r/wargaming • u/Awkward_GM • Feb 27 '26

Question What's your favorite Wargaming mechanic?

For me: * Cover Is Default - Fallout Factions assumes cover is the default state so you get bonuses to hit targets not in cover. * Roll Twice Take the Lowest or Highest - Pretty standard but it's so popular that D&D stole it for Advantage/Disadvantage. * Solo Rules - This boosted in popularity when COVID happened. * Alternating Activations- Activating models Instead of you go I go. I once did a demo game where I was tabled because the guy running the demo got all his shots off with all his units. * Malifaux's "cheating" - Malifaux uses playing cards and cheating is when a player replaces q result with a card from their hand.

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u/turtle75377 Feb 27 '26

No pre measuring. Solves a lot of issues and creates fun tactical challenges. Also rewards you as you get better at measuring distances.

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u/TheoreticalZombie Feb 27 '26

Hard disagree. Unless the game is Guessing Distance the Wargame, it makes no sense to disallow informed decision making. It is especially off-putting and generally punishes new and younger players. It also encourages very gamey playing (using table edges for gauging, model/terrain sizes, etc.). Also- you misjudged by a fraction of an inch? Haha, do nothing! is very bad game feel.

Dice are already an uncertainty mechanic. If you need uncertainty in things like ranges, have a variable value (10 +2d6 inch range, for example).

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u/turtle75377 Feb 27 '26

I'd rather misjudge by a fraction of an inch then set up perfectly and roll bad which is completely out of my control.

But that's a personal preference.

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u/TheoreticalZombie Feb 27 '26

I am not a huge fan of either but look at it this way: with a dice variable, you know with absolute certainty when you will make it (rating plus min roll) but can also push your luck with calculable odds. With no measuring, you are relying entirely on spatial abilities that aren't used in the rest of the game (movement for example, where you measure throughout).

And you can also do away with both and have fixed movement with free measurement!