Slitherine

Unless I've completely overlooked something, side B always takes the first turn in a game. While the first turn often does not make that much difference, in some battles it can be critical for reaching a particular advantageous part of the battlefield before your opponent. I'm wondering, then, whether there's any interest in something like a bidding system, where the player with the most remaining points left over takes the first turn instead.

This is an excellent idea

Yes, good idea. A group of table-top players I was in used a system where we could bid points for the rights to place a piece of terrain, or to go first, or to choose which side of the table to start on, etc. It made things very interesting.

Alternatively first turn could be dependent on relative strengths in cavalry, particularly light cavalry, and light infantry.

The DBM wargame rules used an aggressive value to consider which army might act first

I like the idea of the player with the most unspent force points going first.

Two interesting ideas in this thread from Kabill and Geordietaf. I would be happy with either of them.

SpeedyCM wrote:I like the idea of the player with the most unspent force points going first.

Geordietaf wrote:Alternatively first turn could be dependent on relative strengths in cavalry, particularly light cavalry, and light infantry.

The snag with both of these is that you don't use your force points until it is your turn.

We did not want to add in an extra exchange of "turns" before the battle gets started.

That's what I was thinking was the reason for the extant system. Personally, I don't think I 'd mind the extra exchange of turns, but I appreciate that might not be a common disposition.