How would you game 1914?

[Ahistorian]

I like GWSH too - and I hope to get 2 soon 

I would definitely recommend it for the traditional sweeping view of WWI battles, but in Lardie terms, brigade actions ITLSU is very good, and for company+ actions so is IABSM. M&B of course is good too, but I find it quite fiddly trying to work out who has which particular weapon in a squad when there are that many models on the board.

[Lardy Rich]

Huevans

I actually wrote a piece in the Christmas Special on 1914 tactics and representing forces with Mud & Blood (British and German, no French yet).  I focussed that action on a small historical rearguard action during the retreat to the south west of Mons.   I found it an interesting game to play through as the Germans do have huge command and control issues, but they have a much larger platoon. 

We have a piece on converting IABSM for the Great War in one of the older Specials (I think it was in 2007) called Sturmabteilung Vor! which sounded really interesting.  I never played it, but I keep meaning to.  I have actually been working on some Divisional level rules for the Boer War as a precursor to they extending that to the Great War. You really do get distinct operational boundaries at that level so the battle you fight can be discrete to that Division,  but with just some Corps guns added to the mix.  Something like the 36th Ulster Division on July 1 1916 would be an interesting action to fight.

Some of the most enjoyable games I have ever had have been kriegsspiel type games played on British Army 1:100,000 maps of the period using some rules we wrote called "Corps Blimey".  We have refought a number of major actions such as Amiens 1917 in an evening.  They are really absorbing games but rattle along at a fair pace.  I have the whole western front covered by my map collection so I am lucky in that I can really do any actions I fancy with that.  Save a lot of painting too! 

Rich

[huevans]

Thanks, Rich. I d/l-ed the 2013 Xmas special and glanced it over. Interesting points about German C&C issues due to the larger platoons and more numerous sub-sub-units. I'll try and work through it more carefully over the next few days. Appreciate the hints.