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Chit (board wargames)
Encyclopedia
Chits are a type of wargame
counter
that are generally not directly representational but used for the following purposes:
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
counter
Counter (board wargames)
Boardgame counters are usually small cardboard squares moved around on the map of a wargame to represent armies, military units or individual military personnel. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on cardboard counters and hex-board maps, was Tactics, invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952...
that are generally not directly representational but used for the following purposes:
- Tracking, being placed on a numeric runner to indicate turn status, as in some rule variants for Squad LeaderSquad Leaderthumb|Squad Leader game package.Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer John Hill and focuses on infantry combat in Europe during World War II...
. In Axis & Allies Revised Edition, chits can be used to track air unit movement, indicating how many spaces fighters or bombers can move after combat. - Randomization or chit drawing, as in Air BaronAir BaronAir Baron is an economic strategy game published by Avalon Hill in 1996. Despite its family-oriented marketing, Air Baron plays far more like a wargame than a typical family money-driven game like Monopoly...
, where at the start of each round, one color-coded chit per player is placed in a cup. The chits are drawn sequentially to determine the current order of play. Chit drawing is also used in Air Baron to pay income. Every purchased airline spoke, plus all hubs, have a unique chit placed in a cup. At the start of every turn, the player randomly draws two chits, paying the owner appropriately. Chits are replaced at the end of each round. - Fog of war, with some chits marked with question marks or placed over unit chits, allowing the opposing player to see where opposing forces are but hiding the type of unit.
- Terrain attributes, where numeric chits are randomly distributed over the terrain to indicate the frequency that resources are available in The Settlers of CatanThe Settlers of CatanThe Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber and first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag as Die Siedler von Catan. Players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop their settlement while trading and acquiring resources...
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Examples
- Advanced Squad LeaderAdvanced Squad LeaderAdvanced Squad Leader is a tactical-level board wargame, originally marketed by Avalon Hill Games, that simulates actions of approximately company or battalion size in World War II. It is a detailed game system for two or more players . Components include the ASL Rulebook and various games called...
: solid red and solid black coloured chits are drawn to determine battery access for offboard artillery. - Ambush!Ambush!Ambush! is a man-to-man wargame developed by Avalon Hill. It was released under Avalon's Victory Games label and was developed by Eric Lee Smith and John Butterfield. In 1984, Ambush! won the Origins Award for Best 20th Century Boardgame of 1983...
: as shown above, lettered chits are drawn to determine the order in which individual game characters may receive turns - Sniper!Sniper! (board game)Sniper! was a board wargame originally released in 1973. Some sources refer to "Sniper/Patrol" as a sort of series of games: a similar game by Simulations Publications Inc. was released at the same time as the original Sniper!, called Patrol....
: used coloured chits with numbers on them to determine which side received a turn, and which game characters on that side, by comparing a recorded activation level against the number on the chit