This article is about the command system I use in a number of my wargames rules. It started in my medieval rules called "Day of Battle". In this article I will remove the rules where they apply to my game and the medieval period and present them as a generic rules mechanism for you to try. I have used these in the Seven Years War and American War of Independence both of which are played with Volley and Bayonet by Frank Chadwick, I simply grafted them on and in my humble opinion they worked quite well. I feel that this command system is universal enough to be adopted into most any game period and rules set. The idea for these rules has been with me since I first started playing "Up Front" by The Avalon Hill Game Company. The history of wargames has seen many different types of command systems and they have been written about in many fine articles in this and other game magazines. Many are discussed online in different user groups on Yahoo (VLBRules@yahoogroups.com.) One of my favorites discussion group deals with the late (and ahead of his time) George Jeffries on his VLB (Variable Length Bound) rules. Cards of all sorts have been used in or as command and control systems in a number of different games. I think the two most popular are "The Sword and The Flame" and "Piquet". While the former uses the very simple approach of red card moves or fires a British unit while black does the same for a native unit. The latter uses a specialized deck of cards that are themselves the sequence of play and are modified in a number of ways from army type to period to scenario. The rules I have developed fall somewhere in between and I will leave it to you dear reader to decide exactly where they fall. These rules use a standard deck of playing cards with the jokers left in. The deck is reshuffled whenever it is used up or a joker is played. For starters we should examine what the cards represent in the rules system. Numbered cards (2-10): 1 command point. Face cards (jack, queen and king): 2 command points. Aces: 3 command points. Jokers: 3 command points. COMMAND DISTANCE There is no fixed command distance in this system however there is a penalty when commanding formed troops that are more than one move away from their other formations or perhaps their leader. THE NUMBER OF CARDS During the command phase of a turn each leader on the active side makes an initiative check by rolling lxD20* (twenty sided dice), if the number rolled is equal to or less than 13 he will draw three cards. For every 3 points over his initiative (or part thereof) he loses a card. If a leader rolls a 1 he ignores all modifiers to the roll and draws a bonus card besides. Players can modify the initiative of a leader to reflect his ability to command or the fact that he is also an overall commander. *) Players could use the deck of cards to represent the dice roll. Red adds 10 to the value of the card. Numbered cards are as shown, face cards are worth five while a joker or ace is one. ADDITIONAL INITIATIVE MODIFIERS These modifiers are added to the leaders dice roll. +5 Leader is lost, killed or captured. +5 Leader is wounded. +1 each (-) uncontrolled action he currently has. * Uncontrolled actions are up to the players and rules used. In Day of Battle these are brought about whenever a unit is forced to react. These represent distractions to the leader and his staff. Any of the following actions are considered an uncontrolled action (-) and each impose a temporary +1 penalty on their leaders next initiative check. If they are fired upon they must fire back if able (-). Some examples of my uncontrolled actions are 1) If they are charged and enter melee 2) if they lose a melee 3) If they are disordered or broken. Note: The initiative of a leader can be modified up or down to represent a skill factor or lack thereof or for any other reasons the players deem appropriate. For example in Day of Battle II the initiative value of a leader starts at ten and then can increase as high as nineteen as the leaders skills increase. SAVING & DISCARDING COMMAND CARDS A leader may save cards from turn to turn. He may never have more than three cards unless he rolled a one for his initiative check. He may discard any and all cards in his hand at the end of his command phase. Ex 1: A leader who is allowed 3 cards holds 2 from a previous turn. He rolls 16 for his initiative, which is 3 points over. He may draw 2 cards that turn. Since he already holds 2 cards he may only draw 1 card. If he had rolled a 1 he could have drawn an extra card in addition to 1 he was able to hold for a total of 4 cards. TRANSFERRING COMMAND CARDS During his command phase but after his initiative phase, an overall leader or commander in chief if there is one may transfer one card to EACH leader in his army. These cards may not bring leaders cards above 3! ISSUING COMMANDS When a leader issues a command he will (with one exception - see below *) play one or more cards to do so. Each card is used for/or towards one or more commands. The point values of cards may not be split between units but may be split between different commands on a single unit in the same turn and in succession. There are three types of command, which are broken down into a number of variations. A unit may perform each command type once each turn. COMMAND TYPES 1. MANEUVER: This command allows a unit to do any ONE of the following. 1) Charge 2) maneuver 3) change face or formation. Including forward and nonforward movement or to hold back an impetuous advances if applicable to the rules being used 4) Skirmish or light troops move (skirmishers may shoot and move, or move and shoot using this command) 2. SHOOT: This command allows a unit to fire at an enemy unit. 3. REORDER from disorder or rally from a broken state: This command allows a unit to rally from broken morale (which includes reordering from disorder) or reorder from disorder. COMMAND COSTS The cost of a command starts at 1 command point (CP) but can increase depending on surrounding circumstances. Command cards may be combined to issue a command that costs more command points. Partial command points from a command card may not be carried forward into the next game turn. Commands can even cost zero command points. +1 CP BASIC COST Every command starts with this cost, which may be modified. +1CP NOT IN COMMAND Added to the cost to command a formed unit that is more than one move from its leader and that does not have a leader attached to it. +1CP W/CLOSE PROXIMITY (ignore if light troops) Added to the basic cost of a unit that is not going to charge or fire. Simulates a unit being to close to a known and formed enemy to want to try anything other than get to grips with the known enemy. In Day of Battle II close proximity is 150 yards. +1CP IN DISORDER OR BROKEN Added to the basic cost to command a unit that is in disorder or is broken and being rallied. -1CP LEADER ATTACHED Subtracted from the basic cost of a command once per turn.  *) With this modifier it is possible for a unit to be issued a "free command". This allows a leader who was unable to draw any cards to grab a unit by the throat so to speak and command it. Note: All modifiers are accumulative. Ex 2: A unit of muskets was fired upon last turn and disordered (+1CP). They begin the new turn within close proximity of the enemy that disordered them with fire (+1CP) and are not in the command zone of their leader (+1CP). Any command issued to them will start with an additional cost of +3CP for a total of 4 Command Points. Ex 3: In the above example the unit's leader rides over and attaches himself to the unit. He has 3 cards. His -1CP reduces the unit's temporary command point cost to 3. He decides to reorder the unit. This will cost an additional +1CP for a total cost of 4 Command Points. He plays an ace (3CP) and a face card (2CP). The cards played equal 5CP of which he only needed 4. He then plays another ace card (2CP) to go with the left over 1CP and orders the unit to advance towards the unit that fired on it last turn. He then uses the last point of the second face card to fire. The leader has played three cards and performed all three of the possible command types, reorder, maneuver and fire. MULTIPLE UNIT COMMANDS When a leader is attached to a unit he may issue a multiple unit command to all the units that are within 3" of the unit or that are within 3" of a unit that is or can trace an unbroken line of such units back to a leader and his unit. Units may not participate in this command if they have already performed the same command individually or have rallied from broken this turn. When given this command, all the units in range and not already commanded to perform the same type of command MUST perform the command. Multiple unit commands include any maneuver, fire, and reorder. If maneuver, they may only use forward movement or charge. All multiple unit force will move the maximum distance of the slowest unit within so in to order a multiple unit charge the slowest unit must be able to contact an enemy. Multiple unit fire must be directed at the closest enemy unit to each unit's front or the last one that fired upon it. Units then fire one at a time, with the results applied before the next (if more than one) fires. Multiple unit commands cannot be used to rally units that are broken. Note: The command cost for an order issued to a multiple unit is as for the most penalized unit. Ex 4: A leader is attached to a unit of muskets. All units are in good order and over 150 yards from any formed enemy. Three inches to the leaders left is a battery of artillery and to his right are two more units of muskets. One is within 3" of the unit he is attached to and the other is within 3" of that unit of muskets. It is deemed in command as well by the 3" rule. Two inches to the rear is a unit of grenadiers. The leader orders the artillery to fire (ICP). He then orders the grenadiers to maneuver (1CP). They advance just enough distance to qualify as having maneuvered, perhaps a half an inch. Next he orders a multiple unit advance and the musket unit he is attached to and the one to its left advance a fell move straight ahead (OCP as he is attached.) LOWER RANKS To add some more leadership to an army add a non-com type leader. He uses most of the rules that the leader does however he may only command and must always be attached to the same unit for the entire battle. He therefore commands only that unit. He may not issue multiple unit commands and he may never have more than one card unless he rolls a one. He may be passed a card but again it may never bring him over his one. A leader may also issue commands to this unit if the non-com runs out of cards. PROMOTION I feel another great aspect is the ability to modify each leaders initiative value. Leaders could be rewarded after each battle they performed well in and increase their initiative. Furthermore as their initiative climbs so can the number of cards they can hold. Day of Battle covers this with skill points. Each action he performs on the battlefield that matches the leaders "personality" if you will rewards him with skill points. As these points accumulate the leader can increase his skills of which his initiative is just one of. As he succeeds on the battlefield his rank increases which gives him more cards to use in battle. This can lead to an interesting situation where a level 6-leader (16 initiative and 6 cards) faces level 3-leader (13 initiative and 3 cards.) Who said, "War is fair"? To sum up I hope you try these rules out. They add a lot of spice to a game. You never know from turn to turn how many commands you can order BUT unlike the DBx games it isn't random as a six-sided roll. It relieves the need to write orders and it turns the game into a poker match of sorts with each player holding his own cards and wondering what the others have. I personally like it because I think it does a good job at representing the lack of control on the battlefield. Not knowing what shape your staff will be in from turn to turn you are forced with many no military decisions. I remain your humble servant... Back to MWAN # 127 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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