Optio's VASSAL module - Part 1

Here is an overview of Optio's VASSAL module. For those unfamiliar with VASSAL, it's free downloadable software that enables you to create and play online anything resembling a board game. Play can be in real time or move-by-move by email. The only limitations are no animations and no AI. The VASSAL website has hundreds of free downloadable games. Well worth checking out.

The Optio module has completely customisable battlefields and 10 armies: 

• Early Rome
• Hoplite Greece
• Macedonia
• Achaemenid Persia
• Seleucid Empire
• Republican Rome
• Late Carthage
• Numidia
• Spain
• Gaul

For this post I'd like look at creating a battlefield and an army.

When opening the module, one starts by creating a battlefield segment and a side panel segment. The battlefield segment measures 8x8 battlefield squares.

A typical battlefield has two battlefield segments plus the side panel.

But it can be any size.

Terrain

The following terrain features are available:

• Hill segments
• Large river (with/without ford)
  
• Small river
• Stream
• Sea
• Wood
• Scrub
• Treacherous marsh
• Easy Marsh
• Broken ground
• Ploughed land
• Vineyard
• Unfortified camp
• Fortified camp

Hills are entirely customisable and can be of any shape and size. They are made using 9 hill segments: corners, sides and middle.

And a sampling of all the terrain types:

Camps are fortified or unfortified and can also serve as towns:

 

Armies

Armies are created from drop down menus. You start by dragging a basic piece on to the battlefield.

 

The basic piece can be manipulated to create different sized units in line or column.

The Early and Polybian Roman lists have ready made legion units.

Units are given a customisable morale scale, with coloured borders that indicate which command a unit belongs to.

Generals and commanders have three attributes - command ability, combat ability and loss effect - that are customisable.  They also have a wounded/unwounded status.

Two armies deployed and ready to go.

Next post I'll look at how gameplay works.

BTW anyone interested can download the VASSAL module here.