tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post997197558188080224..comments2024-03-28T03:10:23.679-07:00Comments on Polemarch: On Writing RulesThe Polemarchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-938819645211995422017-11-13T00:39:45.208-08:002017-11-13T00:39:45.208-08:00Aye, possibly. But a wargame campaign set about wh...Aye, possibly. But a wargame campaign set about who can go bankrupt last might be a bit boring. Or, I suppose, an Elizabethan version of Monopoly.The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-1832927846227855852017-11-10T23:56:43.481-08:002017-11-10T23:56:43.481-08:00Given your statements about the nature of battles ...Given your statements about the nature of battles of the Wars of the Counter Reformation, might the answer be in scale? By that I mean: could it not be more about the provision of supplies and securing allied funds more than 'men with pointy sticks'?<br />I know nothing of the topic, so feel free to discard the comment wholesale.A.Y.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14015237003266313603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-83283374726056683202017-11-06T03:21:13.888-08:002017-11-06T03:21:13.888-08:00I like the idea of the rules being a snap-shot of ...I like the idea of the rules being a snap-shot of a state of knowledge. It's a useful way of thinking about the writing process generally.Ruaridhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003128932063213463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-81382530954784473882017-11-06T03:03:47.349-08:002017-11-06T03:03:47.349-08:00Ah, you are probably over-qualified for the job, o...Ah, you are probably over-qualified for the job, or at least, need a clueless rule-writing partner in crime.<br /><br />And also, probably, you might need to stop learning about the period, at least until the rules are done. If I knew when I wrote the rules what I know now, they would have been different. It seems that a rule set is an attempt at a snapshot of my present state of knowledge (or lack thereof, of course).The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-50655607903517103702017-11-06T02:52:25.439-08:002017-11-06T02:52:25.439-08:00'Of course, if we ever felt qualified to write...'Of course, if we ever felt qualified to write anything, we would never achieve much.'<br /><br />This speaks to me, although perhaps not quite in the manner meant. Given my specialism, I should be uniquely qualified to write a set of rules for the Viking Age, and yet I have failed at every attempt. There is always something that niggles too much, and does not quite work. The compromises made between historicity and playability are just too much of a compromise to satisfy. I wonder if there is a point where you know too much, or perhaps I do not know quite enough about rules writing and/or Viking warfare. Either way, it is fascinating to contemplate on a Monday morning as I ease into the week's work.Ruaridhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003128932063213463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-3520567285013018132017-11-06T02:26:48.334-08:002017-11-06T02:26:48.334-08:00Aye, there is little that could be said to be orig...Aye, there is little that could be said to be original, although I guess a bit as to how the rules are stuck together. After all, the idea is to enjoy the game...The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-13475899712540625762017-11-05T07:53:33.981-08:002017-11-05T07:53:33.981-08:00Remember that Joe Morschauser’s in his "How ...Remember that Joe Morschauser’s in his "How to Play Wargames in Miniature" published in 1962 wrote in his preamble, and I paraphrase: There is no such thing as a new rule in wargaming rules - they have ALL been done before". So don't fret too much about duplicating effort - it's how the rules is applied that makes all the difference.Dick Bryanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08243435682283381550noreply@blogger.com