GURPS Mass Combat out

[David L Pulver]

Micro Designer Notes

GURPS Mass Combat was first outlined almost exactly two years ago. I came up with a basic outline for the project in about a day of frantic brainstorming. Kromm liked it, made numerous useful suggestions, and, months later, it began to move toward fruition. It's been quite a while since I actually got a chance to do some serious military research, and I enjoyed catching up on recent scholarship (some listed in the book's bibliography).

One of the key decisions made mid-way through the process was to move away from the "everything in one single roll" to a round-by-round approach with gradual casualties and the option to choose and vary battle strategies (like combat maneuvers). This also increases the roleplaying element, as you can be a hard-ass commander who orders all out attacks which increase the chance of success, but also increase casualties on your own side. Or try various trick maneuvers that benefit if you have the skill to pull them off, but will probably end in disaster if you don't, fight defensively, etc. The idea is to make mass combat a fairly tense, fast-paced part of the game where players can make real decisions that affect their troops.

These are coupled with an initial recon phase (which also encourages PC involvement) and which also allow light troops and recon elements to shine. A significant rules element is the integration of terrain types into reconnaissance: the closer the terrain, the more likely a battle will turn into a suprirse or ambush (usually disadvantaging without side had worse recon). Some troop types do better when the fight is a surprise or quick encounter battle; others, like heavy artillery, are much better in a pitched battle.

Kromm also emphasized the importance of keeping PCs front and center in the battle even if they weren't commanding the forces, and that led to rules for heroic actions (and disasters) in which even minor PCs can get involved. This particular rule encourage a bit more narrativism than is usual in GURPS, encouraging players to explain how their characters may get caught up in "for want of a nail" situations, but I think it works well.

I'd like to praise the playtesters of Mass Combat, who really put the system through its paces. Although fights featured everything from wizards to modern troops vs. giant monsters, particularly useful were the several historical refights, which ran from Kadesh (Egypt, 1274 BC) to 73 Easting (Iraq, 1991), which let me check historical results against the numbers. This was not only one of the more useful playtests, it was also fun! Thanks again!