An example of a counter with a large amount of information, from the wargame Black Sea-Black Death by Last Stand Games.

An example of a sticker for a block boardgame counter from the wargame Dunkerque by Last Stand Games.

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. Traditional wargames typically have hundreds of counters (The Russian Campaign, 225; GI: Anvil of Victory, 856; Terrible Swift Sword, >2,000). Squad Leader had counters of different sizes: 520 1/2-inch counters and 192 5/8-inch, with the different sizes used for different purposes. Image File history File links Chit_anatomy_of_a_counter_black_sea_black_death. ... Image File history File links Chit_anatomy_of_a_counter_black_sea_black_death. ... Image File history File links Chit_anatomy_of_a_counter_dunkerque. ... Image File history File links Chit_anatomy_of_a_counter_dunkerque. ... Wargaming is the play of simulated military operations in the form of games known as war games. ... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... A military unit is an organisation within an armed force. ... A soldier is a person who serves in an armed force for pay. ... Tactics is generally credited as being the first board wargame. ... Categories: Stub | Board game designers ... The Russian Campaign was a strategic simulation wargame of the Eastern Front during World War II, during the period 1941-45. ... Squad Leader game // Introduction Original purple topped SL box Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. ... Terrible Swift Sword: The Three Days of Gettysburg (often abbreviated as TSS) is a classic grand tactical, regimental level board game depicting the Battle of Gettysburg of the American Civil War. ... Squad Leader game // Introduction Original purple topped SL box Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. ...

Types of counters

• Representational counters, usually called "unit" counters, directly represent a unit, individual, vehicle, or weapon.

• Informational counters don't represent a specific type of character, unit, or weapon, but describe a state such as destroyed, immobilized, out of ammunition, captured, etc. These are sometimes called "markers", or "system counters" (for example, a counter used on a turn record track) as they aid in managing systemic elements of the game such as length.

• Chits are not directly representational or informational but are used to determine things such as turn order.

Chits are a type of wargame counter 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 Leader. ...

Variations

In microgames, counters were printed on one or more sheets of thick paper which the player had to cut for themselves rather than the die-cut cardboard sheets included with most board wargames. Dragon Magazine used to include counters printed on a cardstock centerfold for monthly games (especially by Tom Wham). A microgame is a small board game, wargame or role-playing game packaged in a small set. ... Dragon, first issue 1976, is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. ... Tom Wham is a designer of board games. ...

In block wargames, wooden blocks are used instead of cardboard as the counters to represent pieces, in order to emulate the fog of war. An example of a block, from the block wargame Crusader Rex by Columbia Games. ...