KS Group gameplay

We like to play mainly for fun.  Competitive games are good for those who enjoy that atmosphere, but we aim to attract a wider group of players for some of whom a much more relaxed environment is important.  All types of player are welcome to join us, but we do ask everyone to respect the ethos of our group, which is that winning isn’t everything Smile.

The Admin Team


We aim to treat other players with friendliness and respect

We are a very friendly group, and all of our players are on first-name terms.

We accept that some players are less experienced than others, and that some are just less skilful than others.  Our approach is to be very supportive and encouraging to all players, and on no account to criticise their play or otherwise belittle them.  We aspire to be modest in victory and gracious in defeat Smile.

We are pleased that the group attracts those for whom English is not their native language.  Some of these players speak English very well (actually better than us!), but where not, we ask all of our players to be understanding.


We appreciate the work that goes into a scenario, or a campaign, and value those who are willing to do this on our behalf

We are very fortunate that some members of our group are willing to put in the time and effort to create excellent campaigns and individual scenarios for us to enjoy.  All of those running our games have a good knowledge of the period and a commitment to fairness.  So when the unexpected happens as a player, even if it seems incorrect or unfair, it is almost invariably due to our lack of the big picture.

It helps retain the the immersion for others, if players refrain from complaining, or questioning umpire decisions, during an online game.  If something frustrates you, please always play until the end.  If a player suddenly leaves a game it can unbalance a scenario, and may disadvantage team-mates.  Similar factors apply in a face-to-face kriegsspiel.  In addition holding-back from querying decisions during a game, allows it to keep moving for the benefit of everyone.

In both types of game, any issues can always be discussed afterwards.  But the person running the game/campaign always has the final decision.


We strive for historical accuracy

We like to make our games as authentic as possible.  So in our face-to-face kriegsspiels, we take account of what was realistically possible for the armies of the day.  This includes fog of war and communication lags.

The same applies to our online MP scenarios, which currently use the Scourge of War PC game.  We use the HITS and Couriers mode, which ties the game camera to what would be visible from the saddle of our horse, and all communication is by courier, as it would be in a traditional kriegsspiel.  SOW is a great game, but there are some situations that it cannot handle without house-rules.  Where this is the case, we ask players to respect these.

Most of our battles, whether kriegsspiels or online games are designed as scenarios, with briefings for each team, which specify their objectives, together with available intelligence on the opposing force.  Our battles typically involve both manoeuvre and fighting.

Creating these historical situations means our games can be quite long.  Our face-to-face Kriegsspiels normally last 5 or 6 hours.  Our online games, using the Scourge of War PC game are much shorter, but still typically take 2-3 hours.  Online 'lag' can on occasion make the game clock run slower.  If any players are linked to the game via slower connections this will cause the game to run slower for all players.  This is a feature of how the Scourge of War online system is designed and there is no means of correcting it.  We ask players to be patient with these games.  That said, hosts, umpires, and scenario designers will do their best to be respectful of players' time, and in particular give players warning of scenario length.  Players can help here by arriving promptly at the scheduled time.