Re: Game with Internet Commanders

Some advice based upon experience with similar games ahwile ago:

a) Have a single tabletop somewhere, with multiple players at the lowest
level.
Typically, one player would command a single company or other manouver
element.
Each player at this level can see the entire world, including "hidden"
units,
but shouldn't take notice of them. The role of these players is part
player,
part umpire. Their duties are to communicate with the "company
commander" who's
separated by the Internet, to do the appropriate die-rolling, and to
move units
in a reasonable fashion consistent with the orders they get from their
company
commander.

Note that for some games, you could substitute "platoon" for "company".

I'd suggest having a digital camera available, so that pictures could be
taken
*at ground level* from the company command vehicle to represent the
Company
CO getting up close and personal and using his own eyes.

Communication between the company players and company commanders should
be by
IRC or e-mail. Logging should be on if using IRC.

b) The Company Commanders should continuously give orders to their
individual
platoons, which may be quite detailed or fairly basic. It helps to have
a standard
doctrine, to cut down on the detail. They should listen to what their
troopies
on the ground are saying (ie get communicated to by the company
players), and
keep the brigade commanders appraised of what they are doing, where they
are,
and what the enemy is doing.
They get to see (via digital pix) only what they could see from the
Company
Command element.

It is highly recommended that back-up company commanders be provided,
who can
take over if the umpire determines that the company command element has
been
KO'd. Said back-up commanders should be kept appraised of what's going
on by
the company commander. Often they won't be. BWA HA HA.

c) Brigade Commanders (who are in charge of groups of companies - these
may
be Batallion commanders instead ) get to listen to what the company
commanders
are telling them, and have a map. If they are represented on-table by
brigade
command elements, then they also get digital pix. Of course if on-table,
they
can be casualties.... so should have a back-up.
Brigade Commanders would be sporadically incommunicado as they moved to
alternate
locations (or would get hit by artillery and/or aviation)

d) Resource Commanders. Usually an artillery and/or air support
commander. These
get communicated to by the Brigade commander, they have to make up a
fire plan,
and must play the role of forward observers.
Typical interactions:
1) Brigade HQ to Artillery HQ "We need 3 Batteries allocated to us NOW!"
2) Brigade HQ to Artillery Battery 3: "You are in direct support of
Company
Lima, he'll give you fire missions."
3) Company L to Artillery Battery 3: "I want FPF at position 5 right
now, and
send a FO to map reference 010122".
4) Umpire to Artillery HQ: "Division has ordered you to relocate,
batteries
1-6 must cease ops for 3 turns."
   
An air resource commander will usually have a player "on table" to take
digital
pix from recon aircraft to be reticulated to brigade, air and artillery
commanders.

Finally, and most importantly, the Umpires must keep a log of all events
for
an after-action report. Half the fun for the off-table people is finding
out
what REALLY happened. At the same time, all off-table commanders should
be keeping
a diary of what they *think* is happening.

I've simplified things quite a bit. In games we had back in the days of
the
Cold War, WARPAC "Company Commanders" actually were Batallion
Commanders, usually
with 4 companies under their command ( 3inf+1Tk or 3Tk+1Inf). All
manouvers
at company level were stereotyped, strictly according to "the book" with
rates
of advance to be strictly adhered to. There was no "artillery
commander", all
artillery was pre-planned in great detail - with one exception.
Frontal Aviation intervention was represented by a continuous fighter
presence,
some pre-planned strikes on NATO artillery positions and HQs that stayed
in
place for too long. Some WARPAC artillery was also tasked with
counter-battery
fire on any NATO unit that communicated from the same place for too
long. Recon
sorties were scheduled periodically, but often didn't show up due to
enemy activity.

OTOH the NATO forces had a lot more flexibility with their artillery,
some was
available "on call". NATO formations were about reinforced company size,
though
recon units were smaller. Most of their air support was "on call" close
air
support or anti-air missions. Recon missions were flown a few turns
after they