What are wargames?

Modern wargames originated in the beginning of the 19th century with the military need to study warfare and to simulate old battles for instructional purposes. The basic principle of wargames today is the same: to simulate historical battles. This can be done in various means, one popular way, which is also practiced in the Wargames World Championships, is to use small tin figures.

The game is played on a table representing the battlefield. Armies are represented by figures, where each figure or a stand of figures represents a certain amount of men. Terrain, such as hills, woods or rivers can also be modelled to add to the visual look of the game. Dice are used to bring a random element into the game, representing difficulties in command and control, morale, weather, etc. The players, of course, act as the generals of the armies.

The games are based on specific rules, much like in Chess. There exists a large amount of dfferent wargames rules, varying according to complexity, time period, scale of the battles, etc. Some rules are meant strictly for re-fighting historical battles and function only when historical opponents face each other. Other rules, like DBM/FOG and DBR used in the World Champs, are more flexible, allowing battles also between "unhistorical" opponents, for example the Roman Legions against medieval knights.

DBM/FOG and DBR have a good balance between historical accuracy and playability, offering the players also enough freedom to use their strategic and tactical skills to win the battle. In order to win a game you have to be able to use the strengths of your army and exploit the weaknesses of the enemy, as well as be aware and use the terrain on the battlefield into your advantage. You have to move your troops to the right positions and be able to use such strategic features as ambushes and reserves. Once the fighting starts, there's not much the general can do, except to trust his luck.

Wargaming as a hobby has many different aspects. Where others are fascinated by the history and background of the battles, for others the main interest may be in modelling nice armies and realistically looking terrain. A good game is also a test of skills in strategy and tactics, and as such offers exiting experiences. The wargames tournaments of course are there to find the best and the most able general among the players.

Rules and rule sets of wargames

Wargames, just like all games and sports, are based on a specific set of rules. There exist several different sets of rules for different time periods, but also different rule sets for the same time period. Although the rule sets are different and focus on different things in the battle, certain mechanisms of table top wargames are similar in most rule sets.

The International Wargames Federation decides which rule sets are used in the World Championships for each period. The current sets of rules are DBM/FOG for the ancient period and DBR for the renaissance period.

How to play wargames?

Like most boardgames, wargames are based on a turn system, where players take turns to complete their moves. Table top wargames do not include squares, but troop movements are measured in centimetres or inches. Like in chess, where different pieces are allowed to move specific number of squares, in wargames you can move your troops a specific distance depending on the troop type. Heavy infantry moves slower than light infantry and cavalry moves faster than both of these.

General's abilities also have an effect on the movements. Generals have command points, which determine how many units can be moved in one turn. Wheeling and reformations need more command points and are thus slower to do than just marching straight forward. For this reason units are usually in bigger groups at the beginning of game to expend only few command points. After the fighting starts lines and formations break and units must be moved separately requiring more command points.

After each movement phase follows a shooting and a close combat phase. Close combat and shooting effects are simulated with dices in order to produce a random effect. Units have certain combat factors against different types of enemy, for example bowmen are more effective against mounted troops than troops on foot. In combat each player rolls a dice, and then the result is modified by your troop's combat factor as well as other factors affecting the battle. This means that it is not possible to predict who will win the combat, but if you have better troops you have a better chance to win the combat. Thus you must manage to deploy and move your troops to positions where you have better chances to win the combats and avoid fighting against the enemy's best troops or in unfavourable places. One battle consists of not only one or two, but usually dozens of combats and the winner of the battle is the player who manages to get the probabilities on his side.

Army compositions

Armies used in wargames are based on those, which actually fought in historical battles, including for example the Romans and their enemies. The different troop types allowed for each army are based on research of historical battles and army compositions. Rule sets usually include ready made army lists for different historical armies. As army sizes varied from time to time a point system has been introduced to allow balanced competitive games. Each troop type has a specific point cost according to its effectiveness on the battlefield, the total number of points available for each army being specified by the tournament organizers.

DBM/FOG offers more that 300 different army lists representing different historical armies. Each list gives certain options for the player to compose his army. The army composition is also an important part of the game, you have to be able to design a well balanced army and divide your troops between your commander-in-chief and sub-generals.

Special thanks to www.fieldofglory.com for the usage of their images and information.