Introducing "urgency" into games

[Arlequín]

A phase is taken as a few seconds and a turn as a matter of a minute or two. How much operational urgency would you be trying to model in a game that might only represent fifteen to thirty minutes real time at most?

[chris cornwell]

Ok Derek, here is something more challenging for you:
Can you express the likelihood of the turn ending when I least want it to as a percentage?

[dalemunk]

That's useful to know - thanks. How many turns did you go for? - just to get an idea of the range to look at.

In the games where we used it, we didn't set a limit for the attacker, but played with the number of command dice. Scenario was a surprise attack by French Foreign Legion paras at Dien Bien Phu, Turn 1 (the surprise), the attackers got 6 dice, the defenders 4. Turn 2 (defender stabilisation), the French lost 1 die (but received a pool of in total 3 command dice they could use whenever - but once used, they were gone, the VM gained 1 die and also received a pool of 3. This gave an incentive to the French to hurry up and get their break through before a turn end. For the VM it was an incentive to try and slow the game down (and get a CoC die so they could end the turn). For both there was quite some uncertainty, as no one knows when turrn 1 ends.

[Derek H]

Ok Derek, here is something more challenging for you:
Can you express the likelihood of the turn ending when I least want it to as a percentage?

I expect it's somewhere close to 100%.

[Nick B]

@Arlequin - I think Gaz-Ozz summed it up - it's really just something to counter the "attack at leisure" mentality with no sense of urgency. As I said this is not a general issue but looking at how to introduce it into specific scenarios to give a a game specific friction.

Whilst I'm not suggesting this is the scenario in mind - if you think of Pegasus Bridge, the attackers had to move quickly to ensure the capture of the opposite side of the Bridge. There was no time for a slow steady build up and the double-go to come up.

@Dalemunk - ah, that's clever use of command and CoC dice - I like these ideas! Thanks!

[Arlequín]

Dalemunk's concept is far more elegant than a mere limit on the number of turns, especially as there isn't the 'throw everything in' desperation of the last turn.

I see it more as an 'element of surprise' mechanic and certainly that might possibly have more applications in routine games; attacker gets +1, defender -1 command dice in first turn, would certainly get my vote.

[chris cornwell]

Ok Derek, here is something more challenging for you:
Can you express the likelihood of the turn ending when I least want it to as a percentage?

I expect it's somewhere close to 100%.

Right again, Derek.....

That is quite a elegant idea.
I warn you now. I will be stealing it

[powermonger]

... Scenario was a surprise attack by French Foreign Legion paras at Dien Bien Phu...

VERY interesting Dalemunk!
Do you have the army lists / CoC platoon composition and force ratings for both french and Vietminh to share?.
Thanks in advance

Diego

[Gaff-Oz]

Derek H,

Can I ask the equation you used for that calculation?

[Derek H]

Derek H,

Can I ask the equation you used for that calculation?

Binomial Probability calculated with a spreadsheet using the Binomial Distribution and Pascal's Triangle. I learnt how to do it (and other probability calculations) some 45 years ago when I studied Advanced Higher Maths. As a wargamer I've been calculating the probability of x events from y attempts ever since.

THERE'S Kindle book all about it https://www.amazon.co.uk/Probability-Bi ... B01N6NZVRS