White Boards of Doom

Tip of the Day

Every commander needs a great big board to plot his plans upon.

Next time you are out shopping, and passing by CheapWorld with a few spare coins jingling in your pocket, dive in and grab a couple of these small but fantastically handy white boards for use in your next game / simulation ...

The French commander draws in his plan for an attack on the blockhouse covering the Stadtchen of Krookwurst by 2nd Division, with Divisions 1 and 3 covering each flank.

They are only a couple of dollars each, including a whiteboard marker and holder.

Small enough to hold in one hand, or place it on your lap to write upon.

Issue one to each player, and use it to draw a map of the table with commander's OOB, initial deployments, and general plan of attack.

You can also use a section of the board to list out the OOB, and denote any special notes for each regiment (or battalion, or company, or squad .. depending on the simulation you are running)

For simple and clear command and control ... all subunits of the command must conform with the orders on the whiteboard for each move.

The commander must pass a 'change orders' roll in order to alter any information on the planning board.  Simple and easy !

Of course, a whiteboard is a little out of place on a Napoleonic battlefield. I tried using parchment sheets and ink quills for a bit of period flavour, but trust me, that is not completely practical.

Another option would be to dress up the whiteboard marker with a quill feather, so at least it looks the part.  The border of the whiteboard (currently a cheap bit of plastic painted silver) could quite easily be modified with a suitable ornate frame made to look like intricately carved wood or brass.

... fun project for another day.


..... and yes .... if you spotted it in the background, that is an overscale walrus that the French Old Guard are duelling with near the bridge.

I dont quite know why, but I keep finding my Old Guard regiment embroiled in the most curious of conflicts at times. If its not nameless horrors from a previous century, its overscale sea creatures invading my serious simulation table. hmmm ....

Disaster Strikes !  But its nothing cold steel cannot handle.