Playing Cards as Blinds in a solo game.

[kyoteblue]

I’ve been kicking around the idea of using playing cards as blinds in a solo game.  Not trying to re-invent the wheel so if you know about it being used before please let me know.

Basically, I would use the cards as blinds till the units are spotted then turn them over and see if it’s a real unit or not, then place the unit on the table if it is.

[Deleted User]

I’ve used similar method using chits and counters. I didn’t go for cards because they’re easily marked/creased.

[Abwehrschlacht]

Through the Mud and Blood uses blinds in this way, also we have used blinds in games of Rapid Fire! to indicate troop movements (works well in Stalingrad). it works well with a two player game, but would work easily in a solo game. I would probably roll a dice to randomise what each blind represented when revealed, including dummies, that way you’ll eliminate having a set list of opposition and deducing what the remaining blinds were when some have already been revealed. if that makes sense?

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[Just Jack]

Yep…

http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2017/12/kg-klink-france-game-6.html?m=1

But it looks pretty ugly…

That was a game of “I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum,” which uses blinds that are tied to actual units, or are dummies, I.e., that card right there is 1st Platoon, that one is 2nd, etc…, and both sides in a two player game are on blinds.

Platoon Forward, bu Joe Legan, is designed for solo play, so only the enemy is on blinds, and it’s run like Abwehrslacht speaks of above. A blind is just a marker (although there are three different types of blinds, A, B, and C, for rifle, weapons, and vehicles), and when it is spotted you roll on a table to determine if something is there and what it is.

v/R,

Jack

 

 

 

[Abwehrschlacht]

I would suggest rather than using those cards, models of tanks or infantry can stand in as blinds until it revealed what they actually are. For example, if it the player was using an Allied side, I’d have every blind as a Tiger tank model, since every Allied soldier always thought they were up against them…

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[Guy Farrish]

Me too with chits vice cards.

I have a (confusing – I had to read it twice myself when I read this again) system for producing unknown levels of opposition using the Cold War Commander rules – but easily adaptable to other sets.

Chit system for unpredictable opposition

The confusing bit is the ‘take a mix of one HQ to five dummy chits (face down) up to the maximum number of HQs you want to face (2 extra here) and shuffle them – then draw three’ – this is how I did it but I should have said the number of dummies to real HQs at this stage depends on whether you want to face a hard time or an impossible time. If you want a good chance of your three draws including extra real HQs reduce the proportion of dummies.

The problem is they are passive until spotted. I have used activation throws as well but generally found my Soviet troops had enough trouble as it was – especially with ambush throws and minefields.

[OldBen1]

Tokens work well too.  I play Monster Hunter a Japanese mythology game that uses Japanese coins for encounters.  You can also tailor the encounters for solo play.  I am going to start working on some for an Antarctic research station adventure.  I bought engraved wooden disks from Michaels with numbers printed on one side.

[kyoteblue]

Thanks, everyone.

[Phil Dutré]

I think this mechanic was already described by Featherstone, possibly in his book about solo wargaming.

I seem to remember he described using index cards equal in size to the footprint of unit, and when discovered, or spotted, turn them over. On the backside was a random table to determine the exact nature of the unit.

 

[Phil Dutré]

Abwehrschlacht wrote:

I would suggest rather than using those cards, models of tanks or infantry can stand in as blinds until it revealed what they actually are. For example, if it the player was using an Allied side, I’d have every blind as a Tiger tank model, since every Allied soldier always thought they were up against them…

For my Vietnam games, in which some scenarios might call for a lot of hidden troops, I have used cheap plastic figures spraypainted black with gray drybrush, and put 5 of them on a base. Thse represented ‘hidden’ or ‘unknown’ units. Once discovered, you replace them the proper unit (or they might be a dummy). Depending on your style of games, even the controlling player might not know which units are dummies.

 

[Abwehrschlacht]

We also use a technique in one of my mate’s games where we have small plastic counters as hidden units. Once it is spotted and you know what the unit is, you can set up your figures within a certain radius of the plastic token to make best use of terrain, cover and circumstances. it gets away from having large cards on the table and gives you the flexibility that is more realistic and still random.

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