Limited intelligence in games

[vodkafan]

There are some would attest that I play every game with limited intelligence.....

[Harry Faversham]

Same here, in a game with 'limited intelligence'...
I just bring me own.

 

[robh]

I have played in 3 types of "blind" based games, each of which worked really well:

Firstly a superb 20mm Tarawa Beach Assault game at a UK convention (some 25+ years ago). Japanese were umpire controlled in bunkers and trenches while the US players, each having a squad of individually based models, sat with their backs to the table until it was their individual turn.
When they turned around any enemy they could see were on the table, everything else was just reported by the umpires as sounds or obscured movement.
Lots of confusion and blue on blue casualties as players shot first and looked afterwards.

Secondly an equally distant Vietnam game using the Giak Mai rules in which the umpire controlled VC (both troops, dummies and booby traps) were hidden as markers.  The US players were tasked with moving from one short table edge to the opposite.  They failed.
However the VC actually had no troops at all, just a few traps, couple of animal contacts and a lot of dummy markers.  US casualties were again almost all self inflicted.

Thirdly a system we have used a few times (true double blind) where the table is duplicated and each side plays on their own table out of sight of the enemy one. The umpire places enemy troops on each table as the players would become aware of them and more importantly, takes them off again when contact is lost.

Key thing to each system is the role of the umpires/co-ordinators. It is a lot of work for them so works very well in conventions and participation games but does require someone to willingly not play a game on a club night, just facilitate it for everyone else.