How Block Games Get the Balance Right

Pictured: Hammer of the Scots by Columbia Games

The English Oxford Dictionary defines a game as “an activity that one engages in for amusement or fun; a form of competitive activity or sport played according to rules.”

While often depicting epic battles and legendary military campaigns, block wargames do so without foregoing this basic tenet of gaming: it should be fun. But since block games are also great representations of historic conflicts, there is still a necessary level of complexity inherent in any simulation of war. 

From the challenge of maintaining supply lines, to the unpredictability of combat and unit cohesion, to the difficulty of terrain factors upon troop movement, realism is a key component of any solid war game design. However, a good block war game effectively incorporates these various challenges without foregoing ease of play. After all, it is still a game first and foremost. As Columbia Games notes at their website:

Columbia block games are fast-playing, easy to learn, and designed to be played and played and played, with mounting interest every time...elegant designs provides fog of war and step-reduction with no muss or fuss.

Simply put, block wargames get the balance right.

There are some who have historically sought to differentiate between combat simulations and war games. Providing a solid rebuttal to this argument within a BoardGameGeek forum ten years ago, veteran game designer Richard Berg explained:    

ALL games that purport to show history are simulations. Simulations - which are a common and key tool in many industries - allow the players to recreate what happened by providing as many of the factors that were present as possible (or as the designers desire) and, even more important, what COULD have happened, given different uses of those factors. 

In designing games that are simulations, the key is the FOCUS . . .what the Designer wants the players to concentrate on and use. If that designer wants the players to focus on how to "win" without giving him a great deal of detail, then you tend to have what...folks call "games"... 

From playing cards used for move and supply points, to dice rolls for combat resolution, block games (both by their components and design) give players the basic feel of a classic boardgame. Add to this the wood blocks themselves, particularly the larger 24mm wooden blocks found in games such as Julius Caesar and Hammer of the Scots by Columbia Games, and you have a solid game with popular appeal, often even crossover appeal.  

Pictured: Julius Caesar by Columbia Games

    

Pictured: Cards from Hammer of the Scots by Columbia Games

While some games may be asymmetrical in how they play, a good balanced game should still provide both opponents an opportunity to win, even when the odds are stacked against one because of the actual historical limitations. However, this nod to realism by no means sacrifices enjoyment. Rather, the disadvantaged player must simply rely upon strategy and tactics, and some good dice rolls hopefully, in order to achieve victory! 

Wooden blocks. Dice and cards. Low complexity rules explained in less than ten pages. Games which clock in at only 2-3 hours total. It is this emphasis on fast-play and fun components which best illustrates how block games get the balance right. After all, these combat simulations are ultimately games meant to be played and enjoyed.

Photo credit: Brian Williams 

How a Good Block Wargame Simulates Military Logistics

Pictured: Shenandoah: Jackson’s Valley Campaign by Columbia Games 

General Omar N. Bradley, the United States Armed Forces last five star general, once noted: “Amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics.” General Dwight Eisenhower and the Allies were so acutely aware of this that they made logistical support a top priority in the days immediately following the Normandy landings on D-Day. The famed Red Ball Express, a truck convoy comprised primarily of African American drivers, helped to keep those advancing troops supplied. They did so in part by exclusively dedicating two routes from Cherbourg to Chartres for supply purposes. The northern route was used for deliveries, the southern for returning trucks. Neither road was open to civilian use.

In block wargames, supply points serve as an effective mechanism for simulating the important role that logistics play in war. As I noted in a previous post on strategic principles:

“Most of the block games involve some rudimentary economic considerations as damaged units are repaired and new units formed. Often the availability of resources or supply points rely upon territorial control. What may seem a lower priority during earlier turns will likely increase as the game moves on.”

Before continuing, however, I do have a confession to make. When I first began playing block games, the supply phase was largely an afterthought. It was far less interesting than the command phase and troop movement, and not nearly as compelling as the resulting battles, replete with dice rolls, drama, and suspense. Remember, amateurs are all about tactics.

Over time, however, I soon came to realize and to appreciate the elegance and nuance of supply points. What’s more, block wargames introduce this additional depth to a game without sacrificing pace or playability. This is accomplished through two basic means: 

• During each game-turn players receive a set number of supply points. The amount of points given often reflects the historical and logistical challenges (or advantages) that a particular army faced in that battle.    
• Those supply points are then used to restore steps lost on specific blocks, either due to commands given (in the case of HQ blocks), or damage incurred/steps lost in battle. The question of which blocks should receive these restored steps is part of the strategic depth and beauty of block games. (In some games supply points can also be used to bring new units onto the board).

In Shenandoah: Jackson’s Valley Campaign, Columbia Games explains that the Supply Phase of the game “simulates a complex variety of battle effects, such as restocks of ammunition, and resting and rallying of troops.” This is the concern of the professional soldier. Battles are lost when logistics fail. A supply line cut can lead to attrition of forces and blocks lost. 

Games such as Shenandoah further capture this by designating supply bases for each side, such as Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia for the CSA player. Rules also require that blocks being resupplied must be able to trace their (continuous) supply lines back to base. In the case of Napoléon: The Waterloo Campaign 1815, another game from Columbia, the French occupation of Allied supply cities results in immediate attrition for the Anglo-Dutch (-1 unit) or Prussian (-2 units) forces. 

From fog of war and step reduction (which I’ve written about before) to supply points and attrition of forces, block games do an amazing job of simulating battlefield challenges without slowing you down or sacrificing playability. While you may not necessarily learn to love logistics, hopefully you will now have a greater appreciation for supply points the next time your favorite block game makes it to the table.