Not a full article but my take on Skype and why it is my preferred method, other than FTF.
I think the misconception of Skype play is due to the fact that most people think of Skype as a Video method of play, requiring the equipment on both sides. I had this initial thought when looking into it as it sounded fun but did not want to setup the game in a position so that it would be in the video, etc. I thought it would be too much hassle.
The reality of skype play is that it is more akin to playing the game over the phone rather than via a video feed; that is, oral communication is far more important than seeing the board. All that is required is a headset with a mic, a PC or Mac (laptop makes it easier to setup in convenient places, rather than your home office or den), and both players having a copy of the game.
First and foremost, both players need to go into the game with a clear understanding of exactly what "house" or agreed-upon, controversial rules are to be used. Hills, LOS, etc - all which have come up in these forums are well-known debatable rules. Better to know ahead of time and avoid time-wasting confirmation or arguments.
Scenarios and sides can be determined between both players via e-mail. Once sides are selected, a neutral third party is usually contacted via e-mail in order to "flip" leaders for both sides. The third party will e-mail the leaders to both sides and will also usually act as the "bank" for the players, where any hidden units, etc. can be sent for safekeeping and reference later for verification (although I have never had to verify any of these).
Once these are squared away, both players will setup the scenario on their tables and the first setup player will write all their initial placement in an e-mail to his opponent, usually 1 or 2 days before the day of the game so that the second player can get his board setup and return his own setup or entry hexes to the first player. An excerpt of a setup e-mail is here (German setup from Fall of France Spearhead #11 - the name of the opponent has been omitted to protect the victorious...
Quote:Send me your entry hexes so that I can set them up when I get up tomorrow. That way we shall be ready to rock. Our dicelog is still current btw.
Where my INF are o/s of a town hex, they are dug in.
INF: 0517, 0516, 0515, 0314, 0313, 0312, 0311, 0511
HMG: 0312
Leaders: MAJ 901 @ 0313, CAP 1021 @ 0312, LT 921 @ 0516, LT 911 @ 0311, LT 801 @ 0511
Note the e-mail mentions the "dicelog". This is a reference to the
Hamete Virtual Dice Server that allows players to roll dice online, letting both players see the results of the die or dice rolls immediately. This is used to roll all dice in the game and has really never been a problem for any of the games I have played.
Once setups are determined and the big day arrives, voice contact is made via Skype and you are ready to play. Both players will have their boards in front of them and be ready to go.
Gameplay itself is almost identical to Face-to-Face play, except for a few differences. Obviously, you need to vocalize your moves so that your opponent can move your piece on his board and you stay in sync. Usually something like this:
Player 1: "I will activate the LT 900 with the 2 INF units in Hex 0917 to move. The LT sub-activates the SGT 8-0-1 in 1017, who will activate the HMG in his hex to fire, and the INF to roll recovery..."
Player 2: "OK, what are you doing first?"
Player 1: "Lets move the LT and the INF units"
Player 2: "Who is moving first?" (Remember, units move individually for OP fire purposes, etc).
Player 1: "LT moves with one INF unit. 0916 (pauses to see if Player 2 will op fire), 0915... etc."
And so on.
Another difference is hidden units. In a Skype game, you can keep your hidden units on the board, but you will have to mark them in some way to remember that they are hidden. Again, the third party that flipped your leaders would be the one to keep the hidden units as a verification backup.
Finally, (and this is by no means exhaustive), instances where flipping for random units during a game is handled slightly different. Take Aircraft, for instance. The rules state that the aircraft draws are to be flipped and then handled in a normal face-to-face game. Obviously, in Skype you can't see the flip (unless you activate video, which then limits the game to video only, and is cumbersome). Instead, it is Hamete again to the rescue. In our games, we do the following for aircraft:
We line them on on the table in any order and BEFORE the game starts, you inform the opponent what order and which side the aircraft are setup (usually Left-to-Right, "front" side up. Then assign die roll ranges to each one. For example, if the scenario calls for US aircraft, you would line up the 3 aircraft and assign the following number to each one: 1st - 1-2, 2nd - 3-4, 3rd - 5-6. More aircraft would require you to use more dice or maybe a d10 or d20 to apportion the odds.
Then when called on for aircraft roll 3 separate d6 (six-sided die rolls):
1st Roll - Which aircraft is selected
2nd Roll - Which side to use (Odds = Front, Evens = Back)
3rd Roll - Does the attack proceed? (Aircraft rules, 1-2 No Attack, 3-6 Attack proceeds).
The rolls are all on Hamete so both players can see the results and follow along. It provides just as much randomness as "flipping" the counters.
This is by no means an exhaustive essay on Skype play, but just my experience from the 10 or so Skype games I have played. I really enjoy this method of play as I do get to play more often than if I had to rely on FTF games - AND - the bonus of this play over Vassal or e-mail is that a conversation can be held with your opponent whilst playing the game, so all the banter back and forth is very similar to a FTF game. I have mentioned this to some of the players here that I have played against and I will mention it again - Since I have been introduced to Skype play, PG is easily the most played wargame I have ever owned, and I have owned them for over 35 years. The ease of finding an opponent plus the friendships you build easily justify the cost benefit of owning the system.
I am sure that the people I have played would have other ideas or thoughts so please do so... i am by no means an expert at this - as can be seen by my current record!
