Author Archives: admin

Reading Contour Lines

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There is some confusion out there on what the slope lines mean and how to read them.  Here are a few examples to clear things up. 

It may look a little messy at first but I actually like these old style slope lines much better than modern day contour lines.  It is easier for me to visualize up and down. 

In this example, Red is up on top the hill.  They can see down to Blue at the lowest elevation, sitting behind the stream.  Effect:  Red will have cover here if attacked by Blue.   

Red has dropped back here behind the ridge now.  They are on the Reverse Slope.  There is no line of sight between these units.  Effect:  Red will have cover if attacked by Blue.   

In this example, Blue is at the highest elevation.  They are up on top of the hill.  Red is still on the hill but further down the slope.  White is down at the base elevation at the lowest point.  Effect:  Blue will have cover here if attacked by Red.  Red will have cover if attacked by White.

Here, Red and Blue are both on the hill.  The issue is that they are both on the same slope.  There is no cover here for either side.  I would treat combat between these two units, the same as if they were on clear terrain. 

Kriegsspiel Puzzle

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This is a fun little puzzle to sort out.  It reminds me of Kriegsspiel.

Both sides play Kriegsspiel blind via an umpire.  It is a lot like poker in some ways.  What does the enemy know?  What do they not know?  What do we know about the enemy?  What does their known action reveal about their motive and intent? 

These are all the types of questions you constantly puzzle over while playing Kriegsspiel.  It is exactly the type of thinking you need to solve this problem:

There is a secret prize hidden under one of these five objects.  The teacher privately tells the girl what the correct shape is.  The teacher privately tells the boy what the correct color is.

Next the teacher brings them both together.  The first one to pick the correct object gets the prize.    

Teacher:  Do either of you know where the prize is?

(silence)

Teacher:  Do you know now?

(silence)

Teacher:  Do you know now?

Boy and Girl:  Yes!

Where is the prize?

Pirates!

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Lots of great progress with our pirate game over this last year. This is really starting to come together!!

This has been a very tough design for us. We’ve been at it for years. We have 15-20 different pirate games now that really suck!!! lol…. If you need one, let us know. 🙂

We are committed to only releasing games that work. Games we really like. Sure we can make them look great but how do they play? Are they really good games? After many attempts and nearly giving up, I’m happy to report that we have a very promising and sound structure for an epic game now.

Our combat system needs a few tweaks. We need to refine and dial in our ship composition some. It works as is but we have several redundant systems in the design now. It needs some streamlining.

I’ve been taking sailing lessons this fall. How can I in good faith design a sailing game if I’ve never sailed before?!! After a couple of months of real sailing, I worked on our Pirate design last weekend. I was truly shocked at just how good of a model this was for sailing. It does a really amazing job of capturing the correct feel of maneuvering boats in the wind. We nailed it!!

My instructor was amazed at how quickly I picked sailing up. I hit the ground running. It was almost like I already knew how to sail. Yeah, that’s because I’ve been playing our Pirate game!

I love it when we can work this kind of ‘realism’ into a game. It is realistic but not tedious. It teaches you something you can actually use in the real world but it is also great fun!! Those are the very best kinds of games.

When do expect this little gem to be released? We are hoping for winter 2022. We already have most of the hard parts worked out. Just need a little time to refine and clean up. I can’t wait!!!

All New Supremacy 2021!

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The all new edition of Supremacy is now available for Pre Order! Should be a short wait. We are hoping to begin shipping in about a month!

What’s New in this edition?

First off, all new minis!!!!

We love these things! We had planned to do these with our original Kickstarter but it was just too expensive then. Looking back, I’m glad we waited. These ended up much higher quality than we could have done back then anyways.

Let’s see, what’s next? Ah, new tracks along the bottom of the map! No more tedious change counting for constant transactions. It’s kind of cool for your first game to have a fist full of $100 billion and $1 trillion dollars bills but that gets old quick when you have to count change. This cuts a lot of work out of the game. More time to focus on the fun parts.

Now this 1 track along the bottom tracks everything in 1 convenient place. No more Strategic Reserve cards getting jostled around. This frees up a lot of table space. I really like how you can now see at a glance what everybody has. Everybody’s resources and missiles are now all on the same big track:

All new rules. Combat has been streamlined and simplified. Lots of little changes that bring this back to basics. There are several new optional rules that you can add in now. My favorite is the Alliance rule!

You’re my Ally? Ok, good because now it really counts. Guess what? You can’t suddenly backstab and attack an Ally. It is against the rules!!! You must formally withdraw from the Alliance first. That gives me a turn to get ready.

Next, we have real terrain. It adds a lot of realism with very little complexity. This gives the Defenders an advantage while defending in mountains, jungles, etc. As it should be.

What are all those blue lines? That is a monsoon weather zone. Bad weather can greatly hamper conventional operations in different zones depending on the time of year:

Playing with these rules gives you a lot more realism and accuracy for a ground war. This is very fun to play as just a conventional world war game without any of the nukes.

These new rules aren’t very complicated. They are also optional, so you can still play a clean and quick, classic game format for new players.

We expect high volume on this. We will ship them in the order we receive them. We’ll be buried here for awhile but will do our best to get them out in time for Christmas.

Yes, we are revamping all the expansions as well. First out will be new Minors. We are going to combine this with Fortuna. New Terrorists minis for Rising Crescent. Also a new Boomers & Bombers with minis to fill our the nuclear triad. Those are all in the works. I’d expect to see those coming out by spring. We have to work through this new release first. We’ll get there! =)

You can Pre Order here:

Fields of Fire

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What makes up the Field of Fire range in musket warfare? The 1/3 foot move in Pub Battles is perfect and based on a ton of good data and research.  It is interesting to note where it comes from. Veteran officers of the era put together the data for Kriegsspiel which is as follows:  

Skirmish lines posted 100-300 paces out to the front.

Musket range:  100-400 paces.

So firing range measured from the front of a block, extends out 200-700 paces. 

You also need to take into account that the enemy block has a skirmish line out to their front, with a musket range projecting out from there.  So double those totals.  That gives us an engagement range of approximately 1,000 paces.  Yep, that’s about a half a mile.  That distance can be closed on foot in 10 minutes.    

This is also backed up by the battle maps of the era.  Where did they draw their battle lines and deploy?  Most are about 1,000 paces away.  It was standard practice of the day and no coincidence. 

There is another very good reason for this distance.  Canister range just so happens to be 800-1,000 paces.  All infantry units in Pub Battles at this scale are assumed to be carrying a complement of artillery with them.  So there ya go. 

The rules of Kriegsspiel state this but it is also common sense:  no unit is going to stand around under canister and skirmish fire for an hour and a half.  It just didn’t happen. 

This is also why the FoF doesn’t vary for the American Civil War.  It is mostly driven by canister and skirmishers, which was about the same.  At this scale any difference is negligible. 

I don’t have any good evidence for this but I also suspect that command reaction time played a role in this distance.  From 1,000 paces, the enemy can close with you in 10 minutes.  That’s just about enough time to shout out a couple of quick orders to rush up reserves or something.  Any closer and there would be no time for anything!  It would be like trying to box while standing 4 inches away from your opponent.   You need a little breathing room in a fight.   

The Double Bluff

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Keeping the Allies in the dark at Austerlitz is critical for the French.  Here are some tips to help you maximize this powerful weapon!

-1  Don’t rush all your troops to the front and blaze away!  Be very mindful of which units you let the Allies see.  Remember, once they see one unit from I Corps, they will know the entire Corps is there somewhere!  If you’re going to commit one unit, blast them with the entire Corps at once.

-2  Delay!!  The longer the Allies aren’t sure what you have the better for the French.  The Allies start over a barrel.  Look at it from their side.  It is a terrible dilemma!  They have to probe in force to determine if you really have the goods.  If they haven’t been able to confirm that yet, they have to keep pushing their neck out further into your noose.  That is exactly what you want!  If you spring your trap too early, you will only catch their nose.  We want their whole head!  There are limits here.  Don’t wait too long.  You have to time to finish them off and win before nightfall. 

-3  Double Bluff:  Let’s look at this through the enemy’s eyes again.  (A great habit to get into)  Imagine we are pushing into the French line trying to ascertain their true strength.  There are a couple of HQs lurking in the French rear.  Who are they?  What do they have?  Do they actually have troops hidden in their reserve or are they just a bluff?

We get a breakthrough, we advance and are able to spot one of these HQs.  Who is it?!  Bernadotte.  What is in his Reserve?  Nothing!!  Ah ha!  The French are weak!  Full steam ahead now right?  WRONG!!!

Wait, what?  Why?  Because the other HQ we haven’t seen yet is Napoleon.  What is he hiding in his reserve?  Bernadotte’s I Corps!!  Along with the Guard and Murat!!  That’s right!  Remember you can hide other forces in your reserve.  Just because you’ve cleared 1 HQ, doesn’t necessarily mean that those troops aren’t at the battle.  This is a great and very powerful tactic to use as the French. 

Yeah, that’s a pretty nasty trick.  What can the Allies do in response?  Easy.  Stick their neck out further into the noose.  🙂   I know.  That’s not very comforting is it?  A lot of this comes down to ‘feel’.  You can’t go off of just one piece of intell.  You have to look at the sum of all the pieces and what kind of picture are they painting.

You’ve got to push the French and push them hard.  A couple of light attacks isn’t good enough.  That doesn’t reveal anything.  You have to press them hard enough to force them to use a reserve force if they’ve got one.  If they are at the breaking point and they still don’t do anything, then you go all in for the kill. 

Be careful as you get close to this point because this is when a good French player will drop the hammer on you.  Watch his moves carefully.  As you got close to this breaking point, did the French suddenly move a couple of reserve HQs that had been sitting idle?  That could be an indication that they are getting ready to strike. 

-On the other hand, this could also be another good French Double Bluff move.  =)

How Do You Win at Pub Battles?

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I remember when I first started playing Pub Battles.  I really liked the system.  Very immersive.  Amazing narrative generation!  I could just imagine myself on the field.  I could imagine the events unfolding and the history books writing about how this battle went down. 

I liked how the system was chaotic.  How it mirrored the random events that happen in war.  The types of things you read about in books.  I like how this game takes away the God like powers most game systems give you.  It limits you to the types of decisions that real army / corps commanders have to make.  Where should we form a line?  How hard should we try to hold it?  Should we risk more losses here?  Where do we fall back to?  Should we  commit reserves now?  How should we move to keep our forces hidden from the enemy?  How close is the enemy to the breaking point?  Should we rush up reserves to help support this defense or should we just fall back here and give up ground? 

These are real decisions, that real commanders faced in battles like these.  Fantastic but how do I play better?  What do I learn from all this?  How can I win?  It almost feels like I’m just a spectator watching the battle unfold.  Great story narrative but how can I control the events and get the outcome I want?  At first I worried that this system was too random.  Like the game is running me!

Guess what?  That is a lot like real command also!  Real life events are very powerful.  They can and will sweep you away.  Imagine being in the command tent.  Urgent reports arriving by dispatch couriers.  How fast can you read it, make a decision and write a new order to address the problem?  Should you?  Imagine another report arriving that contradicts that first report, right after you wrote and sent new orders to deal with it.  Now what? 

It is very easy to get distracted by putting out crisis fires of the moment.  Jumping from one knee jerk reaction to the next.  Frantically chasing your tail until, boom, the battle is over.  Many officers do exactly that.  It is very easy to do. 

In an ocean of chaos and random drama, what could anybody do to influence the outcome?  People like Patton, Rommel, Hannibal, Bonaparte and Alexander could.  Pub Battles rules are deceptively simple.   In many ways it is one of the most complex and realistic simulations of war.  Complex in:  how do you play the darned thing?!

Many things we can’t control, as it should be.  Many things are out of our hands but what CAN we do?  Here are some tips to help improve your performance in Pub Battles:

-1   Try to stay focused on the big picture.  Yes, there are 10 little emergencies every turn.  What else is new?  Set those aside for a moment.  What are your strategic goals for this battle?  Where do you want to be?  What is the enemy trying to do?  How can you best defeat the enemies plan?  Are you in a position to do that?  Where do your forces need to be to accomplish that?  How best to get them there?  Considering the chaotic and random nature of the movement, is that a realistic goal to accomplish?  What kind of timing sequence needs to happen in order for that to work?  Remember the KISS principle.  It is real easy in war for things to go wrong, therefore:  Keep It Simple Stupid.  Like Patton used to say:  “A good plan now is better than the best plan tomorrow.” 

-2  What is the overall state of the enemy’s army?  Mostly fresh or mostly spent?  How does that compare to your army?  How many casualties have you suffered compared to the enemy?

-3  What is the reserve capacity of the enemy compared to you?  By reserve capacity I mean how many of your forces are already committed?  How many are still fresh and ready to be committed to a fight?  This leads us to our final question:

-4  When and where is the right time to strike?  This is probably the biggest and most important thing you CAN control in Pub Battles.  Let the enemy attack.  Let the battle unfold.  Fight the little fights but stay focused on this big picture.  Wait until the enemy has already committed their reserves.  Wait until the enemy is already mostly spent.  Where are they weakest?  Where are they most vulnerable? 

As the battle starts and progresses, your mind should always be focused on these elements.  Get your fresh reserve in place, ready to strike at the weakest point in the enemy line.  Watch and wait for the right time to attack.  Can you get a double chit pull move in the sequence to accelerate the events?  -or at least the best chance at a double move? 

By a double move here I’m referring to when your Corps moves last this turn but moves first next turn.  With all the Corps running around doing different things at the same time, this can get confusing.  You have to be able to look at these locally, on an individual basis.  For example, let’s say we are at Gettysburg near the end of Day 1.  Ewell’s Rebel Corps is battling Howards Federal Corps for Culp’s Hill.  If Ewell can move after Howard on turn 6 but moves before Howard on turn 7, in effect he has gotten a ‘double move’ advantage over Howard.    

This is how Napoleon won at Austerlitz.  He concealed his true force.  He concealed his true intent.  He watched the enemy.  He was patient.  He looked for the right time and place.  THEN he struck.  That is exactly what you need to win in Pub Battles.   

Mike Strand said it best:  “It is easy to master the rules of Pub Battles.  Those are easy.  The secret is the mastery of command.  The right or wrong move is not obvious.  There are many distractions.  It requires a gut feeling.  A sense of timing;  and that only comes from experience.” 

THAT is how you win in Pub Battles.  It’s not about piling x number of combat factors into hex y by turn z.  It’s about timing and real world command skills.      

Solitaire Germantown

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All Pub Battles are naturally great for solitaire play.  Germantown works exceptionally well!  The British start off on the map.  They are on defense.  The Colonials enter anywhere along the north map edge.  What makes this interesting is that there are 6 different roads that span all across this edge.  There are also 5 different Colonial HQs with Reserve Cards. 

If you’re not familiar with Pub Battles, the HQs mark the command’s position on the map but the forces are actually held off map, hidden from view behind these little screens.  You place your hidden troops on the map as the enemy can spot your HQs but there is a dense fog at Germantown.  The very short visibility range means your troops remain hidden almost until they attack. 

The army sizes of the opposing forces are nearly identical.  The British have a few less blocks but they make up for this in better quality.  So how can the Colonials attack into 1:1 odds and still have a chance of winning this battle somehow?  The British are attacked from 5 different directions at once.  The large map spans a wide area.  They can’t be everywhere!

Seven of the Colonial infantry blocks are full strength, regulars (like 3 SPs).  Two are weak militia units (like 2 SPs).  Three are small (1 SP) detachments.  The problem for the British player is:  which Colonial HQs are the main threat?  The command could be 3 full regular infantry with artillery and baggage train logistical support for a sustained fight, OR it could just be 1 Militia.  –or maybe just 1 or 2 Detachments, or any combination of the above.  The British have no idea until they actually engage these forces and start fighting. 

You can probably see where this is going.  For an awesome solitaire game, all you have to do is setup and play as the British.  Spread the Colonial HQs out and enter normally.  Have them come in on different roads and march straight towards the British to attack.  What is on their Reserve Cards?  You have no idea! 

Upon contact with a Colonial HQ, randomly determine what blocks it has in Reserve.  There ya go.  Virtually any combination would have been a good viable strategy in this battle.  As the British player, you’ll have to intercept the Colonials to figure out what they have and where.  After that, you’ll have to scramble to adjust your forces to meet the primary threat before it is too late.

This is very challenging, realistic and great fun!! 

Give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments below.         

Austerlitz is ready!!

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From the very beginning with Pub Battles, we set out to game the impossible.  If it’s gonna break, break it early.  We have specifically targeted ‘ungamable’ battles like:  Brandywine, Antietam and Little Bighorn.  These games just don’t work on the table.  No player would do what they did.  Most designers avoid these battles.  The ones that take them on simply handcuff the players to history.  “Make them do what they did!”  That works in a way but it’s not very satisfying. 

Austerlitz ranks pretty high on the ungamable list.  We’ve been working on it for a couple of years now.  This battle really pushes the envelope, even for Pub Battles.  It did reveal a few gaps in our system.  Much of what we learned from Austerlitz became the 3.0 rules. 

As I look now at the Austerlitz scenario rules, I’m shocked at how short they are.  Where are all the extra rules it takes to make Austerlitz work?  There aren’t any.  It mostly just works right out of the box, or tube if you will.  This is a great sign!

What’s next?  Chancellorsville and Leuthen.  With all the infrastructure now in place, these battles seem easy.  Onwards and upwards.

It’s time to saber the champagne!!