Handy Manual for Commanders

by Jan Heinemann

What to expect?
Kriegsspiel as such is not a game in the present common understanding of the term. It rather is an
exercise of command, communication, situational tactical and strategic understanding, coping with
contingency and control of the uncontrollable. In its depth and due to the fact that it is run double
blind by umpires, it is special compared to any other game you might be familiar with. Kriegsspiel is
not about winning or losing, it is about learning experiences.
The umpire’s ruling is non-negotiable during the game. After the game, a debriefing discussion and
scenario analysis brings together the various perspectives of all participants to ensure profound debate
about the whats and whys and what-ifs and what to take away from the scenario.
You are roleplaying division commanders operating as a Corps (army). You will receive an order
from your Corps commander and will work together to execute that plan as successfully as possible.
The aim of the game is not to win, but to obtain the best experience possible in line with the situation.
You will need to think tactically, work cooperatively, and get imaginative to achieve your goal. The
game will come to a natural conclusion when one sides goals are achieved.

Eight Laws for Commanders

powered by Napoleon Bonaparte

1. “I have given an order, but who was able to read my real intentions?”
Give precise orders, stick to the format, repeat them. Write your orders before writing
dispatches, you can still do the latter during the umpire turn.
2. “The secret of war lies in the communications.”
Coordinate with your corps and neighboring corps and divisions, let the men on your flank
know what is happening! Do never operate on your own.

3. “God fights on the side with the best artillery.”

Silence the enemy’s guns with your own, shatter their approach, bombard their troops before
marching in!

4. “Cavalry is useful before, during, and after the battle.”

Cavalry is the eyes and ears of the army. Gather as much information as possible,
deny intel to the enemy, delay their advance, preserve your forces.

5. “If I always appear prepared, it is because I have foreseen what might

occur; it is thought and preparation.”
Always think ahead: What could happen next and how would you react to it? Think about
reserves and fallback positions, before you are forced to use them.

6. “The first principle of the commander is to conceal what he is doing.”

Use terrain to hide your movement and reserves and protect your men from artillery fire.
Beware, the enemy will do the same. Scout obscure ground!

7. “In war, everything depends on morale.”

Keep your soldiers alive, let them recover, rotate disrupted units and brigades out of the fray!
Press disrupted enemies, create and exploit breakthroughs with reserves.

8. “I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest.”

If you are precise, coordinate actions, cover your attack with artillery, keep a reserve, exploit
situations, you are doing great. The rest is up to the dice and malicious umpires. Don’t panic,
stay agile in your movements and thoughts!
Troops and Formations

Brigades
All units of a brigade are ordered and moved together, unless a single unit (also known as a battalion)
of the brigade breaks or routs and is out of control. You cannot order single units of the brigade
separately. It is supposed that brigades have their own officers, who react to given situations (i.e.
change from Column to Line if close to the enemy).

1. Marching Column
The quickest way to move brigades around, though unable to fight and a nice target for the
enemy.

2. Line
The most basic formation. All units of a brigade form Line (here deployed along a fence line
providing some cover). While granting firepower and covering a fair amount of ground, this
formation is the weaker the lower the quality of its troops is. This formation is slow to
maneuver.
 3. Double Line
A more compromised formation than the Line. Not as vulnerable to enemy fire. Enables the
brigade commander to rotate disrupted units out of enemy fire. The unit in the second line
could also be situated behind one of the units in front, instead of being centered behind them.

4. Attack Column
Units of a brigade formed in tiered lines. Not a lot of combat power but less vulnerable than
Marching Columns, although slower. Good for reserve brigades or to be thrown in to exploit
breakthroughs. Able to form into Double Line or Line quickly by shifting units to the left and
right or fade out in echelon. This method of movement is faster than Line formation

Charging the Enemy

The enemy is never to be charged, UNLESS they are severely disordered or if the charge is not under
threat by enemy artillery. A charge may only be ordered, if it is by all means necessary, clearly
advantageous or serves a higher purpose within the overall battleplan.

Artillery
Artillery is a monster in whose jaws you don’t want to stare. Silencing the enemy guns with your
own is an undeniable priority. Artillery is also a perfect speed bump for an enemy attack, and of
stringent necessity to prepare your own attack. Search for highground to position it with good lines
of fire, or make sure your artilery are right next to your brigade formations.
Cavalry
(Light Cavalry only rules)

Combat Role
Despite the fact that cavalry can be used for denying positions to the enemy until the infantry
arrives, stalling the enemy’s advance or fighting rearguard actions, their key role on the
battlefield is reconnaissance.
Positive Reconnaissance
Cavalry troops are the eyes of the army. They need to detect enemy forces and report
their movement and strength to corps in the vicinity and Army Headquarters.
Negative Reconnaissance
Cavalry troops are also the shield of the army. They need to counter enemy
reconnaissance parties and screen troop deployment of other corps in order to deny
intel to the enemy.
In order to fulfill this versatile role, cavalry needs to spread brigades to reconnoiter, and needs
to concentrate to fight stalling actions.

Combat Strength
Cavalry Troops are small forces and thus fragile. They don’t have the combat power to fight
infantry at equal unit count. Rules for charging the enemy especially apply to cavalry – it will
almost always end in disaster. If fighting stalling actions, make sure to fall back
frequently in order to preserve combat strength and recover.
Divisions
Any combination of brigade formations is possible. Think about reserves, weak spots in your line,
where to prepare attacks, how to screen deployment, which units to be leading elements of a column
and so on.

An example: A regular brigade in Double Line on the right, a veteran brigade in Line on the left, an
elite brigade in Brigade Column (by regiment) in reserve behind the left wing, which can form into
line or double line to replace the veteran brigade, deploy to the left or move up to cover the flank of
the veteran brigade if that pushes forward, could even switch into Marching Column (in this case with
regiments parallel to each other) and move quickly on the right flank of the division.

Supply Trains
Keep your divisional Supply Train in a secure position, but not too far from your troops. They are
rally points for breaking units and to resupply artillery.

Marching Order
The Marching Order of divisions and corps is wisely to be decided.
An Elite brigade leading the column may be able to hold off an enemy attack while the other brigades
are deploying, but it will be rendered useless due to disruption and you will have to throw in your
weaker units soon.
The artillery is vulnerable but a perfect speed bump to the enemy if able to deploy quickly and unload
canister into their lines. There is no wrong or right, the Marching Order should fit the situation and
your plan, but sorting brigades by quality, simply because of their quality is not a legit decision.
e.g., 1st brig, 2nd brig, 1st artillery Battery, 3rd brig, myself.
Troop Quality and Morale
The quality of the troops defines their standing in combat. Troop quality ranges from
Elite (three stars),
Veteran (two stars),
Regular (one star), to
Green (no star).

Simply assume by common sense that units of better quality may resist enemy fire a bit longer
than those of lower quality.

Losses will permanently deplete your units numbers. Once they are reduced a significant amount, the
unit will be routed and eliminated.
Disruption temporarily reduces your units combat effectiveness. Perhaps a few officers took hits, or
perhaps order needs to be reestablished.
Breaking units will fall back to the supply train of the division to recover.
Routed units will run where they want, which could cause disorder to other units in its path. Routed
units can only be rallied by a division commander.

Disruption is reduced over time when the unit stays out of combat.

Taking these points into account, it is crucial to carefully use and maneuver your brigades in order to
preserve your division! Make use of formations fitting the terrain and objective of your deployment,
rotate units out of the combat to give them some rest to recover.

Relentless fighting or even charging the enemy may result in a shattered division which then leads to
an outflanked corps, which makes the whole army crumbling apart. Sometimes, though, it may be
necessary to risk the cohesion of a brigade to buy time to deploy the division or for some bigger
maneuver. Not only in this case is it important to keep reserves which can plug the hole, once the
brigade has to be pulled back or even breaks.
Orders and Dispatches

How to write Orders

Give precise orders per brigade and stick to the formatting below. The order needs to contain the
destination and task of the unit, as well as the type of formation if it should (re-)deploy (i.e. march
along road to farm, deploy in double line at hill, wheel right to support). Repeat the orders each turn,
as long as they do not change and the brigade has not reached the ordered state and position, yet.
Don’t construct complicated order chaines with if, then-components, they will be ignored by the
umpires.

Don’t be annoyed if the brigade does not execute the orders as given. This may result from ambiguous
orders or a decision of the umpires which simulates the behaviour of your subordinate brigade
commanders. Those might march the wrong road or deploy once they encounter the enemy. War is
hell and chaos, although we sometimes forget about that in our armchairs.

How to write Dispatches

Communication is crucial to any military endeavour. Stick to the formatting below and give
information about your current location, the time and where you assume the recipient to be. As long
as the courier does not run into the enemy, you don’t need to fear him and the dispatch being captured
by the enemy. Send the courier along safe routes, if in doubt. If in the vicinity of the recipient, it
might be easier to quickly ride over and talk in person.

Your dispatches should contain a description of your current situation and plans (i.e. are you deployed
or in combat, how is the situation developing), explicit orders to your subordinates or requests and
suggestions to your commanders (i.e. attack position, send flanking force, need support, there seems
to be an opportunity to do things). Report relevant information frequently and deliver intel to your
commander, this is crucial to provide a basis for decision making.

Which intel and information is actually relevant depends on your disposition, the overall plan and
current situation on the battlefield, as well as your position in command hierarchy (i.e. the enemy
marches in that direction, estimated strength, X Corps is commencing the attack). Subordinates don’t
have to know everything, they are occupied commanding their corps and brigades, the Commanding
General doesn’t need to know how your brigades are deployed. Send the right information at the right
point in time and consider the time it takes for the courier to arrive at his destination.
Orders formatting
for Division Cdrs or Corps Cdrs with corps reserves:

Example:
**1st Brigade** - Deploy in line between road and trostle farm
**2nd Brigade** - Deploy in double line to the right of 1st Brigade.
**3rd Brigade** - Move in brigade column behind 1st Brigade.
**Artillery** - Deploy to the left of 1st Brigade.
Units will attack in echelon after artillery fires, starting with 2nd Brigade -> 1st Brigade -> 3rd
Brigade to the left of 1st.

Make sure to repeat the previous order for each unit, if it has not changed and is still valid. Simply
copy and paste the previous orders block and change those orders that need to be changed.
You can make text bold by typing ** in front and behind the phrase. You can also select the text and
click B for bold in the pop-up.

Dispatch formatting
This formatting only applies if no bot or other tool is used to send dispatches.

*Dispatch to: Name, Command, and assumed location of recipient(optional but recommended to
avoid losing your dispatch)*
*Current location, current time*
*Message.*
*Salutation,*
*Name, Command*

You can make text cursive by typing * in front and behind the phrase. You can also select text and
click I for italic in the pop-up.

How to use formatting

You have to apply formatting per paragraph.

To use these formattings, you can once write and then copy and paste them afterwards, if you don't
want to format each message over and over again.

Once you have used these layouts for orders and dispatches, you can simply go back to the previous
one in Discord, press "edit", copy it and paste it into the new message, edit what needs to be changed
and send it out.