Il gioco dei wargame viene abitualmente svolto attraverso delle basette su cui sono montati un numero (minimo e vorrei dire, ridicolo) di soldatini, che si scontrano con altri soldatini imbasettati, utilizzando per risolvere le diverse problematiche (scontri, morale etc.) il dado a 6 o più facce.
Ho sempre pensato che utilizzare i soldatini in questo modo non avesse alcun senso. Il bello del wargame dovrebbe essere che accanto all'aspetto visivo la massa di soldati crea effetti sullo svolgersi della battaglia, cosa che però non avviene mai.
Ho così pensato di risolvere questo impasse ed ho scritto una serie di regole per i wargames senza l'uso del dado e per questo li ho chiamati appunto "SINE ALEA" ossia "senza dado".
Ogni scontro, battaglia, morale viene risolto con un calcolo probabilistico fondato sulla "legge dei grandi numeri".
Per la prima volta il numero di soldatini, il loro posizionamento assumono valore (come era in effetti nella realtà); unica contropartita di questo wargame basato sulla legge dei grandi numeri è l'assoluta necessità di disporre di numerosi soldatini: di qui l'esigenza di un rapporto uomini reali/soldatini di 1:10 o addirittura 1:5.
Seguendo questa impostazione, ho creato diverse scale di soldatini. 10 mm, 12,5 mm, 15 mm e 25 mm. Ovviamente l'ultima scala permette una perfetta visione del soldatino così da godersi i particolari, come si vede nella foto, mentre nelle altre scale la perdita di dettaglio aumenta con il diminuire delle proporzioni.
La lunghezza delle basi non differisce molto, avendo i soldatini di carta lo stesso spessore.
Le misure sono:
25 mm = 27 cm di larghezza
15 mm = 21 cm di larghezza
12,5 mm = 21 cm di larghezza
10 mm = 18 cm di larghezza.
Da tali proporzioni è stato poi semplice calcolare la scala del terreno, tenendo conto che un battaglione aveva una larghezza (per 600 uomini su tre file) di 160 m circa.
Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE
Ho sempre pensato che utilizzare i soldatini in questo modo non avesse alcun senso. Il bello del wargame dovrebbe essere che accanto all'aspetto visivo la massa di soldati crea effetti sullo svolgersi della battaglia, cosa che però non avviene mai.
Ho così pensato di risolvere questo impasse ed ho scritto una serie di regole per i wargames senza l'uso del dado e per questo li ho chiamati appunto "SINE ALEA" ossia "senza dado".
Ogni scontro, battaglia, morale viene risolto con un calcolo probabilistico fondato sulla "legge dei grandi numeri".
Per la prima volta il numero di soldatini, il loro posizionamento assumono valore (come era in effetti nella realtà); unica contropartita di questo wargame basato sulla legge dei grandi numeri è l'assoluta necessità di disporre di numerosi soldatini: di qui l'esigenza di un rapporto uomini reali/soldatini di 1:10 o addirittura 1:5.
Seguendo questa impostazione, ho creato diverse scale di soldatini. 10 mm, 12,5 mm, 15 mm e 25 mm. Ovviamente l'ultima scala permette una perfetta visione del soldatino così da godersi i particolari, come si vede nella foto, mentre nelle altre scale la perdita di dettaglio aumenta con il diminuire delle proporzioni.
La lunghezza delle basi non differisce molto, avendo i soldatini di carta lo stesso spessore.
Le misure sono:
25 mm = 27 cm di larghezza
15 mm = 21 cm di larghezza
12,5 mm = 21 cm di larghezza
10 mm = 18 cm di larghezza.
Da tali proporzioni è stato poi semplice calcolare la scala del terreno, tenendo conto che un battaglione aveva una larghezza (per 600 uomini su tre file) di 160 m circa.
Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE
The wargaming is usually played by using stands, on which are placed a little number of figures, that fights against an equally little manned stand, using to solve the fight or moral issues a dice with 6 or more sides.
I have always thought that to use the figures in this way had no sense. What is amazing in wargaming is that beside the playing pleasure there is also a visual pleasure. In the wargaming, this visual pleasure remains a little concentration of 100 figures (or something more) in total.
The use of the dice then destroys every reproducing of the reality. I know it is necessary because if a battallion has 10 figures, it is impossibile to recreate the "alea" (random) of a hure range of indipendent events.
I thought then to solve this problem by improving enormously the number of figures (and for this reason in paper, considering how thn they are) allowing in this way to use the "law of big numbers" to recreate the gambling of a fight.
So I wrote the rules for wargames called "SINE ALEA" (literally in Latin "without dice") that I will publish here.
Every fight, moral issue or whatever is solved not by using a dice, but calculating a probability that something would happen. For this reason it is absoloutely necessary to recreate a battle with a rate of 1:5 (even though 1:10 would fit).
In concrete, this system works in this way: usually on 100 shots just 5% (more or less) hurt the enemy (but a lot of other events changes this average of a little) and so the enemy will lose 5% calculated on the shot. So if a battalion has 110 figures, during a turn it will give 5,5% of losses on the enemy, i.e. 5 figures dead, plus a "malus" of 0,5.
In this way the dice is finally eliminated from wargaming battlefields!!. Something revolutionary. Isn't it?.
By the way I created a different range of scales, even though the width of the stands doesn't differ a lot between them because of the thickness of the paper.
The scales (for a battalion of 150/160 m wide) are:
25 mm = 27 cm wide stand
15 mm = 21 cm wide stand
12,5 mm = 21 cm wide stand
10 mm = 18 cm wide stand
Considering this measures, it is easy to determine the proportions of the terrain. By the way I chose the 15 mm scale to recreate the Battles of Waterloo (and Quatre-Bras) 1815, Kolin 1757, and Blenheim 1704.
So if a 21 cm wide stand represents a 155 m wide battallion (with a front rank of 200 m, occupying each 80 cm in width) it comes: 155:21 = 1000:x. Result: 1 km on the real battlefield = 135 cm on the boardgamem and so
3 km = 405 cm
2 km = 270 cm
1 km = 135 cm
500 m = 67,50
100 m = 13,5 cm
50 m = 6,7 cm
Another (practical) issue had to be solved: once I didn't glue the papersoldiers on the stands, and so the setting up of a wargame could request hours to be ended up. Finally I opted to glue each battallion on a stand (for Napoleonic Period each company, in order to display units also in column, or in square), or on a squadron.
On the bottom of the stand I also glued the establishment of that unit. Doing in this way, the problem was then that I could not take away the single papersoldier "lost" in the action to show the losses of a unit.
I solved this by puttin ON the papersoldier a (paper) hood, so to cover it, and make it (pratically) disappear.
In this way a unit that loses 10 soldiers will really appear with 10 papersoldiers less.
Another (big) change in my rules is how a single turn works. I tried to reproduce a sort of contemporanety between units, allowing troops to shoot and move, move and shoot, charge and shoot, shoot and charge, stand, or just move.
Also innovative is the morale. The composition of the establishment of every unit works for an improvement of the morale. This means that the presence of what I call "characters" (i.e. Officers, NCO,s colours, and drummers) modifies the morale of an unit as the presence on the side or on the back of a Commander in Chief and so on.
What I also considered mainly relevant is the tireness of the unit in fighting, moving and partecipating to the battle.
I also divided the catergories of the unitis in "elite", "veteran", "ordinary" and "militia" troops. Belong to one or another kind of troop gives more or less skill in the rate of fire, more or less capacity of resist under stress and tireness, changing so the volume of fight of every unit, as in the reality.
Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE
I have always thought that to use the figures in this way had no sense. What is amazing in wargaming is that beside the playing pleasure there is also a visual pleasure. In the wargaming, this visual pleasure remains a little concentration of 100 figures (or something more) in total.
The use of the dice then destroys every reproducing of the reality. I know it is necessary because if a battallion has 10 figures, it is impossibile to recreate the "alea" (random) of a hure range of indipendent events.
I thought then to solve this problem by improving enormously the number of figures (and for this reason in paper, considering how thn they are) allowing in this way to use the "law of big numbers" to recreate the gambling of a fight.
So I wrote the rules for wargames called "SINE ALEA" (literally in Latin "without dice") that I will publish here.
Every fight, moral issue or whatever is solved not by using a dice, but calculating a probability that something would happen. For this reason it is absoloutely necessary to recreate a battle with a rate of 1:5 (even though 1:10 would fit).
In concrete, this system works in this way: usually on 100 shots just 5% (more or less) hurt the enemy (but a lot of other events changes this average of a little) and so the enemy will lose 5% calculated on the shot. So if a battalion has 110 figures, during a turn it will give 5,5% of losses on the enemy, i.e. 5 figures dead, plus a "malus" of 0,5.
In this way the dice is finally eliminated from wargaming battlefields!!. Something revolutionary. Isn't it?.
By the way I created a different range of scales, even though the width of the stands doesn't differ a lot between them because of the thickness of the paper.
The scales (for a battalion of 150/160 m wide) are:
25 mm = 27 cm wide stand
15 mm = 21 cm wide stand
12,5 mm = 21 cm wide stand
10 mm = 18 cm wide stand
Considering this measures, it is easy to determine the proportions of the terrain. By the way I chose the 15 mm scale to recreate the Battles of Waterloo (and Quatre-Bras) 1815, Kolin 1757, and Blenheim 1704.
So if a 21 cm wide stand represents a 155 m wide battallion (with a front rank of 200 m, occupying each 80 cm in width) it comes: 155:21 = 1000:x. Result: 1 km on the real battlefield = 135 cm on the boardgamem and so
3 km = 405 cm
2 km = 270 cm
1 km = 135 cm
500 m = 67,50
100 m = 13,5 cm
50 m = 6,7 cm
Another (practical) issue had to be solved: once I didn't glue the papersoldiers on the stands, and so the setting up of a wargame could request hours to be ended up. Finally I opted to glue each battallion on a stand (for Napoleonic Period each company, in order to display units also in column, or in square), or on a squadron.
On the bottom of the stand I also glued the establishment of that unit. Doing in this way, the problem was then that I could not take away the single papersoldier "lost" in the action to show the losses of a unit.
I solved this by puttin ON the papersoldier a (paper) hood, so to cover it, and make it (pratically) disappear.
In this way a unit that loses 10 soldiers will really appear with 10 papersoldiers less.
Another (big) change in my rules is how a single turn works. I tried to reproduce a sort of contemporanety between units, allowing troops to shoot and move, move and shoot, charge and shoot, shoot and charge, stand, or just move.
Also innovative is the morale. The composition of the establishment of every unit works for an improvement of the morale. This means that the presence of what I call "characters" (i.e. Officers, NCO,s colours, and drummers) modifies the morale of an unit as the presence on the side or on the back of a Commander in Chief and so on.
What I also considered mainly relevant is the tireness of the unit in fighting, moving and partecipating to the battle.
I also divided the catergories of the unitis in "elite", "veteran", "ordinary" and "militia" troops. Belong to one or another kind of troop gives more or less skill in the rate of fire, more or less capacity of resist under stress and tireness, changing so the volume of fight of every unit, as in the reality.
Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE
Prussia - 20° Reggimento . 15 mm
Regno di Sardegna/Piemonte - 1744 Reggimento Monferrato. 25 mm
THE LAST STEP 25 mm BATTALION IN 1:1 RANGE
This is the last evolution of papesoldiers. I decided to keep a ratio 1:1 with the (unbelievable) range of the 25 mm. This scale acutally allows me to cut very precisely the contours of the papersoldiers and it lets also the details of the uniforms to be admired. In this way it has a sense to depict all the details on uniforms, making differen colours for every regiment, to distinguish it from another.
Looking to this photo you can see that the papersoldiers are arrayed in a very thick way (than in the previous photo). The effect of a battallion arrayed for battle is totally different and through a unique paper base it is possible to move a battalion of 450 papersoldiers with 1 touch.
This incredible ratio allows also to recreate in a very realistic way the battles of the past. In fact, the Brigade Commander will have problem in managing all theese troops, changing their formation, arraying them in coloumn, in square or in line.
I decided in fact to glue the papersoldiers on stands of 4 - 4,3 cm wide and 1,5 cm deep (for a total width of 1 battallion of about 36 - 41 cm). Every stand has 8-12 papersoldiers glued on it.
This array of the papersoldiers on stands allows to form a very realistic line, but also phantastic squares with 40 men per side, or - even better - appropriate (very long) coloumns of marching troops.
This is the last evolution of papesoldiers. I decided to keep a ratio 1:1 with the (unbelievable) range of the 25 mm. This scale acutally allows me to cut very precisely the contours of the papersoldiers and it lets also the details of the uniforms to be admired. In this way it has a sense to depict all the details on uniforms, making differen colours for every regiment, to distinguish it from another.
Looking to this photo you can see that the papersoldiers are arrayed in a very thick way (than in the previous photo). The effect of a battallion arrayed for battle is totally different and through a unique paper base it is possible to move a battalion of 450 papersoldiers with 1 touch.
This incredible ratio allows also to recreate in a very realistic way the battles of the past. In fact, the Brigade Commander will have problem in managing all theese troops, changing their formation, arraying them in coloumn, in square or in line.
I decided in fact to glue the papersoldiers on stands of 4 - 4,3 cm wide and 1,5 cm deep (for a total width of 1 battallion of about 36 - 41 cm). Every stand has 8-12 papersoldiers glued on it.
This array of the papersoldiers on stands allows to form a very realistic line, but also phantastic squares with 40 men per side, or - even better - appropriate (very long) coloumns of marching troops.
THE GENERAL STAFF
The 1:1 ratio allows also to recreate with a very accurate precision the composition of a General Staff of the past epochs. In this photo it is possible to ses for instance in foreground the Brigade General, then 1 Aide de Camps checking the enemy plus another Aide de Camps. On the back (not visible) there also 3 horsemen ready to carry orders to the single battallions.
The 1:1 ratio allows also to recreate with a very accurate precision the composition of a General Staff of the past epochs. In this photo it is possible to ses for instance in foreground the Brigade General, then 1 Aide de Camps checking the enemy plus another Aide de Camps. On the back (not visible) there also 3 horsemen ready to carry orders to the single battallions.
THE SIZE OF THE WARGAMING BATTALIONS
These are 2 battallions of the Pfalz (Palatine) Brigade. As it is possible to see each battallion is put on a single stand, easy to move.
The effect is totally different than that usually seen on the wargame battlefield where a little fellowship of 12 or 24 figures represents 400 real men.
The usual rules of wargame furthermore usually say that "it is not important the number of figures on every stand, but it is important just the size of the stand". This is a totally not acceptable priciple. One of the main differences on the real battlefields of the past was actually that a battallion had more men than another. And this difference of numbers was mirrowed in the witdh of the unit. So it is not just a question of force, but also a question of occupied space. If the units are all the same, there is a big lack of realism in the wargaming.
The 1:1 ratio at the contrary re-makes exactly the array of the battle, recreating also the same problems to be solved.
These are 2 battallions of the Pfalz (Palatine) Brigade. As it is possible to see each battallion is put on a single stand, easy to move.
The effect is totally different than that usually seen on the wargame battlefield where a little fellowship of 12 or 24 figures represents 400 real men.
The usual rules of wargame furthermore usually say that "it is not important the number of figures on every stand, but it is important just the size of the stand". This is a totally not acceptable priciple. One of the main differences on the real battlefields of the past was actually that a battallion had more men than another. And this difference of numbers was mirrowed in the witdh of the unit. So it is not just a question of force, but also a question of occupied space. If the units are all the same, there is a big lack of realism in the wargaming.
The 1:1 ratio at the contrary re-makes exactly the array of the battle, recreating also the same problems to be solved.