tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5737853305204847838.post5135834156577321174..comments2023-11-20T05:27:02.037+00:00Comments on GrogNews: GameTalk - PsyOpsBranthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07482746543829626805noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5737853305204847838.post-69330082430439144042012-04-05T19:19:21.523+01:002012-04-05T19:19:21.523+01:00I admittedly thought this might be a tough questio...I admittedly thought this might be a tough question with few examples, but I thought it worth asking.<br /><br />The basis of psy-ops is to positivley or negatively effect morale. Many examples of psy-ops exist in-real-life...Vlad the Impaler "staked" enemy soldiers to show his ferocity; pamphlet bombing goes back to at least WWI; and US troops blasted heavy metal music at Noreiga to get him to surrender...but so very few games model these efforts.<br /><br />I like the role that morale plays in some of the new mini games. Last weekend I played a game of Legends of the Old West and watched with satisfaction as my opponents henchmen ran from the board after I had gunned down his last "hero". That satisfaction was based more on how the rules modelled "realistic" possibilities.<br /><br />I also note with interest that the Somali player in Day of Heros can issue his units a ration of Khat to enhance their performance. <br /><br />Yours in gaming,<br /><br />Jack NastyfaceJack Nastyfacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01873394741209057608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5737853305204847838.post-11238708858079331092012-04-04T23:43:35.480+01:002012-04-04T23:43:35.480+01:00Without getting into the whole structure of morale...Without getting into the whole structure of morale rules, which most miniatures rules sets have in spades (board games too, but a bit less so), there are a few examples of games where one side can affect the enemy materially with "non-lethal" attacks. <br /><br />The Gondor example is best, taken right from the original book actually. <br /><br />I recall a scenario of the old Metagaming Microgame "Sticks and Stones" covering a ritual battle where both sides engaged in unarmed combat (presumably a lot of threat displays and hooting and bad language, such as you can see outside a student pub most weekend nights), until someone actually got injured or killed - then the game was over.<br /><br />My own COIN-related games at the operational-strategic level have menus of non-kinetic operations where one side can affect the other's popular support or cohesion through different methods.<br /><br />The best psychological warfare of all, though, is not modelled in the game but which takes place in the mind of the other player! This is where games with a heavy fog-of-war element really come into their own.Briannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5737853305204847838.post-46618762528499845682012-04-04T14:42:15.999+01:002012-04-04T14:42:15.999+01:00I remember a turn-based "Age of rifles" ...I remember a turn-based "Age of rifles" battle sim. The own troops felt more secure when they were backed by a friendly line of troops behind them and troops easily panicked when attacked from the side. the latter is a more frequent game mechanic than the former.<br /><br />The Steel Panthers series had at least in one game a game mechanic that forced tank crews to panic when their tank got hit often. This was most relevant in a ridiculous example of game mechanic gone wrong; Mathilda tank crews were safe from small calibre gun shelling, but they panicked. In reality, dozens of non-penetrations would have reassured them.<br /><br />Some other games featured panicking units; the panic can often be induced by causing huge losses. For example, in the King Arthur RPG/strategy game you could decimate a melee unit of 36 with arrows and they'd break and run when reduced to 5-15.S Onoreply@blogger.com