DOUBLE TROUBLE - Very Simple Game Rules 

My nephew Matthew and his dad have been playing a very simple game using dice. All you need are a pair of dice, two opposing toy soldier armies and a space to set them up.

Players start by setting up their troops in their favourite style. Wether you prefer a defensive line or attacking coloumn make sure your cannons have clear lines of fire and your cavalry have plenty of room to manoeuvre!

Once both armies are set up and looking good each player roles a dice to see who takes the first battle turn, highest wins. Each turn a player roles the pair of dice at least once and inflicts casualties where and as they choose according to:

• Rolling a 1 is a miss, no soldiers felled
• Rolling a 2 fells an infantry or artillery man
• Rolling a 3 fells a cavalry trooper
• Rolling a 4 fells an artillery or infantry officer, musician, sergeant or flag
• Rolling a 5 fells a cavalry officer musician or aide-de-camp
• Rolling a 6 fells the general

If a player roles a double he gets to roll the dice again and inflict more damage on his opponent's army. However, if he roles an identical double to the previous double he inflicts the casualties on his own army. After rolling any double the player must roll again.

A player may divide his dice scores to fell different soldiers e.g. a 5 could fell a mounted officer or an infantry and cavalry soldier. But if a player throws a 2 and a 3 he may not add the numbers to fell the mounted officer. Thus only by throwing a 6 can you kill the general.

As the game develops move your forces up toward the enemy, focus your hits on a single point in an oponent's line, like Napoleon would with his artillery. Then advance your army through the weak point, splitting the enemy force in two. The battle will soon take on a life of its own.

The winner is the player to have soldiers standing when the enemy's are all down!

An even simpler game (for those who throw well!) is to stand up two opposing armies and take turns to throw a scrumpled ball of waste paper at your enemy's soldiers. The winner is the first to knock down an oponent's force.