The Case for Squares

Back in Dark War RPGland...

Some folks call me a game designer, some a writer, and some much worse. Really, however, I'm a juggler, designing, writing, managing the production of multiple games, and marketing Flying Pig simultaneously. Flying Pig is currently running a successful Kickstarter for Platoon Commander Deluxe: Kursk, a game I am very excited about. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to post an update for those excited about the upcoming Dark War Role-Playing Game, based on the Dark War: Retribution novel. The update is about the game's combat mat, and the use of squares.

Squares? Yeah. My original intent, and my initial testing took place on a map divided into seven range bands. Each range band was further laterally divided into three, making 21 areas. The idea was to focus people on the combat, not the maneuver. That isn't an alien concept to many roll players. 

Werewolves ambush a tank column in Dark War.

Some folks, many folks in fact, play RPGs to role-play. They are in it for the adventure, the fascination, the interaction, the immersion. They are willing, even eager, to spray some lead or sling a spell, but combat usually takes a back seat to story. They are often happy with an GM who carefully arranges the dice on a table and states, "Okay, these four white dice represent trailer park trailers, the two black dice are riflemen, and the green dice are you guys. Let's rumble."

It didn't really work for Dark War. The mat felt restrictive.

So I went to a hex map. That was good. I tripled ranges, changed movement speeds, and everything felt more open, tactical. The problem is that hexes at this scale are wack when you try to make buildings. Such a dilemma. I know the Dark War role-players are fine with squares, but those that intend to use this as a type of skirmish game prefer hexes. I know this because I get a lot of crap about the squares in Night of Man (although people are strangely cool with the concept in Day of Heroes).

At last I decided that it didn't matter who was cool with what. The combat will only work with squares. Okay. That took about ten minutes to type, perhaps six months to figure out through weekly testing. Anyway, squares it is. 

Mark H. Walker served 23 years in the United States Navy, most of them as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal diver. He is the owner of Flying Pig Games as well as Tiny Battle Publishing the designer of the aliens-invade-Earth game Night of Man, the Communists invade South Vietnam game, '65, publisher of Old School Tactical, and the author of Desert Moon, an exciting mecha, military science fiction novel with a twist, with plenty of damn science fiction in it despite what any candy-ass reviewer says, as well as World at War-Dark War: Revelation, a creepy, military action, with a love story, alternate history, World War Three novel thing, Everyone Dies in the End, and numerous short stories. All the books and stories are available from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing right here. Give them a try. I mean, what the hell?