(Ed. Note: Rules are at: http://www.imagineimage.org)

When Great Lakes put out the call for historical miniatures games at Gencon last summer, one of those that responded in strength were the designers of Hex Command rules. Co-authors Terry and Jeff Cabak hosted a series of games using their rules. In fact, Historicals at Gencon was their public debut.

These rules -- available for free on the internet -- are designed to be usable for all periods of history. They are broken into three actual rules sets, but all utilize nearly identical systems so that you only have to learn one. One distinguishing trait is the use of a hexagon grid to play the battles. So, you toss out the ruler and instead count out your movement and ranges in hexes.

Although not the first rules set to do this, I thought it'd be interesting to creep into the designers' heads and find out why they chose to make their rules like they did. The following is an interview conducted via e-mail.

The Herald: What do you feel makes your Hex Command rules stand out from other miniatures rules sets?

Terry Cabak: Any size figure can be used, and any kind of basing system can be used, as long as four "things" (stands, figures, etc.) can fit in a hex (three for cavalry). We also wanted to keep markers to a minimum. The main overriding concern was faster play with as much historic feel as possible. One of our unofficial slogans is "Free rules that work." There is a stigma attached to free rules that they are not worth the effort. In most cases in the past, this has been true. Well, we think we've changed that with the issuance of Hex Command.

Jeff Cabak: "Flexible Versatility" was the behind the scenes thought process, which I was aiming for when designing the initial concepts, while in Dallas.

The Herald: What do you think are the advantages of the hexagon grid for the tabletop?

TC: The first advantage is no measuring occurs on the table: No tape measures, no sticks, nothing. The second advantage is enhanced game play because you don't need to worry about being accurate because measuring is no longer a concern. You pick up a unit to move, move it there, then go on to the next.

J_C;. The interesting thing about the hex grid was that it sort of evolved on its own. One of the first things I mentioned to Terry was that the game needs to operate like chess. The reason chess is still played, where other games come and go, is because of the neat, tidy grid is as simple as it is quick to play and move. With that in mind, the hex grid seemed the correct way to go, as it made terrain set up in accordance with printed maps far easier, game movement easier, and took out the factor of measurement.

The Herald: If you had to rate your rules on complexity on a scale of 1-10 (10 being most complex), where would they fall? And why?

TC: To teach others, I would say a "3." That is, a few steps above the complexity of explaining chess. For historic relevance and replication of historic characteristics, "6" (or who can really say?), but the idea is essentially a "pike is a pike, a gun is a gun."

The philosophy behind the design is simple. No one plays games more complex than they can think about in a few minutes. I remember I used to complain to Terry that Fix Bayonets! was still too complicated, and the result ultimately is that Hex Command goes along a different, more elegant line. The central idea of Hex Command is to be able to concentrate on the tactical effects of your moves, not the sequence in which you make your moves.

What is not simple is the prediction of your opponent's next move. Is he going to move that light cavalry unit around your flank? If so, what will you have there to stop him? The central core of Hex Command is that you simply cannot go at it and hope to bash the opponent to death: You must make a plan. The rules become a backdrop to the battlefield at large as the players realize they have to manage the battlefield and keep their forces working toward their goals.

The Herald: Could you explain the process of building from the core rules for "Hex Command" into three sets: Ancients, Gunpowder, Mechanized? What steps did you have to take to make them all similar yet different?

TC: In designing the game system, we knew it would have to cover all the eras Terry and I were interested in. And, like kids in a candy store, we were interested in everything! In one weekend, we formulated the basic concepts of Hex Command Ancients, which then formed the basis for everything else. It was a very tiring two days, but we were energized because we could see it was possible.

Once we had Hex Command Ancients, we started work on Hex Command Gunpowder and Hex Command Mechanized. Gunpowder uses essentially the same system as Hex Command Ancients. The major difference is that infantry has a ranged weapon of higher degree and artillery is more effective than the torsion-powered devices in use in ancient times. Aside from that, maneuvering a phalanx or maneuvering a body of musketmen was not all that different. With Gunpowder, we dispensed with the concept of formations like line and column because we simply said that units existed on the battlefield to do what they do. What makes the difference is not their formation, but their leadership and their plan. 

Mechanized was different. It held the record for the most numerous revisions. And not only most numerous, but also most comprehensive. With Mechanized, I began to fear that the model would begin to break down, as the era was so different. We inexorably marched along solving, though, solving the problems. Ancient and Gunpowder, and even World War I, still had massed infantry attacks. Mechanized (1900s to present) is not fought with concentrated formations of people, though. Troops are broken up into small formations that meet out certain objectives. Essentially, it is skirmish warfare. This sounds contradictory, but aptly describes warfare of this era and beyond.

One severe problem was that a vehicle is not a formation of men, nor does it act like one, and it takes damage in the form of mechanical failures and such. It was only at the tail end of development of Mechanized that the way in which vehicles were damaged, essentially a design change to fire combat rules, was solved in one of our many "Ah-Ha!" moments. We simply took the range as a component of a target's defense. After that, we were pretty much finished with the design. Thus, a Sherman tank is fired on by a Panzer IV's Pak 40. Counting the range, you add that number to the defense value of the tank, plus any attending modifiers, and you roll against that number. If you hit, you hit AND caused damage, plain and simple. If you "missed," you may have actually hit but your shot didn't do any damage.

The Herald: As far as the marketing of your rules, do you plan to keep them as free downloads on the web only, or are their plans to print and sell them?

TC. We believe that all rules should be free. We believe that no one should be making money from selling rules, but that said, if a customer wants a hardcopy sent to them, the buyer should at least pay for shipping. With technology what it is now, the time spent to ship something is minimal. There is a caveat, though. Imagine the comparison between a pattern for a costume and rules for wargames. A pattern is different because it involves art. That is, lines and graphics and these involve much more work to produce than just text instructions. Also, a costume pattern is required because the pattern is placed down on a fabric then traced.

Rule books are simply directions and regulations of how to play and the order of each turn. Also, by not charging any fee for rules, there is less incentive for a user to make copies to hand out because the copy quality usually suffers; other users are better off downloading their own copies and printing on their computer printer.

JC: I don't have much to add to Terry's comments. We're really happy with the great extent of work we put into these rules and that they are working so wonderfully. The success of our demonstrations at GenCon were a very welcome relief that our work paid off in set of rules that anyone can use to get their figures into historic miniature gaming very quickly, with minimal preparation.