| Battlegroups
An Add-On for Panzer Grenadier
By David Jackson
September 2015
In large Panzer
Grenadier battles, it doesn't take
long to discover one of the hazards of stacking
counters: They tend to fall down.
The stacking rules allow for three units
to be in the same hex, as well as any number
of leaders. If each of these units has a different
order condition (disrupted, demoralized, moved
or fired, etc.), this stack can more than
double in size. When you add leaders, the
stack becomes precariously balanced and a
well-meaning but misplaced finger can turn
it into a scatter of counters, which you may
not be able to return to their proper position.
 That
is where the Battlegroups add-on comes into
play. There are three components: a sheet
of proxy counters, an Axis Battlegroups sheet,
and an Allies Battlegroups sheet.
The proxy counters are made up of several
identifying letters. There is also a symbol
for Axis or Allies, and a NATO symbol which
declares roughly what the proxy counter represents:
artillery, infantry or armor.
The Battlegroups sheets also have identifying
letters using their radiophonic mnemonics,
and a box next to each one.
Box and Proxy
Each proxy counter relates to one box on
the Battlegroups sheet. Whenever you have
a large stack of counters, place that stack
on the Battlegroups sheet, and then place
the corresponding proxy counter wherever you
deploy that "battlegroup" on the
map. The proxy counter should roughly relate
to what is being represented, as mentioned
above.
Instead of moving an unwieldy stack around,
move a single counter. If an element of that
"battlegroup" receives a marker,
place that marker on the counter on the Battlegroups
sheet. This works particularly well in assaults,
where the mass of counters all crammed together
in one hex can create a headache for any battlefield
commander.
If an opponent has any questions about what
the proxy counter represents, it’s imprtant
to be open and share that information. The
Battlegroups add-on isn't meant to obscure
the battle for the opposing player, but rather
to minimize the fuss that occurs with large
stacks of counters in a small map-space.
However, that brings us to this fun variant
. . .
Battlegroups and Fog of
War
It is easy to use the Battlegroups add-on
to simulate Fog of War on the battlefield.
In this case, keep every counter on the Battlegroups
sheet hidden. Once the proxy counter moves
into spotting distance of an opposing force,
place the actual stack on the map or reveal
it to the opposing player.
This is how I have used the Battlegroups
add-on in several successful encounters, and
the results were exciting. It diminished the
omniscience that wargamers usually have, and
increased the tension as a mob of proxy counters
would start to creep up on other mobs of proxy
counters.
Download the Battlegroups files here:
Try them out! Pick up a Panzer Grenadier game today!
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