Why We Hack ...
Editorial
by Philip J. Viverito
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There has been some criticism over the years about Classical Hack in gaming circles, as being all manner of things. Here is what Classical Hack is not. It is not designed or intended for tournament play or for gainers who need to be told how to game. Does this mean tournament play is bad. No it does not. There are many approaches to miniature gaming and tournament play is just one. It is unfortunate that we must be forced to use certain words (i.e. rules) that are commonly accepted. Unlike other game systems Classical Hack is more of an interpretive guide to gaming than a true set of rules. This is the hardest thing to accept about our system. Our system handily accommodates users who have some knowledge of history without alienating those without. Currently in ancients gaming there is a philosophy that to beusable a system must follow a very narrow formula. Break with this formula and you are a heretic.
Our game system requires at least a sixth grade reading level; incorporating historical research, statistics and math skills. It is hoped that through gaming we can inspire young and old to take an interest in a particular period of history, through their own efforts. To channel these educational skills into interest we provide universal scenarios books, with researched details of the many different peoples of Antiquity. Finally we engage the gaming community and educational institutions with programs. Most of these include large scale models of important and interesting places like ancient Alexandria or Tyre. The rewards are found in the people we inspire to do more in academics, historical gaming and the people we meet in doing so. This is why we Hack ... Back to Table of Contents -- Classical Hack Newsletter # 3 Back to Classical Hack Newsletter List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Phil Viverito. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com |
This is the third Classical Hack News Letter. In this issue I hope to detail and explain our approach to historical miniature gaming and our philosophy.
Our demonstration games, numerous books and dioramas and speaking engagements are all dedicated to the purpose of educating as well as entertaining young and old alike.
We have created our own formula based on the user researching a period in antiquity, interpreting the research, and then changing our game system to meet his or her findings. Even altered the system is easy to understand and easier still to play without the loss of historical feeling of that period. This may not be wise from a marketing stand point but it does work.