PBEM The British Army tactical Wargame

Hello,
While discussing playing double blind games on Board Game Geek, I offered to run a PBEM using the The British Army tactical Wargame rules and 4 people signed up straight away. I was thinking of running a 4 person per side game (1 Corp Commander, 3 Division Commanders) So if anyone here is interested please let me know.

I've been reading every piece I can about running an email game, but if anyone wants to offer advice, I'm listning.

Have you got a link or something for us to refer to so we know what you're proposing, please?

-N-

That's a coincidence.  Steve brought copy of these rules to our face-to-face k/spiel yesterday.  They were originally used by the British army for training purposes, and republished a few years ago by John Curry.

As I understand it, they focus on managing the battle at corps and divisional level.  So when you plan your operations, the time taken will depend of practical factors, such as the type of operation, how complex it is, how large it is etc.

So it's possible to get inside your opponents' decision loop.  If they are planning a large detailed and potentially devastating attack, you might disrupt them by making smaller simpler attacks which go in first, and give you the initiative.  Of course your attacks, with less planning and fewer resources, may be less successful than theirs would have been,

For our large army-level Napoleonic k/spiels, where the smallest unit is a brigade, rather than a battalion, we use a similar approach, and it works well.

Good luck with the email game.  We might run a face-to-face game using these rules in 2015, and it would be good to learn from your experience.

Martin (J)

Father General,
I am proposing a Corp versus Corp action using maps from here:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/spain/

I have also developed a Vassal module with the maps loaded which I can distribute. The players can use this module (very intuitive) to track their own and the enemy units. Alternatively they could print out the maps and track things that way. Or any other way they choose. It will be 27 maps!

Each Corp has 3 Divisions, so 4 players a side. It will be a movement to contact and the Corp Commanders (with Division Com. assistance?) will have to set their sides battle plan. Set Division boundaries, objectives for each Division, decide Corp asset distribution, decide on what reserve to keep, and coordinate things if the plan needs "adjustment" on the fly.

Division commanders order their units (Infantry Battalion, Artillery Batteries, Armoured Squadrons, Recon Companies, Engineer Battalions)
about to fulfill the assigned missions.

Martin summed up the rules well. What is apparent in the rules is everything you want to do takes time. The larger the attack, the more time it takes to plan. Everyone in combat takes casualties, so you have to decide how many units is enough for a good chance of success, but you can't throw units in needlessly. You need to avoid the temptation to micro-manage as this will slow your units down.

I envisage weekly responses from players with the Corp commander able to step in and give Division orders when/if the player is unable for some reason. Ideally other players would be willing to parachute into the game if someone has to drop out. I believe I could convince at least one person to fulfill this role.

I will have a more detailed " How To" play the game shortly.

All the best,
Bill

I might be interested as soon as our current campaign wraps up.

:-)

I would also be interested once the Peninsular campaign wraps up in a glorious French victory.

What period does this kriegspiel reflect? WW2? Modern? I haven't heard of this set before.

The period is WW2. Red versus Blue
Units are: HQ, Inf, Armour, Recon, Artillery, Engineers. All units are generic, that is all Infantry Battalions are the same, All Armour etc.

You are commanding at Division level. (2 Corp commanders as well). As Division commander you organize and order your your units to move to, take, hold areas on the 1:50000 map.

Martin described the rule set well.

How soon can the French wrap up their current campaign?

The Napoleonic Peninsular campaign could go on literally forever! We're playing summer 1808 now and Wellesley and Junot have just fought our version of Vimerio. What we could do is take a break from it when the majority of players would like a change of pace, or maybe at the end of 1808, but there's no reason not to run a PBEM kriegspiel concurrent with our Nappy one.

In that case, I'd be happy to do both at the same time. I'm not extremely active in the Nappy campaign.

So count me in! How much time do you need from me per week, do you reckon?

"How much time do you need from me per week, do you reckon? "

Good question. I believe lots of work up front getting the initial plan sorted out, setting orders of march, and basically organizing how to go about achieving the mission assigned.

As the battle goes along once a week.

I am toying with the idea of just sending out individual emails as events unfold. You may get an email any day of the week or over a week goes by without anything of importance to report. Everyone has to agree with which ever way we we go.

To be more direct, I believe a heavy week or so up front of work, then a leisurely once a week thing after that.

You can read some documentation here: in the files section. Also the sighup conversation under the forums section.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36368/british-army-tactical-wargame-1956

Bill

Thanks Bill! I'm keen to join and join whenever; I can do both this campaign and the British one simultaneously.

I've put my hand up in the Boardgamegeek forum as well; I'm CaesarMinor.

(I'm slowly trying to co-ordinate all my internet aliases)

Josh

Bill, please add me to the list of interested players.

Mr Digby, you have been added. That makes 6 players. Ideally we would have 8 players, Corp commander and 3 division commanders per side.

Hopefully we will start soon.

Do have a look at the link above at BGG when you have a chance. Files and forum sections.

Sign me up too.

Calpurnius,
Currently all 8 positions have been filled. I am in the process of confirming players participation, and I will let you know immediately if a place becomes available.

I realize now that organizing this in two places has caused inconvienence for people which I do regret.

If anyone wants the vassal module I built for this game to have a look at it, and see if it is somethinng they may find useful, please send me your email and I will forward it.

The module has maps associated but can be edited to add your own maps, own unit images, any other gamepiece you would want to add, charts, tables,etc.
All the above is easy to do. (I am a soon to be 51 year old who is not exactly tech savvy)

Other features:
add/update text on units (casualties, ID, current order, etc)
mark when moved, show movement trail (helps gm track what he has done this turn)
hide any number of individual units. (allows gm to show map to players with only player known unit locations visible)
many other functions I have not learned about

Bill

Hi Bill

Calpurnius can have my place if he would still like to play. Having looked at the rules, maps and such I fear this is going to be more complex that I thought and take up more time than I have. Sorry to waste your time. Good luck with the campaign and please write progress reports for us,

Martin,
No appologies necessary, and I will try to keep a full AAR with map photos.

Calpurnius if you are still interested I can send the vassal module to you along with some game docs.  

Bill

Hi Bill I will be watching this with interest. email for vassal mod will be along later. Good luck with it!