The following is an adaptation of an article written for the NUGGEST, the Journal of Wargames Development. It is an attempt to counter one of my pet peeves and its effect on miniature gaming. The Helicopter Hover and the Polaroid Battlefield One of the command problems noticed by the U.S. Army in Vietnam was given the tile of the "helicopter hover". It refers to the fact that after contact was made with the enemy, a company or platoon commander could count on his battalion and brigade commander, if not the division and field force commander arriving and hovering over him with requests for information, and giving him advice and orders based on that which seemed so clear from overhead, but was so different from the ground. In all of our games of miniatures, we as gamers, sit in our personal copters above the board and serve as helicopter generals. We can see the terrain and know what’s on the other side of the hill; we can spot enemy troop's movements as they happen - we have all of the advantages without any of the risks. Now there are rules which allow for hidden movement, and which work, but they tend to lead to more questions and problem s than they are sometimes worth. After all, why couldn't I have seen your column - or worse - what happens when two units move blind through the same area. I have rarely seen a game where hidden movement went well in that the figures which were hidden moved their full distance. A solution for running Civil War actions which give the players a good feel for this period might be to use an instant camera - and create the Polaroid Battlefield. What we need is good terrain - an instant camera, and a few good gamers. To begin with, let us make the following plans. The game to be fought is to be run at brigade/divisional level, with players acting as brigadiers and divisional generals. The terrain will be similar to the Wilderness, with patches of woods alternating with fields. The terrain will be laid out as desired on the table, with a map drawn as it would be in Civil War times. Such a map would show rivers and roads, and some of the trails and streams. For effect, the names of the houses might be added to it, but it is not necessary to show all the terrain, fence lines, etc. Divide your commands up between players, and have them draw a plan of advance - even better, have the divisional commander draw up the line of battle. You may want to use a larger map but you might have some problems. Have the commanders draw up their own order of march, and have them be as specific as possible. Based on these orders - march the troops one turn onto the board - but keep the commanders away from the board. If no contact has been made, take a picture with your camera of what the commander can see and give it to him, as well as any reports that the regimental commanders might have given to the brigadier - such as I'm marching through one heck of a swamp - what do you want me to do! In this manner, troops from both sides can be moved about on the board, till such time as the engagement is started. At that time, the players are allowed to finally go to the game table and start playing the game according to the rules. They can use their helicopter hover at this time if they wish, but the circumstances are different. Instead of being able to lead their troops into the positions that they want, they take charge of the troops where they are. We have played this game on a brigade level, with a Confederate infantry brigade attempting to intercept a Union mounted infantry brigade as part of a campaign game. Two additional Confederate cavalry regiments showed up, and by the time the players took over the action, it was confusing as hell. Not realizing the smallness of the force opposing him, nor the fact that they had no artillery along, the Union CO ended up trying to cross a swamp ravine that he did not find out about till it was too late. On the other hand, the CSA commander did not realize that a trail existed through the woods, and made no effort to close the Union escape route till it was too late. For the three commanders, in-action decisions had to be based on imperfect information, as the truth that normally would be there with the helicopter hover does not exist till too late. For those who wish to try this - some words of thought. You need goof terrain, i.e. rolling hills, woods, fences, the works. To take pictures, you need to go back two or three feet and about an inch up of the spot that you want to take the pictures from. With most instant cameras, the foreground should clear - but the further away you look - the more difficult it is to see. Are those troops along that fence line, or am I seeing things? Should I advance a regiment forward as skirmishers and wait for their report, or should I continue a turn or two. Not being able to use the helicopter hover can make a major change in your point of view. Back to MWAN #19 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1986 Hal Thinglum 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