Right set of NATO symbols?

[bbmike]

Carl Sagan would have said, "Billions and billions of properly trimmed counters..."

[mirth]

Carl Sagan would have said, "Billions and billions of properly trimmed counters..."

:bd:

[Crossroads]

there's an official set of NATO military symbology that's required for use in professional contexts, like battlefield events tracking apps and professional sims used by the military

PDF here:  http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/other/ms_2525d.pdf
More info here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_Joint_Military_Symbology


However, game designers are free to modify things however they want, and mix-and-match to their heart's content however they choose.

An example is wheeled vehicles, who's NATO-std icon is nothing like what most commercial designers use.


So there's a universal standard among those that can actually enforce one - the military.  But there isn't in the anarchy that is game design,

I believe we've got something like 450+ alternative NATO symbols in the Campaign Series: Middle East game. It's platoon scale, it covers 1948-1985, and you'd like to be sure it's a heavy tank unit and not a light tank you're sending into harm's way right.

Having said that, I wouldn't bet the house they are all military proof, it is just common layers on top of each other. Amphibious Armored Tracked Medium Infantry Fighting Vehicle, or the same but with Anti-tank Missiles to top it off? There's a not so subtle difference in game play with those two :nerd:

[Crossroads]

something like 450+ alternative NATO symbols

I checked, it's 453 at the moment, with Priest just added to the lot. Yes, that's right, CS Vietnam OoB would include French Catholic Militia, and instead of a Commander symbol Mike Amos put a Priest there instead, because, well, would be nice to have the tally go to 500.

But we won't get that far, I don't think so, pushing it already  :(

[Ubercat]

True.  However, that doesn't mean that historical symbols are used.  How many games use the actual German symbols to indicate the type of unit?  I cannot think of one.  I'm sure that there is one, but I cannot think of any.  So what do designers do?  They use NATO symbols because they are a common military language now.  The real heretics use silhouettes to identify the type of unit.  :)

The Grand Tactical Series by MMP does. Devil's Cauldron, Where Eagles Dare, etc. The Germans use German symbols and the American and Brit forces use their own appropriate ones. A little confusing at first but pretty cool.

[jomni]

Close Combat uses German symbols for Germans.



Nato symbols for Allies.

[Bison]

Very cool.  I figured there were many games that used non-NATO counters. 

[Bison]

The Grand Tactical Series by MMP does. Devil's Cauldron, Where Eagles Dare, etc. The Germans use German symbols and the American and Brit forces use their own appropriate ones. A little confusing at first but pretty cool.

I'd love to give these games a whirl but I doubt I'll ever have the chance to do so.  I most certainly do not have the table or floor space to layout all of the maps.

[Ubercat]

That's what Vassal and Skype are for. I have Where Eagles Dare and I'm on the P500 list for Devils Cauldron. At WBC '11, a few guys had both linked games set up on a custom made, irregularly shaped table. The combined maps had to be at least roughly 15' long by 5-6' wide, with a bend in the middle.

I think it was Curtis Baer's gaming group. They have something big going on every year. I was hoping they'd be playing Last Blitzkrieg this year but they were on a WW1 kick.  :'(