When to End a Wargame

Gentlemen,
Whilst perusing TMP, another thought dawned on me: How to End a Game?
While playtesting WW0 we all realised it needed an ending. But how?

1. Objectives
A. Sieze and Hold - Controlling a set number of Objectives at once, or after 'x' turns.
B. Smash and Grab - Essentially Capture The Flag.
C. Search and Destroy - Destroying an Objective or number of Objectives.

2. Nightfall / Reinforcements
A. A Set Number of Turns.
B. Roll to see if the game ends.

3. Attrition
A. After taking x% Casualties - Game Ends, or forces Morale Tests every turn.
B. Facing Insurmountable Odds - i.e. Game Ends when you have <50% of Enemy Force.

4. A Mix
e.g. "The game ends at Nightfall [Turn 8] or when a Player Holds 3 Villages, or reduces the enemy to half strength."

Was denken sie bitte?

Ben.

I'll just repost what I put on MSN for the moment as I have more cat sick to clean up..

Craig Maxwell says
um.. depends if you have objectives or not.. if you have objectives its pretty simple.. make the objective..
Without them.. i suppose you need VP's. simplest way is to say the VP are equal to the units point cost.. tbh, the old 7th victory conditions worked well.. 6 turns work out VP.. def need to the Turns or someway of ending the game, the get gash when you just keep playing..
*7th Ed.
wtf.. my grammar/spelling is appauling.
Union Box says
however: isnt it odd when the game just ends, say with 2 men holding an objective, with 15 tanks bearing down on them!?
im going to be making some Threads on our forums!
Craig Maxwell says
but then you get the flip side when theres not 15 tans bearing down, and it's just two men holding a opposing positions.. i think you don't just say 'oh, end of game.. and there still 15 tanks bearing down' you say.. 'reinforcements are coming in 6 turns, you need to reach these objectives in order to give them drop positions' which would mean even with 15 tanks it doensn't matter as the men are
sacrificing their lives 'for the greater good'
Union Box says
true, so its having justification for the game ending!
Craig Maxwell says
yeah, just background info.. like they do when they put example games in rule books..
i suppose thats a lame way to end a game tbh.. but i can't think of a more reasonable way to do it.. unless you did a LotR style set up where when you reach a certain level of troops left on the board you roll for moral to see if they do a runner.. it would bring around the end of the game quicker, allowing a 'when all your men are gone it's game over..
or to say you loose if your force gets reduced to [X]% of its original size.
could introduce command aspects.. - moral issues if command is killed. alsost like vamp/TK armies.. kill of the HQ, roll to see if the troops do a runner.
</rant>

Or...each side has a battle score which is affected by lots of things...

Key objectives held: adds a point for each held
Board quarters held: adds a point for each quarter
Damage caused: adds a point for each unit/ percentage of enemy destroyed
Enemy characters/commanders killed: adds a point for each killed
of course, you might get minuses to your score to when you suffer damage, or lose objectives etc

The list could go on, but basically, it'd be a dynamic score (swords and scouters! Haha!) and when either a score is reached...or, more preferably a margin of points is reched, eg. double enemy points, or 4 more points, the battle is ended? could allow a bit more freedom with how you win, let your style come out a bit more?

I really need a poo, and i'm also just about to get ready to go home.. but i shall be writing a reply to this...

Wow, i think me and Craig had a poo at the same time!

A reply also to come!

Ben Greenman

Wow...one looooooong dump! Haha