. It's a chance to run about, get soaking wet, shoot your friends with water or hit them over the head, and still be able to claim that the whole thing is an important historical simulation with all kinds of valuable lessons in tactics and generalship. Ho yeass.... WHAT YOU NEED A bunch of players, as many as possible. A clear space, which nobody will complain if it gets wet. Weapons for participants: waterpistols, nerf footballs, rolled up newspapers. Terrain features; chairs, tables etc to recreate La Haye Sainte and Hougomont. An umpire, to start and stop the festivities, and get out of the way in between. RULES ETC Not a lot of these. Divide the players up as 1) British infantry, with waterpistols (50%) 2) French cuirassiers, with rolled up newspapers (20%) 3) Cavalry horses, big fellas, to carry 2 above (20%) 4) British artillery, 3 players per gun, with a supply of nerf footballs or similar (10%) Starting positions are at either end of the room. British can be in line or square, or occupying buildings. Infantry can only move at a slow shuffle. Artillery crew consists of one thrower 'the cannon') who tosses the football, and two gunners, who must carry him and aim him directly at the enemy. Cavalry consists of one man riding piggyback on his 'horse', and can move as fast as the horse is physically capable - of course, the rider may, in fact, fall off. COMBAT The object is to hit the opponent - man, horse or cannon - on the head or face with water, nerf football, or rolled up newspaper. Other body parts don't count (nobody notices if they are water-pistolled in the leg, you understand) and casualties are on the honours system. If you are hit, fall down. Horses must decide how carefully to let the rider down if the steed falls, and likewise, riders can gauge how spectacularly they fall off. Game designer accepts no liability for injuries. Dismounted riders may attempt to mount riderless horses. OBJECT The French will charge the British position. The British will try to stop them. You knew that, didn't you? MORALE, COMMAND CONTROL ETC. You've got to be kidding. VICTORY CONDITIONS Bit difficult to say. Surviving intact has a lot to do with it. TIME FRAME Probably 5-10 minutes for set up, briefing and actual game, longer if you include cleaning up and possible medical attention. Last year's "Water Pistol Rorke's Drift" was timed at 37 seconds action time, the winner being Jeff Howard of Howard's Hues, who waterpistolled the last Zulu from the safety of the armchair he had used for cover/ fallen over in. A Comment on Waterpistol Waterloo by Chris Engel This sounds like a FUN game. I can't wait to give it a try. Howard has hit a cord with this game. Like many gamers, I've found the various live action (RPG or otherwise) game to be intriging but too much work. I am no longer young and more sedate action is what I am interested in. WHAT DOES THIS GAME DO? Most of the games played in the hobby are gestalt and number games. This means they rely on words and descriptions or numbers and table to determine what happens next. Waterpistol Waterloo does not fit in these catagories. Instead it uses an ANALOG of war (a squirt of a waterpistol to represent a musket shot) to resolve the action. This is not often used for running wargames. Why are analogs not used more often? Mainly for the simple fact that they look "foolish," which is something that most people resist doing with all their might. Since games are played to be fun, and since real embarrasment is subjectively not fun, this makes this powerful method of gaming rare. Howard's game has the virtues of practically running itself. The referee is as always, resposible for gathering the game materials together, and instructing the player on how to play. After that though the referee merely starts the "machine" moving and stands back. It would actually be easy for Howard to join in since he has no more "control" of the next guys aim than you. Analog wargames may have a bright future iIn the hobby since they catch the imagination so easily. Unfortunately they are also likely to bring the hobby negative attention as well. Live action RPGs do actions very similar to the D+D incident of about ten years ago when the boy went into the steam tunnels of some university. The popular press never sees the harmless fun games, like Howard's. They look for the over excited, out of hand live role player who frightens an old lady in a park. Analog games sound very fun so I hope that those who run them use Howard's example as a model - and avoid the extremes that can get out of hand. It is after all a game and games have rules. Back to Experimental Games Group # 12 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Chris Engle 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