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Tuesday 4 February 2014

"If I was going there I wouldn't start from here"

This is exactly how I am feeling today about my attempts to meld together elements of Richard Brooks' OP14 rules with the combat mechanisms from my ITCHY AND SCRATCHY rules. Yesterday I thought that I was almost there ... but the cold light of today showed that not only was I wrong but that I had made several quite fundamental errors that were going to require a complete re-write of what I had so far produced.

The problem is that I had thought that what I was doing was going to be a simple 'cut and paste' job that would require a little bit of tidying up at the end. That is how I started out ... and that is why I have not got to where I wanted to be.

I am now in something of a quandary and need to find an answer to the following questions:
  • Do I persist with my current draft and try to iron out the problems?
  • Do I start again from scratch?
  • Do I walk away from my idea for the time being with the intention of returning to it at a later date?
  • Do I give up trying to do what I set out to do and move onto a new project?
I am very tempted to answer 'No', 'No', 'Possibly', and 'Yes' to these questions ... but before I do I intend have a good night's sleep first.

6 comments:

  1. A good night's sleep is often a good idea in such situations. Take a break from it and come back refreshed, maybe with new insight.

    Good night and good luck! (as the man said)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fitz-Badger,

    Well, I have had a reasonable night's sleep (I only woke up once when our cold, wet cat decided to come to tell us that it had come back into the house after going outside!) but the rules don't look any better today than they did yesterday. In fact I actually realised that there was another problem looming if I made one of the changes that I had thought about making.

    I think that I am going to put them to one side for a few more days and do something else. Then I can come back to them with fresh eyes and a fresh mind ... and may even feel like starting again from scratch.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bob,
    I think you have made a wise decision - and you may well find it better to cut your losses, abandon this particular idea and move on to something that offers more chance of success.

    As another Robert - the Bruce - might have said: 'If at first ye canna succeed, gi' the bluidy thing up!'

    Best wishes,
    Arthur

    ReplyDelete
  4. Arthur1815,

    A very apt quote ... and a course of action that I intend to follow.

    I believe that one of the maxims says that good generals reinforce success attacks and do not pour resources into attacks that are failing. If I expended much more effort on this project - at the moment - I would certainly be guilty of the latter.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete
  5. A fresh start after a pause can often suceed especially if the original head on attack can be followed by a flanking movement.

    I'm feeling quite happy at this point (pre-test) with my new 20C rules which were a fresh start without reference to any other set. I was almost ready for a test when I discovered they were actually more or less a rewrite of a set I had drafted 2 years ago and forgotten!

    My experiences and various dabblings in the meantime had allowed my subconscious to come up with solutions to the original issues.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ross Mac,

    Wise words indeed!

    I am following the development of your 20th century rules with interest, and look forward to reading more of your play-test battle reports.

    I suspect that if and when I 're-visit' my current project I will see possible solutions with greater clarity than I can at present.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete

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