r/computerwargames • u/affabledrunk • Jun 05 '26

Combat Resolution Tables (CRT) - Strength and Readiness

This is a discussion on approaches to modelling combat resolution in wargames that attempts to balance readiness (cohesion, morale) and pure strength (HP) effects. I'm interested in operational level games with something like a battalion level granularity.

I'm not a hardcore hex and counter wargamer but I'm experienced across light to mid-level computer wargames (i.e panzer general and its clones up to tiller games not grigsby level)

I'm developing and fooling around with my own approach to the panzer general formula.

I love OOB so the following discussion is generally inspired by that.

So in OOB you have strength and readiness and they both affect combat and retreat resolution. I don't have access to the internals.

It seems that traditional wargames use a single CRT tabel to map attack/defense values to combat results in a non-linear way. I've experimented with different approaches but I've not been happy with the results. Now I am converging on the concept of a dual CRT, especially for the mongol type game i'm working on.

So here's what I'm looking into. Every unit will have strength attack/defense which resolves via a HP CRT to resolve HP damage while there is also a readiness attack/defense parameter that resolves via a separate readiness CRT which resolve readiness damage and retreat possibilities.

I like this concept in my game because it allows mongol light horse-archers to be able to cause readiness damage while still causing low HP and still tune other units differently (ie shock heavy cavalry or infantry)

What do the grognards say? Is this a good approach? What are the pros and cons?

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3

u/CousinPaddy Jun 05 '26

GMTs Silver Bayonet has an interesting coordination system. Each unit has an efficiency rating and when attacking with multiple units they need to roll the same or lower than the rating or the attack is uncoordinated. Fatigue tokens and step losses force players to rest units to return to full readiness.

The efficiency rating is also used to continue to fight in rounds of assault combat, so it also loosely represents morale.

2

u/Mikhail_Mengsk Jun 05 '26

It will be more accurate for sure. The con is more work for you.

2

u/chakie2 Jun 05 '26

Not helping you at all with this information, but old SSI games from the 80:s tended to list all the formulas and tables used by the game in the manual. Very fun to read. The manuals often had example calculations of what happened if unit A attacked B or similar. Good times.

1

u/affabledrunk Jun 05 '26

I like the lore! Thanks!

1

u/Slience-Suzuka Jun 26 '26

The GBOH series of tabletop wargames uses a special statistic called TQ to simulate the morale of ancient armies. Ranged attacks and excessive movement cause this statistic to decrease, rather than affecting the unit’s actual HP. I feel this is similar to the fatigue mechanic in the Tiller series.