[Game Mechanics] About the Turn Structure and Unit Activation Mechanisms in Tabletop Wargames

Before introducing the Wargames I recommend or have created, I’d like to first discuss the game mechanics I’ve encountered over the years in various wargames. The turn structure and unit activation mechanisms are often the first aspects I look at, as they determine the flow of the game, the psychological load on players, and the time it takes to play.

You might wonder: I understand how these mechanisms determine the flow of the game, but why would they affect the psychological load on players and the time it takes?

Let’s begin by exploring the different categories of mechanics and the games that implement them.

Alternative Activation

This is a mechanism favored by skirmish-type games, where after you activate one of your units, I activate one of mine. The main advantage of this system is the back-and-forth interaction between players. As long as you make the right decisions, theoretically, you can respond to any of the opponent's actions. However, this mechanism is typically used in games with fewer units on each side. Why? Because once a player has activated one of their units, the other player begins to think. At this point, the player may need to reassess the entire battlefield, such as which unit to use in response to the opponent's action, whether exposing a valuable unit by having it fire is worth the risk of losing it, and if the player can afford that risk. If support is needed, how many turns will it take to reposition or activate units… and so on. This makes the psychological load on players quite heavy, and often results in a long game time.

The author is a fan of Games Workshop’s Kill Team (2018, 2021 versions) and Necromunda (2017~ version). These games have very few units per player, around ten or so, compared to the larger-scale Warhammer 40,000, where there could be a dozen units or more, each with anywhere from five to twenty models. Despite having far fewer models, these games can still take up to two or more hours to play, basically the same length of time as a full Warhammer 40,000 game!

Furthermore, games with alternative activation often suffer from a phenomenon called "activation suppression." This refers to the strategy of overwhelming the opponent with many lower-value units so that they can activate more units before the opponent’s main units can act. After the opponent’s key units are forced to activate and take low-value actions, the player can make the best decisions to dominate. This is generally called "Activation Economy." To counter this issue, players are often forced to include units they don’t like in their squads, and some game designers introduce mechanisms to address this, such as free or low-cost units to balance the activation count (e.g., Frostgrave), or allowing activated units to take certain reactionary actions (e.g., Kill Team 2021). However, not all games have these solutions (e.g., Necromunda 2017, Warcry).

Group Activation

To solve some of the problems of alternative activation, certain games have adopted this variant, which allows players to activate multiple units consecutively without switching turns. This solves some of the earlier-mentioned issues, such as concentrating firepower when advancing or retreating, or quickly repositioning units to avoid the enemy's line of sight. While activating multiple units at once could exacerbate the activation suppression issue, it can also be used as a solution. For example, forcing low-value units to activate in a group can help manage the issue.

Random Activation

As the name suggests, random activation involves completely randomizing the order of unit activations. The most common method is to assign a number to each unit and shuffle the numbers. Players then draw a number and activate the corresponding unit.

This mechanism has two main variations: one in which players shuffle their own unit cards and draw from their own deck to activate units, and another where the cards do not specify which unit is activated but only indicate whose turn it is to activate.

Both variations have their own fun aspects, but the core idea is to solve the problem of activation economy by randomizing the activation order. This forces players to ensure that every unit can interact meaningfully with the game mechanics, mitigating the problem of resources becoming overly concentrated in a few high-value units. If these high-value units cannot be activated at the ideal time and fail to contribute, it could negatively impact the game's development.

However, this randomness also turns off many players. Many people are drawn to wargames because they want to control their army. If they can’t perfectly manage that control, why should they play? As a result, many players, regardless of the game scale, prefer…

UGO/IGO (You Go, I Go)

This is the simplest activation mechanism. You activate all of your units during your turn, and I only perform defensive actions, such as attempting to counterattack or checking if my units are wounded. Once you’re done with all your actions, I activate all my units, and so on.

This system is common in larger-scale games. As the number of units increases, the number of exchanges also grows, and alternative activation becomes extremely time-consuming. Moreover, when players can fully operate all their units during their turn, the formation of their army can be maintained. This is especially important in games where the army relies on mechanisms like morale to maintain unit efficiency and cohesion.

Some games, however, modify this system. For example, in Lion Rampant, units must roll  dice to exceed a certain threshold in order to activate. If the roll fails, the chain of command breaks down, and the opposing player can seize the initiative and begin their turn.

This doesn’t mean small-scale skirmishes are unsuitable for this system. The simple turn structure allows games with just a handful of units to proceed at a faster pace, and as long as the other rules and battlefield design prevent situations like being wiped out in a single turn, the game can be faster than alternative activation systems, such as the original Necromunda and Mordheim.

In this community, there are also many players who transitioned from tabletop RPGs (TRPGs), and these players may be more accustomed to systems based on...

Activation According to Initiative

In many TRPGs, characters, whether allies or enemies, often have attributes like reaction, insight, or agility. These attributes are commonly used to determine whether characters can act before others. This system is generally known as initiative. After considering initiative values, characters take turns acting according to their respective initiative scores. However, unlike previous activation mechanisms, these games often allow characters to hold their activation, letting the next highest initiative character act first to ensure they can strike at the best possible moment.

This is a very nuanced mechanism, but it is more suited for games where the units have significant performance differences. In many strategy games, players select factions, but these faction settings often result in homogeneous baseline stats for the units, which can make determining initiative values a somewhat tedious process. Moreover, as the number of units increases, it can become difficult to track the fine details of initiative. As a result, the initiative-based activation system is better suited to micro-scale games with diverse units, and these games often resemble simplified tactical RPGs.

Other Mechanisms or Variants

The mechanisms discussed above are just some of the most common ones. Many games on the market have their own unique variants and designs. For example, Infinity gives each surviving unit in the army activation points at the start of the round, but unlike many games where each unit can only be activated once per round, Infinity allows activation points to be reused on a single unit. Additionally, opponents can take reaction actions when they can see an activating unit or if the unit is nearby. I refer to this mechanism as “each activation point is like a cut in a TV show.”

These unique mechanisms bring a distinctive charm to the games, making them worth exploring for players.

Conclusion

Whether you're a newcomer or an experienced player in the world of strategy games, understanding the different turn structures and activation mechanisms is crucial for enhancing your gaming experience. Each mechanism contains its own strategic depth and decision-making challenges, and these challenges are the essence of what makes strategy games appealing.

For me, exploring these mechanisms is not only about understanding my personal preferences in games but also about thinking critically about game design. I hope this article helps you gain a clearer understanding of these mechanics when choosing or designing games. Each mechanism has its own unique flavor, and selecting a game that suits your style is key to truly enjoying the fun and challenges that strategy games bring.