Friday, February 12, 2021

Finding and Selecting Scenarios

Scenario books can be very pricey.  Some are so pricey that only a rich collector will buy them.  Many of the classics are not available as E-books.  Fortunately, most rule books have at least a few scenarios in them. For example, Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878 by Thomas has five scenarios.  Also by Thomas is One-Hour Wargames which includes 30 scenarios.  When I bought the E-book it was only ten bucks but the price seems to be going up.

Clearly, lots of scenarios are available but when browsing you might say "water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink" because they don't look interesting to you.  Let me suggest another perspective.  

Tip #1.  Do not just look at diagrams.  Lay the terrain out on your table and see how that looks.  Think about the tactical challenges facing both sides. How would you dispose your forces?

Tip #2.  Read the history about the battle but then ignore it.  History is interesting and learning more about is part of being a wargamer.  However,  you can always change the time period to suit your interests and your collection of miniatures.

Tip #3.  When considering a scenario ignore the weaponry and rules as well as the era.  You can change all that.

Tip #4.  Focus on terrain, balance of forces, objectives, victory conditions and and the timing of reinforcements.  By balance of forces I mean numbers and strength, since the two sides probably will not be equal.  Think in terms of ratios, such as 6-4 favoring the attacker.

Tip #5.  Remember that the scenario you are considering is a source of inspiration, not a straight-jacket. Authors sometimes develop their own scenarios based on the essential features of an historical battle, but often they cite another source from which they have borrowed and modified the scenario.  You are free to do the same.    

There you go.  Scenarios are easily found.  You have plenty to choose from.  So many, that now you have a different problem: which one should you try first?  

Have fun!

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