Releasing Skirmish Kids

 “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”

– Carl Jung

At long last I finally released my latest game project this week. Skirmish Kids is a wargame with a low figure count, small play surface (compared to most miniature wargames), and basic core rules to which one can add a host of options to give the game more tactical depth. It includes a host of notes for using it for historical scenarios as well as a few more fantastic genres. You can find it in full-color PDF at both my Itch.io and Wargame Vault online storefronts and in print in black-and-white at Lulu and, a first for me, places like Amazon. Skirmish Kids is the culmination of a long interest in this kind of wargaming and years of tinkering to present rules and options at a level kids and newcomers to the hobby can understand and embrace.

I love designing and running games to introduce kids and newcomers to wargaming, especially as a launching point for using games for learning. Across years of hosting accessible games at conventions I’ve dabbled in basic skirmish games to keep the rules complexity low but still make things interesting to attract and engage new players. I’d consider Valley of the Ape a skirmish game, though most teams field groups of 10 figures each (used more to track unit strength than anything else). Given my long history with Star Wars it comes as no surprise that I tested a set of basic skirmish rules for Ewoks attacking scout troopers on Endor.

I’ve been developing Skirmish Kids for several years. My initial motivation was to create a game I could play with my son with the Star Wars: Legion clone trooper and battle droid figures I bought and painted for him one Christmas, as well as some World War II Japanese soldiers we found at a convention. I first started jotting down some ideas back in 2020 and we played around with them on the wargame table. Like Panzer Kids, the core rules behind Skirmish Kids cover movement and combat in very simple terms. One could play with the basic game, but numerous optional rules allow players to add more tactical depth with special advantages based on historical and battlefield considerations. A few months later I had a draft ready and sent it out for playtesting. The comments I received helped me expand many of the optional rules and the scope of the historical and genre notes. . I also took time to implement more playtesting myself which, along with a bit more reflection on the rules, led to some large-scale revisions in the game mechanics.

The game relies on core miniature wargaming concepts of movement and combat. Figures can move up to a certain number of inches, slowed by terrain considerations. Combat requires players to roll 2D6 to equal or beat the target’s defense number. Ranged combat takes into consideration line of sight and cover. Close combat remains deadly; each figure gets to roll and if they succeed they kill the target...meaning a clash can result in no survivors. Played on a three-foot-square field, dressed with terrain as players desire, a game with 10 figures on a side can run as quickly as 15 minutes. The rules can accommodate more soldiers on each side, even larger, fantastic beasts. Even then, the short play time offers opportunities to swap sides, work out different strategies, or try new scenarios without committing hours to fighting out a massive battle.

I’m satisfied with some of the choices I made in my design:

Move or Shoot: Early on I decided each figure could either move or shoot on its turn. This works best with mixed forces, either ones with some ranged weapons or all ranged weapons. (In cases with no ranged weapons, the choice has less relevance, though who goes first, as noted below, often does.) This forces players to decide whether to move a figure — to maneuver across the field or into contact with an enemy figure (and initiating instant close combat) — or shoot at a visible enemy to potentially neutralize it for the turn and possibly eliminate it from the fight.

Down or Out: Figures hit by ranged combat go “down” for the rest of the turn, whether or not they’ve had a chance to activate. Tipping them over reminds players they’ve been hit, dove for cover, or are otherwise inactive due to ranged attacks. At the end of the turn, when everyone’s remaining figures have all had a chance to go, each player points to any “down” figure and rolls a die. Three or lower the figure becomes a casualty and leaves the field; four or higher and they stand back up again. It’s essentially a saving throw against ranged attacks. My initial testing showed ranged fire was too deadly (I just counted hits as kills and removed targets) and led to incredibly short and disappointing games.

Alternating Activation: Each turn players alternate activating single figures until all have had a chance to go (with the exception of “down” figures as noted above). This encourages players to prioritize which of their soldiers take action first (yet another tactical choice to make). Do you chance a ranged attack on the enemy heavy weapon trooper before he can activate? Does that risk your own weapons specialist? Does that leave the attacker out in the open or in a vulnerable position?

Historical & Genre Notes: I’d always wanted to include notes to customize the rules for different historical periods. I’d already written stat sheets for Star Wars clone troopers and battle droids for games with my son (though for private use only...). I started writing notes for historical skirmishes from American history, including a brief summary of each war, stats for each side’s soldiers, and a sample scenario based on some historical engagement. Many of those conflicts can easily port to other wars of each era. Some additional reflection on the scope of the rules inspired me to add notes for fighting in three “genre” periods: fantasy, pulp, and science fiction.

Heroic Traits: The optional rules cover a host of situations that introduce bonuses or penalties players can use to maximize their soldiers’ effectiveness on the battlefield. Among these, however, I’m happiest with “heroic traits,” special abilities some figures have that help them stand out from the others. They function within the core framework of the existing basic rules, but help bend them for different effects. For instance, “Just A Flesh Wound” gives a “down” figure a +1 bonus when rolling to determine its fate. “Sharpshooter” gives a +2 bonus to ranged attacks. “Rapid Fire” allows for three attacks against up to three clustered targets. While these give solid battlefield advantages to certain figures, it also makes them targets the opposition wants to eliminate as soon as possible.

Like Panzer Kids, my other kid- and newcomer-friendly rules, Skirmish Kids provides a basic framework and a host of options so players can customize their wargaming experience according to their abilities and tastes. I expect players to fiddle with the rules — what wargamers don’t? — making their own calls on clarifications and adjusting numbers to make things easier or more deadly. My journey with Skirmish Kids starts wrapping up here (though I’ll be promoting and running it when I can). Your journey with these rules begins now. I hope they lead to some engaging play and perhaps some learning about the historical conflicts fought on the table.

“If you are going to take away war toys, then what are you to replace them with? Children need to feel courageous, brave, and assertive. They need to feel strong; that is the purpose of their play.”

– Brian Sutton-Smith