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Sunday 26 March 2023

The Second Portable Wargame Compendium: A further short progress report

Thanks to one or two matters over which I have very little control, progress on the second edition of the Compendium is not going as quickly as I had hoped. My self-imposed deadline was Easter, but some of the articles have yet to be finished and proofread, and now that I have a fortnight of jury service to look forward to, I'm unsure just how much time I will have to devote to working on the book.

Despite this delay, progress is being made to complete the next Compendium, and from what I have seen, it is going to be a very interesting issue, with lots of ideas for how to use the rules (in all their different iterations) for fighting campaigns.

In the interim – and to whet the appetites of potential readers – here is a copy of one of the campaign maps that I hope to include in the Compendium:

It is based on the map from RISK: EDITION NAPOLEON, which was published exclusively in France by Tilsit – under license from Hasbro – in the 1990s as a numbered edition of 10,000 copies.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Bob
    Looking forward to the next compendium, very interested in the campaign ideas to come.
    Cheers Steve

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    Replies
    1. Stephen Smith (Steve),

      I hope that you won’t be disappointed by the next Compendium.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. I love the map, and hate jury duty. I was on last spring but I was fortunate in that my number wasn't called so I should be safe for about 10 years. I don't know how the system works in the UK, but good luck.

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    Replies
    1. Mark Cordone,

      Thanks for your kind words about the map. I think that it has potential for use as a strategic campaign map.

      I thought that my obligation for jury service ended when I reached 70, but it now carries on until I’m 75. I have to report tomorrow to the court at 9.00am for a briefing, and then I join the juror’s pool. When they need to select a jury, a random group of 15 of us will be called down to the court waiting area, and 12 are randomly selected to go in.

      The lawyers have the right to reject up to 3 jurors (which is why 15 are called down), and once the jury has been selected, the spares return to the jury pool. This goes on for a fortnight, and then I should be released. (Sometimes judges release jurors early, but sometimes jurors do two or three trials during their fortnight … and sometimes they are never selected.)

      A normal court day lasts from 10.00am to 4.30pm, but if a jury is deliberating and close to a verdict, the end time can be later.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Bob,
      I am surprised you were not able to claim exemption on medical grounds.

      Did you know that, in medieval times, juries were not selected at random but from local people precisely because they would know something about the events and people involved? Somewhere between then and modern times it changed.

      It has always seemed to me that selecting people at random, many of whom - not to mention their employers, pupils &c. - will be inconvenienced and who do not particularly want to be there, not only disrupts their workplaces but may risk them being prejudiced against the prosecution by virtue of the compulsion.

      Perhaps it would be more efficient to draw jurors from the ranks of the unemployed, who could be exempted from the requirement to actively seek work during their period of service, the retired and people not in work who would be happy to volunteer. I also wonder whether there ought not to be some minimum level of education required to ensure they will fully understand the evidence and arguments.

      Best wishes,
      Arthur


      ynow an

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    3. Arthur1815 (Arthur),

      I did check, but I could not have had an exemption, just a deferment. As this might have moved the date to a time when I will be undergoing radiotherapy treatment, it made sense to go now, and then it’s done and dusted.

      I never knew that about medieval juries … but it makes a lot of sense. As to the randomness of selection for jury service, this is the first time I ever done it but Sue has been called up three times. (She tells me that it is very, very boring … so I taking my Kindle and lots of books to read.)

      I once met the late Lord Denning, and he had quite strong views about who should serve on juries, and said so in his autobiography … which is why he was required to resign.

      As you have to be at the court by 10.00am, I suspect that many unemployed people would still be in bed … and most retirees are far too busy to volunteer for something so boring! 🙂

      All the best,

      Bob

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  3. Good luck with the second PW Compendium Bob. Count me in for a copy when it’s released. The map is nice (I’m not so sure our Welsh brethren will agree about the “finer details” though).
    I recall from a good few years ago that it was possible to gain an exemption from jury service if, for example, you have medical issues. My father had a bladder problem, but I think he had to get confirmation from the Doctors ahead of time (as he wouldn’t have been able to sit and listen to cases for hours without needing to visit the loo). Good luck.
    Cheers,
    Geoff

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    Replies
    1. Elliesdad (Geoff),

      I hope to have the Compendium published by May Bank Holiday … but don’t hold me to that!

      As the original map was produced by the French, they can take the blame for ‘missing’ Wales off the map.

      I did check if I could get an exemption from jury service, but as I’m not actually undergoing treatment, all I was entitled to is a deferment. As there was no guarantee that any new date would not be during my radiotherapy, I thought that it was best to get it over and done with. (You can only have one deferment, after that you have to go or face a £1,000 fine.)

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Maudlin Jack Tar,

      Cheers! I was rather pleased with the way it turned out.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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