The Road to St. James Revisited

[Whirlwind]

Please see here for a refight of The Road to St.James, the WW2 scenario from Don Featherstone’s War Games, played with 6mm figures.

[Angel Barracks]

Thanks for sharing.

Solo play?

[Whirlwind]

Yes. The rules being tested have a (lightweight) orders/modal system, it is pretty easy to play solo just with that, for test purposes anyway.

[Darkest Star Games]

I really like where your rules are going.

As for the PHQ question, how granular are the orders/actions/morale rules?  What benefit would the attachment to a section be?  What about a CHQ attaching to a platoon?

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Whirlwind]

Thanks DSG. Just for total clarity, definitely not my rules, I am just helping out with the playtesting.

As for the platoon commander…I think I was trying to make a more general point, which concerns games that have the platoon commander have a function in the rules (in this case, rallying shaken troops) and the basic non-vehicle playing piece is the infantry section/squad; or the fire-team for that matter, as in WRG.  However, platoons were rarely organized in that way. So is there an argument for having the platoon commander as a single figure on a base, or perhaps with a runner, that doesn’t have an offensive tactical function but performs the rallying function? That could apply to say a late war German platoon commander in WRG 1925-50 too, where it is hard even to squint and give him his own fire-team.
Thinking about it, I don’t know how you should handle FOs, MFCs, FACs etc. In WRG 1925-50, I tended to round them up into a Rifle group, but perhaps I shouldn’t. Anyway, they feel part of the same general case.

[MartinR]

I haven’t got the rules in front of me, but my recollection in WRG was that FOs and snipers were treated as single figure stands. Phil Barker even included a hand written modification to the spotting rules to accommodate single figures stands in the draft for the never published second edition.

Personally, I wouldn’t let tactical HQ elements have any combat capability at all, except in self defence. If they are shooting, they certainly aren’t communicating or commanding.

 

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Darkest Star Games]

In my mind, FOs, FACs etc should be individual stands and should be able to be targeted and their capabilities removed from the fight.  Platoon HQ stands less so unless it contributes to the possibility of adding friction to the game itself or removing a specific capability from the unit.  Like, if the PHQ can be taken out then that platoon has lower morale and can no longer take rally tests or make charges, that sort of thing.

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Whirlwind]

MartinR wrote:

I haven’t got the rules in front of me, but my recollection in WRG was that FOs and snipers were treated as single figure stands.

I think they were supposed to be on a double-figure base. Reading back, I figure that the intent was that they were supposed to be non-combatants in terms of direct fire, although for some reason that wasn’t my inference when I started using them again! Perhaps because I was using command elements for them, which do participate…think the lesson here is that I need to make some proper FO bases!

@DSG,

That all seems reasonable. In the context of these rules, it is the power to rally that makes a difference.

[Darkest Star Games]

I haven’t known many FOs who didn’t take part in direct combat.  (though they are all Vietnam era or later) so I’d definitely make them targetable but the enemy.

Whirlwind wrote:

That all seems reasonable. In the context of these rules, it is the power to rally that makes a difference.

  If they really on a section/squad by squad basis then they should probably be their own stand, me thinks.

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Whirlwind]

Darkest Star Games wrote:

I haven’t known many FOs who didn’t take part in direct combat. (though they are all Vietnam era or later) so I’d definitely make them targetable but the enemy.

I think the issue is whether you give them any offensive power (I think we all agree that FOs should be targetable).

[MartinR]

I just had a dig through the original 1973 edition of WRG. The intention is clearly that HQ elements are either single vehicles or rifle/SMG groups, although each element can move, shoot or communicate, it can only do two of those things in a turn. So while HQ elements MAY fire, they are probably doing other stuff instead. It also probably isn’t a great idea to shoot with the HQ, as it gives their position away.

In more general terms, I prefer a separate Leader stand for units (who may represent the CO, batman/radio op and Pltn Sergeant)  who can then move around the commanded elements as required.

 

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[John D Salt]

There were five different editions of the WRG Armour and Infantry rules, so it’s not always safe to say that “the WRG rules” do something a particular way. The first edition of the 1950+ rules includes scout or observer teams of 2. All sets I think include provision for an individual acting as a sniper or messenger.

The basings currently in “Gummipanzergrenadier” are:

1. A 25m x 25m base representing an observer, commander or sniper, probably with an ack, runner, radio operator or spotter, or a light weapon with its crew, such as an LMG, light mortar, or shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon.

2. A 50m x 25m base representing a rifle or engineer squad/section with all its weapons.

3. A 50m x 40m base representing a mounted squad/section on pedal cycles, motorcycles, or horses.

4. A 40m x 40m base representing an HQ of a company/squadron/battery, a heavy infantry weapon and its crew such as a mortar or MMG on tripod or wheels, the detachment of a heavier weapon, or a group of 2 to 4 similar light weapons such as a Japanese 50mm mortar squad or a Russian anti-tank rifle squad.

All the best,

John.

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