Wargame by myself? It's too hard! There are no rules. What's the point? No, this short article is not designed to convert the die-hard group gamer. It is merely a collection of ideas to help a wargamer get started if he isn't sure how to.

First, understand that there are no rules which solo wargamers recognize as `the' accepted rules for gaming in the privacy of your home. You can use any rules you are comfortable with. What you add are methodologies that `program' the actions of one side so that you are confronted by the unexpected and have to devise solutions to tactical (or strategic) problems. The trick is to surprise yourself and most solo gainers have devised or borrowed a slew of methodologies which program a wide range of variables: composition and position of forces, terrain, orders, leadership, logistics, weather, morale, reserves, etc. etc. Now, most multiplayer rule sets are sophisticated enough to keep your units from doing precisely what you order them to do. You give the order "form square" but sometimes the troops are too slow and are cut up by the cuirassiers. You order them to advance but one battalion moves late, another goes off in the wrong direction, another fails to receive the order. This is realism and we owe our thanks to the rules writers who have shown us how to achieve this effect. Solo wargaming methods go a step further and uses similar methods to program your adversary.

There are literally hundreds of methods for simulating an opponent. Get a copy of Donald Featherstone's "Solo Wargaming" or pick up a copy of Lone Warrior to sample the very wide variety of ideas out there. What I am about to set out is an American Civil War scenario which gives a small glimpse of how a solo player might go about the game.

In this case, our soloist is a union division commander. He owns three brigades of four infantry regiments each and a battalion of three artillery batteries. He rolls to assign strengths and morale for each unit. His mission is to cross a river upstream from his parent corps and support the corps' attack on the enemy believed to be on the other side of the river and moving to build a defensive line along the river. His commander wants him across the river in five hours. Once across the river, he must form his division into a column on a known road heading south. The terrain is rolling forest cut by a single road, numerous trails, and marked from time to time by farm fields. (Think Chickamauga). The road leads to a wooden bridge across the river. There are two fords, one upstream and one downstream from the bridge. Maps are unavailable and the locals have fled the area. No one is quite sure where the trails lead to but the common consensus is that they probably connect the farms and fords to the main road somehow.

Okay, what does our solo gamer division commander know? He understands his mission and he knows the forces he commands. He knows very little about the terrain and nothing about the enemy except his intentions in very broad terms (to defend along the river). What doesn't he know? He doesn't know where or when he will meet the enemy or the size and disposition of the enemy force. He doesn't know the terrain beyond the visual range of his foremost soldier. The solo gamer now looks to mechanisms which will provide these answers as he needs them. Let's talk terrain first.

The solo gamer lists the terrain features he wants to simulate. He knows the road leads to a bridge. However there are bends in the road which conceal what is beyond the bend. He wants to limit his knowledge of what is around the bend until he puts a set of eyeballs there. The ground is covered in forest, sprinkled with farm fields, and cut by trails. Our gamer wants the trails to unfold like the road - from bend to bend. He wants to come upon farm fields at random along the road and the trails. Lastly, he wants swells in the land - gently sloped, tree-covered hills on both sides of the trails and road which block vision of what is beyond and provide suitable defensive positions for any enemy bold enough to venture to "our" side of the river. The following map depicts what the division commander "knows" at the start of the game. The map depicts a 4 x 8 board. The only areas which are not covered by woods are the farm fields, road and trails, and open areas on both sides of the bridge and fords.

Let's discuss these enemy fellows. Putting ourselves in the mind of the confederate commander we can expect him to be doing two things. First, he will have recon elements trying to find the Yankees so he can figure out what they are up to. Second, he will want to defend the possible crossing sites along the river as well as have forces beyond the river to cover the approaches to the bridge and ford. And if he is a stellar commander, he may be planning a brilliant pre-emptive attack to defeat the federal forces on "their" side of the river while they are strung out approaching the crossing sites.

So our solo gamer has his hands full. While he will want to secure his force while it moves by seizing hills along the road, he must also move his force quickly.

This means he may want to move some forces along the trails or even cross-country and use the fords as well as the single bridge. There is no time to scout out the road and the trails before the division moves. He must do this while the bulk of his forces are moving.

The solo gamer decides to send a brigade down each road and trail. Each brigade will be led at some distance by an advance guard regiment, each regiment by an advance company. He will feed in the lead regiments of each brigade first so that all columns are represented before feeding in the remainder of the brigades. He decides to put a battery with each division behind the second regiment in each column. As you can see, by feeding troops onto the table one regiment at a time, the division will become strung out with gaps between regiments. The soloist thus issues the march order for the entire division. The troops remain off board until their turn in the march order arrives. Visualize the road off board crammed with troops moving slowly toward the game board. The commander can't adjust the order of march without paying a penalty in lost time because the order must be sent off board to the unit concerned and other regiments must leave the road to let the selected unit forward.

As the advance companies come to bends in the roads, the soloist rolls a die to determine what they find both in regard to terrain and the enemy. He places the newly discovered terrain on the board, building the map as the game progresses. The soloist is constrained to the game table. If a trail leads off the board, the troops can not follow but must either head back or strike out cross-country. Trails are wide enough for a single cannon; the road can accomodate three guns across. If you enter a square with terrain already in place, use that terrain. When a trail hits another trail or the main road, it terminates.

These are the basics. Discovery occurs as lead elements round the bend. There are any number of mechanisms to generate what it is that you discover. Let me offer a few samples.

You may want to write your own mechanisms. Okay, one of your companies arrives at a bend in the road. For our example roll 1D6 for terrain and 1D20 for enemy activity. The following tables are suggestive of the kinds of results you may want in your rules.

Die roll Terrain Result

1 Trail or road turns north (if already heading north or south, it turns east). Field is adjacent to trail or road. Roll for placement of field left or right of trail.
2 Trail or road turns east (if already heading east roll die for turning left or right). Farmers field is adjacent to trail or road. Roll for left or right of trail.
3 Trail or road turns south (if already heading south or north, it turns east). Hill is adjacent to road; roll for left or right.
4 Trail or road leads to farmer's field and stops.
5 Trail or road splits, one branch left and one branch right. Hill directly to the front.
6 Trail or road turns east (if already heading east roll die for turning left or right). Hill is adjacent to trail or road; roll for left or right of trail.

If you enter squares 1 or 4, roll to learn about the ford.

1,2 The river is 3 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear for 3 inches around both sides of the ford site. Roll for enemy.
3 The river is 6 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear for 2 inches around both sides of the ford site. Roll for enemy.
4 The river is 6 inches from west edge of square and the river is 2 inches wide. There are farmer's fields on both sides of the ford site. On the near side of the ford the trail turns toward the bridge. Roll for enemy.
5 The river is 3 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear between you and the river. There is a treeless hill directly across from the ford. Trail continues around hill to the right. Roll for enemy.
6 The river is 3 inches from west edge of square; the river is 4 inches wide. The land is clear for 3 inches around both sides of the ford site. The water is too rough for the battery's horses to cross and the banks too muddy to get the guns into the water.

If you enter squares 2 or 3, roll to learn about the bridge.

1 The river is 3 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear for 3 inches around both sides of the bridge site. Roll for enemy.
2 The river is 6 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear for 2 inches around both sides of the bridge site. Roll for enemy.
3 River is 3 inches from west edge of square; the river is 4 inches wide. The land is clear between you and the river. There is a long treeless ridge directly across from the ford. Trail splits left and right at the base of the ridge. Roll for enemy.
4 Bridge is not in this square; it is in the other square. The road turns toward the other square. Disregard if you have already been in the other square; use result 1.
5 Bridge is not in this square; it is in the other square. The road turns toward the other square. Disregard if you have already been in the other square; use result 2.
6 The river is 2 inches from west edge of square and the river is 3 inches wide. The land is clear for 3 inches around both sides of the bridge site. The bridge guards have spotted you and are even now torching the bridge. If you attack immediately, you have a 60% chance of putting out the fires before the bridge becomes unusable. You can not ford the river here. Roll for enemy across bridge. Note: there is only one bridge and once it is placed on the board there is no reason to consult this table.

Enemy Activity

This table is a place to begin when constructing a table for enemy activity. Use 1D20.

1-12 No enemy seen.
13-14 Cavalry troop on road or trail heading toward you, 3 inches away.
15 Three companies of infantry across road 4 inches away. If field nearby, two more companies at far side of field.
16 Enemy gun on road or trail 6 inches away backed up by four companies infantry.
17 Five companies block road or trail 5 inches away.
18 Ambush! Two companies infantry open fire from point blank range.
19-20 Lead company sees no activity. However, next unit in column is attacked by five companies of infantry!

Note: if rolling for troops defending the ford or bridge; disregard rolls of I to 10 and roll again. 

Because you may only see a fraction of the enemy at first, after you make contact you will roll again to see what else he has there to confront you.

1 3 more companies of infantry appear on your flank. Roll for left or right flank.
2 Regardless of battle results thus far, enemy recoils and withdraws out of sight.
3 Holy cow! Entire regiment of infantry backs up the group you ran into initially.
4 Enemy backed up by 2 troops of cavalry.
5 Enemy backed up by a number equal to that first encountered.
6 No more enemy encountered other than those you are now in contact with.

Well there you have it - a concept of how a soloist might design a game that is entertaining and challenging. And the scenario can be repeated numerous times with a wide variety of results. In conclusion I would like to leave you answers to the most frequently asked questions concerning solo wargaming. (For the sake of brevity, the questions have been omitted.)

1. Yes, there are thousands of us out there and more coming out of the closet each day. And solo wargamers have been around as long as there has been wargaming.

2. Yes, George S. Patton Jr. was a solo wargamer. So were Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler (but Adolph apparently wasn't very good).

3. Yes, solo wargaming is intellectually stimulating and satisfies the urge to be imaginative, contemplative, and resourceful.

4. Happy to answer that. Soloing covers miniatures, board gaming, computer gaming, and playby-mail. The solo wargaming community works with historical, science fiction, and fantasy scenarios.

5. No. Play-by-mailers do not send themselves letters. They send their moves to other soloists.

6. You pretty much use rules designed for multiple-player games but augment these with variants specifically designed to allow solo play. The beauty of solo play is designing your own scenarios and rules to the level of complexity you desire; no compromise is required.

7. No. Solo wargaming does not cause blindness. Most solo wargamers are in long-term, monogamous relationships with their painted armies.

8. No. You will not be shunned by group wargamers. On the contrary, you will be noticed, respected, and emulated, perhaps even elected to public office.

9. Of course you will be found highly desirable by the opposite sex as a rugged individualist of superior mental capabilities.

10. That is correct. If you don't like the rules or the outcomes you can change them. No one will know; no one will care. No, it is not cheating. Solo wargamers prefer to call it `creativity.'

11. No. I never heard the story about the solo wargamer who kept arguing with himself and losing those arguments. Next question.

12. No, there is no national solo wargamers convention planned as yet.