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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dogbrain" data-source="post: 1590839" data-attributes="member: 14980">What if the commander has a good radio setup?  Does "Leadership" only apply to that ineffable quality possessed by a good sergeant?  If so, what happens if a sniper who is half a mile or more away with a .50 rifle takes this Leader out?  What morale penalties are assessed?  I recall an account of a German squad that simply froze in place--in the open, on a street, during an urban operation, when their leader got killed by a sniper.  They just stood there, easy to pick off, emotionally devastated.Likewise, a great leader (like MacDonald, Early, Jackson, etc.) could influence the performance of troops very far outside a mere 100-foot radius--just by his presence on the field.  Likewise, in many cases, the best "subleader" was not someone who possessed great personal leadership skills but instead was able to "transmit" the leadership of higher-ups.What about radio?  I don't recall anyone saying that this was a "primitive only" set of rules.  Even in a primitive setting, communication is vital.  It turned the tide at First Bull Run.  Union Artillery was exposed on a rise when they saw infantry advancing upon them from the flank.  They turned their guns to stop the infantry before it got within musket range.  A Union officer rode up and stopped the gunners from firing grape into the ranks--grape that could have destroyed the infantry.  He was of the opinion that the infantry were Union and had been sent to support the guns.  Once the infantry got within musket range, they fired, destroying a critical artillery emplacement and turning the battle to the Confederacy.  This was a failure in communication.  The officer mis-judged the identity of the infantry and could not communicate with higher-ups to find out if Union infantry really had been sent.Actually, a large number of wargame rules cannot simulate this real situation ("real" as in "it really happened") at all.  There is very little attention paid to fog of war and critical mistakes like this.</blockquote>

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