Solo Wargaming - My Approach

 

Solo Wargaming - An Introduction into my Approach

As with many wargamers I often play solo. I thought it would be useful to share some of my thoughts on how to do this in a meaningful way, and of course have fun.

Rule Selection

Choice of rules is an important decision when playing Solo. I have found that rule systems that have a greater degree of uncertainty about when and how far units move, and which impose significant command and control are the best.

With that in mind I have found the old Brigade Fire and Fury rules for ACW very useful. The uncertainty in the Tactical March phase is very good for making every game different and giving a solo player lots of challenges.

What is especially nice is that Col (Retd) Bill Gray, on his Age of Eagles Web Site has extended these to cover all conflicts between the Seven Years War and the early part of WW1. Using the same game system also has the virtue of simplifying the problem of remembering the rules!

For WW2 I rather like Combat HQ as command and control is a major feature within the rules. Also, the latest version of the rules comes with doctrinal rules that impact how forces behave in combat. An important constraint for the solo commander to deal with.

Harnessing the power of the Computer

As a programming geek I love writing my own programs for wargaming. In the past attempts to make computer moderated rules have rather foundered on the need to interface through a keyboard. However, the important step forward has been the use of touchscreen computers which makes point and click a reality.

I have used all the rules I use as computer specifications and then written programs to provide automated quick reference guides for the rules. In other words, rather than pointing at the QRS and then working out the scores in ones head, I now point and click on the tablet and the computer does the calculations and dice rolling for me and then gives me the answer.

Fire and Fury Defender's Fire Phase

Fire Result

The manual for this particular automated assistant showing all the screens is downloadable here.

An important by-product is that it also ensures that I keep to the sequence of play and do not miss any steps. There are other benefits and uses but I will address those in another post solely on the issue of Computer Moderation.

A final benefit is that building the program gives one an unrivalled appreciation of the rules! Indeed, it is possible doing this to work out where the rules fall down or need greater clarity!

Choosing the Terrain

I have found that the biggest fad in wargaming solo is trying to decide what the terrain should look like. Some rules usefully provide battlefield terrain generation, which helps but not usually sufficient. So, I have gone one step further and created a program within Microsoft PowerPoint that auto generates a map for me.

A Map for a 48" Square Table

I will explain the logic of this in a later post. Suffice to say at this stage that the program randomly tries to deploy terrain on a map based on the terrain features I provide it in various pallets.  The only thing it doesn’t yet do is draw in linear features like roads, rivers and railways. These one does oneself, but based on some rules that I have written based on where the feature arrives on table.

Setting the Strategic Context

The next challenge is to define the strategic conditions for the battle, and to define victory conditions. As with the issue of terrain some game systems provide some interesting scenarios. I have created some of my own for meeting engagements. This is very much a work in progress and honestly, I have not got much further with it. Some examples for meeting engagements are in this table.

One of the reasons I haven’t progressed this is because the other means of providing strategic context is to use the campaign simulator I have developed. I have tried to describe this and the initial trial campaign based on Stonewall's Actions in the Valley in 1862 is described here. I think it works tolerably well. What is nice is that it provides a way of managing force levels and for feeding forward reinforcements or flanking forces into the battle. In the trial it worked exceptionally well in the final battle, with the Confederate Cavalry arriving on the Union forces flank and routing two brigades!

I have made some more tweaks and revisited some of the campaign management system, and I am now trying another campaign based on the 1809 Danube Campaign. Battle reports to follow. 

Battlefield Command Decisions

The next challenge is how the commander’s make battlefield decisions and their design for battle. This is one of the more fundamental challenges for any solo wargame.

The way I have addressed this is to develop a spreadsheet parametric model to assess a plan based on the skill and attitude of the commander. For those unfamiliar, a parametric model is one in which applies weights to various factors and then calculate a score.

In my approach I rate the skill of commanders as poor, average, or skilled; with attitudes of cautious, bold or aggressive. One can roll for these based on the prevailing characteristics of the period you are fighting. The next is for the solo player to come up with three plans to meet the objective. These plans are then rated from 1 (worst) to 3 (best) for each of the following factors:

• Safe & Cautious - How much risk is there in the plan? Can I reduce risk by taking a phased approach?
• Covered approach - Is there cover from observation and fire on the approach to the enemy?
• Covering fire - Can the artillery support the attack/advance?
• Deployability - Is there space and security to deploy to attack formation close to the objective? Is the start line for the attack protected from observation and direct fire?
• Secure flanks - What is the likelihood of enemy action on the flanks requiring reserves to be deployed as a counter, or which could delay or imperil the attack?
• Speed of approach - How fast it takes to get the start line, and the objective?
• Tactical merit - Does the plan give tactical flexibility with alternative approaches if required; or the plan that is most likely cause discomfort for the enemy most likely option?

And then the parametric factors are applied. The highest scoring plan is chosen by the commander.

The other battlefield decisions are also derived from the skill and attitude of the commander. The key command decisions I apply are:

• The Order of March,
• Defensive or attack doctrine,
• Closeness of approach before the force deploys for battle (a probability factor based on attitude and distance from the enemy)
• When will a commander will move from attack to defence in response to casualties (a probability factor based on current losses and the commander’s attitude).

I will provide a run through on this in a future post.