[GRUNTS] A Few Notes

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I really don't have much in the way of brainstorming on this one but I'm going to explore it in further detail here.

It's a simple enough concept.  Take those small green Army men from our youth and make a game around them.  It seems like everybody had at least a few of these laying around.  When I got the idea to pursue this idea, I kept my eyes open to see what I could find.  At two of the discount shops (Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Big Lots, etc.) I was able to buy these two bags for $1-$2 each.



With a very small investment, I was able to get 50 soldiers of green and brown to represent opposing forces.  That will actually cover my goal of squad to platoon level combat. Of course, it's just an approximation but it isn't unrealistic or anything.  A short time after I bought these 2 bags, I realized I hadn't stopped at Wal-Mart to see their selection.  For $10 I bought a bucket with 100 green and brown soldiers plus some scenery like sandbags, concertina wire, and some other obstacles. I have more figures than I need but it's always nice to have extras.



I've got the easiest part of the work done.  I have opposing armies to work with to begin exploring my ideas.  Beginning with some basics, I have come up with a few ideas.

1. Each soldier will be assumed to be 6 ft. tall for game purposes.

2. The scale will be 1 inch of game space equals 6 feet of real space.

3. I think task resolution will be done on an ART [Action Results Table] with 2D6 being used to determine the outcome.

4. I need to look at the figures and determine some kind of Attack and Defense rating for each type.

5. Other considerations may include cover, ambushes, reinforcements, supplies, weather, and certainly more.

5. The rules will aim to be simple in design and execution.  There are enough massive tomes of rules filled with excessive complication.

More to come...

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

One of the ways to keep this game at a low cost is to avoid using individual terrain pieces such as trees, logs, rocks, etc. that are sold in various hobby shops.  The pieces can be expensive and assembling a large collection can be somewhat pricey.  They do look great (as shown below) but using them goes against my idea for a low-cost game. I would consider using them in small quantities around the main bunker, camp, or something like that.  



I would suggest using a roll of craft paper or butcher paper on your kitchen table.  Roll out the amount you need and cut it from the stock.  Then you could draw in a river with a blue magic marker and other terrain features could be drawn on the paper as well.  When the game is over, you can roll up the board and keep it for future use.  Maybe you could laminate it to protect it?