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of morale. What we needed was a system which rules reflects the reality of war. The fact that in
could overlay and compliment what already some games relatively light casualties can result
existed rather than replace it all together. The in a force being obliged to withdraw, whereas in
result was what the rules call, rather other games that same force could fight on to the
sanctimoniously, the “Bad Things Happen” test. death, reflects the absolute unpredictability of
Obviously the original name was the rather more man when faced with the stresses of combat and
robust “Sh*t Happens” test, and if I am honest I the psychology of warfare generally. Not a bad
tend to prefer the Anglo‐Saxon nature of the result for a game with toy soldiers!
latter.
So, from one game to the next we can see how
Call it what we will, the central tenet is that we the essential principles of Force Morale remains
only use this test when something particularly but the detail changes to suit a different period of
...um... “bad” happens. What those bad things warfare. As touched on before, this is indicative
are can change from period to period and how of a robust model which can take some knocking
they affect the game can differ (as indeed one about and not break. So let’s give it a good kick
sees when comparing the system in Dux and see just how flexible we can make it!
Britanniarum and that in Chain of Command) but
the essential principles remain the same. Gamers with a knowledge of I Ain’t Been Shot
Mum will be familiar with the concept of Unit
The basic Force Morale system in Dux is Actions. The better the quality of the force, the
wonderfully simple. It keeps a tally of your more Actions each of its component units will
morale, and this then determines the force’s have when activated. So, for example, a section
break point, but it also represents troop of Home Guard may get two Actions when
exhaustion, determining when one force may or activated, whereas a section of Veteran Paras
may not pursue a vanquished foe from the field may get four Actions. As they take losses the
and when they are just happy to see them quit number of Actions they get will reduce. The real
the field. issue here is not that they do reduce, but how
they reduce. A force which is superficially strong
I love the system in Dux. If nothing else it stops but actually somewhat brittle is likely to see it
lunatic gamers fighting on to the very bitterest of starting with a goodly number of Actions, but
ends and buggering up the campaign completely these may drop off sharply with just a few
by getting all of their men killed. Equally casualties. A truly veteran unit may begin with
importantly, it also allows a Lord to read his force the same number of Actions, but can take
and recognise the fact that their enthusiasm is significantly more casualties before its Actions
draining away, possibly allowing him to consider are reduced.
the point at which discretion is the better part of
valour. The IABSM system is a simple one which allows
for a wide range of force types to be modelled
The introduction of the Command Dice in Chain without recourse to all sorts of bonuses for
of Command allowed us to take the impact of innumerable factors. Again, as with Shock, we
Force Morale one stage further. Not only does it seek to simplify and reduce the issues to their
now determine the break point of a force and the most minimal form so as to make them simple to
victory conditions in some scenarios, it also learn but easy to apply.
allows us to track the reduction in force cohesion
by the reduction of Command Dice as, due to the So, what has this to do with Force Morale? Well,
effect of enemy action, “the proverbial” happens. as the rules stand Force Morale is presented in
one generic form. We do see some adjustment
Indeed, for me one of the aspects of Chain of to the basic roll at the start of the game, so elites
Command games which I most relish is the fact are unlikely to have dreadful morale and Green
that the Force Morale system encourages, troops will never have great morale. However,
possibly even obliges, the gamer to focus not on the fact that when any unit’s overall Force
killing all of his enemies, but rather to defeat his Morale is reduced to 4 it will lose one Command
opponent by overcoming his will to resist. To my Dice is, apparently, set in stone. And of course it
mind this as much as any other aspect of the isn’t. In fact we can adjust the Force Morale
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system in the same way we do with troops Howard after D‐Day. Having seized Pegasus
ratings in IABSM to create a very different and Bridge and completed his mission, Howard was
more flexible system altogether. then disgusted to find that rather than being
withdrawn to England to prepare for another
Let us consider some examples on the table daring coup de main, his men were to be kept in
below. We can see five columns marked A to E Normandy where they were expected to fight as
which serve simply as examples of some of the leg infantry. An undoubtedly high quality force
variations which can be applied. The numbers on which finds itself unhappy with its circumstances.
the left apply to the unit’s Force Morale level.
That said, this rating is much more likely to apply
Column A is indicative of a Militia unit, something to Regular troops. Unlike the militia in column A
like Volksturm or Home Guard comprised of they are likely to start with five Command Dice,
hastily assembled civilians under officers they are so will tend to see their cohesion reduced but
not yet confident of. This rating is applied in never completely collapse.
conjunction with their normal rating as Green
troops. So, this force will roll for its Force Morale Column C represents a hardened force of highly
with a ‐2 as all Green troops do, but will then use motivated troops. They will hang on in there
column A to indicate loss of Command Dice as until a final collapse, generally after significant
the game progresses. As we can deduce, this losses in manpower and leaders. This is a last‐
force will begin its game with a morale level of 8 ditch, backs‐to‐the‐wall force, such as the Paras
or 9, but is liable to see its cohesion break up if at Arnhem Bridge, 30 Corps at Calais in 1940, US
“bad things happen”. The net result is a brittle forces in Bastogne or some lunatic French SS men
force which will fight well initially, albeit with a in the ruins of Berlin. Again this Last Ditch rating
likely limitation to four Command Dice, but will is applied on top of the initial Green, Regular or
be unable to take risks. Elite moniker, so, in extremis, one could have a
Field Kitchen staffed by Green soldiers holding
out to the end because surrender is unthinkable.
Columns D and E are somewhat extreme
examples which serve to illustrate just how one
can configure the Force Morale system to suit
very specific situations.
Column D is really reserved for the toughest of
troops in the most favourable of situations. For
example Commandos well trained for their
specific mission. Men who have been inserted as
a whole and coherent unit (so not Paras on D‐Day
who are somewhat messed up by the chaos of a
“messy” drop), and who can stand the loss of key
leaders as others will step up to take their place.
As we can see, these men will stick to their
mission, fighting to the very last inevitable
success or abject failure.
Column B is similar but subtly different. This Column E is a real oddity, with an early potential
column I would use for troops who were “sticky”. cohesion drop but then retaining a good level
By that I mean units where cumulative casualties after that. Possibly this is a unit with a new and
over an extended period of time have reduced inexperienced officer? Maybe it’s a unit which is
their inclination to take risks. This is not a poor actually pretty good, but has suffered some set‐
force, indeed it could well Elite in many other backs recently and has lost some degree of
respects, but one which sees its inherent confidence.
command dynamic reduced relatively easily. I am
minded here of the Ox & Bucks under Major John
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What of Jump‐Off Markers in this? The reason particular merit, so to suggest that all Volksturm
forces lose Jump‐Off markers as their force or Home Guard would use column A would be
morale falls is to allow them to contract their wrong. They should certainly all be Green, a fact
operational area to reflect the losses they have which will limit their initial morale rating, but I
suffered without undue penalty of having to rather think that Captain Mainwaring and his
abandon a Jump‐Off Point to the enemy and, platoon would then benefit from being Last‐
thereby, see their morale plummet further. So, in Ditchers rather than a rabble! Call me an
that respect this is a positive, rather than optimist...
negative, thing to happen. My suggestion with
the revised options shown above is that the One could consider adjusting the rolls on Table
removal of the Jump‐Off Point remains at Force 16, Bad things Happen, to change the way
Moral level 2. Its effect will then vary according specific troops react to different situations. In
to the force being fielded. our recent campaign with Lieutenant Sandy St
Clair reaching such a point of unpopularity with
Our Green Volksturm force will find that by the his men, I was inclined to adjust the roll for force
time it is reduced to just one Command Dice it morale when he eventually met his end. In the
still has three Jump‐Off Points to defend. This end I resisted. The loss of an officer, even an
will put it under significant pressures which in the unpopular one, is not likely to inspire a platoon.
end will work against it. The same goes for our Rather it is likely to serve as the excuse they have
sticky force in column B, whereas the Last‐ been looking for to slope away to safety.
Ditchers in column C are not negatively affected
in the same fashion. Generally it would be my suggestion not to
change the rolls on Table 16, but to stick with
Other Options them as they stand. Force Morale is delicately
There are, of course, other ways to tweak your balanced and to interfere with two sets of stats is
force morale to suit your specific scenario. I feel likely to throw the whole think out of kilter.
that it is important to consider a force on its own
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Something Bad Happens
Event No Effect ‐1 ‐2 ‐3
Squad, section or weapons team routs or destroyed 1 2, 3, 4 5, 6
AFV or support weapon routs or destroyed 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6
Level 1 Big Man killed or routs 1, 2 3, 4, 5 6
Level 2 Big Man killed or routs 1 2, 3, 4 5, 6
Level 3 Big Man killed or routs 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6
Level 4 Big Man killed or routs 1, 2 3, 4, 5 6
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