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Tuesday 19 February 2013

Rules, rules, feckin' rules!!!

So, I tried these...


No..... So I gave these a go...


Mmmmm ..... Not sure on these either to be honest..... How about these? .....


Oooooh!.... Now hang on a minute.... I do like these..... Could this be the 'one'?

I seriously hope so before I just sell everything and take up bird spotting instead.

UPDATE!!!

And just a day after I originally  posted this yet another Napoleonic rule set is released.....


Will it never end?????

UPDATE No.2

Decided to say feck it to published rules and try some of the 'old school' games of my youth....  Homebrew rules with plenty of dice. ... Photo's will follow!

16 comments:

  1. Ok, so maybe GA will "float your boat"; Sam's rules are generally well written and well thought out. You could try a Napoleonic set a week and take several years to go through what's available, by which time there would be a dozen more, etc!

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    1. Very true Peter! Why did it seem so much easier when I first started out? I played quite happily for years with a mish-mash of published rules and my own scribblings yet now I can't help but question every set I play.... Nightmare.

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  2. This hobby would be so much easier without rules!

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    1. And without miniatures? :-P

      Marzio.

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    2. And without miniatures?... :-P

      Marzio.

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    3. Both good points. Maybe I should just take up boardgaming.

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  3. Hi Steve,

    I preferred the first version of V and B; not keen on Shako and have not tried the third although they are highly regarded.

    All the best,

    DC

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    1. Hi David
      In all honesty I probably didn't give V&B a proper chance but the basing is exactly the same as Grande Armee so perhaps I shouldn't rule them out completely just yet. I found the rules a little strange compared to the conventional sets and the movement distances were rather excessive. Perhaps I should give them another go... Frustration got the better of me during my play testing of them I'm afraid!

      All the bsest,

      Steve

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  4. Napoleonics seems to be the period that causes most problems in finding a suitable rule set. Some like the grand sweep of rules like Grand Armee (we do play it but I'm not a huge fan) and others the skirmish element (such as Sharp Practice). I've tried loads of rule sets for Naps and none seem to hit the mark but I haven't given Rank and File a go yet.

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    1. You're right there Phil, Nap rules are a real pain. I'm looking for the more grand tactical sort of game so I'm really hoping that Grande Armee scratches my itch!

      All the best,

      Steve

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  5. V&B are my favorite rules, period. The movement rate is one of the things I like. It let's you have a reserve and use it when the time is right.
    The morale was the thing that didn't feel right to me at first, but the combination of the morale phase and exhaustion do combine for the right effect.
    Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Mike. I think I may give them another couple of games and see if my feelings change towards them. I do like the simplicity of the system but they are a little 'out there' compared to a conventional set.

      Thanks for the comment.

      Steve

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    2. Seriously, I am a major rules junkie; reading and trying new rules (and writing my own, both house rules and now some quasi-commercial ones) is actually a large part of the fun of the hobby for me. My personal favorite is Brent Oman's Field of Battle, but I used house rules for 25 years until Piquet came out (and I wouldn't have liked those rules either, back when I was starting out and more in the "simulation" mode)) I've played Shako and would play it again. I have V&B but have never tried playing it.

      Part of the reason it seemed easier when you first started out was that your vision of what Napoleonic battle was probably quite vague; as it develops, you become much pickier about the details of how rules handle certain issues! And then, in my case, after many years, you recognize again that it really is really mostly a GAME, and choose the rules that give you a game you enjoy while maintaining reasonable verisimilitude!

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    3. "when you first started out was that your vision of what Napoleonic battle was probably quite vague; as it develops, you become much pickier about the details of how rules handle certain issues!"

      You have hit the nail on the head there Peter!

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  6. Get the Fast Play Grande Armee variant. Only rules we play for Nappies.
    http://baronvonj.blogspot.com/search/label/FPGA
    -J

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    1. That's the version I have Baron. Looking forward to trying them out.

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Will all spammers please note that your pointless ramblings will not be published so do us all a favour and feck off. To my friends and fellow gamers please feel free.....