tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post6111107840860118852..comments2024-03-28T21:00:41.841+00:00Comments on KEITH'S WARGAMING BLOG: One Hour WargamesKeith Flinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12903769462646267048noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-21352048140721374972015-07-31T19:32:27.404+01:002015-07-31T19:32:27.404+01:00Hi Stephen. A number of people who have reviewed t...Hi Stephen. A number of people who have reviewed the rules have mentioned that the scenarios are a valuable part of the book. They are basic, but could be a useful source of ideas for developing one's own games. Not sure if they sell the book by themselves, though.Keith Flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12903769462646267048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-12508918659358145622015-07-30T16:46:49.720+01:002015-07-30T16:46:49.720+01:00I found this post while researching this book. Ano...I found this post while researching this book. Another blogger mentioned there were some scenarios, did you have any thoughts on them, regardless of the rule set?Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417094386820895642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-34121429520814333152014-10-17T22:20:16.142+01:002014-10-17T22:20:16.142+01:00Steve, probably a wise decision, knowing the kind ...Steve, probably a wise decision, knowing the kind of games you like. <br /><br />If you dreamed up a small BKC scenario with a maximum of 6 units a side on a 3' x 3' table, you could have a much better game which would probably last an hour at most.Keith Flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12903769462646267048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-16157946415086814972014-10-17T22:08:14.612+01:002014-10-17T22:08:14.612+01:00Archduke - thanks for the interesting comments. Na...Archduke - thanks for the interesting comments. Narrow but deep was achieved to a certain extent by DBA, but mostly I think the nature of wargaming is that a good deal of breadth is needed to give us the depth we want. Take a much-lauded current set like Chain of Command - it's not complicated in the old sense of massive tables and long lists of modifiers, but it is still a fairly complex game which takes a while to learn. <br /><br />Keith Flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12903769462646267048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-42526514046056323402014-10-17T21:00:22.907+01:002014-10-17T21:00:22.907+01:00Thanks for the detailed review Keith. Your feedbac...Thanks for the detailed review Keith. Your feedback is most welcome and ties in with other reviews that I've read. I had wondered whether to buy these or not, but I will give them a miss.<br /><br />Steve J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12143308117853983963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-46421150974909352282014-10-17T20:58:40.587+01:002014-10-17T20:58:40.587+01:00It sounds, from this review, that in attempting to...It sounds, from this review, that in attempting to reduce the 'breadth' (i.e. complication) of war games rule sets, the author has made the game too shallow as well. <br /><br />As a sometime player of chess, I know something of the dichotomy of depth vs breadth. Chess is a very 'narrow' game by war games standards - you could learn the rules in half an hour. Less. But it is a very deep game. The simple rules and game design underlies a whole complexity of strategic and tactical possibilities.<br /><br />In my view, if war games can be made 'de-complicated' whilst retaining its depth, that is a worthwhile aim. And that has to include 'period feel'. Or, if we are to accept there are only three periods, then the rules should have sun-period feel.<br /><br />They ought also I think have a geographical feel. I have long felt that the major downside to the DBM and DBR games is that lack. Archduke Piccolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533325665451889661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-23471833853531353972014-10-17T16:22:59.048+01:002014-10-17T16:22:59.048+01:00Thanks for commenting Thomas. I'm coming aroun...Thanks for commenting Thomas. I'm coming around to your view increasingly recently. A strong period-specific flavour is needed for rules to tempt me.Keith Flinthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12903769462646267048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-67903738100517873942014-10-17T12:47:01.928+01:002014-10-17T12:47:01.928+01:00Thanks for the review, but I think i'll pass o...Thanks for the review, but I think i'll pass on this one.<br /><br />For me, wargaming is not about just moving models and rolling the dice, but about having some king of challenge to get things going. Otherwise you could just play Yahtzee, for the sake of rolling dice. <br /><br />In my eyes, rules should be complex (not complicated) to match exactly one particular period (or style of gaming). Warlord Games' series of Hail Caesar, Plack Powder and Pike 'n Shot is another example: the rules kind of fit to everything but suit nothing really. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04859695716793906213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1430463007570237159.post-27219608527411457892014-10-17T11:22:00.083+01:002014-10-17T11:22:00.083+01:00Your experience and conclusions are just what I im...Your experience and conclusions are just what I imagined my own would be after reading some one else's review before testing. Probably because I've had the experience of stripping down my own rules far enough to lose the fun and challenge.<br /><br />Good review, thanks.<br />Ross<br /><br />Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.com