DEFEAT INTO VICTORY

Having devoted so many column inches to flying the flag for the joys of wargame campaigns, I was recently pleased to hear from a friend that he was researching his own pint-size campaign set in the eastern Netherlands in late 1944. What were, he asked, the ingredients for a good wargame campaign? I was flattered to think he thought I possessed the recipe, but in truth I had to think hard before responding. Any campaign was, surely, really a collection of scenarios. Some, or all, of these may be pre-prepared, while some may result from choices made by players, but ultimately it was these that defined the campaign and whether it worked. But then, having had time to reflect, I began to wonder if that was actually the case.

By Richard Clarke

There are many types of campaigns and to describe them all here is probably to rehearse a list that we are all well aware of. In this instance, what was being attempted was a campaign for Chain of Command where the established structure is more or less linear. Side A is looking to go from Y to Z and the route there is largely predetermined with, typically, five or six scenarios being played as the action progresses, both geographically and in campaign terms. Completing a campaign is as important as starting it, and I've always felt that less is more and eight or nine games maximum seems to be the sweet spot in terms of giving the players an enjoyable experience without them losing interest. A good historical background is important,…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 126

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