Brigade Level Combat - Western Front 1916

Version 9-9-2006
This is the combat resolution system for a command post game about
commanding brigades and divisions in WW1 particularly focussed on 1916.
The rules are intended to be run in real time, and by umpires who then write
messages to the H players in the form they would have been historically,
and sub!ect to the delays and inaccuracies that would have e"isted at the
time.
The players never see the rules at all, and must wor# from a map $ideally in a
smelly cellar by the light of a flic#ering oil lantern while umpires chuc# buc#ets
of earth at then%.
& cellar'' (ou were luc#y. We !ust had a wooden dugout and it lea#ed
and the gas curtain had holes in it.
)layers must not be allowed to use game counters, plastic overlays or any
modern aids. *f a telephone is available it must be unreliable.
The basic player team is probably a +rigade H but with a few more
players it can be e"panded to a division of ,-. brigades.
The rules are simplistic and built around a few, hopefully easy to remember,
die rolls because umpires will need to spend time writing as well as
ad!udicating. /erbal reports from !unior officers are possible, but rarely
happened the H builds its picture of the battle from a collection of highly
unreliable information sources.
'I know from long experience all my men have the artistic talent of a cluster of
colour-blind hedgehogs in a bag.' Captain Blackadder
Unit Resolution and Sale
Resolution
*nfantry 0ompany $though some e"ceptions occur with strong points and
support weapons% $can be bro#en down into 1 " 2platoons3 to reflect casualties
4 defensive deployment%
1
56 7ections $1 or , guns%
Trench 5ortar 7ection $1 or , tubes%
&rtillery +attery $of 6 guns +ritish or 1 6uns 6erman%
Tan#s single tan#
!ime Sale
The rules are e"pressed in 8 minute time-slices for convenience though
there is no reason why these cannot be multiplied up especially when the
circumstances are not changing for a time. 7ometimes you can wor# on
2critical event3 ad!udicating a long period in one go say .9 minutes or more
at a time, remembering to time reports appropriately.
"round Sales
&ctually any scale can be used, as the rules e"press distances in metres.
The maps * use are 1:,,899, so the cm e;uivalents at that scale are also
;uoted.
6round scale 1:,,899
1cm < ,8m
1cm<199m
0ompany frontage < ,99m $=cm%
+attalion frontage < c.899m $c.,9cm%
Rates o# advane
metres $er % minutes Wire intat Wire ut &
ga$$ed or
#riendl' (ire
)o (ire
>nopposed $no fire at all% 1d6 minutes
delay per
level $see
Wire 0utting
rule%
,89m $19cm% ,89m $19cm%
?pposed $any fire at all% ,d6 minutes
delay per
level.
199m $1cm% 1,8m $8cm%
@on tactical movement
through empty trenches
n.a. n.a. 199m $16cm%
@on tactical movement
through crowded4bloc#ed
trenches
n.a. n.a. 199m $1cm%
&dvance in trench system on
winning melee
n.a. n.a. 199m $1cm%
Tan# $speed based on
771.8 figures%
189m $6cm% 189m $6cm% 189m $6cm%
Aough or badly cut up ground "14,
+y night "14,
Weig*t o# Fire
The main measure of the effect of firing is e"pressed in terms of the weight of
fire on a given area of the map. & Weight of Bire $W?B% factor is noted in,
say no-man3s land, or enemy trenches etc.
+ ,im Wallman 2006 2 9 Se$t 06 version
W-F .$er % minutes/
T&A6CT:
Troops in
open
Troops manning
parapet 4 Woods
4 buildings
Troops in
strongpoint
Troops in
dugout
>nit of:
Aifle platoon 1 9 9 9
56 section , 1 9 9
56 barrage
$needs two
sections%
1 1 9 9
T5 sectionD &t
this level we
should have the
possibility of
5edium T5s
being grought up
to blow up
bun#ers it3s
somewhere in
771.8
1 1 9 9
0oncentrated
Bield &rty
, 1 1 9
Heavy &rty , . 1 9
/. Heavy &rty . . , 1
Tan# 1 1 1 9
*nterdicting Bield
&rty
1 9 9 9
Fire s(e$t 0ones
Aifles .99m $1,cm% to front of firing unit $because we are dealing with lots
of riflemen * wonder if this should be up to, say, 899m%.
56 Eirect Bire 899m $,9cm% to front over 18F arc
56s +arrage fire in 1899m $69cm%
Tan# .99m $1,cm% all round
&rtillery and T5 see below.
Reation
Aoll 1d6 score Weight of Bire or less to pin unit - no forward movement.
*f within ,8m $1cm% of enemy trench, G1, for each bo" of losses 1
Casualties
Aoll 1d6 W?B or less to ta#e 1 bo" of casualties $or remove 1 2platoon3%
?n losing all four bo"es the unit remains where it is inactive $representing a
handful of survivors%. *f in @5H may filter bac# to own lines in due course.
*f in enemy trenches, will abandon the trenches for own lines
1amage to strong $oints and bun2ers
Aoll 1d6 score W?B or less to damage.
&ll units inside ta#e damage too.
& strong point can ta#e , hits before ruined.
& bun#er ta#es 1 hits before collapsing $#illing all inside%.
+ ,im Wallman 2006 3 9 Se$t 06 version
Leaving bun2ers
*f a bun#er has been under effective fire $i.e. had to roll for possible damage%,
then when fire lifts, troops in bun#ers roll 1d6, score 1 not to leave. Ieep
rolling each 8 minutes until they do leave.
Bombing u$ t*e Sa$s .4elee/
?n reaching the trenches there is, in effect a melee phase. This uses bombs
and bayonets mainly.
Aoll 1d6 per side involved highest score wins, losers lose 1 strength bo" and
must retreat. Winner can advance and occupy ground.
Eraws represent confused fighting and nothing decided.
?utnumbered -,
?utnumbered ,-1 or more -.
Tan# present G1
Bighting to leave bun#ers -.
@o bombs left -, $7ee Hogs below%
Clite troops G,
Aaw troops -.
Communiations
Telephone assumed between +de and Eiv, and occasionally between +de
and +n $but only as far as +n H in main trench%.
*f phone line is under artillery bombardment roll W?B or less to be cut. G1 to
die if deeply buried.
Aunners ris#y, but can carry long messages.
5oves at 199m $1cm% per 8 minutes if crossing @5H, ,99m $=cm% per 8
minutes in communications trenches.
*f under fire in @5H roll W?B or less to become a casualty.
0hance of getting lost 146 $delay 19 minutes to !ourney%.
0arrier )igeon short written messages. >sually used on capture of
ob!ective. Himited numbers carried, and these go to specific points. Blight
time 1999m in 8 minutes. 0hance of getting lost4#illed 146
Blares pre-agreed signals should be simple and unambiguous i.e. J8 red
flares means enemy trenches capturedK.
0hance of not being seen 146
-t*er soures o# in#ormation
)layers should be told about ma!or things li#e artillery fire $+de H is usually
close to the front%.
Eiv and 0orps players might get AB0 reports, though these are of variable
;uality.
+ ,im Wallman 2006 5 9 Se$t 06 version
6rtiller'
Command and ontrol
Cach battery is given a fire plan, which a plot of the movement of its beaten
Lone by time. This can be done on a separate map.
Bire plans cannot easily be changed it ta#es appro" , hours to change the
plan though a shoot can be cancelled, but it is then cancelled in its entirely
and a new one set up.
)re-prepared contingency plans $for e"ample in defence of own trenches% are
assumed, though it will ta#e about 19-,9 minutes after receipt of the message
for the fire to arrive.
Beaten 7ones
&rtillery can fire in Concentration or Interdiction role.
*n Concentration role, each battery has a beaten Lone of ,89m $19cm% "
199m $1cm%.
This is placed on the target area and W?B calculated as appropriate $see
above%. *t represents concentrated fire aiming to do damage.
T5 7ections have a beaten Lone of 89m $,cm% " 89m $,cm%
*n Interdiction role, the artillery is roving about more typically the practice of
firing into no man3s land to prevent troops and supplies following up is an
e"ample of interdiction as is firing on the approaches to the battlefield.
*n interdiction role, each battery covers a larger area:
*nterdicting @5H: M89m $.9cm% of frontage, conforming with the trench line ,
and a depth of ,89m $19cm% into @5H.
*nterdicting roads4approaches a strip M89m $.9cm% long along the road 4
railway 4 route, and 89m $,cm% either side.
6rtiller' Rea*
Bield &rtillery is low tra!ectory and therefore ineffective against targets in
ravines or on steep reverse slopes.
Heavy artillery and howitLers can engage most such targets.
Wire Cutting
This is highly problematic.
&rtillery is e"pected to cut the enemy wire, while friendly wire will have pre-
prepared gaps.
The preliminary bombardment is normally a given $though it ought to be
possible to game it using these rules% and so is the degree to which the
enemy wire is gapped.
+ ,im Wallman 2006 % 9 Se$t 06 version
*f you want to test for artillery gapping use the W?B roll above for 2Troops
manning defences3 but roll only once for every ,9 minutes of concentrated
fire.
Wire is gapped in stages:
>ncut impassable to infantry.
6apped delayed as in the movement rules above
Well 6apped slight obstacle, halve crossing time
Eestroyed no obstacle
Cach successful W?B roll by artillery reduces the wire by one level.
This means a field artillery battery will ta#e, on average about 6 hours to
completely 2Eestroy3 the wire under a concentrated bombardment or ,
hours to gap it.
Counter Batter' Fire
&rtillery tas#ed to 0+ must do so for the entire battle. This is at 0orps level
so outside the scope of this game. The scenario brief will rule as to the timing
and effect of 0+ on the battle.
Logistis and 6mmunition
+ombs each infantry company carries enough bombs for an assault.
&fter the second and subse;uent rounds of melee, roll 1d6, score 1 to run out
of bombs.
&rtillery ammo sub!ect to scenario, guns will usually have enough ammo for
their fire plan. *t usually ta#es days to run out.
Water N Aations troops occupying captured enemy trenches will need water
and rations brought up.
Bailure to bring up water 4 rations within 1, hours will have an adverse effect
on their fighting spirit.
+ ,im Wallman 2006 6 9 Se$t 06 version
!ren* 1igging
!'$e S$eed Resoures needed
Tunnels normal digging 189m per month
$6cm%
platoon of sappers
;uiet digging ,8m per month
$1cm%
platoon of sappers
Aussian 7aps
shallow tunnels with
thin overhead cover
,99m $=cm% per
month
+un#ers 4 Eugouts bun#ers4dugouts
sufficient for a
platoon
1= hours 1 platoon of sappers
and 1 platoon of
infantry
Biring trenches per 199m $1cm% 1= hours from
scratch.
.6 hours from
Aussian sap.
,1 hours from
communication
trench.
1 company of infantry
plus 1 platoon of
sappers
0ommunication
trenches shallower
that firing trenches
and no firing step
per 199m $1cm% ,1 hours from
scratch.
= hours from Aussian
sap.
1 company of infantry
plus 1 platoon of
sappers
7trong point . hours 1 section of pioneers
plus on platoon of
infantry
&ll the above times are doubled under fire.
!an2s
+rea#down rate )rior to operations 14. brea# down en route to start line, 14.
brea# down on the start line. ?f those that leave the start line, roll 1d6 per .9
minutes, score 1 to brea# down.
Ais# from &rty treat as 2troops in strong point3.
+ogging down on crossing cut up ground, or crossing trench line, roll 1d6,
score 1 to bog down $no further movement%.
4orale
7ometimes units !ust brea# and run away from the battlefield when it 2all got
too much3. &ttac#ing troops tend not to get the option as they generally die or
stagger bac# to front trenches in small numbers.
We use the traditional wargaming 289O rule3P thus
8n de#ene, when a battalion has lost 89O of its strength, it must roll every .9
minutes for morale Aoll 1d6
8 or 6 < carry on regardless
. or 1 < Aemain in current position and ignore any order that increases the
ris#
, or less < run away - abandon current positions and head for the rear areas.
G, for +rilliant Headership
+ ,im Wallman 2006 9 9 Se$t 06 version
G1 for 6ood Headership
-1 for Wea# leadership
G1 if veteran troops
-, if raw troops
-, if less than ,8O strength.
-, if hungry or thirsty
8n atta2 units do not roll for morale. However, if counter-attac#ed they are,
obviously at that moment defending so if wea#ened are vulnerable to being
forced to run away using the above morale rules.
"ame Struture
Brigade "ame Struture
6erman Team $1-, players%
6erman 0ontrol writes messages to players
6ame 0ontrol wor#s out combat results 4 movement etc on main map.
+ritish 0ontrol writes message to players
+ritish Team $,-1 players%
!otal
. 0ontrol
. 6 players%
1ivisional "ame
. +rigades as above
Eiv H $,-. players%
Eiv 0ontrol feeds bac# information from corps and other sources.
!otal
19 0ontrol
11 ,1 players
+ ,im Wallman 2006 : 9 Se$t 06 version