Now that I am feeling a bit less under the weather, I thought that I should take my turn answering the dreaded ‘Twenty Questions':
1. Favourite Wargaming period and why?
Any conflict that did or might have taken place between the late nineteenth century and late twentieth century because it is the historical period that I have had most personal contact with via my family’s history or my own experience.
2. Next period, money no object?
54mm Interwar conflicts between imagi-nations.
3. Favourite 5 films?
Things to Come, Zulu, The African Queen, Gettysburg, Enemy At The Gates.
4. Favourite 5 TV series?
Callan, Only Fools And Horses, Dad’s Army, Morse, Yes (Prime) Minister.
5. Favourite book and author?
THE WAR GAME by Donald Featherstone (but only by a gnat's whisker from Joseph Morschauser's HOW TO PLAY WAR GAMES IN MINIATURE).
6. Greatest General?
Monash (with Slim and Zhukov each a close second).
7. Favourite Wargames rules?
Anything written by Richard Borg.
8. Favourite Sport and team(s)?
Cricket … England, Essex, and the Mumbai Indians.
9. If you had a only use once time machine, when and where would you go?
On a personal level, nowhere. I may have regrets about things that have happened in the past, but I would not want to change the way my life has progressed so far. As to historical events ... I would, love to have seen the Battlefield of Gettysburg before the battle started to get a real 'feel' for 'the ground'.
10. Last meal on Death Row?
French Onion Soup, Beef Wellington (with chips, just to prove I am a peasant at heart!), and Tiramisu.
11. Fantasy relationship and why?
I don’t need one as I am happy with the real relationship that I have.
12. If your life were a movie, who would play you?
Johnny Depp (but I actually look much more like Ricky Tomlinson!).
13. Favourite Comic Superhero?
Dan Dare … who may not have had any super-powers but who was my comic book hero when I was growing up.
14. Favourite Military quote?
‘The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.’ (George C Patton)
15. Historical destination to visit?
The Black Sea in general and the Crimea in particular.
16. Biggest Wargaming regret?
Not being able to wargame every week with the people I have met through being a member of Wargame Developments.
17. Favourite Fantasy job?
Being a member of the idle rich!
18. Favourite Song Top 5?
British Grenadier, Jerusalem, Land Of Hope And Glory, Seven Drunken Nights, Fairytale Of New York (I only chose songs that I can sing!).
19. Favourite Wargaming Moment?
Watching the Japanese Dreadnought Fuso sink five German Pre-dreadnought Battleships one after another during a Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame fought in the basement of Eric Knowles’ shop many years ago!
20. The miserable Git question, what upsets you?
Rude and inconsiderate people who think that everyone and everything around them has no value or only exists for their benefit.
1. Favourite Wargaming period and why?
Any conflict that did or might have taken place between the late nineteenth century and late twentieth century because it is the historical period that I have had most personal contact with via my family’s history or my own experience.
2. Next period, money no object?
54mm Interwar conflicts between imagi-nations.
3. Favourite 5 films?
Things to Come, Zulu, The African Queen, Gettysburg, Enemy At The Gates.
4. Favourite 5 TV series?
Callan, Only Fools And Horses, Dad’s Army, Morse, Yes (Prime) Minister.
5. Favourite book and author?
THE WAR GAME by Donald Featherstone (but only by a gnat's whisker from Joseph Morschauser's HOW TO PLAY WAR GAMES IN MINIATURE).
6. Greatest General?
Monash (with Slim and Zhukov each a close second).
7. Favourite Wargames rules?
Anything written by Richard Borg.
8. Favourite Sport and team(s)?
Cricket … England, Essex, and the Mumbai Indians.
9. If you had a only use once time machine, when and where would you go?
On a personal level, nowhere. I may have regrets about things that have happened in the past, but I would not want to change the way my life has progressed so far. As to historical events ... I would, love to have seen the Battlefield of Gettysburg before the battle started to get a real 'feel' for 'the ground'.
10. Last meal on Death Row?
French Onion Soup, Beef Wellington (with chips, just to prove I am a peasant at heart!), and Tiramisu.
11. Fantasy relationship and why?
I don’t need one as I am happy with the real relationship that I have.
12. If your life were a movie, who would play you?
Johnny Depp (but I actually look much more like Ricky Tomlinson!).
13. Favourite Comic Superhero?
Dan Dare … who may not have had any super-powers but who was my comic book hero when I was growing up.
14. Favourite Military quote?
‘The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.’ (George C Patton)
15. Historical destination to visit?
The Black Sea in general and the Crimea in particular.
16. Biggest Wargaming regret?
Not being able to wargame every week with the people I have met through being a member of Wargame Developments.
17. Favourite Fantasy job?
Being a member of the idle rich!
18. Favourite Song Top 5?
British Grenadier, Jerusalem, Land Of Hope And Glory, Seven Drunken Nights, Fairytale Of New York (I only chose songs that I can sing!).
19. Favourite Wargaming Moment?
Watching the Japanese Dreadnought Fuso sink five German Pre-dreadnought Battleships one after another during a Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame fought in the basement of Eric Knowles’ shop many years ago!
20. The miserable Git question, what upsets you?
Rude and inconsiderate people who think that everyone and everything around them has no value or only exists for their benefit.
Good answers sir especially 11., does the SWMBO read the blog?
ReplyDeleteMy problem with this 20 questions thing is simple - I don't know what my answer would be to most of them!
ReplyDeleteLurker et al - I am seeing the same answer across the board. Wargamers are either very loyal to their spouses or at least smart enough to say so.
ReplyDeleteOn further reflection, once one has found a partner willing to put up with all our war gaming bits in the house, why ever would one give them up? I can't see you average super model clearing out her Banolo Blahniks so you can store another box of Imperial Guard in the closet.
The Angry Lurker,
ReplyDeleteThanks ... and as far as I know SWMBO does not read my blog.
All the best,
Bob
Xaltotun of Python,
ReplyDeleteI did not know what my answers would be before I sat down and typed them ... but once I started they just flowed out.
Why don't you give it a go?
All the best,
Bob
Pat G,
ReplyDeleteI have been married for thirty years and both my wife and I have hobbies that tend to take up lots of houseroom, hence over the years we have reached a number compromises that work for us. It was something that we both worked hard to achieve ... and the effort was well worth it!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteLike other readers of your blog, I am playing around with The Portable Wargame.
I am using the PW2v7-Colonial.pdf version.
Ok, now reach back into those dim memories of yesteryear.
I have some questions based on a square grid on the battlefield. Just want to be sure I understand the rules correctly. I want to prepare a definitive copy of the rules to limit "creative" rules interpretations. This is one reason I play more and more solo games. Sigh.
Unit Facing.
1. Unit facing does not matter except when resolving Close Combat. Right?
Adjacent Square.
An adjacent square is one of the four orthogonally adjacent squares only. I assume this is correct even though the phrasing was dropped when the concept of using squares or hexes was introduced and the rules tried to become grid agnostic. Right?
Movement.
1. All movement is orthogonal only. Clear enough.
2. The facing of a unit before or during movement does not matter. Right?
3. When a unit stops moving it must face one of the final square's four sides. Clear enough.
4. A moving unit stops in any square adjacent to an enemy unit regardless of the facing of the enemy unit. Right?
5. The unit that stops moving when adjacent to an enemy unit must face the enemy unit, or unit of its choice if adjacent to more than one enemy unit. Right?
Firing.
1. Firing is optional. Right?
2. All square counting for range is done orthogonally. Clear enough.
3. A unit can fire if it is adjacent to an enemy unit. Right?
4. A unit can fire in any direction. Right?
Close Combat.
1. Close Combat with every adjacent enemy units regardless of facing is mandatory. Right?
2. Close Combat resolution is the only time a unit's facing is taken into account. Right?
3. Each close combat is one unit against one unit. Right?
4. If a Close Combat result moves unit X away from all formerly adjacent enemy units, and an enemy unit does not advance to remain adjacent, Close Combat for unit X is done. Right?
5. If an enemy unit subsequently moves adjacent to unit X from the above item, unit X must fight Close Combat with the newly adjacent enemy unit. Right?
6. A unit could fight from 0 to many Close Combats in the Close Combat step. Right?
7. The Close Combat step ends only when no units from side A are adjacent to units from side B. Right?
8 "Infantry and Cavalry Units that win a Close Combat (i.e. are the only surviving Unit from a Close Combat either because the enemy Unit has been destroyed or has had to retreat 1 grid area) may move forward and occupy the grid area that was occupied by the enemy Unit and may conduct further Close Combats if this makes them adjacent to a grid area occupied by an enemy Unit."
I understand the word "may" makes each post Close Combat advance optional.
8.a. The word "forward" implies unit facing matters at this point in the Close Combat sequence. Right?
8.b. If facing is not implied, then a unit could advance in any direction into a vacated enemy square after any Close Combat in which it is the sole winner. Right?
8.c. If the unit keeps winning it could keep advancing and initiating Close Combat with the same or different units after each Close Combat win. Right?
8.d The winning unit could be from either side, causing first one side, then the other side, to advance units and initiate multiple Close Combats. Right?
Even simple rules need to be bullet-proofed when playing against "creative and very competitive" gamers!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer,
Jim Wright
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Jim, I fully understand the reasoning behind your questions (and especially the comment with you make with regard to solo wargaming), and will do what I can to clarify any points that you raise. To make my answers easier to identify, I have italicised the text.
ReplyDeletePS. I have had to split my replies into two parts so that they will fit within the ‘Comment’ limits..
PART 1
Unit Facing.
1. Unit facing does not matter except when resolving Close Combat. Right?
Correct, although for purely aesthetic reasons I like to see Units facing the way in which they are moving and firing.
Adjacent Square.
An adjacent square is one of the four orthogonally adjacent squares only. I assume this is correct even though the phrasing was dropped when the concept of using squares or hexes was introduced and the rules tried to become grid agnostic. Right?
Correct. Squares that are corner to corner are NOT adjacent.
Movement.
1. All movement is orthogonal only. Clear enough.
2. The facing of a unit before or during movement does not matter. Right?
Yes.
3. When a unit stops moving it must face one of the final square's four sides. Clear enough.
4. A moving unit stops in any square adjacent to an enemy unit regardless of the facing of the enemy unit. Right?
Yes.
5. The unit that stops moving when adjacent to an enemy unit must face the enemy unit, or unit of its choice if adjacent to more than one enemy unit. Right?
Yes. You have interpreted the Movement rules exactly as I intended them to be interpreted.
Firing.
1. Firing is optional. Right?
Yes.
2. All square counting for range is done orthogonally. Clear enough.
3. A unit can fire if it is adjacent to an enemy unit. Right?
Yes.
4. A unit can fire in any direction. Right?
Yes. Again you have interpreted the rules exactly as I intended them to be interpreted.
PART 2
ReplyDeleteClose Combat.
1. Close Combat with every adjacent enemy units regardless of facing is mandatory.
Right?
Yes, the Close Combats will continue until all the adjacent enemy units have been fought and defeated or the unit that initiated the Close Combat is beaten (i.e. destroyed or forced to retreat).
2. Close Combat resolution is the only time a unit's facing is taken into account. Right?
Yes it is the only time that this really matters.
3. Each close combat is one unit against one unit. Right?
Yes.
4. If a Close Combat result moves unit X away from all formerly adjacent enemy units, and an enemy unit does not advance to remain adjacent, Close Combat for unit X is done. Right?
Yes, that is how I intended the Close Combat rules to be interpreted.
5. If an enemy unit subsequently moves adjacent to unit X from the above item, unit X must fight Close Combat with the newly adjacent enemy unit. Right?
Yes.
6. A unit could fight from 0 to many Close Combats in the Close Combat step. Right?
Yes.
7. The Close Combat step ends only when no units from side A are adjacent to units from side B. Right?
Yes.
8 "Infantry and Cavalry Units that win a Close Combat (i.e. are the only surviving Unit from a Close Combat either because the enemy Unit has been destroyed or has had to retreat 1 grid area) may move forward and occupy the grid area that was occupied by the enemy Unit and may conduct further Close Combats if this makes them adjacent to a grid area occupied by an enemy Unit."
I understand the word "may" makes each post Close Combat advance optional.
8.a. The word "forward" implies unit facing matters at this point in the Close Combat sequence. Right?
As currently written, the rules imply but do not state that as it might be possible for a Unit that has been attacked in the flank or rear to ‘see off’ the attacked … and then pursue them. I had assumed that players would turn the Unit to move into the square that had been vacated as this is covered in the Movement rules that states ‘A Unit may change its direction of movement any number of times during its move but must end its move facing the edge of the grid area not the corner.’.
8.b. If facing is not implied, then a unit could advance in any direction into a vacated enemy square after any Close Combat in which it is the sole winner. Right?
Yes.
8.c. If the unit keeps winning it could keep advancing and initiating Close Combat with the same or different units after each Close Combat win. Right?
Yes, a Unit could ‘go on the rampage’ and win a whole series of Close Combats before it runs out of enemies to fight or it is beaten (i.e. destroyed or forced to retreat).
8.d The winning unit could be from either side, causing first one side, then the other side, to advance units and initiate multiple Close Combats. Right?
Yes, this could happen … but I have yet to see it do so.
Even simple rules need to be bullet-proofed when playing against "creative and very competitive" gamers!
Too true!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer,
Jim Wright
Jim, it was my pleasure!
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the quick response! Much appreciated.
Jim Wright
Jim Wright,
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote, it was my pleasure ... and it made me realise yet again what a simple set of barebones rules that they are!
All the best,
Bob