The Basic Kriegsspiel Idea

by Bill Leeson

Uncertainty

Kriegsspiel, of course, simply means Wargame. But wargames take so many different forms today from

computer games to paint ball shooting that I think it is useful to retain the Kriegsspiel description for games

which fall into a certain type so that we may know what we are talking about.

Mostly it comes down to the quality of the information which the player receives during the game - both what he

is allowed to know, and what he is not allowed to know. This in turn comes down to who is in control of the flow

of information and how is it passed on, and this implies the presence of an umpire, or an umpire team. So much

that is difficult when trying to devise a satisfactory wargame becomes easy, or at least possible, when there is an

umpire directing it.

The Scenario

The umpire works out a scenario. This is in two parts. The first part is information that both sides have at the

beginning of the game. In the old Prussian game this was known as the General Idea. The second part is

information which confidential to each side. It includes the situation - the strength and position of his forces- any

special orders or instructions he may have received - and any knowledge that the umpire judges he may have of

the enemy situation.

The Plan

When the player has assimilated all this he comes up with a plan of action, which he passes on to the umpire,

who works out the situation as it develops for both sides, and passes information back to the players accordingly.

These reports will usually be something like; "Your troops by the river crossing report that they are coming under

heavy artillery fire from the woods opposite", or " The patrol north of the village report an enemy column of all

arms moving towards you", or "At 10.32 you hear the sound of gunfire from the Northwest".

Feedback

In order to make these reports at the appropriate time the umpire has to keep the situation up to date on his

map. If he can see that one player should receive a report at a certain time, for instance, he may move

everything up to that point, make the report to the player, then see where the next report will be needed, and

move everything up to that point. It is an event-driven program, to use a computer term.

Kriegsspiel variants

Having said all that it is worth noting that there have been many games which are not map games, or even army

games, which could come in the Kriegsspiel category because of the way they handle the flow of information to

the player. Some examples are the German artillery game, the WWII anti-submarine game of Western

Approaches, and some civilian exercises, which have been run by police, fire and hospital services and

businesses.

Map Kriegsspiel

by Paddy Griffith

The following piece that illustrates a straight forward

approach to umpiring a free kriegspiel is

from Napoleonic Wargaming for Fun by Paddy

Griffith (Published Ward Lock 1980 ISBN 0-7063-

5813-9, 0-7063-6042-7 Paperback), my thanks to

Paddy for his permission to include it and save me a

lot of work. Copyright © 2006 Paddy Griffith.

The generalship game is almost a board game, and relies upon a lengthy set of formal rules. It undoubtedly forces the player

to concentrate very hard upon what a Napoleonic general would have been doing with his time; but due to its complexity it

may not be to everyone's taste. As a counter-balance, therefore, we now turn to a game which has almost no rules at all. This

is the free kriegspiel, played on maps.

Origins and advantages of kriegspiel

Early recreational wargames were rather abstract and unrealistic affairs, usually based upon some variant of chess. During

the nineteenth century, however, wargames tended to develop a more realistic format, largely as a result of the renewed

military interest caused by the Napoleonic Wars themselves. Thinking officers were then starting to experiment with various

ways of representing battles in miniature; and in Prussia this developed to a very advanced stage indeed. The military

kriegspiel gradually became a recognized means of officer training, and later even evolved into an aid for strategic planning.

The nineteenth-century Prussian game started life with a rigid structure and copious formal rules. The two sides were each

placed in a separate room with a model of the terrain or a map. The umpires moved from one room to another collecting

orders from the players, and then retired to a third room to consult the rules and find the results of combat. A great deal of

their time was consumed in leafing through voluminous sets of rules, consulting tables and giving rulings on fine legal

points. By about 1870, however, this rigid system was starting to be thought rather clumsy and time-consuming. Quite apart

from the many defects and loopholes in the rules themselves, it reduced the umpires, who were often very senior officers, to

the role of mere clerks and office boys. clearly, such a state of affairs was intolerable.

It was General von verdy du Vernois who finally broke with this system, and abolished the rule book altogether. His

approach to the wargame was the free kriegspiel, in which the umpire had a totally free hand to decide the result of moves

and combats. He did not do this according to any set of written rules, but just on his own military knowledge and

experience. He would collect the players' moves in exactly the same way as before; but he would then simply give a

considered professional opinion on the outcome. This speeded up the game a very great deal, and ensured that there was

always a well thought-out reason for everything that happened. This was a great help in the debrief after the game, and it

allowed players to learn by their mistakes very quickly.

The free kriegspiel using maps can offer many advantages for modern wargamers provided that the umpire has a reasonable

background in wargaming, and a bit of common sense. If this condition is met, the game immediately becomes faster and

less pedantic than if it had been tied down to a set of rules. The umpire can always think of more factors to incorporate in

his decisions than could ever be true in a formal or rigid game. He can therefore spread a greater atmosphere of realism

about the game.

What you will need for a Map Kriegspiel

The umpire must be someone who knows as much about the Napoleonic Wars as the other players, so that he will be able to

keep a little ahead of their criticisms. In fact this superior knowledge need not amount to a very great deal, and even relative

beginners will be surprised at how easy it is to umpire a game of this sort. They should not be put off by the fear that

umpiring needs some formidably experienced military brain, like that of General von Verdy du Vernois himself: it doesn't.

Almost anyone can do it, with a little practice. Apart from anything else, the umpire always has the advantage that he is the

only one who can see the complete picture of what is going on.

It is best to have three rooms, one for each team, and one for the umpire; but at a pinch the umpire can do without his, and

simply keep moving from one side to the other, making notes behind the backs of the players. This also economizes on

maps, as the umpire will not need one. For very elaborate games, on the other hand, any number of rooms may be used, and

the author has participated in some games using six different playing teams, as well as a sizeable team of umpires.

The maps themselves may pose a problem, since they can become rather expensive if bought in bulk. You should therefore

choose the particular game you are going to play rather carefully, with this in mind. Clearly it depends a great deal on your

financial circumstances; but it is perhaps worth reflecting that a set of three Ordnance Survey maps will cost rather less than

the average boxed boardgame. At any event, if all else fails you can always make your own sketch maps of the area to be

fought over, with traced copies for all the players. For sieges and some tactical actions, indeed, this method will be the only

one possible.

You may wish to mark movements on the map with a set of pins, but it is usually easier, and better for the map, to use a talc

overlay and a set of chinagraph pencils. In this way movements can be shown graphically, explanations pencilled in, and the

whole thing will be easier to understand.

Players and umpires will require rulers, plus carbons and spare paper for writing reports and notes. The umpire will also

require one nugget (a 10 sided dice).

Playing the game

The umpire will select a scenario which fits onto the available maps. One hardy perennial (which uses the British 1:50,000

Ordnance Survey series) is a hypothetical landing by a French corps in some part of the British Isles. The French are

allowed to land en masse', whereas the British troops start the game widely scattered. Political aspects may also be

incorporated into this game, with Jacobite sympathizers and other adventurers fighting their own guerrilla wars in the back

hills.

If you use continental road maps it is perfectly possible to re-fight all the classic operations of Napoleon. Admittedly the

maps will be quite small scale (1:500,000 or thereabouts); but then so were the maps Napoleon himself had to use. If one is

operating with a number of army corps the large scale details of the terrain will not be important, in any case.

Another alternative is to fight a siege. For this you can either photocopy the plan of a real fortress, and use that for your

map; or you can draw your own fortress plan from scratch. One player is the defender, and must move his batteries about

inside the fortress, perhaps digging mines under the attackers' trenches, and occasionally making brief sallies. The other

player will have to dig trenches up to the fortress, so he can establish breaching batteries and eventually storm the breach. A

free kriegspiel is particularly suitable for playing siege operations, since the tedious repetition of many siege operations can

be rushed through by the umpire to fit the available time. They do not have to be played through in minute and boring detail,

as they would in a game with rigid formal rules.

Order of battle

When the umpire has selected his map and set a problem for both sides, he must give all players a full list of their forces,

and keep a carbon copy for his own reference. Note that the umpire will give information to players only about their own

forces, with very few clues about the enemy 5. Players will then be fed snippets of intelligence about the enemy according

to the types of reconnaissance they ask for. They will have to build up a picture of what the enemy is doing for themselves

from this information.

The umpire finally states the date, time and weather at the start of the game.

Sequence of turns

The game progresses in a series of turns, in each of which the following sequence is observed:

1. Players write orders and pass them to the umpire.

2. The umpire compares the orders from each side and decides what sightings and contacts have been made, and at what

times.

3. The umpire may then wish to ask players for supplementary information; e.g., if there has been a contact between two

opposing formations, the umpire may need to know whether players want to withdraw, or to stand and fight.

4. The umpire then decides the result of combats, and the reports to be given to players from combats and other sightings.

5. The umpire reports all this information to players, who start writing orders for their next turn.

Each turn will usually represent twenty-four hours of the campaign, as in the generalship game. This allows a convenient

cycle of actions to be completed, and is realistic in the sense that Napoleonic commanders did tend to write their orders at

the same time each night. If a particularly large order of battle is being used, however, such as a large number of army

corps, then a two- or three-day cycle may be preferred. If only small units are being used, on the other hand, it may be better

to use a three hour or a six hour cycle.

With a little bit of experience umpires may be able to break away from a regular cycle of turns altogether, and start to tailor

each turn to the tactical needs of the moment. Thus if not much is happening in the game, for example, during the lengthy

digging phases of a siege, several days may be covered in a single turn; whereas if the action is fast and furious, say, at the

moment when a breach is stormed, only an hour or two will be covered. The umpire must decide roughly how much time

would have elapsed in real life before the players would have had to make each important decision. The turn will then be

extended or contracted so that it represents that amount of time. Each turn, in other words, should include one moment of

decision for each of the players.

Movements

The umpire, as in all aspects of this game, has the last word on how far or fast units have moved. For the guidance of

players, however, a rough sheet of planning figures ought to be provided, something like this:

Kilometres moved during the average day

Type of Troops Km moved Comments

Infantry 21

Artillery 21Must stick to roads, delayed by bad

weather

Heavy Cavalry 25

Light Cavalry 28

HQ Group 31 Move any time of day or night

Couriers

6.5 Km per hour

for first 4 hours =

26 Km

4 Km per hour

after that, indefinitely

The umpire should also keep certain brief notes for his own guidance, e.g., the couriers may fail to arrive if a nugget comes

up 0; or the ratings of rivers and bridges may be decided in advance, so that players who send out scouts to look at such

matters may be given a clear answer, and so on. The degree to which notes of this sort are made will depend a great deal

upon the individual umpire. In many cases rulings can be made ad hoc, as and when they are required.

If the game is to be a siege, a similar table of moves and timings may be kept for the actions appropriate to siege warfare:

Digging possible during an average

day by each working party

Dig about 70m of sap

Build one third of a battery

Build half an infantry redoubt

Dig 5m of mine gallery

Arm a battery, i.e. put cannons in it

Arm a mine, i.e. put in a charge of powder

Once again, the umpire will use these figures as a rough guide, and alter them according to the various changing

circumstances; in bad weather or under heavy enemy counter-fire, digging would be slowed down.

Distances at which troops may be distinguished

A 19th Century artillery officers guide to the distances at which troops may be distinguished.

This table was designed primarily to enable artillery officers to judge distances, but it also serves as a useful aid for us to

determine at what range bodies of troops may be identified.

Distance What may be distinguished

1,300 yds Good eyesight can distinguish infantry from cavalry

1000 yds A single individual figure may be seen, but not until...

700 yds...can his head be seen as a round ball. At this distance white cross-belts and white

trousers may also be seen.

500 ydsThe face may be seen as a light coloured spot, and limbs, uniform and firelocks can

be made out.

250 to 200 yds Details of body and uniform are tolerably clear.

Combat

The system for finding the results of combat in a free kriegspiel is classically simple. First of all the umpire looks at the

position of each side: how many and what type of troops are involved; how their morale is bearing up; and what orders they

have been given. He next considers the ground on which the action will be fought, and any special tactical problems which

either side might encounter; whether there are any obstacles in the way of an attacker; whether a flank attack might be

possible, and so on.

When the umpire has all relevant information at his disposal, he ought to be able to give an informed opinion on the

probabilities of the result. He will not simply say something like 'The French infantry hassuccessfully stormed the hill', but

will quote possibilities, such as: 'The French have a 50% chance of storming the hill successfully; a 30% chance of

capturing half of it, while disputing the rest; and a 20% chance of being totally repulsed. High scores favour the French'. It

is important that the umpire is as specific as possible with these figures, as this forces him to consider all the factors

involved in the combat and to think through the full implications of his decision. He must also be clear whether a high dice

roll will be good or bad for the attacker, i.e., whether the top 50% (a die roll of 5-9) or the bottom 50% (a roll of 0-4) will

mean the hill has been carried. In this case he has stated that the high score will be good for the attacker.

Outline of a possible kriegspiel siege

Finally, after odds have been quoted the umpire rolls a nugget, to represent chance. This will give a percentage, from which

the final result of the combat may be read off. Thus in our example a nugget score of 1 would be under 20%, so the attack

would be repulsed. A score of8 would be within the top 50%, so the attack would succeed, and so on. The system works by

the umpire giving his opinion on the probabilities, and then rolling anugget to find which of the possible results actually

came up.

Let's take another example, from siege warfare. The fortress may be firing at a particular trench with four cannons for

twenty-four hours. The umpire will see what size of guns are firing, and what the diggers are up to. He will then assess the

terrain, and find whether enfilade fire is possible. He may then give his opinion that there is a 10% chance of digging being

halted by the fire with 100 casualties; a 40% chance of digging being slowed down to half-rate with 60 casualties; and a

50% chance of it going at three-quarter rate with 40 casualties. He announces that high scores will favour the fortress, and

rolls a nugget. If it comes up 3 he knows that it falls within the bottom 50%, so digging goes at three quarter rate, with 40

casualties. Had the score been 9 it would have been in the top 10%, so digging would have been halted for that day.

Remember that in all this the umpire has to be certain of what each nugget score will mean, before it is thrown.

These are all the rules required for free kriegspiel. It is a remarkably straightforward game; but it can produce some of the

best results of all. It allows speedy resolution of combat; yet at the same time screens the players from any unrealistically

panoramic views of the battlefield. All it needs is someone who will not be overawed by the responsibilities of umpiring.

What is a nugget? It is simply another name for a ten

sided dice.

•

Equipment for Kriegsspiel

by Bill Leeson

The Equipment

The traditional Kriegsspiel equipment was devised by von Reisswitz for distribution in the Prussian Army in 1824.

The map consisted of 36 sheets which were probably three sets of 12 sheets – one set being needed by the

umpire and the other two used by the playing teams in separate rooms or areas. The scale of the maps was

1:8000, which is roughly 8 inches to a mile. This scale suited the games it was designed for very well. It could be

detailed enough for a player to make tactical decisions at battalion level or below, and it allowed for small units to

be comfortably represented by metal blocks that could be to scale with the map without being too tiny to be

picked up.

The question of scale is very important to the map game, and it is one of the things which usually marks it out

from model soldier games. It was a major breakthrough in war-game design.

The blocks representing the troops would take up the same space on the map that they would take up in actual

terrain. They could not take up the same area, but they could have the same frontage – a point we shall return to

later. By having a scale map, and having troop symbols to scale with the map, Reisswitz was able to tie together

movement, space and time consistently. If I seem to labour this point it is because it is not always evident in

some games using models, where instead of a common scale we get march rates, frontages, ranges quoted in

individual scales which are not necessarily consistent with each other.

Reisswitz and his friends felt that they had found a way of examining a complex action frame by frame as it

were, so that at any given moment they could see which units were marching, which were coming under fire,

which had received new orders, and which were retreating in disarray.

Scale

For modern use the scale of 1:7500 is more convenient. It does not make a lot of difference to how much detail a

map will hold – 1mm will equal 7.5 metres instead of 8 metres, but it does mean that you can do all your

measuring using an ordinary centimetre ruler:

•1 mm = 10 paces

•1 cm = 100 paces

•10 cm = 1000 paces (roughly half a mile)

The reason it is simpler and easier to think in terms of paces rather than metres or yards is because paces were

used as a military measurement for quite a long time, well into the nineteenth century, and march rates, ranges,

and everything else were given in paces in nice round numbers which do not translate into nice round metres or

yards. For comparison:

•1 mm = 10 paces = 7.5m = 8.8 yds (approx.)

•1 cm = 100 paces =75m = 88 yds (approx.)

•10 cm = 1000 paces = 750m = 880 yds (approx.)

Troop Symbols

To be practical and convenient the troop symbols have to meet three main requirements:

•They have to be to scale with the map.

•They must be large enough to be handled and moved about easily.

•They must be easily distinguishable both as regards which side they are on and what troop type they

represent.

At first sight the first and second requirements are irreconcilable in the scale used. A battalion in line has a

frontage of 250 paces, but only a depth of four or five paces at the most, so we would be thinking of something

about the size of a fine pencil lead. Reisswitz resolved this problem by giving the symbols the correct frontage

for troops in line. In the case of infantry blocks the depth of the block represents the frontage for Prussian

infantry in attack column (75 paces). For cavalry the depth of the block represents the length of a squadron in

column of troops with intervals. It is a compromise, but as long as you realise there is a compromise involved it

does not present any special difficulty.

Kriegsspiel Blocks

1.1 squadron Hussars

2.1 squadron Uhlans

3.1 squadron Dragoons

4.1 squadron Cuirassiers

5.An Infantry half-battalion (450 men)

6.A half battery (foot artillery)

7.Wagons for an artillery battery

8.A half-battery (horse artillery)

9.A cavalry troop, small post or patrol etc.

10.A skirmish platoon

11.8 pontoon wagons

12.A battalion of Pioneers

13.Small Exchange Piece

14.Larger Exchange piece

15.An NCO and 10 riders

16.1 officer and 21 riders

17.An NCO and 10 men

18.1 officer and 25 men

19.1 or 2-man cavalry post

20.1 or 2-man infantry post

21.Supply column

Notes to Diagram

Nos. 1 –20 are all copied from Reisswitz original manuscript. No. 21 is a very useful piece found in some later

manuscripts. It can also be used for a battalion in line, as at 2.5cm it is the right length.

Irregular Miniatures do metal blocks suitable for nos. 1- 11, and in fact they are all you really need. You can use

no. 9 for all the small posts, and you can paint symbols on them, but then you have to fiddle about , looking for

the right one. I have always used the plain cubes for all small posts, and if you need to you can make a note on

the map next to it as to what it represents.

It is better to have a few extra all-purpose blocks to represent pontoons, HQs, field hospitals, etc. rather than

have too many special pieces ready.

The exchange pieces were used to show significant losses. No. 14 was used to show a loss of 1/6th,

No. 13 showed a loss of 1/3rd.

The sizes shown here will not be exact, as it is very difficult to get the pixels to match centimetres exactly, but

they are close. Cavalry blocks are 1cm square. Half battalion blocks are 1.25 x .75 cm. Half batteries, wagons

etc. are 1 x .75 cm.

Maps

The diagram below shows the area covered by the Metz map sheets. Each of the squares shown is A3 size and

the scale is 1:7500, or roughly 8 inches to the mile. An index map of the whole area is often useful both for

umpires and players. At 8 inches to a mile the map gives very good detail – individual buildings, footpaths,

escarpments etc. are shown, and it is fully contoured.

The umpire needs to have the sheets for the area likely to be covered in the game so that he can set out the

troops for both sides. Nowadays it is possible to get hold of A3 clear plastic folders to slip the map sections into.

These can then be fixed together with sellotape. I have usually found that about 9 – 12 sheets will cover the area

needed, so you do not need 100 A3 folders unless you are into something really big. Using the clear folders is a

lot less bother than covering the maps with something like Clearasil, and you can still make notes on them with

washable marker pens.

Why mark up the maps?

It is often useful to indicate on the map the proposed route of a marching column, with estimated time of arrival.

Other notes may also be useful, such as when a battery opened fire, or when a unit was repulsed or shaken. In

Reisswitz’ day all these things had to be recorded separately in a notepad. Being able to make notes directly on

the map is a great help to umpiring.

How many maps do you need?

Basically you need at least three sets of maps because you need one for the umpire and one each for the two

players. Strictly speaking you might need more than this if you have more than one player on each side and they

are at a distance from each other, but the easy access to photo-copiers today means that this is not much of a

problem. What may be a problem, however, is the amount of space needed to lay out three sets of maps in such

a way that players do not see each other’s map or the umpire’s. A smaller scale version of the map is useful

here. The Metz maps come with a smaller version, which can be copied and issued to each player. Since you

are not likely to have enough troop blocks to supply a set for every player it is usually necessary, and in any case

sufficient, for the players to mark their positions with washable marker pens. I have recently finished working on

a smaller version of the Metz map in which each sheet is A5 size (1: 15,000 – 4 inches to a mile). This is a good

scale for larger actions, and it could also be useful for players as it contains the same amount of detail as the

1:7500 sheets. (See Kriegsspiel Maps and Manuals)

Scale

The scale for the 1:7500 maps is 10mm = 100 paces, and for the 1:15,000 version 10mm = 50 paces, which is

nice and convenient as all the measurements for marches, frontages and gunnery are given in paces in the

earlier manuals.

Dice and Tables of Results

Whether you use dice and tables or not is up to you. They were used quite a lot in the early days and were

included in most Kriegsspiel manuals until around the 1880’s. After that they were used less frequently. The

person who was most responsible for their abandonment was Verdy du Vernois (Chief of Intelligence on von

Moltke's staff in 1870-71). He believed that the umpire should weigh up the situation and give the verdict to the

side with the tactical advantage. Reisswitz, on the other hand, believed that a basic rule of the game was that

what you could do in reality should be allowed in the game, and whatever contained an element of uncertainty in

reality should have a similar uncertain outcome in the game. In the games I have played we have mostly used

the dice to get a result, unless it was thought that the outcome was not in doubt, but have then been content to

give actual losses in very broad terms like "heavy losses", "slight losses" etc.

Charles Totten's Tables

In his book "Strategoes", An American game of war based upon military principles, 1880, Charles Totten gives a

very interesting dice table in which instead of a bare result you are given a description such as, "Skirmishers are

driven in. Defence suffers Light Casualties. Morale wavering: while front ranks stand fast and exchange fire,

there is a trickle of stragglers from the rear".

Given a result like that in the middle of a game certainly presents a vivid picture.

Rulers

Since the scale is a convenient 10mm=100 paces, there is no need for special rulers. Any ruler marked off in

centimetres will do. What you do need are details of march-rates and ranges for guns, but these are included in

any manual.

Scenarios for Kriegsspiel

by Bill Leeson

Types of Scenario

Scenarios come in many different sorts and sizes, but from the organisers point of view they can be divided into

two main categories. There are games which require no more than a quick introduction, and there are those

which will usually take fifteen minutes or so of preparation by the player before the game can begin.

The first kind, which for want of a better idea I will call the ‘Instant’ variety, certainly require a good deal of

preparation on the part of the organiser, but they are ideal for introducing people to the game, and they are

particularly useful for public demonstration/participation games where you are going to ask for volunteers from

the public to take part. They get the beginner into the game with the minimum of fuss once a few basic ideas

about how a map game works have been explained.

The Instant Scenario

The ‘Instant’ scenario has to take the player right into the game at a point where action is likely to break out at

any moment, and decisions will have to be made.

Your first draft might be: "You are leading a detachment which is bringing essential supplies to Habonville via

Amanweiler. At this moment you are at the head of your advance guard which is 500 paces (about ¼ of a mile)

south of Amanweiler, and the Main Body of the detachment and the supply column are still climbing up through

the Montveau valley (see sketch map). As you look towards Amanweiler you can see one of your outriders

galloping towards you."

Not bad so far, but at this point you will realise that there are a lot of unanswered questions to be dealt with, and

you will probably need to start again.For instance;

•Are we in friendly country or enemy territory?

•Are there friendly troops at Amanweiler on whom we may be able to call for assistance?

•Do we want the player calling on troops from Habonville in any case?

•How large is the detachment? How long is the supply train to be?

•Would the player have any idea of the likely direction from which an enemy attack might come?

•Is it reasonable to suppose that flank guards or outriders would have been assigned? What are the leader’s

actual orders, and what should his priorities be?

Finally, notice how much easier it is to assimilate the situation if you have a primitive sketch map to refer to

which shows the approximate position of every place-name mentioned in the scenario. Your second draft might

look something like:

Reports for Red

General Idea

The map shows part of Red territory, which is under attack from Blue forces from the west. The main Blue army

is still several days’ march away from Metz.

Seperate Report for Red

You have been entrusted with the safe conduct of a supply column from Metz to Habonville. As of yesterday no

enemy troops had been seen in the immediate area, but there were reports of enemy cavalry patrols being

sighted north of St Privat. The column will depart from the St Martin Barracks, just outside the western exit of the

Metz fortress at 6.30am Sunday 18th May, 1814. Note that both Habonville and Verneville can be considered as

fairly safe havens in case of need, with good defensive features, also the farms in the area mostly have 4ft high

stone wall surrounds. The rivers are fordable but could cause delay to wheeled vehicles if bridges are not used

Red Detachment

•C.O. Lt. Smirnoff.

•1 sqn. Dragoons (4 troops)

•1 sqn. Hussars (4 troops)

•1 comp. Jagers

•10th Infantry Regt. (3 bns.)

•1 6pdr foot battery

•1 supply column (2 miles length)

Order of March

•Advance Guard 2 troops Dragoons

•Interval 1000 paces

•Main Body 2 troops Hussars *

•6pdr battery

•Jager company

•2 ½ bns. infantry

•Supply column

•½ bn. infantry

•Left Flank Guard 2 troops Dragoons

•2 troops Hussars**

* Lt Smirnoff will be with the Hussars at the head of the main body.

**The flank guards are to travel in the open country to the west of the Montveau woods as the column makes its

way up the valley.

Situation at 9.30 am

You have just ridden up to join the advance guard, which is now about 500 paces ( ¼ mile) south of Amanweiler.

The rest of the column is still making their way up the Montveau valley. As you look towards Amanweiler you see

one of the outriders who were sent on ahead is galloping back towards you.

This leaves Red ready to get straight into the game and begin issuing orders as soon as he receives the

message from the outriders. This can be written out in readiness, and as soon as the umpire is satisfied that the

players understand how the game works the umpire will hand Red the message, saying, "It is now 9.32 am and

the outrider has just handed you this message".

Outriders Report for Red at 9.32 am

Civilians report that enemy cavalry have been seen in St. Privat this morning, but Amanweiler is clear.

Up until this moment the players have been in a kind of "limbo" in which time stands still, at least as far as the

game is concerned, so that for both players it has been 9.32 am for maybe some ten minutes or so. But as soon

as the umpire hands over the reports times at 9.32 am the clock starts ticking. If Red has no orders to give, the

convoy will continue on its course. If he stops the convoy for ten minutes while he considers the situation, and

then gives some orders, the orders will start to take effect as if issued at 9.42. This will be covered more

thoroughly in the notes on umpiring the Kriegsspiel.

Reports for Blue

When we start to think about the scenario for Blue it is often necessary to make yet more changes to Red’s

scenario. Both sides need to have a reasonable chance of success. Both sides must know what their objective

is, but sometimes we can have a hidden objective. In the present case we can say that Blue has been told a

supply column is expected to be in this area which he must try to capture or destroy. On the other hand we can

have him carrying out a routine reconnaissance when the chance to win a bit of glory for himself is presented.

Either will do, but in the latter case we have to drop some very broad hints that there might be something more

to it than reconnaissance.

The General Idea

The map shows part of Red territory, which is under attack from Blue forces from the west. The main Blue army

is still several days’ march away from Metz.

Seperate Report for Blue

You have been ordered to carry out a reconnaissance of the area between Verneville and the Montveau valley,

and seize any opportunity to capture or destroy any enemy supply columns you might encounter. Earlier this

morning cavalry patrols penetrated as far south as Verneville. Verneville and Habonville were found to have quite

good defensive possibilities. The farms nearby were found to have stone walls round them, about 4ft high. The

rivers were found to be fairly easily forded; though likely to cause delays for wheeled vehicles. One of the

scouting parties also noticed a dust cloud hanging over the lower Montveau valley, which indicated the presence

of a moving column. Another patrol was sent to investigate further. Meanwhile the main force of your detachment

is making for St Privet from the north.

Blue Detachment

•C.O. Lt. Dannhauer.

•2 sqns. Dragoons

•1 sqn Hussars

•1 comp Jagers

•2 bns 17th Infantry regt.

•½ 6pdr horse art. Battery

Order of March

•Hussar sqn*

•2 sqns Dragoons

•½ battery

•Jager company

•2 infantry bns.

*Hussars have been sent on ahead to reconnoitre

Situation at 9.30 am

The head of the main body is just arriving on the high ground just east of St. Privat, where you and the Hussar

squadron have already assembled. The two scouts who were sent to reconnoitre the enemy column can be seen

galloping towards you from the direction of Amanweiler.

Scouts's Report at 9.32 am

"We managed to go down the eastern side of the Montveau Woods without being seen, and found that the

column is a supply train with escort, including a battery of 6 pdrs. We did not see any cavalry with the column

except for a few Hussars."

General and Special Ideas

I have used the conventional Kriegsspiel terms here. The general idea contains any information known to both

sides, and it is therefore the same for both sides. The special idea, or separate report, gives information which is

confidential to one side.

It contains:

•Any orders received by the leader.

•Any information he might have about the enemy.

•The units under his command.

•The present position of his troops.

•Any relevant details about terrain, objective, weather etc.

•Umpire’s requirements such as written orders, order of march and route to be taken.

•Whatever else might be needed for a particular game.

Note. In the above example nothing has been required of the player in the scenario except that he read it and

give some attention to the situation, which is why it is so quickly got going. The umpire has already worked out

the route and order of march, which would normally be left to the player to decide. Sometimes a player will object

that he would never have chosen a particular route or disposition for himself. The umpire can usually make

minor adjustments without upsetting his game idea, or he can say that the real detachment leader, who issued

these ridiculous orders, fell of his horse and broke his neck not five minutes ago and that he, the player, has had

to step in at the last minute. He will be free to make any changes he likes once the game has begun – allowing

for whatever time it will take to move troops to new positions.

Normal Scenarios

In more normal scenarios we can allow for a little preparation by the players before the game. This also calls for

some careful thought on behalf of the organiser, but of a slightly different kind. If we take the "instant" scenario

above, for instance, Red would plan his own route from Metz to Habonville, and decide on his own order of

march and make his own flank guard arrangements etc. Of course it would need a larger map of the area

because he would need to see the ground between Metz and Habonville. In Blue’s case he starts off the map

anyway so we would have to say that his starting-off camp is about three hours march from St Privat, or any

other entry point along the northern edge of the map. We might have to say he is 2 ½ to 3 hrs from St Privat in

case Red finds a much quicker way of getting there. Blue will have to stay with the main body until he gets onto

the map, but he can give orders for any cavalry scouts he sends on ahead as they will get there in half the time

of the main column.

It is worth remembering that a game which needs some player preparation will also need more umpire

preparation on the day before the game can actually begin. If both sides spend ten minutes planning and writing

out the order of march etc. the umpire will have to read both sets of orders and work out the intended troop

movements on the map before he can report back to the players, which could take another ten minutes - this is

assuming that the players are already familiar with how the game works and do not need to spend time on that

aspect. This can seem like a very slow start sometimes, especially if you are new to the game. Ideally, of course,

the preparation can all be done in advance . The players received their briefings the week before and returned

their initial orders to the umpire in good time by post, and the umpire has been able to get everything ready on

the day so that the game can begin at once.

Reports

The General Idea would be the same as before. The Separate Report would be slightly different:

You have been entrusted with the safe conduct of a supply column from the St Martin Barracks just outside Metz

to Habonville. As of yesterday no enemy troops had been seen in the immediate area, i.e. as far as Habonville,

Verneville, or St Privat, but some enemy cavalry patrols had been seen several hours ride north of St Privat. The

column will depart from the St Martin Barracks at 6.30am tomorrow.

Being familiar with the area you will know that both Habonville and Verneville offer quite good defences in case

of need, also that the farms in that area mostly have stout stone 4ft high walls. The rivers are easily forded in

most places at this time of year, but could cause delay to wheeled vehicles if bridges are not used. The escort is

being assembled at the St Martin Barracks and will consist of: (same list as before)

You must provide the umpire with:

•The route you will be following.

•The order of march for your column.

•Details of any advance guards, flank guards etc.

•Your own position in the column.

•Any special orders for units.

Ringing the Changes

They used to say of the cowboy films that there were only six basic plots. There are probably not many more

basic plots for Kriegsspiel scenarios, but you can ring the changes on them, and they quite often look very

different on a different part of the map.

Some basic ideas include:

•An encounter battle.

•An advance guard action.

•A rear guard action –delaying tactic.

•An attack on a flank guard.

•The reconnaissance party.

•Forming a bridgehead.

•Recovering from a defeat.

•Attack on a foraging party.

•Attack and defence of a village.

•The convoy escort.

These can be further varied by having more than one player on one or both sides, and these are varied again

according to whether the players of one side have separate briefings and independent commands, or whether

they share the same scenario. In the latter case one of the players will usually be assigned to a subordinate role.

Remember that for more players you need extra umpires or the game becomes too unwieldy.