Name: Terry Gore

Genius: As an historian as well as a wargamer, I endeavor to write about diverse military subjects often ignored or under-represented by existing academic authors and their 'outside the university' counter parts. A case in point being my book, Neglected Heroes: Leadership and War in the Early Medieval Period (Praeger, Westport CT, 1995) reviewed in the October 1997 issue of Military History. There have been quite a few articles which I have penned on both sides of the Atlantic, primarily dealing with the warriors, battles and leaders of the Medieval period.

Bio: Additional designs, awards, past credits, recognitions or other accomplishments? with dates if possible ...

Recently, a new book, Great Commanders In Action (Cowles Enthusiast Media, North Adams, MA, 1996) included a chapter of mine. Besides these historical writings, I am the editor and publisher of SAGA (editors at right, from left to right: Gore, Bruce Taylor, and Jamie Fish), available through MagWeb, covering miniature wargaming and the history of ancients/medieval warfare. Now in its tenth year, SAGA continues to survive.

Since publishing Medieval Warfare, I have developed a new set of tactical ACW rules, along with Steve Phenow, which we are anticipating having published in conjunction with Arty Confliffe. Beyond that, Bruce Taylor and I are beginning to work on a new set of rules to complement Medieval Warfare, covering the Ancient period from early Rome to the fall of the Western Empire. These will be our winter project.

Current job (and title): What do you do for a living?

I am and have been for over 25 years a sales manager in one of the largest music stores in the northeast. Having listened to "Stairway to Heaven" and "Smoke on the Water" for a quarter of a century has numbed my brain considerably, hence my prediliction for quiet when my wife and I are home. My kids are grown and long gone, so there is ample time to pursue my second career in writing as preparation for my retirement from the music business within the next decade.

Where did you get the inspiration for the original Medieval Warfare? And why revisit it?

I guess I grew tired of the constant bickering going on about the various rules sets available, all of which are good, but none of which really had the 'feel' of the medieval period for which I looked for. I had always kept notes on various ideas which I felt should be in a 'perfect' set of rules (which mine are certainly not!), and finally decided to put it all together and do rules which I really liked!

What makes it such a cutting edge game at the time?

MW are tactical, not strategic and not grand-tactical. They are a hands-on system, where each figure is important, as is his armor, weaponry, morale and psychological motivation. Leadership is essential to victory.

What do you believe was the greatest success of the original design? The most noticeable flaw?

It is a thinking man's game. (At right, Mitch Abrams (left) and Bruce taylor think about the next move). If someone wants to let the die win his game for him, stay away from MW. You must make decisions each turn, each decision having a good point and a bad one, depending on what your opponent decides to do. Planning ahead is a necessity, one reason why of the 25 games I have played so far, I have won just two of them! So might call this a flaw...'Why, the rules writer should have an advantage, he knows the rules.' Sorry, if you don't think well ahead and your opponent does, he will probably defeat you. Rules lawyers will hate this game. Does that qualify as a flaw?

What were some other influences as you developed the rules?

The game evolved on its own from a series of games where rules were tried and judged as to whether they added or detracted from play. We decided early on to go with a system which allowed both simultaneous movement phases as well as move-countermove phases.

This allowed a fast, even flow of play while still enabling players to 'get the jump' on their opponent. There were no startling revelations; playtesters sent in their suggestions, they were tried and either rejected or amalgamated into the rules.

Early on, the problem of skirmisher archer fire came up. They were simply too powerful (we allowed one die per firing stand). Plus the fact that close order foot were no better shooting with four figures on a stand than the skirmsihers with two. I finally decided to give the 4 figure stand a plus modifier and the skirmisher stand a minus modifier. End of problem.

I was heavilly influenced by my research in the writing of Neglected Heroes. I tried to balance playability with the statistics which research had provided. Hopefully, this has proved successful.

How long did the new Medieval Warfare take from inspiration to final boxed product? Did you get any faster as you continued?

Actually, it took less than a year to get the rules going from an idea to something written down. It took another year to playtest and develop. The game cruised through the last three months before publication, but I spent hundreds of hours working on the army lists as the publication date loomed.

When in design mode, what's your favorite snack food?

Cashews and any kind of 'hot' style potato chips. A few bottles of amber refreshment also helps the brain to function at peak efficiency at times.

Do you play computer games?

I have the Blue and the Gray as well as Centurian, but that's about it.

What type of system do you have?

I have an old 286, which is fine for word processing but woefully aged for games!

What piece of hardware--real or imaginary--would you add to it?

A total system upgrade...maybe next year.

In general, do you think board wargames make the leap to computer screens effectively? Why or why not?

Personally, I have seen some of the splendid computer games with phenomanal graphics but they still lack something. I miss the personal interaction. "Ha, kicked your butt again, eh?" Not as much fun saying that to a computer screen.

How would you like to see Medieval Warfare presented on a computer screen, if at all?

As a series of actual scenarios. It could easily be done, and probably qyuite well, but allow for the variable of picking one's army from the available troops in the army lists.

If you were going to be represented on a computer screen by an icon, what would it be?

Probably a red exclamation point (thinking about retiring again).

Computer games are becoming an extension of Hollywood--games based on movies or movie characters. Do you believe the Hollywoodized games to be better, worse, or about equal to ones created from original material? Why?

Though commercially appealing, the Hollywood mentality is not one I would care to be associated with. Historically based games owe their success to the research of the designers, not simply spectacular graphics based upon a successful box office commodity.

What was the last movie (theater) you watched? Last videotape rental?

Men in Black. An excellent and extremely funny movie. If you like X-files, this one's for you. Currently, I am watching Gettysburg for the seventh or eighth time...though not a rental, I own it.

Is there a movie you'd like to do a game of?

Perhaps Das Boot would be a very suspenseful game, if done according to the movie...tense and foreboding.

Given unlimited resources but present day technology, what game would you design and why would it be cool?

A full scale miniatures game, one to one ratio, with computer tracking of casualties, probabilities, morale etc. on a hundred foot by 10 foot table. 25mm of course.

(At right, a demo game at Historicon '97: Battle of Clontarf, 1504)

They say everyone needs a hobby. How do you decompress outside of game designing/playing?

I write, do research, play guitar and work outside around the yard. I used to write songs when in a number of bands, but have since left that behind.

Where was the last place you visited on vacation? What's your next vacation spot?

My wife and I visited my oldest daughter in Raleigh, NC and then drove down to spend a few days with my mother in Ft. Lauderdale. Next year we will probably go to Florida again.

If not bound by time or space, where would you go...and why?

England, Greece and Egypt, in that order. Nothing like first hand research!

Excluding your own creations, what three games (of any type) would you take with you to the proverbial desert island? What three books?

I would take Ancient Conquest, Imperium Romanum and SPI's Punic Wars, three boardgames that are always enjoyable and fun to fool with. Oman's History of the Peninsular Wars, Freeman's Norman Conquest and the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. There are about ten years worth of reading.

We see the emergence of online gaming as putting the social aspect (and the smarts of a real-live opponent) into gaming on a world-wide scale. Good or bad? Why?

I can't say as I have no experience with it. Good to a point, I suppose, as it puts people in touch world-wide.

Do you have a favorite poster or cartoon hanging by your desk? What is it and what makes it your favorite?

I have a picture of U.S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and a geneological report on one of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War. They inspire me to strive to do better.

What epitath would you want encoded on your digital tombstone?

'He gave voices to those who were long dead'.

What question did we leave out that you would like us to ask, and what's the answer?

I am 50 years old! That explains a lot, doesn't it?

Any last omniscient thoughts for MagWeb members?

Hopefully, the games which I an developing will give you years of enjoyment and comraderie which I have had throughout my life. I would like to thank Donald Featherstone, Phil Barker, Dick Bryant and the late Jack Scruby for much help, inspiration, encouragement and just plain friendship through over thirty-five years in this, the best of all hobbies.

More Medieval Warfare

Medieval Warfare rules, by Terry Gore.