Imperial Assault and app-driven wargames

A few days ago I played with my brother at Imperial Assault. It’s a fun and engaging game, where theme and mechanics combine really well. Like other recent board games (see Mansion of Madness) it uses an app to help players guide the game. In Imperial Assault, it determined which (and how many) enemies appear, where, when and how they behave. It also drives the scenarios and campaign forward. In other words, it fulfills the role of a Game Master, and allows solitaire play.

I liked it: we really felt the pressure of increasing numbers of enemies closing on our positions while we fought a desperate rearguard action. We didn’t have to check rulebooks or charts aside for the few ones regarding our own forces  - the app did most of it for us. It effectively blended the “old” (miniatures on a table) with the “new” (the app).

Ok, I agree it's more of a boardgame than a wargame. But it reminded me of the usefulness (maybe not always, but sometimes at least) of having an umpire/control during a miniature wargame too – something that nowadays is common only in professional wargaming for defence and the military. It was more common for commercial games in the past, just look at C.S.Grant’s table top teasers and scenario books, but the current difficulty of arranging face-to-face games with fellow players makes it even harder to find someone who doesn’t really play but just acts umpire – unless you attend a wargaming club.

And yet, maybe we’re missing something without it. The idea players may not know all that will happen during a battle (reinforcements, weather, sudden change of orders/objectives) or the fact they receive a briefing about what to expect – and then find differently and have to adapt on the spot.

We usually cover this with randomization (for example for variable-entry reinforcements) and it usually works fine. Most players (especially younger ones) consider “umpire” only as the people to ask for in-game rules clarifications or interpretations. Still, I can’t stop thinking that a similar app (better if non-rules specific) for scenarios and/or campaigns would be great.

Will app-driven games reach the miniature wargaming field? In a sense, with games like Imperial assault and other historical forthcoming titles, they already are, in a sense. It could even spark a new booming trend if they prove successful. But would a specific one aimed at traditional miniature wargaming be ever produced? I don’t know. You need a market for it, given the investment it would require to make it work AND be pleasant to use. I think it could be produced for a mainstream rules system with a large community of players worldwide. Or a generic one could be produced, one that can be adapted to any (a sort of modern version of “Programmed Scenarios for Wargames), but then you would lose the marketing angle linked to known rules.

We may be sad that maybe we’re losing the ability and willingness to do it on our own, or that it may drive people more towards a different concept of miniature gaming, but if technology can help revive and spark new interest in wargaming, then I believe it’s a good development anyway.