Skirmish Game Design - An Ongoing, Open Discussion - 12-18-25 Is solo wargaming still a viable endeavor?

[Punktaku]

@Lyndon could probably answer this better as I’ve only read through the book a couple times, but it seems like 20 minutes is a bit excessive? Maybe they’re trying to teach things? Most of the pre-game seems to be seeing what’s on the table for possible scenarios and then checking to see if any rivals turn up to mess with your plans. If I remember right, scenery was pretty open to what you have. Opponents were suggested, but dependent on your miniatures selection. The real crunchiness came after the game. Rewards, injuries, training, etc.

 

[Mad Robot]

@Wasteland So maybe a balance is reached by having all the major scenarios laid out ahead of time, thereby keeping on track with the narrative, and having the random things happen around them to add some flavor to the overall campaign.

Any thoughts on that?

 

[Biggle_Bear]

For a 'skirmish first game', I imagine an event that happens in each battle and someway to affect the bigger overarching event would be great.

Say, the campaign event is that a zombie hoard goes through the area. Then roll on a chart before each battle to see if an event takes place, such as wild zombies or displaced survivors. But the battle events could have conditions that affect the campaign events, such as if you killed all the zombies before the end of the battle it represents people generally killing off zombies as they find them, then when the hoard arrives it has been partially depleted.

There was a RPG that might also prove useful inspiration. Fiasco.

 

[Ardavion]

I quite like Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse's Seasons mechanic, which allows for different upkeep requirements alternating throughout a campaign (you have to keep fed and watered, and you have to keep warm during winter), and you can have certain scenarios in certain seasons (like a flood happening in spring as all the snow melts, or a white out snowstorm in winter); you can always plan to have certain scenarios in certain months, but keep the overall campaign relatively fluid.

I'm always a fan of a campaign map, where you can have certain scenarios at certain locations (like a "log cabin reached by cable car" scenario where loot is at one table end and has to be transported off the opposite table edge, and you either take the easy cable car like your opponent can and fight all the way up/down or traverse the difficult ground underneath, where you might be able to pick up loot thrown out the cable car).

 

[Mad Robot]

Thanks to everybody for these great replies! Hopefully we’re all learning something here, lol. I know I am

 

[Lyndon]

@Lyndon could probably answer this better as I’ve only read through the book a couple times, but it seems like 20 minutes is a bit excessive? Maybe they’re trying to teach things? Most of the pre-game seems to be seeing what’s on the table for possible scenarios and then checking to see if any rivals turn up to mess with your plans. If I remember right, scenery was pretty open to what you have. Opponents were suggested, but dependent on your miniatures selection. The real crunchiness came after the game. Rewards, injuries, training, etc.

The first few turns where everyone was trading or exploring were quite crunchy, but later on when everyone hates you, the crew sent to chase / distract rivals just modify a single dice roll which takes seconds to resolve.
Post game can take longer, but not my much, but I've definately spent the most time "on table".

As for figures, I tend to use the same few to represent different enemies, and I've used the same table set up 2 or 3 games in a row which helps drive the narrative.

One of the appendices in 5 parsecs has a story clock system where you decide a number of missions that move the story forward, triggered after a set number of turns. It'd be quite easy to use something like that to show an overarching event similar to @Biggle_Bear 's suggestion

 

[Mad Robot]

Hey folks, quick reminder that this thread is for everyone who's interested. If you have a question or thought about game design you think others would benefit from, please feel free to post it

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My quandary for today is relatively minor. Talking about flamethrowers and "template" weapons like grenades in skirmish level games.

Are templates the way to go, or is there merit in a mechanic that has you roll to hit and then apply a burst with a radius around the target? Is it merely a matter of the designers personal tastes on this one? What do you guys think?

 

[Punktaku]

I think both are required for the different weapon types. Flamers are essentially a beam of fire and I think the way it works in Necromunda is pretty representative of what I’ve seen in old war reels. Grenades and other templates work because they’re from the impact point. It’s the way the weapon works.

Arguments can be made for weapons that use both. If you detonate the fuel supply for the flamer, use a blast template centered on the model instead of the teardrop. And maybe your version of the plasma weapons fire bolts of plasma that detonate when they hit the target, so the teardrop could be used for the area of affect, and then put a blast marker over anyone who gets hit by the attack.

 

[cronevald]

I think there's a visual and tactile importance. The effect is more "real" if you can see its dimensions and hold it in your hand. It also seems like it should be faster and more efficient but I couldn't say for sure.

 

[Galtarr]

I think there's a visual and tactile importance. The effect is more "real" if you can see its dimensions and hold it in your hand. It also seems like it should be faster and more efficient but I couldn't say for sure.

Templates are faster if they have to be centered on a fighter. Its the hunting the template for Optimum position + scatter etc that adds time. I like flamers but hate flamer template sniping units in CC etc.. the other downside of templates is in dense terrain. We've given up using smoke templates for example and place a small token counter and measure from that. As it's easier where walls and obstacles are concerned. Likewise how does a flamer template work when fired though a doorway or overlapping a corner - do the flames go round the corner? In short templates are good but interactions with cover and CC need to specified better than GW manage.

On other points - tokens good. Fixed reference cards or setup twist/scenario decks like in Warcry are good. Tactic cards and hidden rules on cards - bad gotcha feel. Other bad with cards is for Games with high level of personalisation -equipment/stats/xp etc.. like Necromunda, as someone said it's only useable due to Yaktribe tools. A single roster sheet is better.

 

[Ardavion]

Hey folks, quick reminder that this thread is for everyone who's interested. If you have a question or thought about game design you think others would benefit from, please feel free to post it

---

My quandary for today is relatively minor. Talking about flamethrowers and "template" weapons like grenades in skirmish level games.

Are templates the way to go, or is there merit in a mechanic that has you roll to hit and then apply a burst with a radius around the target? Is it merely a matter of the designers personal tastes on this one? What do you guys think?

Call me a sucker for 2nd ed 40k or ORB, but I love different templates for different weapons, as well as "persistent" effects that can stick around on the field for a while. It's also more pertinent for skirmish level games where individual models are important, and you can't abstract the hits and distribute them across a squad (which I think is what 40k does now?).

 

[Biggle_Bear]

So in new Necromunda certain weapons other than flame weapons also use flamer templates. Blunderbus and scatter shot from a shotgun for example. I think that's a cool concept. I think it could also be authentic for full auto fire.

My main concern would be balancing. If you use the GW model then they hit automatically, which can easily make a weapon overpowered. But then the extreme short range also plays a balancing role. On the other hand, one could limit the benefits to giving very good hit bonuses or simply allow targeting multiple opponents.

 

[Mad Robot]

I found this cool little story telling app called Twine. It's super easy to use and customize and I think it could make a good vehicle for presenting a narrative campaign.

If you have a few seconds (literally), please click on the link and tell me what you think of the general idea.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tod6c4o8r8h7ies/Demo.html?dl=0

This is to download the file. It's just a simple HTML you can open in your browser.

 

[spafe]

On the template front, I like them a lot. vastly prefer them to 'invisible' auras. I do agree with smoke and similar though, unless we are plaing on the 2d board, we just mark the point as 3d terrain make it a nightmare to actual place the template.

 

[Mad Robot]

In reference to the demo of my little narrative tool, here is a better link.

https://madrobot.itch.io/demo

Follow the link and click "run game" only takes a few seconds

I'd like to know if something like this seems appealing to folks playing solo skirmish games.

 

[spafe]

I like that idea. It seems clever and a good way to keep things easy for the player but still have lots of options. Personally I have no interest in single player games though so not really sure I'm a worthwhile feedback as I'd not be using it.

@DarkMouse does though... he might respond, he might not as babies take up a lot of time...

 

[Mad Robot]

I like that idea. It seems clever and a good way to keep things easy for the player but still have lots of options. Personally I have no interest in single player games though so not really sure I'm a worthwhile feedback as I'd not be using it.

@DarkMouse does though... he might respond, he might not as babies take up a lot of time...

What you just provided is feedback, and useful at that

 

[Galtarr]

In reference to the demo of my little narrative tool, here is a better link.

https://madrobot.itch.io/demo

Follow the link and click "run game" only takes a few seconds

I'd like to know if something like this seems appealing to folks playing solo skirmish games.

I like it. It reminds me of the apps in games like 'one night werewolf' and it's other iterations that talk you through the game rounds but this would be between campaign scenarios.

 

[Biggle_Bear]

In reference to the demo of my little narrative tool, here is a better link.

https://madrobot.itch.io/demo

Follow the link and click "run game" only takes a few seconds

I'd like to know if something like this seems appealing to folks playing solo skirmish games.

Looks exciting. How I imagine it working (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that

1. you make your gang. Perhaps they have to fit a certain theme, like treasure hunters.

2. Then make another npc gang to fit the power level.

3. Then this 'app' has a list of pre-written scenarios that already have a narrative connected to it (but only reveals it as it is played).

4. And as you play the games, you tell it who won and it tells you how the npc gang is affected in a way that is quick and intuitive, whilst you do the regular post battle sequence.

5. Next scenario

?

 

[Biggle_Bear]

I really like the idea. Especially if it is connected to a npc reaction system on table.

Are you planning on writing a few of these? or make it so players can make their own, perhaps?

Two things about the app function, I noticed a spelling mistake or two, in case you were planning on presenting it higher up the ladder of influence. And I have no physical home button on my mobile so I couldn't escape the app.