I ran a series of games in the spring of 1 995 that I think might be of interest to the investigation of pursuit in battle. The games were all run at Midwestern conventions and were watched by such WD members as Greg Novak and Howard Whitehouse. The games were played on two levels. The strategic part was handled by a Matrix Game. The tactical part by weird little system that is guaranteed to bother mainstream gainers.

THE CAMPAIGN - The scenario focuses on the 1747 French invasion of Brabant. The last major campaign of the War of Austrian Succession. The French are bent on capturing the last line of Dutch fortresses before Holland. Which will effectively remove the Netherlands as a major player in the European balance of power. Three fortresses remain: Bergen op Zoom, Breda, and Maasricht. The Dutch and their English ally are just trying to hold on.

THE PLAYING FIELD - The game is played on a three by four foot map of Brabant. It was published in Blau's 1635 world atlas, and is beautiful to look at. It includes all the roads, bridges and even the placement of the outer bastions of all the fortresses. The players move 25mm figures around on the map to show the location of their men. Each infantry figure stands for a brigade (roughly 2,000 men), each cavalry figure stands for a regiment (roughly 1,000 men).

THE STRATEGIC GAME - This part of the game is run by using a Matrix Game. Namely; each turn the players get to make an argument about what happens that turn. An argument consists of an action, result and three reasons why it should happen. The referee rules on the strength and weakness of the arguments. The players roll to see which ones happen. Roll 1 d6, success: Very Strong 2-6, Strong 3-6, Average 4-6, Weak 5-6, Very Weak 6. The referee points out which arguments are in logical conflict with one another. These players do a sudden death dice rolling tournament. Each rolls for his own argument. If he loses his roll he drops out of the tournament. Rolling continues until only one argument wins, but one argument MUST win.

Each turn lasts one week. Consequently movement rates are very large. Maneuvering and deciding where to fight are thus more important in structuring the campaign than movement rates are. Armies start moving forward only if told to do so by successful arguments. Players define an end destination and move steadily towards it until they reach it. Figures may move 20 inches in a turn along roads or 5 inches across country. Figures can not cross rivers without a bridge unless an argument has been made to establish a ferry or build a pontoon bridge.

Even without a movement argument, players are allowed to deploy their men for battle. This can only be done if an army is not moving towards some destination (though making an argument to move forward (action) and deploy (result) may be done). Armies that use road movement are strung out in a line, single file, back along the line of advance. Armies that move cross country can advance in battle formation. Fighting only happens when an argument says it does. Otherwise troops Sit across from one another and do nothing.

The French must trace a line of supply to each of their main forces. The supply base is in Antwerp. A line is traced by placing one mule skinner figure (in my games, white goats) every 5 inches along a road or every 1 inch across open country.

Matrix arguments can cause armies problems, such as morale decline and desertion. Problems can also be caused by the physical location of soldiers. For instance, if hostile cavalry straddles a road that supply is being traced on, the army in question is having a supply problem! Once an army have two or more problems plaguing it, the opposing side can begin to make arguments that the army surrenders.

CAVALRY PATROLLING - Matrix Games have never been good at handling fast moving battle situation so patrolling is handled by a different system. Cavalry patrols are resolved with a game that is largely stolen from the oriental of Go. Each turn the players alternate placing cavalry figures, until all the figures have been moved. The aggressor starts by placing one figure up to 30 inches from where it started. The defender places a figure up to 25 inches. The attacker places one up to 25 inches. Then the defender places one up to 20 inches. Followed by the attacker placing one up to 20 inches. After that, players alternate placing the rest of their cavalry out to 15 inches from where they start from. The only two limits on cavalry movement are: 1. figures can not move through enemy figures, and 2. figures may not move through rough or swampy area.

If a cavalry figure is surrounded on four sides by enemy figures then it is captured (ala Go). If a second friendly figure is next to it then the two cannot be captured by merely surrounding them. They back one another up. Lone infantry figures can also be captured in this way, unless they are in a fort of walled town. By this game cavalry become free wheeling. Raids take little to no time to resolve and players are shown true difficulty of protecting their supply lines from the hordes of hussars and dragoon on their flanks.

SIEGES Since siege warfare is a vital part of any 17th - 18th century campaign it is important that it be covered in any campaign game. To handle it I use an old tried and true Matrix Game mechanism. That being to accomplish a series of steps. The steps to a successful seige are laid out by Vauban as follows.

1. Blockade the fortress (this can be done manually by surrounding the fort with figures).
2. Dig the first parallel.
3. place a battery.
4. Dig the second parallel.
5. Place a battery.
6. Blow a breech in the wall.
7. Assault the wall.

The steps are accomplished by the actions and results of player's matrix arguments. By working together players can piggyback arguments on top of one another and accomplish a whole seige in a single turn (but the odds that this will work are remote). With coordinated arguments though, a seige tends to last as long as many of the sieges actually did - about 3 or 4 weeks. Defenders will naturally be making arguments to undo the steps attackers make. If an attacker can accomplish all the seven steps of the seige, then the city falls, without a fight.

THE PROBLEMS OF BATTLES IN MATRIX GAMES - Matrix Games do not work well for resolving battle outcomes since players have too much at stake. The temptation to make the argument "I win!" is too great. And the dice rolling resolution system is not very satisfying. Consequently the MG is abandoned in favor of other game systems to resolve fights. I've noticed that most wargames are slow and complex. Even our simple rules are turtle slow in comparison to computer arcade games. Players frequently have time to think about what they are doing, and have little pressure to act quickly.

The battle system these games use is dedicated to the goal of making a game that plays as fast and as furious as a game of space invaders. While at the same time continuing to use miniatures and the map.

As outside parameters the game has to be completeable in full in 10 minutes. So that the players can get back to the campaign.

TACTICAL BATTLES - This system uses three props: 1. the figures on the map, 2. a tape recording of 18th century military marches, and 3. several special dice colored green, yellow and red. The players involved in the fight gather together near where their figures are on the map. Each one has the appropriate die (that corresponds to their army's current morale). The referee turns the taped music on and the players start rolling wildly.

Each roll of the die gives the player an option on doing a certain action. He can chose to take that action or keep on rolling until he gets the action that he wants to make.

The options are as follows.

GREEN: The player can move any or all of his figures one stands length forward. Which means about 3/4 inch foot, and 1 inch for horse.
YELLOW: The player can move any or all of his figures one stand length away from the enemy.
RED: The player may roll again for any or all of his figures that are next to enemy figures to attack them. If second red is scored then the defender loses the fight and is picked up and moved 10 inches behind the battle field pointing away from the fighting. Generally the winner moves the losing figure, since he is likely to be the only one to know to do it during the confusion of battle.

The number of colors of the different types on any die is based on the morale state it is portraying. The levels are: Rabble/Scum, Militia/Disordered, Line/Ordered, Elite/Cavalry, and Elite/Infantry.

RABBLE 4 Yellow - They run away well.
1 Green - They advance slowly.
1 Red - They fight poorly.

MILITIA 3 Yellow - They still run away well.
2 Green - They advance adequately.
1 Red - They fight poorly.

LINE 2 Yellow - They run away reluctantly.
2 Green - They advance adequately.
2 Red - They fight well.

CAV ELITE 1 Yellow - They have trouble knowing when to cut & run.
3 Green - They advance like heros.
2 Red - They fight well.

INF ELITE 1 Yellow - They don't know when to run.
2 Green - They advance adequately.
3 Red - They fight like mad men.

Marshal de Sax - You are the greatest of Louis XV's generals. You are of course a Prince in your own right. Over the last four years you have systematically captured all of the Austrian Netherlands. Last year you took Antwerp and Liere, thus putting you on the very doorstep of Holland! The next peace treaty will put France back on top, a complete reversal from 1713! To capture Maasricht, run a column of men off the board to the south-east. Victory Condition: Capture Breda or Maasricht

William of Orange - You are the Stadt holder of the Netherlands. The Dutch people brought you back to power at the start of the war to save the nation! It is a pity that the war has gone so badly. In 1743 you lost Belgium. In 1744, Flanders. In 1745, the upper Meuse. And in 1746, Antwerp. Now Marshal de Sax is back again with his eye on your final line of defence. Breda and Bergen op Zoom. If he takes them, the Netherlands will have to make most unfavorable terms. Oh, and you will likely be exiled. Victory Conditions: Hold Breda at all costs.

Governor Cronstrum - You are the 86 year old commander of Bergen op Zoom. You remember when the Dutch were more than a nation of merchant bankers! When you were young, the Dutch stood alone against the might of France. Now you are all that is left of that old glory. The young lack the will to fight. But you will save them. The French shall not pass while you are on guard. Your battle cry is "No Surrender!" Victory Condition: Hold Bergen op Zoom at any costs.

Duke of Cumberland - You are a prince of England and Hannover. You are a great general. It was you who lost the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Then you won that resounding victory over a half starved Highlanders at Culloden in 1746. So they call you Butcher Billy now. What you can't figure out is why it is that the French keep on winning! But be that as it may, it is now 1747 and you are back in Holland. You brought along a brigade of Highlanders with you. They say they are good, but if they do as well as their brothers did at Culloden then the French need not worry. Victory Condition: Redeem British honor.

General Villeroi - You are in command of the French cavalry. Marshal de Sax has ordered you to keep open the lines of communications with Antwerp. The Dutch horse will try their best to cut the lines and raid poorly defended positions. Be prepared to move fast and skirmish hard. If you are lucky there will be a major battle. Nothing like a cavalry charge to get mentioned in dispatches! Victory Condition: Keep the supply lines open.

General de Lowendahl - You are in command of Marshal de Sax's army of siege. You know that de Sax wants the Dutch fortress of Bergen op Zoom captured. You were with de Sax when he took Tournai, Ghent, Bruges, Oudenrde, Ostend, Brussels, Antwerp and Liere. All taken in the space of a few weeks! To assure your position in the French army you have to do well at this assignment! Do not make de Sax have to come to bail you out. As the Roman's said, come home victorious or dead. Victory Condition: Capture Bergen op Zoom.

Commissioner Le Clerk - You are a rich merchant from the town of Lille. The King's army is on the march in Brabant. You have been fortunate enough to land the account to provision them. A fortune is to be made! All you have to do is keep the mule skinners happy. The base of operations is Antwerp, but you have an alternative supplier in the city of Louven. Be certain to be on the look out for choice business deals. Opportunity knocks but once! Victory Condition: Make at least three business deals for profit.

General Villers - You are in command of the French siege train. You move the artillery up to the trenches prepared for them by General Lowendahl. You know sieges. You have been at many both in the low countries and in Germany. You studied mathematics in Vauban's school, but switched to the artillery for your career. Of course the others look down on you. They think you are little better than a tradesman. But such are the woes of a military specialist. Victory Condition: Do not lose the guns!

William of Orange: Blue Cuffs-Line 8 figures (16,000 men); No Cuffs-Militia 6 figures (12,000); Horse-line 2 figures (4,000).
Duke of Cumberland: Red Coats-Line 5 figs (10,000); Highlander-elite 1 fig (2,000); Cavalry-line 2 figs (2,000), The British Navy.
General Lowendahl: Red Cuffs-Line 12 figs (24,000)
Governor Cronstum: Red CufFs-Line 9 figs (18,000); Cavalry-line 2 figs (4,000)
Marshal de Sax: Blue Cuffs-Line 12 figs (24,000); Grenadiers-Elite 5 figs (10,000)
General Villeroi: Cavalry-line 8 figs (16,000)
Commissioner Le Clerk: Guards-Militia 3 figs (6,000); Mule Skinners-Rabble 20 figs (40,000)
General Villars: Artillery-Elite 2 guns (2,000 men): Guards-Line 3 figs (6,000)