Some more thoughts on wheeling. Most gamers see a wheel as an inconsequential little thing on the table. So, therefore, why not let everyone wheel as they want. I remember talking to George Jeffrey once regarding maneuver. He was a sarge in the Coldstream Guard or something like that and no novice at close order drill. He explained that a great deal of time was needed to dress ranks after such maneuvers, even for modern maneuvers of a hundred men, even on parade ground. In ancient times, during battle, the need to dress ranks for the thousands must have been even more difficult, and vitally important since melee was more frequent. The concern was always to present a solid compact front to the enemy, especially at contact (like a Napoleonic square, only for all close order formations). The slightest gap could prove disastrous, as with those famous instances of the square, or the phalanx. The re-dress time in ARMATI is represented in the fact that you may wheel only 2". People who "buy" my concept of "historical" maneuver have no problem with ARMATI (or TACTICA). Somehow, I think that if these games appeared first--before games like WRG that permit anything to occur-there would be less resistance to these restrictions. Maybe not. But I think gamers, like people, are loathe to give up freedom--even when its for their own good! It's amazing. Designers invest so much effort in theoretical weapon/armor matrices but barely offer lip service to what I see a.< the big problems. Though I do agree that TACTICA started the trend towards battleline emphasized gaming. Of course, the WRG guys would never admit that TACTICA influenced any trend other than the evil color photo trend. Back to wheels. For ARMATI, I went through several phases of wheeling restrictions before sticking to what I have at present. One mechanic permitted units/divisions to wheel up to 90°, each inch wheeled costing 2 inches, for all units. The units that can currently wheel and move in the game could then wheel and move any remaining distance. Wheels were denied only when the enemy was close and in front-first at 15" then at 6". The free-wheeling guys loved it. The historical replicators hated it. Although there were quirks in the system, it was a viable way to go, but it tended to undermine the planning stage of the battle since if they were outgeneralled, players simply adjusted during the first few turns, immediately turning their units to face the right direction, whether or not any of those enemy would have been visible from a realistic vantage point. And thus, battleplanning, a major piece of ancient, recognizeable (at least recognizeable by me) patternry went out the window. Few players were ever out of position and no one thought about planning much. Maybe I'll figure a way to make this sort of mechanic work in the future but for now, I think the truth is told better this way, even if it's hard to take. If you ever play ARMATI again, try to remember these restrictions when you deploy. You may find that you will not be as out of position as you think, even with the restriction. Incidentally, you may wish to use ARMATI's Advanced Rule # 8 which permits reserve units a bigger wheel (4"). Again, the idea being that a reserve was just that-something that wasn't close to the enemy, hence not as imperiled, hence better able to maneuver. Also note Advanced rule # 11 which circumstantially permits divisions to about face. Anyway, if you have any questions or wish to discuss these points, give me a call. Back to PW Review October 1994 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 Wally Simon 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