While on a recent week long vacation in Catalonia near the city of Spain, I had plenty of time while lounging by the pool or down on the beautiful sandy beach next to the Mediterranean Sea to consider some ideas for this column. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of my proximity to Tarragona to visit the ruins of this Roman city nor did I tour some of the sites of the Albigensian Crusade in neighbouring Provence or take a look at the many castles in the local area.

Now after all my recent advice to travellers, how could I not take my own medicine? Well at the risk of disappointing this august audience, I was enjoying a beach holiday which may not be wise in these times of ozone depletion but I did use plenty of sunblock so that I could enjoy thinking on the sunny shores of Spain. I did appreciate the break from the trials and tribulations of world affairs and the local flora and fauna -- just check with J.M. Fish who can provide "professional" testimony to what I experienced (for Canadian readers please check with W. Wintar for Canadian interpretations, eh).

So what did I accomplish on the beach? Well I did think about what I had seen while passing the time on the 13-hour bus trip from Germany. The route covered much of the historical ground of central and Southern France. Famous places were listed on the road signs like Narbonne, Carcasonne, Dijon (Burgundian capital), Alesia and Tarragon. While awaiting to see what lay along the route, I had a chance to view the countryside which gave me the idea for this column. In my line of work, I have a very concentrated area of study in terms of subjects but these tend to be much more complex in actuality.

There are two things essential to a good beach holiday and these are two of the Subjects which I study at the office along with one more, all of these things are fit for discussion in this column and there-fore of interest to you.

First, one needs terrain which in my case was a good beach with just the right number of people vying for space...not too many as to make it noisy and crowded and not too few to be "unsightly". Next one has to have beach weather as rain or clouds are usually not required for a beach holiday. I was fortunate to have both most of the time and that made the time enjoyable -- not that you lot care how my holiday went as you want something to benefit your hobby - time, so get to the point.

Apart from the two subjects above, the third one which I study is usually termed enemy or the threat. Together they form a neat acronym (beloved by military forces) "WET" (weather, enemy, terrain). Most of the time gamers consider what their opponent has or COULD have in his army, and often use rules that allow the terrain to be designed either to suit his own forces or frustrate those of his opponent. Random chance is then used to reduce the man-made battlefield to something more abstract so that neither player can fulfill a god-like role. Less frequently, we have to factor into our gaming the weather as usually tournament organizers waive this portion of the rules or we can reach an agreement with our friendly opponent to ignore this obstacle so that each battle is fought in utopian weather "conditions" (sunny day with clear visibility for miles and no wind or nasty glare from the sun). And yet, it is all three things that are important to historical events which we emulate in one form Or other. Otherwise I would not have to study them to earn my keep.

Now I backslide, just briefly. I did not have the option when selecting my beach holiday of the weather, the terrain or the number of people who Would also be there (this last can be termed the threat). I had to Put up with some rain, wind and clouds as well as people parking themselves in my neighbourhood and thus disturbing my peace. This had no effect on the terrain but I could not always make the best use Of the local ground to my satisfaction.

As with my holiday experience, reality often interferes with human wishes to make conditions less than favourable. Therefore why not give more thought to WET in your study of the hobby.

On the bus, I saw a variety of terrain, much of which had been considered important enough for wars to be fought over it. The resulting battles were not fought in perfect conditions nor did the combatants have a choice in their opponents. The bus passed a rather formidable looking fort built during the Franco Era of Spanish history to guard the border with France. It may have been placed there to ensure that it had to be neutralized and captured before further movement into Spain could be planned. Its position on a hilltop coupled with the rugged surrounding terrain made it useful as a part of the border defences. The psychological influence may have even increased its value. However the Maginot Line proved less daunting and it was built in the same period. The attacker has some advantages denied to the defender namely time and position. Time is useful to consider the problem imposed the defensive obstacle and when to attack.

Position translates into picking the direction of the attack and also the ability to consider the problem from different angles.

As gamers, we can usually place ourselves in a much more advantageous position than our historical counterparts. We do not have to worry about many other factors (supplies, finances, transport, baggage, replacements, recruits, training, etc.) unless involved in a campaign. Therefore we can concentrate on WET as we lay out the troops. Each factor can be considered separately or in conjunction.

On arrival at the gaming table, we can develop a plan by going through a personalized checklist which can be tailored for both friendly (I know my opponent's army and have for a week) and competition (you are playing Fred who has an army from list number of games. Consider WET and what each factor means to you and your evolving plan. Do not be upset by the "killer" army or opponent's banter, every army has strengths and weaknesses. The table layout is also both asset and liability to the proposed deployment/employment of your troops. If weather is included, then it too must be an influence in planning.

There is an old military quote "time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted". It is usually good advice. As well keep revising your plan (not necessarily changing it but altering it based on the ebb and flow of events) as "no plan ever survives contact with the enemy".

One way to appreciate the impact of WET is to study historical battles in which all three had an influence on the outcomp. All three are not factors which can be controlled but their impact can be minimised by being conscious of their role in the battle.

Just as historical generals did not always have the choice of battle conditions and opponents nor do we as gamers. We can improve by considering what we +ace before making the first move. We also have the advantage of learning from past mistakes both real and fictional (past games) without having to suffer grim fatalities for making bad decisions.

Well my holiday was successful by picking a good piece of terrain, going off-season and being prepared for both good and bad weather. I hope that your games can benefit from the study of WET and thus be more enjoyable.