Skirmish rules - Part 3 - Terrain

Tabletop terrain is instrumental to the course of the game. Its general conformation, as well as the presence of additional, specific terrain features, is never simply decorative, but involves precise restrictions on movement, fire, and melée.

Every terrain feature on the tabletop not only makes the game more aesthetically pleasing, but also contributes significantly to making it more interesting and compelling. 

In general, the gaming table is divided into well-defined, clearly recognizable areas or zones, corresponding to one of the following terrain types:

• Normal terrain;
• Rough terrain;
• Water meadows;
• Woods and forests;
• Rivers, canals, ponds and lakes.

Normal terrain

Normal terrain consists of flat, dry soil, such as:

• Meadows;
• Sown fields;
• Dirt or paved courtyards;
• Roads and tracks.

It does not entail any penalty for movement, which can be carried out in any formation and at any speed by all types of troops.

The gray-green felt mat covering the table represents plain meadows, and counts as normal terrain

The courtyard of the farmstead, represented by a piece of light-brown felt, counts as normal terrain

And so does the field at the back of the longhouse

Roads and tracks also count as normal terrain.
As they are not interrupted by obstacles and other terrain features but instead run around them, they constitute the fastest way to connect highlights of the gaming table.
Advancing on roads and tracks, regular troops adopt the marching column formation, whereas irregulars proceed in open order or single file

The sporadic presence on normal terrain of additional features (obstacles, screens, protections) may, however, result in restrictions on movement, as well as on fire and hand-to-hand combat.

Some terrain pieces afford partial protection against enemy fire

Both figures on this terrain piece and the one behind it may be considered  partially protected by the large boulders

Although hedgerows are not bulletproof and do not afford solid protection, they nonetheless partially conceal the figures behind them and are an effective screen against enemy fire

Fences may count as solid protections or just as screens, depending on the score of one d4 rolled before firing (1, 2: screen; 3, 4: protection)

Rough terrain

Rough terrain consists of soil that is on average flat, but  locally uneven and burdensome to negotiate:

• Land mainly covered with tall grass, bushes, reeds, rocks, etc.;
• Plowed fields;
• Trails and paths within forests.

It is  represented by patches of felt in contrasting color (here I used pale mauve, but any other color may do).

Rough terrain restricts the movement of some troop types, who can only cross it at low speed. 

Here too, as on normal terrain, the possible presence of additional terrain pieces can lead to further restrictions on movement, as well as fire and melée.

Rough terrain is represented by patches of felt.
Additional terrain pieces may be found on some of the patches

Different troop types behave differently on rough terrain.
In this picture:
Line infantry must adopt the open-order formation and move at low speed only;
Light cavalry may move at normal speed;
Specialist on foot may move at normal speed

Water meadows

Water meadows are made up of soil that is walk-able but marshy and waterlogged. They are generally found next to ponds and lakes.

They are represented by patches of felt in contrasting color (here a darker shade of green than normal terrain).

They limit the movement of some troop types, who can only cross them at low speed.

Water meadows affect the movement of most troop types.
Here the French are trying to clear a wood from Austrian irregulars. The outnumbered Pandours make good use of the boggy terrain that compels the French line infantry to adopt the open-order formation and slow down their advance.

Woods and forests

Woods are stretches of land characterized by the prevalent presence of trees and dense and intricate undergrowth. 

A small wood in a meadow

Woods can stand on normal terrain (right), or on stretches of rough terrain (left)

A wood can be crossed exclusively by infantry units deployed in open order. Movement within woods, where permitted, is carried out at low speed, except for particular types of troops.

Within a wood line infantry must proceed in open-order formation and at low speed

Forests consist of groups of two or more woods separated by trails or paths. The latter count as rough terrain and allow the passage of infantry and light cavalry units deployed in marching columns or open order formations.

Rivers, canals, ponds and lakes

Waterways and bodies of water that can not be waded constitute a class of terrain in their own right, which can only be traveled or crossed by small vessels, such as whaleboats and canoes.

Narrow, fordable streams simply count as obstacles on normal or rough terrain.

Skirmish rules - Part 2 - Point system

A well-designed point system should ensure a balanced game between forces of roughly equal strength 

As most other rules do, my skirmish rules also use a point system to determine the strength of the opposing forces. However, unlike in most rules that I have reviewed, whereby points are assigned to troop types rather arbitrarily, I wanted a direct, quantitative correlation between the points assigned to a particular troop type and its actual combat worth in the game. 

To achieve this, I calculate the point value of each troop type as an arithmetical function of its skill levels, which in turn correspond to the dice used by that troop type to perform actions during the game; the general principle throughout my rules being that an action be performed only if a die roll scores equal or higher than a given threshold. 

There are no modifiers, simply, different troop types use a different die, or combination of dice, based upon their different skill levels or coefficients. In this way, the point value of each troop type mirrors its skill levels and has a direct effect on the mechanics of the game.

Dice used throughout the rules.
Different dice reflect the different skills of different troops types in performing actions during the game 

The system may be better understood looking at the table below, which shows the point value of each troop type:

ELI = Elite infantry (Guards, Grenadiers)

LNI = Line infantry (Musketeers, Fusiliers)

LGI = Light infantry (Independent Companies, Troupes Legères, Chasseurs, ...)

HCV = Heavy cavalry (Cuirassiers)

MCV = Medium cavalry (Dragoons)

LCV = Light cavalry (Hussars, Uhlans)

SOF = Specialists on foot (Pandours, Croats, Frei-Korps, Miquelets, Canadian Militiamen, Rangers, …)

SOH = Specialists on horse-back (Frei-Korps,Cossacks, Calmoucks, Tatars, …)

COS = Conscripts (Militiamen, Provincials)

RDR = Raiders (Coureurs-des-bois, Bandits, Brigands, Pirates, Privateers, Smugglers, Runaway Slaves, …)

SVG = Savages (Native Americans, Sub-Saharian Africans, …)

CIV = Un-organized civilians (Peasants, Townspeople, Guides, Servants, Colonists, …)

The skill coefficients for Command / Discipline (C), Fire (F), and Melée (M) correspond to the number of faces of the dice used to perform the respective actions. 

Note that aimed fire uses a combination of two dice: d8 (common to all troop types) + dn (n = 4, 6, 8, 10) depending of the specific skill of each troop type. Only this second, type-specific die is used for the Aimed Fire skill coefficient.

Also note that for regular infantry, the skill coefficient for Fire (F) is calculated as the average of the dice used for volley and aimed fire respectively. 

Here follow some examples of regular troop types and the corresponding dice:

Line infantry 
Command / Discipline = d10;  Aimed Fire = d8+d8; Volley Fire = d20; Melée = d8

Light infantry 
Command / Discipline = d10;  Aimed Fire = d8+d8; Volley Fire = d20; Melée = d8

Light cavalry
Command / Discipline = d10;  Aimed Fire = d8+d8; Melée = d10
(Cavalry fire with carbine and pistols, aimed fire only)

And here below examples of irregular troop types (Irregulars do not fire by volley):

Specialists on foot
Command / Discipline = d8;  Aimed Fire = d8+d10; Melée = d8

Raiders
Command / Discipline = d6;  Aimed Fire = d8+d10; Melée = d8

Savages
Command / Discipline = d4;  Aimed Fire = d8+d10; Melée = d6

The skill coefficient for Movement (MV) is calculated based on the relative mobility of each troop type, taking into account that cavalry always moves at double speed than infantry; and that different troop types may move at different speed levels (low; medium; high) on different types of terrain (normal; rough; water meadows; woods).

Cavalry moves at double speed than infantry. That is taken into account in the calculation of the Movement skill coefficient, as is the different mobility of different troop types on different terrain conformations

The point value of unit leaders and sub-leaders is a multiple of that of their subordinates, depending on how many men a given command figure may control.

Here follow some examples:

Light infantry
Private: 10; Corporal; 3 x 10 = 30; Sergeant: 6 x 10 = 60; Officer: 9 x 10 = 90  

Raiders
Man: 8; Sub-leader: 5 x 8 = 40; Leader: 7 x 8 = 56 

Savages
Man: 7; Sub-leader: 5 x 7 = 35; Leader: 7 x 7 = 49 

Skirmish rules - Part 1 - Scale; Troop types, organization and deployement

Scale

My rules are designed for 1:32-scale (54mm) toy soldiers, but should work equally well for figures in the 25-30mm range. 

One figure represents one man. Each figure is individually mounted on a card base of standard dimensions.

Figures mounted on standard card bases:
standing infantry 3x3cm; kneeling infantry 3x4cm; cavalry 4x8.5cm

Players take alternate turns.  One turn represents a short period of time, typically 5 to 10 seconds of real-life. In a given turn, the Active Player’s figures may perform positive actions (move; fire; reload), while those of the Passive Player just take casualties if hit by enemy fire, or react if engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Things the Active Player may do in a turn:
stand still (left); move (right)

Things the Active Player may do in a turn:
reload (left); fire (right)

Distances are not to scale, 1cm representing one pace (in the 1:32-scale it should be about 2.5cm to one pace). The dimensions of terrain pieces, such as trees, woods, rivers, buildings, roads, etc., are also compressed to suit the limited tabletop space.

While my toy soldiers are strictly in the 1:32 scale, buildings and other terrain pieces are not made to any exact scale, their dimensions being compressed to suit the limited tabletop space
(note in particular the diminutive size of the barn's doors) 

A detachment of French hussars patrolling the edge of a small wood .
Standing about 30-35cm tall, the trees would be just 10m tall in real-life, that is about half the actual dimension of most fullly grown trees

Troop types, organization, and deployment 

Reflecting 18th-Century military practice, troops are divided in two classes: regulars and irregulars. Each class in turn comprises various troop types with distinctive characteristics and combat skills.

Albeit based individually, figures are grouped together to form tactical units, typically representing 18th-Century piquets, small detachments of various size and composition specially put together for small-scale military operations. 

Each unit is led by a set of command figures (regular troops by Officers and NCOs; irregulars by Band-leaders and their Seconds-in-command). 

A small unit of regular infantry deployed in line on one rank, including:
1 Sergeant (right, with halberd); 1 Lance Corporal (left, shoulder knot not visible); 5 privates

A medium unit of regular infantry deployed in line two-ranks deep, including:
1 Officer (right); 1 Sergeant (left); 2 Lance Corporals; 10 privates

A large unit of regular infantry deployed in line three-ranks deep, including:
1 Officer (right); 2 Sergeants (left); 3 Lance Corporals; 15 privates

Regular troops are normally deployed in close-order formations: marching column; attack column; line; square. 

The figures belonging to a given unit must all do the same thing during a turn (stand; move; or fire/reload). 

French national line infantry unit deployed in line on one rank.
All the figures move together at the same speed and cover the same distance.
(see future post for a detailed description of movement options)

French foreign line infantry unit (Swiss) deployed in line two-ranks deep.
The first rank delivers a volley at the charging British unit, rolling one d20 for each man in the rank.
The second rank (here shrunk to three men) attempts to reload, rolling one d8 for the whole rank.
(see future post for a detailed description of the fire/reload mechanics)

Regulars may also be deployed in open order, however in that case their command/discipline skill coefficient is downgraded (except for Light infantry and Light cavalry, who deploy in open order with no penalty).

Irregulars can be deployed exclusively in open order. Each figure of a unit acts individually, albeit in accordance with the tactical objectives assigned to the unit.

A band of West-Indies Maroon Negroes, consisting in 1 Leader, 1 Second-in-command, and 5 men.
Each man must at any time remain within running distance from the headman or the sub-leader (red+white+black segments on the movement stick)

Skirmish rules

Many years ago I started entertaining the idea of playing skirmish war games with my twin Sons, then just primary-school kids. Since I had never played a true war game before and knew nobody that could initiate me to the hobby, I did some research on the Internet and bought a few books on the subject. Although I could get a hold of a number of interesting rules, as a novice I found them all rather complex, and had a hard time sorting out which ones would work best for us. In the event, I decided to develop my own rules. 

I wanted simple rules that could give a fast, if possible thrilling skirmish game with no book-keeping, while retaining a distinct flavor for 18th-Century Petite Guerre tactics. 

In short, I wanted my rules to favor the bold and the daring; to emphasize the uncertainties of command and troop reaction; to differentiate between aimed and volley fire; to account for the relatively long reloading time of muzzle-loading firearms; and to provide for a fair balance between firefight and hand-to-hand combat.

Predictably enough, the rules I developed draw much from existing sets that deal with horse-and-musket era small-action warfare. I do not claim that my rules be any better than the others, nor that they be particularly innovating, although there are a few features that I believe to be original and unique.

For those interested in the subject, and wishing to know more about my skirmish rules, I will present an overview in a series of future posts. 

Constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement will be welcome!