Levels of Tactical Proficiency: The Beginner Wargamer and Terrain, Part 1 - Combat Mission Battle for Normandy

This is is going to be a series of three blog entries. The main idea is to make an educated guess of what the game play of three war gamers (one beginner, one intermediate and one expert) would look like for the same scenario. The focus will be the use of terrain and depending on the reception I can expand it to other aspects of tactical proficiency. I have chosen just three levels but I am sure there are more in between and that what I will show for both the low and high end of the scale may be the subject of debate.

The current modules of Combat Mission are the mecca of tactical war gaming.  Despite their limited capability in terms of forces and map sizes and some other minor peeves gamers may have out there, the series has become a genre in itself. Most importantly, the use of real life tactics is the bread and butter of gameplay.

I am going to use a very tiny stock scenario from the Combat Mission Battles for Normandy. This scenario features a platoon sized US infantry team supported by a mortar tube. Their mission is to secure a ford. Resistance is light and the terrain is close bocage countryside. Spoilers ahead!

This is the mission that I will use for the three levels of proficiency.

Right click and open in a new tab/page for a better view. This is the official briefing of the mission.

A panoramic view of the battlefield. Own forces (green icon) are on the left and the ford is in the center of the screen.

The beginner war gamer is able to recognize some relevant terrain features but it is unable to figure out how these terrain features impact his mission or how enemy actions and use of terrain may prevent him to accomplish it.

The first terrain feature to catch our gamer’s eye is the terrain objective. In this case it is the ford and the area around it. He recognizes that there is high ground beyond the ford (background) and that the ford itself is a chokepoint of sorts that he can't avoid. This somehow simplifies his maneuver options.

The approaches to the ford have some cover and concealment. For example, this trail leads to the river and it is covered in hedgerows and trees that offer a concealed approach. However, an enemy machine gun on the other side of the river (far background) could wreck havoc on the approaching troops. Cover and concealment may or not be recognized by the beginner player, but the subtle points of using them are not grasped.

The beginner wargamer only recognize the impact of terrain during the mission execution. The hedgerows pose a mobility problem to his troops, but he will only recognize the problem when the orders have been issued. In this picture, one hole in the hedgerow line is yet another dangerous chokepoint for the US troops approaching the ford. 

The beginner player will certainly recognize obvious terrain features where his troops can move at ease. In this case, this open field on the near side of the river is a place where he can move infantry with no obstacles. However, the player doesn't recognize the high ground on the side of the river (background) as a position where the enemy can deploy and have good fields of fire upon his troops.

If at all, the beginner war gamer rarely goes beyond a mere checklist of terrain features.

• His understanding of cover and concealment develops after or during contact with the enemy
• His choosing of avenues of approach doesn't include any consideration of his own troops'  or the enemy's possible fields of fire or the presence of obstacles
• His appreciation of key terrain is limited by the piece of real estate he is assigned to occupy. He can only see his objective as the important terrain feature

In the next installment: how the battle goes for our beginner war gamer.

Cheers,