(Editor's Note: About a year ago, Bill Protz wrote me a most interesting letter detailing some ideas of his on running large games. I obtained his permission to reprint the letter in MWAN and I think you shall find some helpful info below.) 1. RULES: I recommend that the complete rules be on one or two sides of an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of paper, that they be legible, that they are not crammed on the paper, that they are laid out locally and easily found by use of bold letters and underlining and numbers. I recommend a simple system in the sense that the old Featherstone rules were simple by contrast with the highly complex version of Midwest revised TRICORNE that we use. Said riles ought to he tested by its author at least three times. There ought to be a judge on each side I suppose and all players must take it upon themselves to resolve their own combats. In conventions many folks want the judge to resolve too many simple things like fire and melee. This is not right and slows down the game. People must do most everything themselves. One of the simplest ways to get a game moving is for someone to call out time. When games slow down here, I get out my watch and say, OK, we have five minutes to write orders. Afterwards, I'll say there are seven or ten minutes (whatever!) to move units. Players respond well to this because although they dearly love to talk, they also dearly love to have a game last many turns to a meaningful conclusion rather than only a few turns where the end is indecisive or inconclusive or time has to be called because it is late. There will always be time to chat when a fellow finishes has combats while others are still at it. One rule is, come to play the whole day. Plan to stay until your command is wiped out. Do not expect to have someone take over for you. If your area becomes inactive or passive, read a book. Do not become an idle observer, see comments about observers below. 2. PERSONALITIES: It is essential that wargamers known for their organizational skills comnon in the respective armies. Each side should have its share of eager and laid back players. For example, I have found that most wargamers will label themselves as either defensive or offensive type players. By this, I mean they like to defend in a game or they like to attack. For myself, I figure 1 am more capable in the attack or in a rear guard action rather than a brawling meat grinder defense. In addition, if someone wants me to attack a town, they will need a replacement. Yon can ask people what they think they are because it is important to get the right mix. If one side is officered by all defensive minded folks and they have to figure out everything to the Nth degree including a myriad of things and reactions to same that their opponents will do to them, then we have failure brewing. Example: Can you imagine a wargame campaign where both players play defense? UGH! A small questionnaire could be designed and presented in MWAN asking questions like these and also asking what a player might want to do or what he thinks he might be best at. An order of battle should be provided too, clearly legible. Include a space for name, address, and telephone number as well, Observers are nice well meaning people who are friendly and love to watch these sorts of affairs. They love to make witty comments that are often very f mny and entertaining. They are also known to criticize rules, players and actions onthe tabletop. In doing all these things, they waste an incredible amount of time (game time) by their conversations with the players and judges. Please avoid same. The gallery in golf doesn't dare talk to the Pro Golfer when he is putting! I submit that a big game is no different please. Time is a precious commodity and must be preserved very well or else it is squandered; the game then suffers. 3. COMMAND STRUCTURE Comnand should be like the military with rank. In our SYW games, the player who plays the role of an officer senior to another player, expects that other player to obey the senior just as he would in an actual military situation and in fact they do. This way we have order out of chaos and planning can work. Ego, the chain of command seniority should be set up and adhered to; role playing if you will. Long beforethe battle, the CinC should sit with his senior staff officers and plan out what they intend to do. Rosters and command assignments must be completed before game day. There will be no time for same on game day without wasting the one thing we will not have enough of and that is time. Hence, on game day, there is one thing to do and that is to set out the soldiers and play. Those who fail to show up on time or at all simply don't make it to the battlefield. We must instigate rules which require players to play by their orders whatever they are, they ought to play as if they can see only what is in front of their soldiers and not elsewhere and there should be delay in requesting and issuing new orders so that all-seeing and instantaneous changes of plans, etc., are difficult to make. Indeed in a game of this magnitude, it may be advisable though I hate to mention it (because I love to push toy soldiers around and toss dice) that high levels of commanders should perhaps not have anything with which to play except reserves. Thus, they can concentrate on observing what the miniature they represent can see and act the role of a high level officer who would be concerned with ordering around those less senior to him to get the job done. 4. FOOD: Tell people to bring their own food in coolers. They will then not disappear to drive to MzDonalds and they won't disappear to a cafeteria. 5. SET-UP: Do it the night before. Lay out the terrain and have all read so that you do not have to set up terrain and distribute soldiers on game day. The staff of each side should show the various- brigadiers where to place their brigades. So when John Doe shows up, he goes to HQ say for the Union (a room adjacent to the game room or a table in a corner marked Union General HQ) and presents his compliments. He then is taken by one of the staff officers to his place on the battlefield. He is then given his orders and his soldiers and immediately places his blue-bellies on the table. The same procedure would apply to all other brigadiers. The time of arrival for the CinC's, their staffs and anyone bringing terrain should coincide with the time when he who opens up the game room on game day arrives. All others should show up 30 minutes or so later to give those already present time to make last minute adjustments. Timely arrival must be stressed, It may be possible that the CinC's can tell some players to show up late because their individual commands are not scheduled for tabletop arrival say till later in the game. They do not have to come late; this is only a possibility. Everyone bring rulers, paper, pencil with eraser and dice. (Editor's Note: There are some very good points in this article. If anyone else has any ideas that have worked well, please let us know and I'll be glad to print them in MWAN,) Back to MWAN # 25 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1987 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com