A lot of people (hi Hal!) have remarked how few new people seem to be joining our gamers' ranks. When I first heard people talking about this phenomenon I was surprised. All the gamers I knew were younger guys (teens-twenties)-but then I realized that most of them were into many types of gaming and some gamed, but not historical miniatures. But surely, I thought, these guys must be introducing their kids to gaming--I mean, that's how we all got started, right? I got my little son some plastic figures before he could walk! How that he's five we are collecting, playing, painting ... etc. I looked around and saw that few gamers seem to have introduced their kids to gaming. How come? I'd like to hear from you dads who have not shared our excellent hobby with your little guys. If we want to keep the hobby growing we will need to recruit and train our own reinforcements. Well, for those of you who want to get your kids (and eventually some of their friends, cousins, whatever) into gaming, here are some guidelines for younger gamers--say about the age 5 to 10 bracket.
Most kids have short attention spans, so:
- Use competitive roll-offs, as in Napoleon's Battles or DBM. This keeps everybody involved all of the time.
Use random movement order, as in The Sword and The Flame where you draw a playing card each turn to see which side gets to move one unit next.
Keep armies small so that the turns and the game are short, sort of like in DBA. Short games are actually a good thing, because you can always play agame immediately.
Most kids can't absorb large and complex rules sets, at least not all at once.
- Avoid math. Go for simple die roll comparisons ("high roll wins") or rolling a minimum number ("4 or better hits").
Keep victory conditions easy to grasp: destroy all three bunkers on the hill overlooking that key bridge, first side to lose half its units is out, etc.
Avoid rosters and charts like the plague (hell, I don't like them as an adult). Put markers on figures or units to show condition (and keep the markers to just a few simple types). Remove figures. Make any rules charts as graphic as possible. Use color coding for easy identification.
Make sure troop types are easy to identify. Probably best to make sure that all troops which are classified the same also look the same (and vice versa, for that matter).
Make good use of playing aids
- Make up precut measuring sticks to use in place of of rulers for the really young warriors. Use dice with pips: easier to count up and/or compare than dice with numbers. Use turning/wheeling
templates. Terrain with a hex grid or grid of squares makes for easier counting than measuring tools. Three-dimensional markers are more fun. For my Napoleon's Battles gaming I replaced the 1/2" rout and disorder counters with casualty figures on 1" bases colored as the counters. Games Workshop's Epic 40K game uses 3D stand-up blast markers to indicate how much fire a unit is taking. Let your creativity run wild!
WWII For Kids Rules
I have been watching the growing number of articles on how to get new recrurts, especially kids, into the hobby. There are a few basic problems vis a vis kids. Kids can't afford to buy their own figures, except for a few plastics perhaps, and have to be about 10 (depending on the kid) to be able to read the typical so of rules. So, we adults have to supply the models and the rules. Most of us have figures and rules sets already-I know I've got quite a few of each! The problem is that most rules are too complex for kids. Now, my son is coming up on 6 years old. He can read simple sentences vath simple words, but that's not enough to tackle any set of game rules I've ever seen.
So, I've started on a set of simple, buckets-o'-dice WWII rules to play with him. I've always liked the period and recently decided to get back into it in 15mm. I have started with Germans and British in 1944; the only vehicles I've got so fkr are Panzer IVH and Cromwell tanks. The scale is 1: 1 for figures models; the ground and time scales are left vague (about 1"= 5-10 yards and one turn is 15 seconds, but don't quote me on it). So, below are my WWII For Kids rules which kids from 5 up should be able to handle (with adult supervision).
Organizstion:
I use historical 1: 1 organizations to keep the historical/educational side of things up and I color code the foot stands (I paint just the rims of the stands to keep it low-key):
- Black Basic rifleman
Blue LMG or HMG team member
Green Mortar or gun crew member
White Forward observer (FO) team member
Yellow Squad/crew/team leader
Red Platoon and company commanders
Color coding makes it easy to identify different types, which can be difficult with small 15mm figures which (in WWII) all wear the same uniform, and to key rules to the colors on graphics-intensive quick-reference sheets.
Set-up:
Set aside a bunch of terrain items to choose from such as roads, hills, etc. A rough rule of thumb is that each 1 x 2 section of the table top should have something in it, even if just part of a road--lots of terrain features make the table more fun and interesting and give you objectives to fight over. Roll a d6: high roller places the first terrain item, then take turns until you have enough terrain. Then roll another d6: high roller picks which side of the table to be on, and places the first unit; alternate placing units until done. Note: you should probably keep the number of units down to keep set-up quick and play fast because even 'patient' kids are less patient than the average adult. The definition of "unit" when setting up depends on the size of your forces. I have only a platoon of tanks and a platoon of infantry for each side, so one "unit" is one tank or one squad or heavy weapons team.
Play:
Players take turns acting with one unit (as defined for set-up). The blue and green units (crew-served weapons) can only move or fire; white units (FOs) can only move or call fire. AD others may move and fire, with firing being done before movement so that you don't need an opportunity fire rule. Red (command) units may move and fire or move and rally units (at the end of the turn). You should probably arrange for each side to have the same number (though not necessarily the same type) of units so the kids feel it's fair.
Movement:
All movement rates are divisible by 6" to make memorization easy and allow for everything to be measured with easy to handle 6" rulers. I play on a small 4x4' board because its hard for small kids to reach farther in from the edge than 2', at least without bumping or crushing something.
- Infantry 6"
Light tanks, jeeps, motorcycles, armored cars 24"
Other Vehicles 18"
Fire
Roll the indicated number of D6 for each attacking model. Each die which scores 4-6 is a hit; multiple dice allow for multiple hits. For indirect artillery fire, the FO must first make a successful "to hif' roll to range in, then each weapon in the battery rolls for the actual hits. Then the defender gets to roll a save for units in cover which have been hit (see tables below). For anti-tank fire, a second penetration roll must be made agamest the target's armor value dice; if the highest penetration die beats the highest armor die then the armor is penetrated. Finally, after a successful hit and unsuccessful cover or armor saves, the attacker rolls on the appropriate damage table.
You can make great quick refence cards by photocopying smallish pictures of the corresponding weapon/troop type, gluing them onto cards, and writing the info on the picture in an appropriate place. Choose interesting pictures and don't forget that you can match the color-coding for units which use it!
| Weapon | Range | Dice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grenade | 6" | 3d6 | 3" diameter blast circle (make out of cardboard) |
| Pistol | 6" | ld6 | - |
| SMG | 12" | 3d6 | - |
| Rifle | 24" | ld6 | - |
| LMG | 30" | 4d6 | - |
| HMG | 36" | 5d6 | - |
| 50mm HE | U | 3d6 | 3" diameter blast circle |
| 75-88mm HE | U | 4d6 | 4" diameter blast circle |
| 100-105mm HE | U | 5d6 | 5" diameter blast circle |
| PIAT | 12" | ld6 | Penetration = 2 |
| Panzerfaust | 6" | ld6 | Penetration = 2 |
| 50mm AT gun | U | 1d6 | Penetration = 2 |
| 6pdr AT gun | U | ld6 | Penetration = 2 |
| 75mm AT gun | U | ld6 | Penetration = 4 |
| AFVs and Guns | |||
| Halftrack/Bren Carrier | - | - | Armor 1 |
| Stuart M5 | U | ld6 | Penetration = 1; armor = 2; 2" diameter 2d6 blast circle |
| Cromwell | U | ld6 | Penetration = 2; armor = 3; 3" diarneter M6 blast circle |
| Sherman | U | ld6 | Penetration = 2; armor = 5; 3" diameter M6 blast circle |
| Sherman Firefly | U | ld6 | Penetration = 6; armor = 5; 3" diameter 3d6 blast circle |
| Panzer IVH | U | ld6 | Penetration = 4; armor = 4; 3" diameter 3d6 blast circle |
| StuG IIIG | U | ld6 | Penetration = 4; armor = 4; 3" diameter 3d6 blast circle |
| Panther Jagdpanther | U | ld6 | Penetration = 5; armor = 7; 3" diameter 3d6 blast circle |
| Tiger | U | 1d6 | Penetration = 5; armor = 6; 4" diameter 4d6 HE blast circle |
| (U = Unlimited range) Note: # of hit dice = blast diameter; easy to remember! | |||
Cover Saves (avoid damage by scoring 4-6 on any die rolled):
- Soft cover 1d6
Hard cover 2d6 Stonetbrick buildings have armor of 2
Bunker/pillbox 3-5d6 Armor of 3-5 depending on the structure
Note: # save dice = armor dice; easy to remember!
Vehicle Damage:
- 1-3 Imobilized (second result disables all weapons)
4-6 Knocked Out; each crew/passenger must roll a 4-6 to bail safely.
Personnel Hits:
- 1-3 Wounded: moves at halfspeed, -ID6 for fire and close assault
4-6 Killed.
Close Assault:
When infantry or AFVs get within 1" of the enemy, (regardless of whether the infantry/AFV or the enemy moved) then combat is considered close assault rather than firing. Infantry roll 1d6 per figure; AFVs roll their front armor value in d6s; unarmed soft vehicles have a value of 1, i.e. they only survive if all attackers roll 1s. For armed soft vehicles, such as jeeps or motorcycles with machineguns, treat the crew as infantry. Scores of 4-6 are hits and damage rolls are made as usual.
Morale
Units which take a hit which does damage or observe a red or yellow (leader) unit killed must check morale. Roll 1d6:
- 1-3 They're motivated!--no effect
4-6 Unit attacked by fire (not close assault) moves away from enemy and into cover; infantry make a double move (12"). Unit continues moving in subsequent turns until in or behind cover. Unit will remain inactive until rallied (see below) or attacked agame, in which case it checks morale agame. Unrallied unit attacked by close assault will surrender, in which case the victor must provide I guard for every 5 figures captured.
Rallying:
Unit rolls 1d6 (foot unit must have a red or yellow figure with it, AFV crews are considered to have an integral red/yellow figure): rallying on (surprise!) 4-6. If a friendly red unit (commander) is within I" of a member of the unit then 2d6 are rolled.
Designer's Notes:
That's pretty much it! The rules are simple and use the same basic mechanics throughout. Only d6 are used and you succeed by scoring 4-6 or by rolling the highest die overall. All moves are multiples of6" and HE blast radii inches equal the number of hit dice. The only messy part is the penetration and armor values, but you could simplify them down to giving each tank an overall combat value to use for both. You can easily add more rules by extrapolating from what's above. The key is to keep things simple and fast-playing. Don't torture the kids (and yourself, as they start acting up) with one of those rules sets which feature massive micro-managment and "death by charts". Each turn has the players alternate acting with units and the defender rolling saves to keep everyone involved--avoid the all-too-typical wargaming situation where one side takes an hour (or two or three!) to do its move while the other players sit around dying of boredom. Think Napoleon's Battles and DBK not WRG 6th or Empire.
Tank "Combat Value (combined armor and pen)
-
Stuart 2
Cromwell 3
Sherman 4
Panzer IVH 5
StuGIII 4
Panther 6
Tiger 7
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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