Sand Hook Battle Games

The Basics
Basic techniques for using the Sandy Hook Battle Games:
Operation Sandtrap, Muskets and Sandpiles, SandPit Showdown, Castle Cracker, Planetary Sand,
Treasure of Sandheap, Tanegashima Sandman, Sahara Sand

Copyright 1998 - T. Sheil & A. Sheil - All Rights Reserved

The Sandy Hook Battle Games are a group of simple, easy-to-play miniature battle games
developed for one purpose: FUN! Unlike conventional board and miniature games, Sandy Hook
Battle Games dispense with complexities altogether. Our goal is to provide a game that can be set
up and played spontaneously, without studying complicated rules or spending extra money for
expensive miniatures. Everything has to be commonly available. Nothing in these rules ought to
be so obscure as to be unavailable in any town with a good toy, hobby or department store.
Ultimately, the idea is that players can open a new playset or a couple of bags of soft plastic
figures, and set to playing the games. It's that simple!

What You Need

Here's what you need:
 Kite string
 Sand pail, cup and a disk segmented into quarters (i.e. marker on paper plate)
 Two regular six-sided dice
 The appropriate toy figures
Making tools:
String should be cut in desired lengths. Each string is then divided by thirds. You can tie
a knot to separate each 1/3.
The disk has to be four quarters. Draw a cross over the center to do this.
Ranges
Throughout the games, you will notice something called range. Range is written as R
plus a number, e.g. R1. The basic range is one, all others are multiples of the basic range.
Thus, if the basic range were one foot, then R1 is one foot, and R6 is six feet.
We did NOT tie the ranges to a set distance because everyone's circumstances will be
different. If you are playing these games using HO or 1/72 scale miniatures on a
tabletop, R1 might be 6 inches. Playing outdoors with plastic figures, you might opt for
R1 being one foot, while if using 12 inch action figures outdoors, you might decide that
R1 equals one yard. You decide what the basic range is. All others are multiples of that
range.
We advise cutting kite string into range cords. Cut a cord for each range distance - R1
through R6. Then divide each cord into thirds, separating each segment with a knot of by
 gluing a bead onto the string. The thirds represent Close, Medium and Long range. A
Half range is easily figured by folding the cord in half..
We have not made a definite range only because people will be using different sized
figures and different play areas. Of course, we recommend the following:
HO to 1/76 - 1/72 (20mm to 25mm) - R1 = 6 inches
1/64 to 1/24 (30mm to 70mm) - R1 = 12 inches
1/20 to 1/12 - R1 = 24 inches
1/10 to 1/6 - R1 = 36 inches
Cords for measuring are cheap, easy to make, and locally available. In beach areas, kite
string is common. You can also use yard, twine, or other types of string or cord.
Movement
We have limited movement to the following: side one moves, side two moves, both fire
simultaneously. We do not complicate this formula, because to do so would add to the
workload and detract from the action.
The Battle
Sandy Hook Battle Game combat is actually a small-scale encounter. Each piece
represents one thing - it is pretty much what it is supposed to be. (In some conventional
miniature games, one piece represents ten or twenty soldiers in a unit.) Thus, a soldier
with a machine gun is a machine gunner, and a knight with a sword is a swordsman. We
do not confuse the game by abstract representation. What you see is what you get.
Battles are encounters between two or more forces. Each force is normally less than one
hundred men. The average size of an army ranges from 25 to 80 men, plus any vehicles
or equipment they might use. Larger armies require much more attention and take longer
to move. Troop are all individuals. Any units are composed of individual figures.
Troops - Your Army
It's as simple or complex as you like. Your army is as close to the nearest supply of
plastic soldiers. Whether you buy a playset or two or three bags of soldiers, you can play
any of the Sandy Hook Battle Games. We purposely made this game simple so that
anyone could start with common toy figures, yet could adapt it to existing collections of
action figures or miniatures. Your Army is as close as the nearest store selling bags of toy
soldiers.
Be aware that we have not overburdened the rules with historical peculiarities. We know
from experience that toy figures can be out of line with history. It was not uncommon to
find a British Centurion tank and post-1950 armored car bagged along with 1943-style
US troops. Even more usual was finding 15th Century knights in full plate armor sold in
a bag with 8th Century Vikings. While that may annoy historical sticklers, it should not
prevent you from having fun. (If the history bothers you, just imagine that your war is
taking place in another dimension where Earth is slightly different.) That is why our
modern warfare rules do not identify tanks by a specific model, and why our Medieval
rules do not distinguish between various eras.
If you want to be historical, do so. The Sandy Hook Battle Games will work for you. If
you're not worried over details of the past, you can play Sandy Hook Battle Games and
have a great time.
In Case of Uncertainty...
Sometimes you might hit a situation that the rules do not cover. You and your opponent
are at an impasse. How do you resolve it? While in the midst of the game, you have to
think fast. Flip a coin - heads you take one option, tails another. For the remainder of
that game, that rule applies. When the game is over, you can address the problem more
thoroughly. Look for historical precedents. Discuss the issue with your fellow games,
seek a solution. You can also email us and ask our opinion.
No set of rules is perfect, especially a simple set like ours. In mid-game, play comes
first. Any final decisions can be made afterward.
Adaptation?
You can adapt and append rules to suit your own needs. The Sandy Hook battle Games
are very basic rules. They are a way to start. In time, you might wish to make changes -
to add peculiar historical factors, for instance. That is fine. Our rules can be a great
framework for you and your friends to develop a more complex and accurate game.
Before adapting, one piece of advice: check the history. Though rules by other gamers
will give you ideas, history explains the plain facts. Look at statistical data and at the
recorded experiences of real people from those times. Statistics don't tell the whole story.
Using history and getting ideas from other games, you can adapt our rules to suit
yourself.
A Note to Experienced Wargamers
The Sandy Hook Battle Games are not wargames, in the technical sense. Our games are
for fun - they are playable, adaptable, and low-cost. We have purposely avoided things
like morale, pass-through fire and flanking because they would complicate our games
needlessly. In the world of these games, it's man-to-man, tank-to-tank warfare. Terrain is
a simple thing. Movement is kept simple so as to allow players to enjoy the game
without spending time writing orders . After all, an impromptu game on a quiet beach
doesn't place folks in close proximity to pen and paper!