Wargame Mechanics Index

Table-driven resolution

Extensive lookup tables for outcomes.

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Watch it played 4 moments

  • 10:33–11:15
    11-Player Napoleonic Campaign | Fall 1813
    Little Wars TV · Volley & Bayonet
    Rule in play Forced march roll inflicts attrition on Ney

    The host explains how forced marching works in Campaign of Nations before Simon risks a maximum three-hex march, rolling on the table.

  • 11:08–11:45
    Insane 3mm Peleliu Wargame
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play First wave beach landing roll

    Dave rolls 2d6 on the Invasion Table for the 7th Marines' landing craft, rolling a four which destroys an LVT in the shallows.

  • 11:27–12:04
    Epic D-Day Wargame (Part 2 of 2)
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play Assaulting fortified Bayeux with shifts

    Tony totals artillery combat power and shifts for a flamethrower and battleship against entrenched German positions in Bayeux, cross-referencing the Combat reference sheet.

  • 14:38–15:35
    9-Player Pyrrhic War Campaign | TURN 4
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play Failed march roll delays attack on Capua

    Steve activates his army to march on Capua but rolls a 1 on the campaign movement chart, halting his advance and costing him valuable siege preparation time.

Moments picked automatically, by AI watching the video or reading its captions, and linked at the timestamp on YouTube. Quotes are from the captions.

How games do it 5 games

3engine
Würfel für das FeuergefechtKriegsspiel (Anleitung zur Darstellung militairischer Manöver mit dem Apparat des Kriegs-Spieles)

Fire losses are read from tables printed on the faces of the dice.

How it works

Die I (open infantry/skirmishers) and II (covered skirmishers/jäger) give loss points per block at 100-400 paces; die III (favourable) and V (unfavourable) give artillery losses per battery for each range band. The umpire rolls the die chosen by circumstances (e.g. flat ground, clear view for good effect) and multiplies the number by the firing blocks. Six faces derive from Scharnhorst's trial data scaled for battlefield conditions.

daher sind 12 Tafeln und zwar 6 für eine gute, und 6 für eine mindere Wirkung der Geschütze , und eben so viel für beide Fälle beim Gebrauch der Infanterie- gewehre möglichst einfach entworfen, und auf Würfel geklebt worden.
Download · p. 26, 27, 39, 40, 55 Quote verified
1engine
Hit/Kill and weapons effects tablesDunn-Kempf

Weapon-by-target lookup tables drive direct fire, air defence and air weapons resolution.

How it works

US and Soviet direct fire tables cross weapon/ammunition against range for hit numbers and against target type for kill/suppression; separate tables cover ADA vs aircraft, aircraft weapons hit/kill, and fixed-wing weapons effects.

The firer should check the instruction on the Hit/Kill Tables to determine changes in dice roll required for different target conditions.
Download · p. 21, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33 Quote verified
1engine
Andreia, Belos reaction, Melee resolution chartsHoplomachia

Outcomes are read from per-unit and general charts cross-referenced with Arete level.

How it works

Andreia and belos check results are cross-referenced between cause or intensity and the army's current Arete level on each unit card; melee is resolved on the Melee Resolution Chart by the pair of penetration levels; pre-game rituals, strategos casualties and situations have their own tables.

check the Belos intensity against the current Arete level on the appropriate side of the Belos reaction chart (Pass or Fail) and apply the result immediately.
Download · p. 41 Quote verified
1engine
Movement / Melee / Opps! / Recovery tablesJoust the Black Knight!

Counts of greens or reds are looked up on 1-12 tables for attack effects, mishaps and recovery.

How it works

Melee: 1-2 break lance (1 pt), 3 break shield (2 pts), 4 break helm (3 pts), up to 10 mortal wound, 11 kill, 12 capture. Recovery offers rally results (stand up, unstun, rearm, bind wound) against 'opps' results escalating to rout and surrender.

12 stands capture opponent kill yourself
Download · p. 191 Quote verified
1engine
Gun-fire tablesRules for the Conduct of the War Games (Naval War College, 1905)

Fire effect at each range comes from a points-versus-range table/curve.

How it works

Tables I and II give points scored by a first-class battleship broadside in 2.5 minutes at ranges from about 1,000 to 8,450 yards, derived from an assumed 1,000-point target life; players may build new tables by applying factors for battery, rapidity, accuracy or target resistance.

The destructive effect of a given volume of fire per minute upon a given target ship at various ranges is approximately represented by a curve
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