STICK AND CARROT

[pigsticker]

STICK AND CARROT

Card-Stick Countdown – an alternative method to determine battle intensity for Square Bashing

At the Burton Wargames club we have enjoyed 'bashing-a-square' with Peter Pig's rules for three years or so now. Win or lose they are really enjoyable, striking a great balance between period flavour and fun. So quite a few BAD players now have more than one army and have many more planned in the pipe-line.

However, though we are fairly familiar with the rules it can sometimes be challenge to play a game to completion on a club night. OK, we could play the Quick Game on page 9 of the rules. But this would mean missing out on the Army Event Chart, which is one of the most distinctive and fun aspects of the countdown to battle. So, mindful that it can be the fifteen-day dice rolling that can soak up the time, the following method is proposed as an alternative. It aims to retain the individual army events as noted in the lists and to also incorporate any preference to attack or defend. Please rest assured that this system does not in any way affect the core rules - which we love!

"STICK"

Army Event Sticks or Cards: these are simply created using copies of the event strips in the Square Bashing Army Lists noting "Dice Score", "Outcome" and "Attack Points". These are photocopied ideally onto different coloured paper e.g. grey for German or green for Ottoman Turk. I am pleased to say that Martin Goddard has given his blessing for this purpose. Originally, I mounted these using "Pritt stick" onto wooden plant markers that I had in stock. One alternative would be to write or type the army events and points onto labels, and then stick these to the back of playing cards.

Eventually I found that an easier and more convenient method was to use coloured mounting card. A size of 170mm x 30mm will accommodate the army list strips at full size. As you see I get busy with the scissors to cut up the army information remaining on the coloured paper sheet to produce (a) an army summary card to keep in the soldier box with the army and (b) for the drop-in labels used on the Army Asset Dashboard (noted in another post).



Before play the complete set of card/sticks is shuffled and placed face down by each respective player.

"AND"

Before rolling any dice each player reveals their "AND" preference, to ATTACK, to take NEUTRAL posture, or to DEFEND. A simple way to do this is by using MDF circular counters as illustrated below.

Each player then rolls a six-side dice to determine the number of events and attack points he will accumulate. Using the time honoured way of converting six-side dice to average, any 1 becomes a 3 and any 6 becomes a 4.

A player preferring to ATTACK adds 1 to his roll, whilst a DEFEND player deducts 1 from his roll. The respective totals are the number of his army events card-sticks that player now choses from those face down.

Why not use an average dice, you ask? Converting the six-sider to 'average' has advantages. First, it uses the D6 that SB players are familiar with. Secondly, it means that every player with have minimum of one card, even a DEFEND, e.g.  2 -1 =1. Thirdly, it provides for the random possibility of Cumulative that occurs in some of the events. In the above sequence, if a 1 or 6 occurred, in addition to drawing 3 card-sticks or 4 card-sticks, if one of those drawn reads "Cumulative", then that event occurs twice and the respective attack points are doubled. If more than one reads "Cumulative" then determine which by a dice roll. And, yes, if you prefer you could use an average dice and mark one of the 3s and one of the 4s with a spot of paint to apply the same effect.

The following is an example of Countdown to Battle using the Card-Stick method.

German Player (No cavalry)
Elects to defend & throws a 4, so picks three card sticks (4 – 1) totalling 22 attack points



British Player (No cavalry) Elects to attack & throws a 6 (=4) so picks five card sticks (4 + 1) totalling 31 attack points. Having initially thrown a 6 the cumulative card-stick affects him twice (rubber band) but adds three more points, totalling 34 attack points.



Thus, with a difference of plus 12 points the BEF must Attack in Force and the German defender throws six D6 per unit depletions as per Ferocity of Battle Table p21.

"CARROT"

Where is the carrot, you say? Well the Square Bashing rules are pretty sweet anyway, but I do think that you will get to the point more quickly with this system!

This method was well received at the recent 1914 Square Bashing Day. In practice we have found an additional advantage in having separate cards and then only leaving those which were drawn on the table. A player is then less likely to forget their event outcomes. Failing to remember, say, to re-roll fight dice is so easy to do when it's just ticked off on a list rather than on a card; off-table but just in front of you.



No guarantees on this though as both Simon P and I both still forgot some of our additional assets and events at Daventry!

Nevetheless I'm sure that you regular Square-Bashers will find it useful to make some cards and to try that part out even if you decide to still use the daily Countdown to Battle in the Rules as Written.

So stick 'em!

Ray Boyles.

Burton & October Wargames Clubs. Dec 2016

[Leman (Andy)]

The average dice thing has just totally confused me! 

[Stewart 46A]

I thought I was the only one

[Colonel Kilgore]

The average dice thing has just totally confused me! 

If memory serves, what Ray's saying is that you effectively have a 50:50 chance on an Average Dice score of a 3 or a 4 of having 2 of the same "Outcomes" (if any of the drawn sticks allow a "Cumulative" option).

So, you could use an Average dice, and then toss a coin on a 3 or a 4 to see whether you get 2 of any "Cumulative" option that you happen to have drawn.

Or you could - as Ray suggests - mark one of the two "3s" and one of the two "4s" on an Average dice as being "special" in this way and similarly giving you two of any drawn Outcomes that allow for a Cumulative effect.

Or - as per Ray's initial idea - simply throw a standard D6. Numbers 2 to 5 represent 2 to 5. Number 1 represents a "special 3" [allowing cumulative Options] while number 6 represents a "special 4", similarly allowing cumulative Options.

Is that as clear as mud?

[Leman (Andy)]

Cheers, clear as mud. Will stick with the original rules.

[pigsticker]

@ Colonel Kilgore: thank you Simon.
As we found it pretty straightforward at the club and on the Square Bashing day it's obviously a lot easier to do than it is for me to describe!

@ Leman: I hope that we get chance to have a game sometime so I can do a better job in explanation.

Happy New Year, Ray

[Leman (Andy)]

I have to admit that a lot of mathematical concepts leave me totally puzzled. Whoever came up with the concept 'Maths is fun' should be force fed various bits of unpleasant offal as I have heard people swear that these are delicious. 

[Simon]

The recent Battleday at Daventry was my first foray into Square Bashing - and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found Ray's Stick & Carrot method simple and effective and the dash boards were also a great idea.  This is probably an example of something being a lot easier to understand when demonstrated rather than explained via the written word!

Cheers

Simon

[walburgrif]

This is a great idea and pretty straightforward.  I'll give it a try next time.

[Leslie BT]

Ray we seem to have lost all your photos that illustrate your 'CARROT AND STICK' game start.

[Leman (Andy)]

To set the record straight: I have 8 O levels, 3 A levels, an Honours Degree, 2 post-graduate qualifications. I do not and never have found mathematical concepts easy, so there is little point somebody else saying, "I found it quite straightforward." Well lucky old you. I did find spelling pretty straightforward, which most wargamers seem to have endless problems with, so just for once: the difference between led and lead is really quite easy, one is the past tense of the verb to lead and the other is the metal your figures are made of. 

[martin goddard]

Don't worry Leman, you might be seeing offence where it is not intended. No one on the group is intending to mock you. They are just accepting, that for them, the concept is straightforward. It is good to get feedback. The feedback was directed to the explainer I am sure  (?).  If they had said "that is not clear" then it can be made clearer. If there were  no feedback then the explainer cannot improve.
This is not a group that seeks to advance one at the cost of another.  Probably because it is a small group.
Rest easy!

[Sean Clark]

Amen!

[Leman (Andy)]

18 months on and I have finally worked out the carrot and stick thing and now see why differentiating between the two threes and two fours is necessary. I am now quite likely to give this idea a go in my next Square Bashing game.

[martin goddard]

I still don't think i understand it well.