I read with some interest the article on accounting in Johnny Reb. The sheet that was produced was quite nicely done. But one thing that I like and have always liked about Johnny Reb is the lack of written orders. I've always found that if you give gamers pieces of paper, they put them somewhere. And that somewhere is usually on the table . . . I've tried to solve many of the problems in both the original article and following letter [article], and some others not mentioned. Here are my solutions.
I've found that bingo chips, when spray-painted green, make excellent unobtrusive markers. I spray paint both sides, copy the six orders onto light green paper, cut them out, and glue these onto one side of the painted chip. They're cheap at about three cents each, and I've made hundreds. When units are intermingled, we simply lean the chip on the flag stand.
This is especially important in big games, such as one I played recently with thirty brigades. I simply place a brown pipe cleaner horizontally in the flag stand and remove it when the first volley is fired. It's fairly log-like.
First, I've constructed a bunch of Òfire sticksÓ from 3/16 inch dowels. Each range is a different color, and each is marked for the type of weapon it represents. Next, I mark each unit for its morale and weapon type. To do this, I buy clear sheet protectors and cut off the creased edges about one inch in, then cut these into 1/2 inch sections. Finally, I cut one part of the section to about 3/8 inches. I then glue the long end to the base of the command stand for the regiment, with the short end sticking up at a forty-five degree angle or so.
For smaller stands, I make the necessary modifications. These are practically invisible when not in use. For games where the morale and weapons are not standard, I get pieces of card stock, write the morale and weapon on these, cut them into 1/4 inch by 3/8 inch sections, and slide them behind the plastic that stands up. I do a similar thing with officers Ð name and benefit. Instant reference! For large games, I use different colors of card stock so organizations are fairly distinct.
I've made up summary artillery sheets on light green paper (3/4 inch square) that include gun type, weight, canister, and fire factors at different ranges. These are then glued onto the limber stands below where the gun sits when limbered. When deployed, these summarize the characteristics of the piece. Some examples:
I hope these ideas are useful. They don't clutter up the table with big sheets of paper. They're helpful (especially for big or long games) and they're fairly unobtrusive.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.1. Order Markers
2. Opening Volley
3. Weapons and Morale
4. Artillery
12#NAP 10#PAR 3" ORD 12#HOW 12#MHOW SB-HVY RI-LGT RI-LGT SB-LGT SB-VLGT 12 (20) 8 (12) 8 (12) 12 (20) 8 (12) 6-3-1 4-2-1-.5 4-2-1-.5 4-2 4-2
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