This article deals with a system for gaining knowledge of the terrain over which the armies will operate, whilst the third (when written) will deal with the logistics of moving and supplying an army in the field, but of that more anon so on with topography. Wellington is reported as saying that the whole business of war is the ability to judge what is on the other side of the hill. By this he didn't mean "where is the enemy", but sometimes literally "what is on the other side of the hill" for during this period maps, if available, could be lacking in detail at best and sometimes totally misleading. Cavalry scouts, spies etc. were mainly concerned with the activities of the enemy, so it was important that officers were employed to undertake independent work in front of the army. This work consisted of: topographical surveys, reports on roads, bridges, surveys, reports on roads, bridges, positions, defiles, size of villages, warnings as to unhealthy spots, notes on depths of rivers, practicability of fords and on the resources of the districts through which the army may pass in the near or distant future. In the British army it was the Quartermaster Generals department that carried out this work, while in the French it was the Bureau Topographique. Other armies must also have had similar organisations for obtaining this information but I've yet to come across any reference to them. As Wellington and Napoleon didn't have the Ordnance Survey working for them, it's hardly realistic if we as wargamers do. So a system is needed where each side can obtain information on the terrain they are to cross, which, while basically the same, may differ in quantity and detail e.g., one side may be told that a particular road is suitable for artillery, whereas the other may be told that it is suitable in dry conditions only. Armed with this information the solo player may then make decisions for the opposing commanders based upon the information they have received. The system that I have devised requires three maps; one, the master map showing full details i.e. all fords, class of bridges and roads, size of towns and villages, good defensive positions etc. Each side should then be allocated a separate map showing full details up to it's own outposts, but only the main features from there on. Each side’s map is then modified according to the reports received. Each report should cover an area of 10 miles by 10 and the army commander should be able to receive up to four such reports. Where each survey report is carried out, is determined by the army commander. Reports are received prior to the start of the campaign, but if during the campaign the main body of the army remains stationary for a week or more, then a further additional report can be made available for every whole week that the army remains static. When the army advances, then the full details of the terrain become known to its commander, 1 mile in front and 2 miles to either side of the main body. The quantity and quality of the information that the reports provide will depend primarily on the ability of the officers making them, but luck and whether the officer was operating in hostile or friendly territory would also have a bearing. I'm not sure whether one particular army was better at this sort of work than another so my system makes no allowance for the officers nationality. Content of Report A typical report should contain, a general description of the terrain, information on: roads, towns and villages, rivers, resources and any positions suitable for a battle or defensive line. 1. General Description: This should simply state the general nature of the terrain i.e. rolling hills, wide valley, thick forest etc. 2. Roads: The information obtainable should be: The route that the road or roads take i.e. from town A through village B to town C in a NE direction. The distances between towns and villages. The Class of roads, i.e. good, average, or poor, which will determine their condition wet and dry. It's current condition, which is determined by the weather. Any obstacles along the route i.e., inclines, defiles etc. 3. Towns and Villages: The information available should be: Location of the town or village i.e. distance from other towns or villages or prominent features. Population of the town or village, which together with the area it is in will determine its resources. Defensive class i.e. strong, average or weak. 4. Rivers: The information obtainable should be: Fords, the location of, whether passable to all arms, whether practicable in both wet and dry weather. Bridges, the location of, class of i.e. A, B or C which will determine the number of troops per hour that can pass over them and the ease or difficulty with which they can be destroyed. Width, which will determine the time required to cross, the size of a pontoon bridge and the time needed to build it. 5. Resources: This should simply state the type of country i.e. fertile, mixed or infertile, which will determine the quantity of fodder and forage available to an army. 6. Positions: The information available should be: Location of the position or battlefield. Description i.e. whether along hills or a river and any strong or weak points within it. Troops needed to adequately man the position. The reports containing the above information will generally be accurate unless the officer is of poor quality and/or unlucky. PROCEDURE You have four officers available to each commander i.e. 4 reports, as above one report per officer. The first thing to do is to find out the quality of each of the officers making the reports. To do this roll 1D6 and use the score in Table 1. TABLE 1: Score officer Quality Adjustments 6 = Superior Officer +4 5 = Good Officer +3 3 - 4 = Average Officer +2 2 = Poor Officer +1 1 = No officer Available. Secondly an adjustment is made for the territory that the officer is operating in. TABLE 2: Territory Adjustment Friendly +1. Neutral 0. Hostile -1 Next you roll 1D6, adjusting as above and use the resulting score in Table 3. Even though the above system works I'm not happy with it, as it requires a lot of initial drawing of maps (I'm a lazy sod) and the section on Positions needs quite a bit more work. So why send it in? Well there's bound to be someone out there who will already have a satisfactory solution to this problem i.e. one that's simple but realistic. If this nice, kind and incredibly good looking chap would care to contact me regarding his system [via the Editor] I'd be only too happy to hear from him. Table Three SCORE GENERAL DESCRIPTION ROADS TOWNS/ VILLAGES RIVERS RESOURCES POSITIONS 0 - 1 No report made, officer captured by enemy 2 - 3 No Report Routes: of major roads Location: of towns only Courses: of main rivers No report No Report 4 - 5 Accurate Routes: of major roads Distances: between towns and villages Location: of all towns and villages Courses: of all rivers Bridges: position of 1/2 of bridges No report No report 6 - 7 Accurate Routes: of major roads Distances: between towns and villages Class: of major roads Location: of all towns and villages Population: of towns only Courses: of all rivers Bridges: position of all Fords: position of 1/2 of fords Type of Country Location: of 1/2 of positions 8 - 9 Accurate Routes: of major roads Distances: between towns and villages Classes: of all roads Current condition: of all roads Location: of all towns and villages Population: of all towns and 1/2 of villages Defensive class: of towns Courses: of all rivers Bridges: position and class Fords: Position of all Widths: of major rivers Type of Country Location: of 3/4 of positions Troops required. 10+ Accurate Routes: of major roads Distances: between towns and villages Class: of all roads Current condition: of all roads Obstacles: of major roads Location: of all towns and villages Population: of all towns and villages Defensive class: of towns Actual garrison: of towns Course: of all rivers Bridges: position and class Fords: Position of all & condition wet and dry Widths: of all rivers Type of country Location: of all positions. Troops required: Resources: Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #134 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Solo Wargamers Association. 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