Continuing the discussion...
Back in Journal 51 Mark Bevis responded to my previous article on MSH (Modern Spearhead) and my replies to some of his ideas and thoughts… As it has now been some time (2 years or more) since that article I thought I’d write some more on the subject, outline some of what I have been up to, and reply to Mark’s recent comments as well.
As I write this I am in the process of building a completely new Soviet 1982-86 era Motor Rifle Division from scratch, along with an additional Tank Regiment as well as a British Mechanised Brigade and am intending to build a German or Belgian Brigade and a small US ‘Task Force’ to accompany them.
The following article originally appeared in the SOTCW’s Journal No.56 (Christmas 2006) in response to an article by Mark Bevis in Journal 51 (Christmas 2004). Mark’s previous reply is reproduced here in More thoughts on Modern Spearhead.
Needless to say I have become what is known as a ‘GHQ Slut‘ and the forces are being built almost entirely with GHQ and CinC models (and of course Scotia’s very good range of towed guns). Scotia & NavWar/H&R have only been resorted to when needed! I might even write an article on this at a later date. These forces will hopefully see their first action in August 2006 at our (seemingly annual) big MSH game in Wellington (New Zealand) – which will probably have been and gone by the time you read this! Another possible subject for an article too methinks.
News
I would like to take the opportunity to let people know that MSH is not a ‘forgotten‘ rule set by its authors. I have been working on numerous items of material for it which includes a new website design, new Soviet organisations and data cards, corrections to the British organisations and data cards, and most importantly general errata for the main rules. However at the time of writing I can not confirm if and when any of this will be publicly available. When Alex and I published MSH in conjunction with Arty Conliffe it was done under contract and as such the (legal) copyright is actually held by the owner (i.e Publisher) rather than the authors – this means any significant material made available for free (even errata) is at the owner’s discretion rather than the author’s.
We’ve also been dealing with issues of breach of copyright and plagiarism in recent years – we have had a few instances where part, or all, of Spearhead, Modern Spearhead, and/or Crossfire have been reproduced and made available for free by one means or another, without the authors’ consent, and in most cases presented as the instigators own original intellectual property! I one of these cases the entire rulebook of one of the above was converted to PDF and put up on the web. And that’s a prospective subject for another article about respecting author’s efforts and intellectual rights.
Combat Teams
Ah yes, that old chestnut! Mark replied to my earlier thoughts about combat teams, again reinforcing his view they should be represented by 2 stands in MSH. Obviously as one of the authors I strongly disagree… Mark comments that he has found MSH gamers equally divided on the issue, but I would challenge that. I have found the vast majority accept the 1-stand concept outright, and once the balance are familiar with the game as written, also support the system, and Mark’s experience is perhaps more symptomatic of the gamers in his area (reflecting the prior rule sets they have previously played).
I have found the gamers who struggle to get their heads around the concept and what we are trying to achieve are also usually the ones most obsessed (or perhaps in love with is a kinder turn of phrase) with minor technical differences of weapons and theoretical performance and who usually in the past have played WRG 1950-2000 or Challenger or similar 1:1 rule sets. This is not an indictment of them as gamers, but of the environment they have gamed in previously, and the areas where other rule sets have put their focus. In most cases I have seen players who initially disliked the one stand concept come to appreciate it once they had played sufficient games to get comfortable with the game mind set and its objectives.
As one of the authors I should of course not have to justify the decisions we made in the design, however that aside here are some brief points relating to the design of combat teams:
Command
MSH is designed to simulate the experience from a Divisional or even Corps Commanders position (it can and often is played at the Brigade Commander’s level but the same basic concepts apply). As such whether troops are in or out of their APC or IFV is irrelevant and is of no concern whatsoever to the Divisional Commander. From his or her perspective interest normally stops at the Battalion level (or occasionally Company Level if a Brigade Commander) – is it in position, doing what it was told, and is it succeeding…? Strangely enough Mark actually indirectly supports this view elsewhere with his comment “As we are not really making decisions at the Company/BGHQ level…” under his ‘Moving under defend orders’ discussion but seems to then ignore it when discussing Combat Teams?
Design
The rules have been carefully designed to incorporate the single stand concept and to balance the benefits of the dual capability such formations offer. We also believe we have been quite cunning and smart in designing how these stands operate to represent the high level view of them without unnecessary complication. To suddenly start using 2 separate stands undermines significant parts of the rules and changes the play balance in many areas.