Strange how such a key factor in war is completely left out of most military board games: Fog-of-War. It would be like playing Poker with all the cards dealt out face up on the table. I suppose you could play it that way but it wouldn’t really be Poker anymore.
This is a simple example of how critical the difference can be. Howe and Cornwallis move onto the board in Brandywine. Howe’s HQ comes flying around our flank.
With perfect intell, this move is ridiculous. We can see this is just Howe. He has no troops. There is no threat.
Now let’s throw in a Hidden Reserve Card. The enemy can hide forces attached to this HQ behind the screen. Right now, we don’t have any eyes on Howe. What does he have? For all we know, it could be anything! It could just be his HQ. There could be nothing behind it.
We have to actually march somebody over there that can see Howe. What will they find when they get there?
They see just 1 Dragoon.
Fine, but what is behind them? We still can’t see. It could be 2 elite infantry brigades backed up by artillery support!
It could be 2 Dragoons ready to speed all around behind us.
Or, it could be nothing. Just 1 Dragoon.
Look at all the problems and decisions this forces on us. At the very least, we MUST send at least 1 unit over there to investigate. That unit that could have been fighting elsewhere.
Next, we are going to need to engage and probe to find out what the extent of this force is. There is another lost turn. At what point do we decide we need to send more units there? How many? What if we send to little? Too much? Too late?
Is this a weak distraction? A moderate attack or the main effort? There are many uncertainties here. Many unknowns. It’s like a mystery. What other clues do we have to indicate what the enemy is up to?
Now we are struggling with real command issues. Real poker.