One of the key components of the Spearhead rules system is the pre-game planning and the resulting commitment of forces to execute each players battle plan. However, prior to formulating this plan it is important to understand the enemy deployments, especially during attack-defence games. Building up an intelligence picture of enemy forces and their dispositions in an area is therefore an important issue to model in Spearhead. In our original Spearhead games attacking troops are committed to a battle plan prior to confirmation of the enemies dispositions and before the reconnaissance forces were deployed on table.
| One
way of resolving this would be to conduct a special on-table
reconnaissance phase involving on table divisional reconnaissance
assets. I don't believe however this models the only way that an
intelligence picture was gathered during World War II. This is
especially the case when the forces had often been in the area for a
number of days allowing small patrols to been gather information of
local formations in the immediate area all. Further, it greatly
slows the game in the initial stages.
So what should be the role of reconnaissance units before and during battle? I see two general types. That being building a picture of the general forces in the area, and secondly tactical reconnaissance during a probing advance, especailly by reconnaissance assets of the component battalions. |
German armoured cars advance past a small town during a game set in France during 1944. They are conducting tactical reconnaissance during the battle. Models by Heroics & Ros. |
In my opinion Spearhead deals with the second aspect reasonably well, but it generally does not cover the first.
A significant portion of our Spearhead games are attack-defender games. We have, in the past, generally defined the objectives and then the attacker draws command arrows. Next, the defender deploys his battalions on table. Finally, the attacker then enters the table and advances along his command arrows. We generally don't use hidden deployment or hidden movement, as we find it both slows our games and creates too much “unknown” in our games for the attacker.
The following variation attempts to model the situation where opposing forces have been in the battle area for a number of days. During this time the attacker, in particular, has sent out small patrols to gather information of local enemy formations as well as key defence positions. The following explains the process:
1. Each commander, depending on the size of table and scenario, marks the battalion headquarters of any on-table troops on their own map. This is of course normally only the defender, but sometimes the attacker has battalions on table as well.
2. Battalion headquarters are placed on the table within 6” of the marked positions.
3. The defender determines allocation of support weapons and cross attachments and marks these on his rosters as normal.
4. The attacker determines support weapons and cross attachment allocations.
5. Both commanders now commit their command arrows to their maps. This is, of course, usually only the attacker, as the defender has stands allocated to defend or reserve orders. The attacker defines all pre-programmed artillery fire in his attack plan.
6. Both players adjust the location of their respective battalion headquarters stands to comply with their maps and then deploy their battalions within command radius of the battalion headquarters stands. The game now begins, including any pre-game pre programmed artillery fire.
With the tactical reconnaissance complete the German Panzers advance. Here Panzer IVH tanks are pictured advancing. Models by Heroics & Ros. |
The above produces a simple but effective defender deployment system which takes into account the attacker building a picture of the defenders deployment. The attacker can not target, with pre-programmed fire, the exact positions of battalions due to the battalion headquarters deployment adjustment, but can determine likely positions that are critical to his actual advance. On-table reconnaissance now only fills the role of tactical reconnaissance immediately in front of advancing battalions. |
Finally, we also use a further variation of allowing a small select number of defending stands to be marked on a map in hidden positions. The number of defending stands is generally very small around 3 or four stands in a game involving two or three defending battalions. However, a small group of stands firing from a concealed position, or dropped off outside a battalions normal command radius as say a small garrison of a town, can significantly affect an attackers plan. Most importantly the small number of stands involved deployed in hidden positions ensures that the game is not slowed down as hidden movement or hidden deployment generally does.