02.08.07

Character initiative

Posted in 7YW, Fictional Countries at 11:17 am

I am relatively new to this whole blogging thing, so I have been catching up on what’s out there and enjoying getting caught up. I came across this post as I was exploring how to use Google Reader -

Saxe-Bearstein: Initiative in “Tricorne Wars” (opens in a new window)

I like the way he has handled it here for a couple of reasons. First, it gives you a way to decide on who goes first in an alternate move system but can be readily adopted for a simultaneous system as well. Second, I think the concept of inertia is a good one. Sometimes good tactical commanders are unwilling to change plans. When I was teaching at USMA (history dept, 1984-7 and 93-6) I had a boss who had been part of a study on military leaders. The conclusion they came to was that successful battlefield leaders did not have to be bright and quick on their feet. The most important characteristic they shared was being able to visualize where they wanted to go and not being distracted by (or immobilized by) what could go wrong. Third, all of the above then ties into a command radius for each character. Combined with the characteristics in Tony Bath’s Setting Up a Wargames Campaign, this can give a lot of flavor to a series of battles! Good thoughts, Jeff!

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