When "discussing" (that's arguing for you neophytes) wargaming rules down at the ole wargme club, one begins to wonder how a set of rules ever gets from the idea stage to actual publication. For instance, who in their right mind would want to go thru the myriad of crap that one would have to take in order to get this done. So first let me say to any of the readership out there who have published a set of wargame rules on any period, you get a hearty HATSOFF from me. As an example of what one must be prepared to deal with is of course the present hierarchy of their existing wargaming club. Step one, you get the idea from reading in the period you are interested in, or during a wargame you are struck by a better concept or easier/more playable way of doing this or that. Now you present your idea(s) to the club.
Aha! you must get your interpretation of history past the invariable, and usually intransigent "best read person" in the group. All your ideas will pass thru his litmus test of historical reality and accuracy. Then of course you must pass muster with the club's "old gamer". This individual is often also the best read person, thus making the process one step less, but no less grueling. The old gamer will give you the inevitable "already done that, already been there" speech. This guy has seen it all, and will go into his diatribe on how they gamed in the 60's and 70's using scratch built figures and terrain made from hair curlers and toothpicks. Finally, you will be passed on (by force mind you) to the club statistician for the final analysis of your new idea. This individual is the true zen master of scale, distance, topography, and anything else that will turn your proposal into a massive migraine. His first comment will be "well, let's see, if 1" is equal to 30 yards, then 60 men in three ranks, at 18" frontage per person, giving of course deviation for ground cover ...zzzz." After suffering thru all this and you still want to move along with your concept, you are either an "A" type personality, or have a really good idea.
Now you have the greatest decision to make of all, whether you are going to write a set of rules for publishing, or a set just for use by the "home club". This is probably the most difficult decision any wargamer/ rules writer will ever make. For in order to get one's rules published by someone else, you will have to produce a product the publisher feels will sell, or is at least interested in himself.With all the above in mind why do wargame clubs all have a different attitude towards playing published or home rule sets?
For the publisshed rules there are the obvious advantages of having them already done and immediately ready for use. Further, they are perfect for the congenial gamer who seeks out the opportunity to have a pleasent game with a like minded individual. They also allow the wargame club to engage in play with other groups. Here all know the restrictions/limitations as outlined in the rules, and are predetermined to follow this agreed upon set of parameters.The disadvantages of published rules on the other hand, are that the author's concept may be very different from the individual gainers interpretaion of the reading of the period. Where the author for example chose to take liberties with the tactics of the period for playability sake, may be very different from those of a gamer who may be as well read in the period, thus making some of the concepts hard to swallow. This conflict will inevitably lead to the club's or individual gainer's adaptation of "house" rules to meet his likes or wants. The problem here is that such changes can easily change the author's intentions of how the game and/or it's mechanics should work.
Home rules on the other hand, are usually done in one of two fashions. First, there is what we call the "rules by committee" concept, where every member of the club, and especially thosewho paint figures in a given period, will have a vested interest in how the game will be played. I have seen this concept work, and have seen it have absolutely disastrous results. Rules by committee will usually have one individual who takes the lead in seeing that the period and rules get off the drawing table and on to the wargame table. If this is a strong individual, he can usually take the suggestions from the club members and incorporate those that are doable and convince folks to discard those which are unworkable. This can lead to some very positive solutions, and to some very hurt feelings.
A second system for the home rules concept, is the giving of the rules to just one person to come up with. Again this is usually the individual who has the most interest in the period, is the most well read, or maybe just the guy with the most figures. The inevitable problem here is will the individual ever get the rules done; in other words, will he ever be satisfied with them? Second, will the rest of the group like the finished product? This often results in folks who were interested and had painted figures selling off their collections thinking the club will never get to the game table with this one. A final, and what I like to think of as best solution for the home rules concept, is one gamer taking the initiative and painting all the figures needed for the period, then producing the game and rules in one "fell swoop". This system allows the other club members to play the game without a vested interest (ie owning figures), and accentuates their ability to give honest unbiased feedback.
Some other solutions that come to mind in looking at rules development would be to give those club members interested in writing a set some preestablished ground rules about what the "club" generally likes and dislikes. For example what level of game do they want to play in the particular period, skirmish, tactical, or grandtactical in scale. Second, what type of factoring do the club members want to engage in with this period. This means what charts and tables versus what narrative modifiers do they want to see. Do they want simultaneous movement or move-countermove? Following this groundwork, the club needs to give the rule writer/author a chance. All rules whether they be home rules or published need playtesting to work. We should never give a set of rules short shrift because of problems observed with the first play. It is of course okay to be critical, but at the same time we should be constructive in our criticism. When we see a problem, we should also have a solution in mind. By giving the rules writer ideas on how to overcome a particularly difficult rules mechanic, we are making the game better for everyone.
Two Points
Finally, I have two points to make, and I will get off my soapbox. First, is the chase for the perfect set of rules even possible? What does the perfect rules set consisit of? Do we really believe that realism in warfare simulation is even an approachable concept? If as Don Featherstone would unequivocably state that it is not, where do we draw the line at realism versus playability versus readability versus speed of play? These are all questions that serious wargamers often ponder unconsciously, and probably don't spend a lot of brain matter dissecting. Therefore, I would propose we, the wargame world, share with each other what works for us, just like we have done for the past 116 issues of the MWAN, by sending our thoughts, our rules, our questions to the readership thru the venues like this magazine and others.
Also, wouldn't it be great if at conventions there were seminars put on by national or even local wargamers on how we write our rules. Such a concept would be both informative and a positive exchange from the wargame populace as to what folks are doing with their rules. Well, I am done for now. I just hope this stimulated some thought in a few and wasn't a total waste of ink. Thanks for listening.
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© Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum
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