Operation Sealion Game 2

[Steve J]

Some good points and ideas there Mark, which I hope to be able to use in the future.

[T13A]

Hi Steve

Another great report. Actually living in the Mendips I'm really looking forward to the battle! There are still a couple of pill boxes a few miles away at the old station at Midsomer Norton.

Incidentally I'd be very interested to know which bits of BKC-IV you are using.

Cheers Paul

[Big Insect]

I'll definitely file the where a wood was a wood, until you actually entered or scouted it ... then you diced for density idea away for future reference

I can think of a few variations on that theme that could add some interesting fog of war to many scenarios

Depending upon your gaming preferences Paul you could take this to an even higher level of extraction ... so ... in the 'fog' that stand of trees in the distance might just turn out to be a fast advancing body of enemy cavalry ... or in a fantasy game that section of wood might be a herd of giant treemen ... you get the idea!

[paulr]

Definitely some interesting food for thought

[Big Insect]

I was also interested in how you might fight a refight of the Wars of the Roses battle of Barnet - to recreate the confusion of 2 armies setting up to face-off against each other at night in a thick fog and then subsequently fight a battle in the early morning as the sun is coming up in the fog, until it slowly dissipates as the day progresses.

I'm not sure if this is a unique situation (or maybe just one of the very few recorded) but it might also apply to battlefields shrouded in gun smoke or even combats in gas or smoke clouds in WW1 or when smoke projectors were used (as in Korea).

Cheers

[paulr]

Morning fog was a feature of Austerlitz, back in 2005 we limited visibility in the fog and the French units were not placed on the table until they moved or the fog cleared.

[John Cook]

In the olden days when Donald Featherstone's books and rule were about all there was, this sort of thing was achieved by hanging a sheet across the table as the armies were set up.  Not vert pretty but quite effective.  I am bound to mention, too, that computer moderated rules simulate weather and going.

[Steve J]

I played a game with a friend using the sheet across the table for set up, which seemed a bit strange, but it really made you think about your deployment. The big reveal when everything was deployed was brilliant as you suddenly had a shock or pleasant surprise at your or your opponents deployment.

[FierceKitty]

Overratted (or overmoused) wargames room? Kitty can help. Call us for a free quotation!

Actually, I caught a snake in my downstairs shower this morning. Nothing like the python in my post last week, but even so! The romance and glamour of Asian life is not what people think, I tell you.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Beware the small ones a venomus

[Steve J]

I got a surprise seeing a small scorpion in my bath during first year in Nigeria. Easy to get rid of but still, not what one is used to! Seeing snakes was nice, until you remember they are lethal and can 'run' almost as fast as you when flat out .

[Big Insect]

In the olden days when Donald Featherstone's books and rule were about all there was, this sort of thing was achieved by hanging a sheet across the table as the armies were set up.  Not vert pretty but quite effective.  I am bound to mention, too, that computer moderated rules simulate weather and going.

I played/still occasionally play - an ancients set of table top rules called Armati that requires a set up screen - we use portable card screens at competition events and it certainly attracts interest.
It does make you think but occasionally it results in a very short game!

[Steve J]

With the screen I find I really try and achieve historical deployments, especially with regards the deployment of artillery. Anything else can lead to disaster!