Surface Area

Map of Red Storm Rising -
Thin black lines indicates the various spaces

In past articles we discussed hex based war games.  Not all war games are hex based, some have irregularly shaped spaces which create an interesting mosaic for players to work around.  Although many of the same advice can apply to these types of games, there is one concept particular to these games to discuss: Surface Area.

Irregular Board
The following board comes from Red Storm Rising(RSR).  The spaces are all polygons, mostly four sided, but put together like a mosaic.  This type of board can require some time to decipher.   Unlike hexagonal grids, where distance become easy to determine by simply counting from one hex to another, irregularly shaped boards do not always have a "clear shortest path" from one location to another.  Adding in terrain effects (Rivers in RSR are more difficult to cross), and the calculations become more challenging.

The first question which comes to mind is "Who would come up with such a crazy map scheme".  Probably the same group which tried to break states up by natural border lines, waterways, and political boundaries.  An example of such a map is provided below:

Look familiar?

Surface Area
The "Surface Area' of any given location is equal to the number of adjacent spaces.  Color coding our Map of the United States, we get the following:

Individual Surface Areas of the States

Maine, the state in the uppermost right, is the only state adjacent to a single other state.  This means any attacks must come from New Hampshire.  Compare this to Texas, the large state in the south, which may be attacked by any of its four neighbors: Lousiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.  As expected, the states at the edge of the map have fewer neighbors than in the middle.  Still, one state, Kansas, is dead center in the map but only has four neighbors.

Objective of Surface Area Games
Normally, in games with irregular maps, players try to create 'fronts'.  A front consists of a group of units strung out along a contiguous line which faces the enemy.  Since most games limit the number of units a player receives each turn, it is best if the player's front is smaller than their opponents.

This becomes basic mathematics and a war of attrition.  If players received 12 units a turn, the player who occupies 4 locations will have 3 units added to each territory.  If their opponent occupies 6 locations, then the opponent will have only 2 units per territory.  Furthermore, the player has the option of attacking any 6 of their opponent's locations.

Kansas: Breadbasket, Corn fields, Stronghold
Missouri: watch your back, front, top, bottom...

Stronghold of Kansas
Some games permit units from surrounding territories to combine their units in attacks.  Even with this rule, Kansas stands out as a 'stronghold' in the center of the map. At most, 4 states could attack Kansas.

Compared to the state to its left, Missouri, where 8 states could combine efforts.  In this case, the smaller surface area again provides advantages in defense.

Oddities like the "Stronghold of Kansas" exist in many such games.  Identifying these oddball locations can create situations where players' "run to Kansas" just to force their opponents to thin their lines.  In the Kansas situation, it is odd because it rests in the middle of the board.  Thus, it differs from "Fortress Australia" from Risk.

Siam: Gateway to Fortress Australia

Fortress Australia

"Fortress Australia" is another common configuration found in games with irregular boards.  Made famous by Risk, the Fortress Australia configuration is more easily identifiable than "Stronghold Kansas".  The primary feature is a section of the map with an obvious choke point.

In the game of Risk, the continent of Australia can only be attacked through Siam.  Furthermore, if a player controls all of Australia's territories, the player gains bonus armies.  While the bonus armies are few compared to North America, Europe, Africa or Asia, Australia has an advantage in that it is easy to defend.  Furthermore, Australia is isolated next to the largest bonus continent: Asia.  Defending Australia consists of Occupying Siam and building a massive force.  While holding Siam, Australia provides 2 bonus armies and denies a player Asia's benefit of 7 armies.

The "Fortress Australia" is usually fairly obvious and the strategy around it is fairly simple.  Railroad Tycoon has a similar "Fortress Australia" in the Northeastern States, where there is a greater concentration of cities with relatively easy terrain.  If left alone, a single player can quickly dominate the game.

Next Article
The next article will discuss more about Surface Area as it applies to the players positioning.  We will cover Tips for Attacking and Defending, setup the ground rules for a sample game, and discuss how irregularly shaped boards need to affect the overall strategy.

Hex War Games - Right Unit for the Job

Generally speaking, when attacking or defending, the smartest action involves using the best unit type against the enemy unit.  These are not always clear cut, but the following recommendations make good generalization.

vs. Infantry
Unlike most of the other units, the power of infantry lies on the terrain it occupies.  If in the enemy is in the open, hit infantry with armor, artillery or air units.  In any other terrain, it requires a combination of units to bring infantry down.  This is due to the fact nearly every other terrain allows infantry to sneak behind and get close to the attacking unit, except in Open terrain where there is no cover.  In jungle terrain, infantry are the best unit to use against other infantry units, although mobility becomes difficult.

vs. Armor

When combating armor in open terrain, use artillery, anti-tank guns, and other armor to bring them down.    In the case of anti-tank guns, attempt to provide them concealment to ambush the tanks.  If given notice of where the AT guns are located, armor can either engage the enemy AT guns from a distance or stay out of reach and bypass them.  Even Self-Propelled AT Guns are only good in ambush as they must rotate the entire vehicle to engage the tank.

If armor is in a city or any other terrain type, infantry are by far the best unit.  When in enclosed terrain, such as cities or forests, tanks suffer from many blind spots.  Additionally, infantry can rise up from beneath the belly of the tank (think sewers or mines), or they can fire down from the tops of tall buildings. 

vs. Artillery

Best use against artillery is to get in close and hit it with anything.  Even during the Civil War, when artillery was armed with canister rounds which would shred infantry to pieces, the long reload time of artillery meant if the infantry held together they could usually take the pieces, if the artillery was unsupported.

Otherwise, the best unit to hit Artillery is probably air units or other artillery units.  If there is insufficient Air Defense units, artillery are a sitting duck for aircraft.  Artillery should be at the top of the list of units to destroy.  Without artillery, attacks will eventually falter and defenses will eventually fall.

Artillery does have one very weak spot that, if the game allows for it, should be exploited: the baggage train.  Armor can carry jerrycans of fuel and attacks generally have enough fuel to attack in and, if it falters, flee back.  Infantry can carry days or weeks worth of supplies, plus small infantry units can always "live off the land" if there is sufficient livestock nearby.  And in close in fighting a person with a pitchfork can be as deadly as a man with a pistol.

Artillery, however, must have a constant supply of ammunition to be effective.  Furthermore, the munitions themselves are explosives.  Destroying this "baggage train" of explosives, or even disrupting the supply line for a turn or two, can remove artillery's effectiveness and leaves the artillery canon unscathed for capture.

vs. Air Units

The effectiveness of Air Units will differ depending on the era.  WWI aircraft were effective at spotting for Artillery, tracking enemy movements and possibly attacking ammunition depots.  The ability to track enemy movements was, by itself, enough of a threat to make taking down aircraft an important goal.  One important development in WWI aircraft was the creation of specialized "roles": Fighters, Bombers, Spotters, and Recon.

By WWII aircraft came into their own.  American aircraft were the primary means by which they defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).  Strategic Bombing changed the face of warfare, bringing the concept of "total war" to fruition, making every person a subject to the pains of war.

There are two primary defenses against Aircraft: Air Defense Guns (AD, includes Surface to Air Missiles for purposes of this discussion) and other fighter aircraft.  Of the two, fighter aircraft are the most effective at shooting down other fighters in interception-based engagements.  However, AD can be extremely effective in defense of a given point.

This sounds confusing, but basically AD guns are static and can only defend a given area around the gun.  Aircraft have the ability of engaging the incoming enemy at any point in the enemy flight path, as long as the enemy can be identified.  Thus, if defending a given point or unit, such as a supply depot, large numbers of AA units surrounding the area will provide adequate defense.  If the need is to attack high flying bombers out of the range of AD units, other aircraft become a necessity.

vs. Ships

The best units against ships is a submarine.  But against a fleet of ships, I recommend aircraft.  Left to their own devices, the best way to attack a ship is to put a submarine just off the path of the ship.  The submarine simply waits, and then ambushes the ship, remaining silent and hidden the entire time.  The trick becomes predicting what the enemy ship's path will be, as the enemy will zig-zag the course.  Although capable of moving underwater, submarines are to slow to catch even the smallest of ships without surfacing, thereby losing their advantage.

The second best method is with Aircraft, if they are available.  Aircraft can fly high above the target, and attack ships with either bombs or torpedoes.  If in a fleet, aircraft will have to attack en masse, relying on numbers to sink or damage the target.  Once spotted, a single aircraft will have difficulty escaping a fleet of specially armed AA destroyers, and if a carrier is nearby, one can expect a swarm of fighters to flood the area.

If playing prior to the introduction of aircraft or submarines, the best way to engage a ship is with a larger ship.  In the age of sail, positioning or "crossing the T" may make up the difference.  In this case, it is not the larger ship which makes the difference, but the number of canons which can be brought to bear on the enemy ship/fleet at one time.  This is much harder to calculate, and where one must use judgement.

vs. Submarines

Post-WWII, the best anti-submarine weapons is another submarine, preferably an attack submarine.  In a pinch: aircraft, destroyers, and even some cruisers have anti-submarine weaponry.  During diesel age of submarines, the best weapon was the aircraft.  A submarine was force to charge its batteries and much of its "strategic" movement was performed on the surface.  Aircraft were best at ambushing these machines while they were on the surface.  In all those cases, however, their effectiveness depends on number of units, quality of units, and luck.

Oddly, submarines are the best way to sink an enemy submarine, but a fleet of anti-submarine ships is the best way to suppress a submarines.  Place enough anti-submarine ships between the submarine and its desired target, and the submarine may give up.    Once detected, submarines must go defensive, their ability to attack diminishes greatly.    While a single ship attempts to engage the submarine, the fleet slips away.  Aircraft cannot maintain the constant contact and attack runs against submarines like specialized Anti-sub destroyers.

It is necessary to therefore determine the objective when dealing with submarines: is it to sink the submarine, or to protect the fleet.  If the former, it may require multiple ships, at the expense of leaving the fleet insufficiently guarded, and the submarine may still escape.  In the latter, it may take one or two fast destroyers and the fleet or convoy is perfectly safe.  Destroying a submarine may "feel good" to a player, but if it prevents the fleet from arriving on time to save the land troops, consider the victory a defeat.

vs. Cavalry

Cavalry represent a special case.  Cavalry combine elements of submarines and armor.  The best counter against cavalry in a straight up fight is infantry.  A solid infantry square of poorly led troops still  has good odds of defeating a cavalry charge.  This is because cavalry, once removed from their horses, are weak infantry.  Like armor, cavalry units need to engage units in the open, as the forest terrain breaks up the formation too much, while swamps, jungles and mountains will damage the mounts.  Unlike Armor, cavalry can rarely perform true 'breakthrough' attacks independently and wait for infantry reinforcements. Cavalry historically are used to either pin the enemy down until reinforcements arrive, harass the enemy baggage train, or finish off retreating units after they have already been routed.

However, Cavalry can provide fast support where needed.  This requires another quick unit to intercept and engage them before they can provide that support.  In this case, the best unit is another cavalry unit.  However, Cavalry on Cavalry exchanges will result in heavy losses from either other, and it is not always easy to determine which side will suffer.  Often times, simply engaging the cavalry to slow them down is enough to counteract their effects.  Thus, Cavalry can be a 'situation' unit, one which may be incredibly useful if in play, or completely ineffective.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part XVI - Taking a City

Some lessons one must continually learn.  For me, it is 'how to take a city'.  For some reason, I continually apply defensive tactics when I'm on the offensive, and my poor beaten units reflect that mindset.  In an attempt to ingrain this lesson into my mind, I'm going to shed some light on taking a city.  (Screenshots and images are from weewar.com)

Bad Approach - Blue Unsecured City Capture

Step 1: Approach
Do not conquer if the city is on the "Front lines".  Conquering units do not occupy a city, they spend their time quelling the populace.  In this sense, units conquering a city suffer disadvantages during the conquering process.  In game terms, this manifests itself as a reduction in defense values and an inability to attack.

If the conquering units is one of the initial units on the front lines, it can be expected the conquering unit will be easily defeated.  If enemy artillery lies within range of the city, the conquering unit's destruction is almost certain.

In our example, the blue infantry has moved in without supporting units and attempted a capture.  Red will easily overwhelm and destroy the blue infantry.

Step 2: Red Occupies the City

Step 2: Occupy

Instead of conquering, front line units should occupy the city instead.  The advantage of occupying a city is the unit maintains it's full strength and defensive capabilities.  While occupied, the city remains under the original owner's control, but the city cannot produce units if it is a production game.  This should continue until Step 3 occurs.

In our example, Red has moved into the city, but not set the unit to capture the city.  If attacked by Blue, red will have full defense available to it.

Step 3 & 4: Secured City and Capturing Infantry Unit

Step 3: Secure
Secure the area beyond the city limits with other friendly units.  Use the ZOC of the units to prevent enemy units from attacking the conquering unit.

By moving the Red infantry in the hexes facing the enemy units, the city is now secured.  This red line must first be breached before the blue units may assault the city.

Step 4: Conquer

Move the conquering unit into the city.  This will increase the likelihood of successfully conquering a city and minimize the overall casualty rate.

Failed Blue counter attack.

Red's gambit pays off.  Concentrating their firepower, the blue units eliminated a Red infantry and was able to penetrate the Red line.  However, this single attack was unable to destroy the Red infantry unit in the city.  Next turn the city will revert to Red's control, another victory in Red's plan to dominate the map.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part XIV - Artillery Use

Artillery suffers from unique weaknesses and strengths.  Artillery requires time to setup, map its exact location, measure wind speed, etc.  The advantage of artillery is it can bombard at a great distance and bring incredible firepower to bear.

In game terms, for most modern games, artillery cannot move and fire at the same time.  Unlike infantry and armor, where it is simply 'commit and go', artillery requires some forethought to use properly.  Additionally, artillery is also expensive compared to other units.  This article will review the use and tactics of artillery.

Artillery Screen

First and foremost, artillery is not capable of surviving without units protecting it.  Infantry or armor can provide adequate screening units.  The idea is to keep the enemy from being able to engage the artillery in close combat.  Use of ZOC to limit movement of enemy units can provide this protection.

Effective and Ineffective Screening of Artillery Unit's by Using ZOC

In some games, artillery has a minimum range at which the unit cannot fire on units.  In this case, the ideal screen forces the enemy units to be kept within the artillery unit's minimum and maximum range.  With artillery support, units can form a more spread out defensive position as the artillery will bring firepower to points of critical contact with the enemy.

Retreat

Unlike other units, which may retreat and advance at will, artillery requires knowledge of when an enemy assault will succeed and when it will peter out.  If an enemy unit or two advances within the artillery unit's minimum range and friendly forces cannot repel them, it is too late.  If the enemy attack would fail or be driven back, or if forces can be diverted to make it so, moving the artillery will waste at least two turns moving if it retreats too early.  This is situational, and requires experience in both the game system and the tactics employed, but the player must decide the right time to move.

Pair Artillery

One artillery piece is powerful, two is devastating.  Unlike other units, with the exception of air units, artillery should always be paired with another artillery piece, preferably two of the same type.  Pairing artillery provides many benefits including:

• Simplified Logistics,
• Leapfrogging Movement.

Simplified Logistics

Complex Logistics

In games with logistics, different artillery pieces may require different supply chains.  In these games, units with the same types of artillery may utilize the same logistics chain.  This means rather than protecting two independent logistics, a single chain may be protected.  In game terms, this means if a player has X units available to defend the logistics chain, all X may be used to protect the chain.  Alternately, if needed, some of the X units may be moved to the front line, replacing damaged or destroyed units and maintaining momentum at minimum loss to effectiveness.

Simplified Logistics

 Leapfrogging

A major disadvantage of artillery is the inability to move and fire in most games.  Using paired artillery, it is possible to maintain constant fire on enemy units.  This is done by using one unit to attack while the other moves, thus the term 'Leapfrogging'.  

Leapfrogging Artillery

Leapfrogging can be used during an attack or a retreat.  When used in attack, artillery helps to maintain momentum of the attack.  Many times an attack will eventually lose steam, usually as the attacking units become damaged or destroyed.  At the beginning of an assault, artillery is within range and bombards the enemy units, minimizing casualties.  As the units advance, they outrun their artillery support, and the front line units become less effective faster, and become damaged/disabled.

Soon the assault pauses as the player must move weakened units out of line, reinforcements must move into their place, and the artillery moves forward to support position.  All of this gives the opponent time to reorganize and launch a counter attack against these weakened units which now lack artillery support.  Leapfrogging artillery helps maintain a constant stream of firepower to assist where needed.

In retreat, leapfrogging artillery assures the attacking units receive constant damage.  The concept here is to force the opponent to lose important units at critical junctures.  The loss of a single enemy unit can swing the tide of battle by shrinking the line of attack, exposing a flank, or breaking the attack in two.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part XIII - Furthest Back First

With all things being equal, players should begin their turn moving and attacking with the unit furthest away from a conflict first.  This is not always possible, but it should be the first consideration.  Why?  Because it provides more options and better reactions to the upcoming battles.  This is particularly effective in Unit-By-Unit games.

The Situation

The attacking units are A and B, the defending units are 1 and 2, as shown in the diagram below.  

Initial Position

 The following rules apply:

• Every unit may move up to 3 hexes and make 1 attack
• An attack may be 50% successful
• A successful attack destroys the defending unit
• Every unit has an ZOC which stops movement (Interrupting ZOC)

From the initial position provided, the attacking player may move either unit A or unit B first.  These two options examined in detail below.

Moving A First
If Unit A moves first, the following diagram shows the end position of the units.

Unit A Moves First

Regardless of whether the Defender at position 1 is destroyed by Unit A's attack, the furthest positioning Unit B can travel is the hex shown due to movement limitations.  If Unit A's attack is unsuccessful, unit B may attack Unit 1.  Thus, Defender 1 has a 75% chance of being destroyed at the end of the combat round.  However, Unit B has a 50% chance of making an attack at the end of its movement, only if Unit A's attack is unsuccessful.

The Attackers could do much Better.

Move B First
If Unit B moves first, Unit B may attack Defender 1 at 50/50 odds.  There are two possibilities here, Unit B is successful or unsuccessful in the attack.  In a worst case scenario for the attacker, Unit B's attack is unsuccessful.  In this case, Unit A may then move into position and attack as shown in the diagram below:

Unit B Moves First But Attack Unsuccessful

This diagram looks like the one before it, except in this case both Unit A and B make an attack.  The odds of Unit 1 being destroyed haven't changed, 75%.

However, this configuration will only occur 50% of the time.

Move B First - Attack Successful
The real advantage here is if Unit B's attack is successful.  In this case, Unit A may now move adjacent to Unit 2 and make an attack against it.  In this case, there is a 50% chance Unit 2 will also be destroyed.  The diagram for this position appears below:

Unit B's Successful Attack

Final Analysis
The following table summarizes the results of the combat odds based on if unit A or unit B is moved first:

1

2

A

75%

0%

B

75%

25%

Odds of Defender Being Destroyed

From this example, by moving Unit B first the attacker gains significant options tactically.  By moving Unit A first, the attacker removes these options.

There are times when this advice may be ignored, usually due to tactical considerations.  Perhaps there is a counter attack capability of Unit 2 which Unit 1 does not have?  Are there enemy units capable of attacking Unit B next turn if it advance too far?  It remains up to the player to decide if the tactical issues outweigh which unit should move first.  But generally, the player's first instinct should involve moving and attacking with the unit furthest back first.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part XII - Know the Units

Offensive Advice -- Finally!
Given the feedback I've received, I should probably make the title larger and italicize it.  However, this article may not cover the 'tactics' everyone is interested in, but again, we must start with the basics.

Know the Units
Knowing the individual units is critical to any form of offense and defense.  In some games, there is little to no difference.  For example, in the game 'Here I Stand', all units are effectively the same based on type.  All Naval Units have the same value, all ground units have the same characteristics.  Only the Ottomans have any different 'types' of units with their Cavalry and Pirate ships.  This does reflect the organizational units of the time.

For most games, units exhibit significant differences.  Regardless of era, these can usually be categorized in the following way:

Infantry - Infantry form the basic unit of every army.  Infantry perform nearly every task equally well, except for naval actions.  Infantry can hold a position defensively, and are expected to assault enemy positions with equal vigor.  Normally, the basic infantry are better at defending a position than attacking a position and so in infantry 'Quantity beats quality' tends to exist.

Armor - Armor units represent units with heavier armament and usually take more effort to bring down.  In modern usage, armored units consist of tanks, self propelled anti-tank guns, and armored personnel carriers.  However, I would argue armor has always existed.  In ancient times Chariots could be considered armor.  During medieval times, Heavy Knights would constitute as armored units.  When looking at ancient Greek city-states, the Greek Heavy Infantry (Phalanx)  could be considered armored units.

Armor units usually do well in offense and not so well on defense.  Usually armored units must travel in larger groups for safety, and so they don't do well where terrain would force the units to space out too much.  Forests, Mountains, and Broken Terrain are anti-thesis to armored units.

Cavalry - Cavalry units perform the role of recon, scout, and follow up after an attack.  Cavalry rarely engages in fights until the battle is over, or nearly over.  Cavalry units tend to move fast and perform 'hit and run' tactics.  Left on their own, cavalry forces will fall to any other unit quickly if it is a sustained operation.  This makes cavalry effective as an attacking force, but not in a 'head-to-head' way.  Cavalry should strike behind enemy lines, at the baggage train or supply lines of the enemy.  They move faster than other units and should strike quickly.  Cavalry can operate over most terrain types effectively.

A common misconception is 'units on horses = calvary unit'.  Heavy Knights often lack the long term speed and endurance necessary for cavalry.  They may execute a 'cavalry charge', but that does not make them cavalry.

Sappers/Engineers - Sappers, or Engineers, perform very specialized roles.  Their combat ability is often rudimentary, if not worse, than common units.  However, they make up for it by having better fortifications or being able to assault fortified positions.  In game terms, these units often have superior attack and defense values than other units in the game.  Sappers require extensive training and specialized equipment to perform their job.  Sappers/Engineers usually fortify a position, or prepare the assault on a position, and then other units perform the defense/assault.  In proper use, Sappers/Engineers will be committed to a battle only after all other units have failed and success hinges on sheer numbers.

Skirmisher Units - Skirmishers, at their most basic, are slower moving cavalry.  They move quicker than the main body of infantry, but are not as strong in either attack or defense as other units.  Skirmishers operate best in difficult terrain and over longer distances.  Skirmishers don't 'hold the line' but 'extend the line'.  A common use for Skirmishing units is to fill in the defensive gaps of the main units.  However, this is not how they are designed to be used.  Skirmishers should harass the enemy from the sides, provide flanking attack bonuses for other units, or exploit a newly created hole and attack unguarded artillery.

Archers/Snipers (Ranged) - Archer units are units with exceptional attack range which are not armored.  Archer units are often weak up front, but their power is to support the main units, bringing fire to bear from a distance.  In the case of modern warfare, where every unit carries guns, the Archer can be considered 'snipers'.  Snipers typically can shoot from much further away than their rifle armed comrades, and with great accuracy.  There is a fine line between Archers and Artillery units, usually depending on the era.  In Ancient times, bowman may be considered as Artillery, whereas in medieval times bowman would be Archers and canon fill the role of artillery

Artillery - Artillery units are another unit I would argue have always existed.  The primary duty of Artillery is to fire from a distance on enemy units.  Later uses for Artillery include the ability to assault, or soften, fortifications.

Traditionally, artillery units affect large areas of space over a long distances, and are weak, or useless, in a close fight.  In some ways, ancient bowman fit this bill as they were used to rain down arrows over an area from a distance.  English Longbowman could be considered an artillery unit of its time, although they also performed the Sniper role.

Siege - Siege units perform the roles necessary to assault enemy fortifications.  Many other types of units may perform the siege role, including artillery and sappers.  Regardless, siege units are required for the taking of fortified objectives.  Catapults, Trebuchets, explosive barrels, and towers are all forms of siege weapons.  Siege units need extra protection from attack.  Even Sappers, which may be a good fighting force normally, usually require extra protection when they constructing tunnels (sapping) under the enemy walls.

Naval - Naval units move on, or under, the water.  That seems pretty basic, but usually naval units are critical to a war plan either as fire support or to protect the supply lines.  Naval units come in many types, but often they perform the same role as an equivalent ground unit (ex: Battleships = artillery, destroyers = Cavalry, etc.)

Air - Air units move through the air.  Like naval units, they may perform other roles (helicopters = cavalry, bombers = artillery/siege, etc.).  There are two major distinctions with Air units, however.  First, Air units normally require a base to which they must return, whereas naval units can remain at sea for extended periods of time.  Secondly, Air units are very responsive and have an incredible reach.  Terrain does not affect movement of Air units, although weather might.  However, Weather affects ground, sea, and air units.

Submarines form an interesting blend of naval and sea units.  Submarines travel beneath the waves, much as aircraft travel above them.  Submarines can remain at sea for extended periods of time, unlike aircraft.  Submarines perform the duty of skirmishers and sniper.  Unlike other units, submarines rely on stealth and the ability to slink away unseen.  They are the only unit which may be completely bypassed without incident, moving unseen to strike without warning.

Hex War Games - Game Types

Prior to this article, many of the articles dealt with Defensive Positions.  However, before proceeding further, it is necessary to understand the different type of Hex War Games available.  I hope to regularly update this page as new games are 'discovered' by me, but I will also list them on the Definitions page.

Many times games join various elements together from multiple "types".  Russian Front, for example, is a Timed and Objective style game.  The player must achieve certain objectives within a given time frame to declare a victory, but as the game 'time' advances, the objectives change as well.  Other games involve different objectives for one, or more, players.

Move and Shoot Games

Most games follow the "Move and Shoot" variety.  In these games players take turns.  During a player's turn, the player moves all of her units and then, after the movement, all resulting combats are resolved.  These type of games benefit the defender in the game, as if a breach in the defensive line occurs, the player has the ability to react to the attack.  If units are lost, the defender has the ability to move other units into position.

Advance After Combat

Many games have an "advance after combat" rule.  Usually found in Move and Shoot Games, these games permit a unit to move into an enemy space immediately after the combat if the opposing unit was destroyed/forced to retreat.  In some games the units may only move into the same location the opposing unit occupied.  In other games, the distance units may move after combat differs based on the type of unit.

Follow Up Attacks

Similar to an Advance After Combat, except in this case the attacking unit may engage in another combat.  Another well used concept is found in Napoleonic games.  In these games, if the attacker has a cavalry unit adjacent to the enemy unit which retreats, the cavalry unit may 'follow' the retreating unit, inflicting additional damage on the unit.

Unit By Unit

Unit by Unit games are where a player selects a unit, moves the unit, combats the unit.  After finishing with a unit, the player selects another unit and repeats the process.  Many computer games provide Unit By Unit style mechanics.

Production

Production games, such as Weewar, involve the introduction of new units at cities or bases.  This differs from most games, where the number of units available to a side is fixed.  Fixed side games may have reinforcements, which arrive at a specific turn, or when a specific condition occurs and from a certain location, but these are not Production games.  In Production games, there effectively is no limit to how many units may exist on a side.

Objective Based

Objective based games end when a certain condition is met.  This may be one side occupying certain hexes, the destruction of a number of enemy units, or some units exit the map.  These games end immediately when one side achieves an objective.

Time Based

Time based games end when after a certain number of turns.  At the end of this time, the players add up their "score" based on reaching objectives (towns taken, units exited, etc.), and the player with the highest score wins.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part X - Oblique ZOC Defenses

The previous article discussed ZOC defenses from a Head-On assault.  This article reviews the same defenses, but from oblique assault and rear assault angles.

Assault Positioning
A Head-On assault occurs if the shortest distance between the attacking unit and the objective hex is parallel to the defending unit's retreat path.  An Oblique assault occurs when the attacking unit's shortest distance to the objective is not parallel to the defender's retreat path.  There are generally two oblique paths: Forward Oblique and Rear Oblique.  In this case the attacking unit attacks 'at an angle' to the defender's line of retreat.  Lastly, the attacking unit may come directly along the defending units line of retreat, this is called a Rear Assault.

Assault Positions

Superior and Inferior ZOC Defenses
In oblique assaults, the location of the defending unit has an additional element to consider: Positioning.  A position may be in either Superior or Inferior position.  A diagram of the Inferior and Superior position is provided in the diagram below:

ZOC Defenses on Forward Oblique Assaults

Superior defensive positions allow the defender to immediately counterattack if the defender must retreat.  Inferior positions means if the defending unit retreats, it must move before launching a counter attack.  Another way to view superior/inferior positioning is if the defending unit is forced to retreat, does the objective hex remain in the defender's ZOC?  If the answer is 'Yes', it is a Superior Position, and if it is 'No' it is an Inferior Position.

Rear Oblique Assault ZOC Defense Positions

Rear Assault Positions

Normally, assaults along the defender's line of retreat are considered ideal for the attacker and bad for the defender.  This is definitely a situation to be avoided if possible, but when viewed on a unit-on-unit basis, rear assaults leave the defender with all superior positions.  This is because if the attacking unit forces the defender to retreat, the defender moves to a location adjacent to the attacker and may counterattack next turn.

Rear Assault ZOC Positions

Rules Benefiting Superior ZOC Positioning

Two types of rules in games are greatly affected by Superior/Inferior positioning.  The first type of game is when the player has a limited number of units which may move each turn.  In this case, having a unit in a Superior position means the player does not have to spend vital points moving the defending unit into position, allowing the player to move other unit's, hopefully bringing them closer to the objective hex.

A second, and more common game rule, is when a unit may either Move or Fire on a turn, but not both.  Usually this impacts artillery units, but some games have infantry units which are 'green' or 'low grade' and may only perform one of the actions.  In this case, being in a superior position is critical to ensuring the unit may counter attack next turn.  If the unit retreats from an inferior position, it will not get to attack on the following turn, as it will spend it's turn moving into position.

Lastly, games with 'line of sight' combat restrictions for artillery may suffer from a type of Superior/Inferior effect.  Normally, artillery units cannot fire 'blindly' at the target hex, it must be in line of sight by a friendly unit to come under fire.  If the defender is hoping to 'call in artillery' on the enemy unit, but the unit is forced to retreat from a position and, in doing so, loses line of sight to the attacker, then the position may be considered 'inferior'.

Choosing Not to Attack
In games where the Attacking unit has the choice of whether to attack a unit or not, the player may choose not to attack if the defending unit is in a Superior Position.  In these games there is usually a possibility of the attacking unit being damaged during the assault or retreating.  If the attacker attacks a superior position, it risks damaging the attacking unit twice, once during the attacker's turn and a second time during the defending unit's turn.  If the objective is to take the hex, why take a second risk?

For inferior ZOC defensive positions, it is usually recommend the attacker make the attack unless the odds are the attacking unit will be wiped out, or if the defender occupies strong defense bonus terrain.  In this case, the attacker may drive the defender away from the hex and force the defending player to spend valuable time or resources moving the unit before the attack.

The decision to attack or not, if permitted, will depend on many factors.  But Inferior/Superior positioning is an additional consideration.

Games with Definite Superior/Inferior Effects

Nearly any game with retreat rules has some form of Superior/Inferior effects.  One of the more basic version is Memoir '44.  In Memoir '44, Artillery units cannot move and attack.  Thus, if forced to retreat, they may not be able to counter attack on the enemy unit, at least, not at full strength.

There are several other games I've played, most of which I can't remember the name of, whose retreat rules caused Superior/Inferior effects.  One whose name I can't remember was a Napoleonic battles game.  In the game I remember there were limited number of unit's permitted to move, and artillery required line of sight by a friendly unit.  I vividly recall placing a unit in good natural defensive terrain, but in an inferior position.  Odds were the unit would survive the combat untouched.  As the dice would have it, the unit was forced to withdraw and I spent many precious actions trying to get the unit back into position and attack.  I would have been better of placing the unit in a superior position and letting the attacker drive the unit into a position where it could automatically counter attack.  Eventually I lost that game, but learned a valuable lesson.

I'm curious what other games exist which have superior/inferior type effects.  If you know of any, please leave a comment with the name of the game.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part IX - ZOC Defenses

Protecting a Target Hex

Since ZOC affects both movement and combat, it may be viewed as a type of ‘Terrain’.  Unlike most terrain, ZOC terrain moves around the map as the unit’s move.  The movement of a single unit with ZOC can greatly impact the mobility of the opposing army.  This article will discuss effects of various arrangements dealing with ZOCs.

For these examples, we will deal with the most common ZOC available:

• Entering an enemy ZOC ends movement.

Additionally, a few other ground rules are necessary to establish:

• Attacking and defending units are limited in number (no reinforcements),
• The attacking units are attempting to reach the position(s) marked with an X,
• All attacking and defending units may move a maximum of 4 hexes per turn,
• For retreating purposes, the defending unit must retreat closer to the bottom of the map.

Defending Positions of a Hex

A unit may protect a given target hex three basic ways:

A – Preemptive Defense,
B – Last Ditch Defense,
C – Counter Attack Defense

Defense Positions

Some hexes may hold more than one type of defensive position depending on the Natural Terrain.  The diagram below shows a single attacking unit, the target hex, and the defensive positions in the surrounding hexes.

Preemptive Defense

The position marked ‘A’ is a purely preemptive defense.  Preemptive defenses have several advantages over the other types of defense.  Preemptive defenses require the enemy engage the defending unit before moving on to the objective hex, or taking extra time to bypass the unit.  For games which are timed, this is an excellent method of stretching the game out.  Even if the rules allow for “advance after combat”, the enemy unit may not take the objective location on this turn.

Bypassing the Preemptive Defense

If the game has retreat rules the defending unit may retreat to the objective hex due to combat results.  On the next turn, the unit is already in position for a Last Ditch Defense.  This may result in the enemy not moving on a subsequent round, again, controlling the flow of the enemy unit.

Preemptive Defense Retreat

A common drawback to the Preemptive Defense is the location of the hex “A”.  Usually the hexes where one would plant a preemptive Defense has the weakest Natural Terrain.  This is not so much a quirk of fate, as the reason the enemy is approaching from that direction in the first place.  If the objective were more readily reached from another direction, then the enemy would attack from that direction.  This means the defending unit in a Preemptive Defense receives no Defensive Bonus.  If this is the case, the defending unit may become a sacrificial unit, expected to simply delay the enemy.

Although the terrain bonus may not be the best, the Preemptive defense can be crucial when friendly units need two turns to move and engage the enemy.  This results in a Delaying Tactic may provide the time necessary for those forces to arrive and save the objective.

Last Ditch Defense

The ‘B’ marked on the objective identifies the Last Ditch Defense.  In this case, the enemy may march right up to the objective, but must fight the defending unit to take the objective.  Often times the objective hex has greater natural defensive advantages, so it seems reasonable to place a unit in Last Ditch Defense.  If sufficiently fortified, the enemy unit may spend turns besieging the hex before finally taking it.  Some games do provide the attacker bonuses to the attack based on the attacking terrain.  For these games, a Last Ditch Defense gives the attacker three options to attack from, and therefore some control over how the ensuing battle may end.

Last Ditch Defense and Retreat Positions

A danger does exist to the Last Ditch Defense if the game rules allow for Advance After Combat. In this case, if the enemy drives the defending unit out, the enemy may immediately take the objective hex.  If retreat rules are in place, the defender should end up in one of the hexes marked ‘C’.  They then find themselves in the position to counterattack on the following turns.

Counter Attack Defense

The positions marked ‘C’ are not designed to stop a unit from occupying the objective.  Instead, the unit launches a counter attack after the location is occupied.  This type of ‘defense’ usefulness occurs when the unit occupying the objective hex suffers a terrain penalty, such as tanks occupying a city.  The danger of such a defense is if the counter attack fails, the objective hex is left under the attacker's control.

Dual Defense Hexes

Positions marked ‘A/C’ may be either A or C type defenses depending on the natural terrain.  The opposing unit may avoid the zone of control of the defending unit, if the natural terrain allows quick movement for the opposing unit.  The movement is as follows:

Bypassing the Dual Space Defense Positions (A/C)

This defense is great if the natural terrain the attacker must travel to reach the objective prevents it from reaching it in one turn and the Natural Terrain in position A/C has greater defense bonuses than the hex in just position A.  Forests and rivers make great Natural Terrain limiters to movement.

Even if the defending unit is bypassed, the defender is now in a position to initiate a counter attack from its current hex.  If the defender is forced to retreat, the defender still finds itself in one of the original Counterattack Defense position.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part VIII - Zone Of Control

Upcoming discussions will deal with Zones Of Control (ZOC).  This article will discuss several types of ZOC found in games.  I'm sure there are variations on these, so it is by no means inclusive of every possibility.  I've included some games I'm aware of for typical examples.

Zone Of Control
A unit's zone of control consists of the six hexes surrounding the unit.  Every game has differ combinations or rules regarding zone of control.  The degree of impact on the ZOC will differ for each game.  There are four areas of ZOC may affect:

• Combat,
• Movement,
• Supply,
• Command

Combat

Zones of Control can have multiple impacts on combat depending on the game.  I've categorized the most common as the following:

• Passive - Units do not need to engage in combat
• Active - Units must attack enemy units which end in their ZOC.  Alternately, some games declare that every opposing unit in the zoc of a friendly unit must be attacked, but not necessarily by the unit exerting the ZOC. (example: Artillery could count as an attack).

Movement

There are several forms of movement Zones of Control:

• Interrupting: Units must end their movement upon entering the ZOC of an enemy unit.
• Locking: Units may not leave a ZOC except through combat effects.
• Fluid: Units may move through enemy ZOC, but at an increased movement cost.
• Open: Unit has no ZOC effect on movement.

Supply & Command

ZOC may also affect supply and command of units.  The type of ZOC a unit may have is as follows:

• Disrupting: Supply and/or Command lines may not pass through the ZOC of enemy units.
• None: ZOC's have no impact on Supply and/or Command

Sample Games

Memoir'44 (or at BoardGameGeek)- Is a simple form of hex based war games.  I would classify it more in the Tactical category.  The units in this game effectively have a Passive, Open ZOC with no supply or Command limitations.  Effectively, every unit may move freely from one hex to another without penalty.  The only limitation is two units may not occupy the same location, so if blocking the lines of retreat more damage can be done on the unit.  It is a game with the simplest  form of ZOC available.

Weewar - A computer based Hex war game.  It has a Passive, Interrupting ZOC, there are no command or supply limitations in the game.  Units must end movement as soon as they end adjacent to an enemy unit, but they do not need make an attack.  One aspect of  the game which differs from others is that units exert ZOC against all other enemy units, even Sea and Air units.  In most games, Air units usually ignore ZOC effects.

A screenshot of a sample game is below.  The Blue Wheeled Unit (Raider) can normally move 4 hexes on plains terrain.  However, Red's units permit the Raider to move adjacent to them, but force the raider cease movement.  The shaded regions indicate areas where the Raider cannot move.

Interrupting ZOC from WeeWar
(Shaded areas cannot be reached)

Tac Air - Tac Air has one of the most restrictive ZOC I've seen in a game.  First, there are units representing supply and command units.  In the picture below, the NATO (Green) 2/35 unit is "In Command", but "Out of Supply" Since the ZOC from the 1/22 and 3/22 Pact (Brown) block the unit from getting to the supply unit.  The move was not without consequence, as the Pact's 1/22 unit is Out of Command, but In Supply.  Furthermore, since Tac Air has an Active Combat ZOC, both the 1/22 and 2/35 units must attack each other during the combat phase.

ZOC effects on Supply/Command from Tac Air

Russian Front - Russian Front is a great game covering the battles on, as the name implies, the Russian Front.  It also has one of the most unique ZOC rules I've encountered.  Unit's have a Fluid ZOC, it costs extra to movement points to enter hexes in enemy ZOC.  However, in order to engage in battle units must enter the same location as an enemy unit.  The tricky part is, once a unit is engaged in battle, it loses it ZOC.

This simple change means the Most Efficient defense does not protect as effectively.  Once an enemy unit moves into two friendly unit's location, the remainder of the enemy forces can flow in around them without hindrance.

Hex War Games - Strategy Part VII - Bends In The Line

Bends in the line become inevitable as the battles develop.  Understanding how the bends affect combat can impact the defensive configuration chosen.  There are three basic configurations that permit bends in the line

• V-Bend
• A-Bend
• Wave-Bend

V-Bend

A V-Bend consists of a single bend with the attacking force entering the inside "V" of the formation.  A benefit of this formation is it reduces the attacking force to a 1:1 ratio.  The weak point of this formation is the flanks.  It is usually necessary to place two strong defensive units as the anchor units.

V-Bend Formation

A-Bend
The A-Bend is the reverse of the A-Bend.  At first glance it appears to provide the same type of benefit as the V-Bend.

A-Bend Formation

In reality, the A-Bend formation suffers from a distinct disadvantage.  The lead unit can come under attack from three different directions.  This can eventually lead to a break in the unit which destroys the formation.

A-Bend Formation-Concentrated Fire

Since the first unit becomes the weak point in the formation, the lead unit usually requires the strongest unit lead the attack.  Another option for the attack is to have the middle units be the strongest available and the front unit being a sacrificial unit.  If the front unit is not sufficiently threatening, however, the defender can revert to the unit-to-unit attack.  It is critical to realize, if in a head-to-head fight, assaulting a V-Bend formation requires an A-Bend formation.

Wave-Bend
The Wave-Bend consists of an alternating V and A bends so the units form a "wave".  The major disadvantage to this arrangement is it provides no great benefit in either attack or defense.  Similarly, the formation needs to be attacked in a wave formation.  Usually this formation requires units alternate in strength, with the weaker units behind the stronger units.

Wave Formation

Hex War Games - Strategy Part VI - Map Edge

Rarely in the world is the coastline hundreds of miles long and in a straight line.  There are even fewer places where forest, mountains or swamps transition right up to the sea.  In Hex Based war games, however, this seems to be the norm since every games has an edge, beyond which pieces cannot be attacked.  So, how can the map edge be used as an advantage, or disadvantage, to the pieces in the game.  We will discuss map edge effects in this article.

Map Edge Combat Effects
The edge of the board acts like a completely reinforced wall no unit may pass.  At most a unit may be attacked from four sides.  If forming a line along the grain, the board makes an excellent anchoring point.  Two configurations for anchoring on the edge exist:  On the Bulge or Off the Bulge.

Configurations for Anchoring on a Map Edge

When anchored Off The Bulge, some unit along the line may be attacked from two adjacent locations.  If anchoring the line On The Bulge, each unit may only be attacked a single time.  Thus, anchoring On The Bulge provides a better defense than Off The Bulge.

A final possible configuration is to have the line formed Off The bulge, but one unit jutting forward towards the enemy.  This creates a Bend in the line, but the addition of the unit allows the line to form On The Bulge and still reduce the attack to a 1-to-1 ratio.

Off The Bulge with an Advanced Unit