When one designs and publishes a set of wargame rules, one is never quite sure how they will be received by people one does not know. Will they be a success ... or was the whole thing just an ego trip on the part of the author? Well in the case of THE PORTABLE WARGAME, it would appear to have been a reasonably successful venture ... and it hasn't done my ego any harm either!
Over recent weeks I have featured two of the battles fought by Archduke Piccolo in which he used my ANCIENT rules, but have not yet mentioned the third, ENCIRCLEMENT OR BREAKOUT.
I really enjoyed reading these three battle reports as the rules seem to have resulted in what I would judge to have been reasonably accurate results.
A few days ago Jeff Butler wrote a blog entry about a naval battle he had recently fought using a developed and modified version of my Pre-Dreadnought Portable Naval Wargame rules (as yet only available as an online PDF download).
Reading Jeff's blog entry reminded me that I need to give some serious thought to properly publishing the various versions of my naval rules sometime soon ... and this has now moved up my list of 'things to do'.
If my ego wasn't inflated enough already, I recently received an email from a wargamer in which he stated that his ten-year-old son had said that 'the rules are so simple you just concentrate on the tactics' and that he had 'been trying to engage him (his son) in my beloved hobby. Your rules may have succeeded!'
That email gave me an immense amount of pleasure. Having spent most of my working life trying to inspire young people, that simple email was both humbling and made me feel that publishing my rules was a very worthwhile thing to do ... and worth all the time and effort I put into writing and publishing them.
Please note that the photographs featured above are © Archduke Piccolo and Jeff Butler.
Over recent weeks I have featured two of the battles fought by Archduke Piccolo in which he used my ANCIENT rules, but have not yet mentioned the third, ENCIRCLEMENT OR BREAKOUT.
I really enjoyed reading these three battle reports as the rules seem to have resulted in what I would judge to have been reasonably accurate results.
A few days ago Jeff Butler wrote a blog entry about a naval battle he had recently fought using a developed and modified version of my Pre-Dreadnought Portable Naval Wargame rules (as yet only available as an online PDF download).
Reading Jeff's blog entry reminded me that I need to give some serious thought to properly publishing the various versions of my naval rules sometime soon ... and this has now moved up my list of 'things to do'.
If my ego wasn't inflated enough already, I recently received an email from a wargamer in which he stated that his ten-year-old son had said that 'the rules are so simple you just concentrate on the tactics' and that he had 'been trying to engage him (his son) in my beloved hobby. Your rules may have succeeded!'
That email gave me an immense amount of pleasure. Having spent most of my working life trying to inspire young people, that simple email was both humbling and made me feel that publishing my rules was a very worthwhile thing to do ... and worth all the time and effort I put into writing and publishing them.
Please note that the photographs featured above are © Archduke Piccolo and Jeff Butler.
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I have a 'Battle of Sittangbad' in the pipeline, WW2 Western Desert setting, 10x10 square grid table. Orbats and map sorted - just need a time to play the thing out.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteThat sounds like it will be a very interesting battle report to read.
All the best,
Bob
Re: the ten-year-old son, what an inspiring piece of feedback!
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Heinz-Ulrich von Boffke (Stokes),
DeleteIt was both incredibly inspiring and very, very humbling. I have sent my best regards to the young man in the hope that my encouragement will help to maintain his enthusiasm.
All the best,
Bob
Well done Bob.
ReplyDeleteConrad Kinch,
DeleteCheers! I have sent the young man a copy of my most recent book in the hope that it will give him even more encouragement to carry on wargaming.
All the best,
Bob
Well done Bob - they are indeed excellent works.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading them, and your older 'Hexblitz' rules, with a view to doing a complete Market Garden game on an 8x5 table. Always wanted to do this, but with minimum complexity and I think your rules fit the bill - simple, but not simplistic.
Duc de Gobin,
DeleteMany thanks for your kind words.
Your Market Garden project sounds very interesting, and my 'Hexblitz' rules (or something like them) would probably be an ideal set to use.
All the best,
Bob
Yes, I have been tinkering with hexes, supply nodes - perhaps with a ten hex range, and losing a strength point each day for units that are out of supply - though keeping that in context with you card activation mechanism and general principles of combat.
DeleteI do love the Hexblitz variations based on defensive/stationary etc. , but am wanting to combine this with some of the mechanisms in 'portable wargame'
Duc de Gobin,
DeleteYou seem to have some interesting ideas that you are playing around with, and I will follow your progress with interest.
I must admit to having thought some time ago about melding aspects of the two sets of rules together, but it never went much further than me jotting down a few notes. You have gone much further, and it sounds as if you might well come up with something that will fill a niche.
Good luck, and all the best,
Bob