A week ago arthur1815 made the following comment in response to my blog entry about the latest developments to my Itchy and Scratchy rules:
The funny thing is that I don’t think that the changes would be very difficult to implement … but I really MUST play-test the existing rules a bit more before I get diverted, otherwise they will become yet another ‘not-quite-finished’ project … and I already have enough of those to my credit to last me a lifetime!
For a WWII version, you could rename the rules Tommy & Jerry!I do wish that he had not written that as I cannot get the idea out of my head! Even whilst I was feeling unwell, ideas for possible changes to the original Itchy and Scratchy rules kept drifting into my thoughts ... and now that I am feeling better I keep thinking about what I would have to do to the existing rules to make them suitable for fighting battles set in the mid-twentieth century.
The funny thing is that I don’t think that the changes would be very difficult to implement … but I really MUST play-test the existing rules a bit more before I get diverted, otherwise they will become yet another ‘not-quite-finished’ project … and I already have enough of those to my credit to last me a lifetime!
Bob
ReplyDeleteWhy not call them something like 'Square Go' and give them a square go at being playtested!
Jim
Jim Duncan,
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea! I need a new name for the rules ... and your suggestion is the best I have had so far.
All the best,
Bob
I shall look forward to seeing them in action - though I rather like "Tom & Jerry" as a name.
ReplyDeleteConrad Kinch,
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the end result will not be too different from my PORTABLE WARGAME/MEMOIR OF MODERN BATTLE rules.
As to the name ... well TOMMY & JERRY would be very fitting but I am unsure about the copyright issues that might arise if I use it.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThere are no copyright issues, because the use of the names Tom & Jerry predates Hanna-Barbera's cartoon by over a hundred years!
'Corinthian' Tom and Jerry Hawthorn, two young Regency men about town, were the creation of the journalist and chronicler of The Fancy(bare-kunckle prize-fighting)Pierce Egan, and featured in his book 'Life in London', with engraved illustrations by George Cruikshank, in 1827.
Tom & Jerry became so popular that the two names became inextricably linked, though whether they influenced the naming of the USA cartoon characters cannot be proven (Tom for a cat can be explained as deriving from tomcat, but why Jerry for a mouse?).
So I think that you are quite safe to call your rules Tommy & Jerry if you want, particularly as the names are clearly referencing the slang names for WWII British and German soldiers respectively.
Games Workshop had recently to withdraw cease and desist notices served on Amazon regarding a children's book entitled 'Spot the Space Marine' when an internet campaign demonstrated that the term had been in use by SF writers from the 1930s onward.
Regards,
Arthur
Arthur1815,
ReplyDeleteIn light of your very interesting research it would seem that I can use the name TOMMY & JERRY rules ... and so I shall!
Many thanks for shining a very illuminating light onto the origins of the expression 'Tom and Jerry'. It is truly amazing to witness the range of knowledge that exists amongst wargamers.
All the best,
Bob