Monthly Poll #36

[Ruckdog]

Coming up in Episode 43 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and I are going to be doing a mechanics discussion on Fog of War and Command & Control! Examples include things like the Star Cards/TAC Cards in Spartan naval games, the leadership and special orders system in Battlefleet Gothic, and the Command & Colors system used by the recent space combat board game Red Alert.

SO, what say you? Are you a fan of such mechanics in your games? Vote above and comment below and let us know what you think! All comments will be discussed during the Community Sitrep segment of the upcoming episode.

[RuleBritannia]

I've really enjoyed them in land games, and I do like the idea of them in naval games, but the mostly modern ones or pseudo modern games where the level of command blunders possible is less limited.  I definitely want to see a Napoleonic or earlier massed Krieg Speil with notes/flag commands supplemented by beginning of battle order of battles.

[voidstarsinger]

ok well a pick up game/tournament  i don,t see the point . but in a campaign they can really make the difference' are those 8 ships that just jumped into system capitals carriers battleships or a few scouts  pretending to be bigger how long do i stay to find out with my light cruiser 2 destroyers 1 frigate and my escort carrier ? and can i out run them if i do bite off more that i can handle ?  hidden movement on maps v scouts sneaking around trying to find the others players fleets in the hope (sorry all the yanks out there ) a pearl harbor (if the game has rules for ships on stand by or powered down ) or the desperate maneuvers while you try to hide just how badly off your fleet is , can make for a great game   

hmm thinking on a little it depends on how the orders are moved in the game if the setting has ftl coms (eg star trek) then there is little chance of fog but if u have to send a ship then there is always a chance of some mishap 

[Easy E]

I prefer to call it a Copenhagen rather than a Pearl Harbor!

I think in Naval Games, Command and Control elements are even more important than in land games.  It avoids the game just bogging down into a series of firepower vs. armor style mechanics and adds additional decision making/resource management that otherwise might not be there at all.  Without Command and Control mechanics Naval games can get very dry and samey. I say this as someone who likes Naval wargaming.   

[Dakkar]

I don't like ANY minis or war game without Fog of War and/or C&C elements. I don't need perfect realism or perfect balance (an impossibility for either) but like Easy E says, dry mechanics dueling is dull - might as well play YATZEE. Executing a plan with imperfect control and unexpected events is the real challenge.
That said, not a fan of the major abstraction that comes in Command and Colors, specifically the RED ALERT scale of things. That feels like stripping away too much flavor.

I've barely played, but I'm partial to the Warlord system where you have a die for every activation .. .they all go into a bag, and you draw to see if your own or your enemy's units go. I'd like to see that leveraged more widely.

[Easy E]

I think a great question related to this.... what does Fog of War/Command and Control mean to YOU in a Naval wargame? 

1. Giving commands to individual ships/units that improve their abilities
2. Activation of ship/Units methods
3. Detection for targeting and shooting
4. Stealth mechanics
5. Critical hits
6. Reactor/Repair mechanics
7. Unit upgrades/List Building?
8. Special weaponry
9. Strategy/order cards
10. Random events

Your thoughts?

[Dakkar]

1 and 2; 9 and 10

I think a great question related to this.... what does Fog of War/Command and Control mean to YOU in a Naval wargame? 

1. Giving commands to individual ships/units that improve their abilities
2. Activation of ship/Units methods
3. Detection for targeting and shooting
4. Stealth mechanics
5. Critical hits
6. Reactor/Repair mechanics
7. Unit upgrades/List Building?
8. Special weaponry
9. Strategy/order cards
10. Random events

Your thoughts?

[Covertwalrus]

 Pretty much all of those, Easy E.

 Maybe not "Random Events" so much.

[voidstarsinger]

hmm 1234 ,9

[Sailion]

Generally not had good experiance with cards in dystopian wars, or attack wing. The firestorm armada cards where okay, didnt have problem with them though. ^^