Yesterday the postman brought these tokens I had commissioned from Warbases, a delight of a company to deal with.
I love the creativity the period allows, sorry wholeheartedly encourages, folk to use. Moving from the real, to the possible to the unlikely but fun. Getting into the period, unexpectedly opened a door to interwar period for me, the art, architecture, social history,the literature, the politics the totality of it. I learned about things that were new to me . People like Dr Stephen Cullen were kind to a novice like me and shared their knowledge with me. An example of where these rules and this period took me are represented by these books-
The arcane and the fascinating too. I even got something published in the lore- The League of St Andrews. Researching backgrounds for units is such fun and seeing your ideas incarnate in sections and platoons on the table top is satisfying. The scale of the rules at platoon level, one man to one man , allows identification with the figures in a way l really enjoy. Enough of this over enthusing, tell me what periods work for you and why…
Think we get more from our gaming when we can immerse ourselves in the era .
ReplyDeleteCouldn’t agree more Tony. I think it has always been thus with the hobby but there is so much more info available , or access to info is easier , now. The ability to get so much online…
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
I suspect the enjoyment comes from the creativity within a historical genre, rather than trying to recreate a conflict from a specific historical period.
ReplyDeleteWhile I enjoy research as an activity, it can be frustrating when there are conflicting sources, figures or details in the historical record or simply lacunae that cannot be filled.
Again, once I have created my historical armies do I embark on campaigns, refights of battles or just have hypothetical battles based on scenarios or equal points?
Having done all the above, I cannot help but find myself drawn to what really happened in history and then wonder why the rules fail to reflect some aspect, or find my favourite unit wasn't present at that battle.
With "factional" gaming ( fiction based on facts) or full on Imagi-Nation games it is you that creates the participants, the uniforms, backstory, campaign history and the battles. It has never happened until you create it.
Hardly any wonder that Tony Bath's Hyboria still inspires....
Neil
A thoughtful post indeed. With my 28mm historical armies l main fight my regular opponent in scenarios or equal points games. Also with the 1470’s armies there is the fun of seeing what the Burgundians will field this week a bit like awaiting England to announce their cricket team. My French army of the period was raised with the joy of knowing they would take on the. Burgundians or even the Swiss. I am swithering about raising my 1470s Germans as an imagination or one based on the army at the siege of Neuss., perhaps both is possible with interchangeable banners , hmm a thought…
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
I find myself more and more interested in history but still enjoy the freedom offered by imagi-nations; mine usually draw from history in being small German states and thus small armies. Mark Copplestone's 'Little Soldiers' range has provided me with a toy soldier feel but set in the upheavals of the inter-war period and there's something about the range of troops and weaponry which has its own appeal. The Italian Wars of the first half of the 15th century offers me a rich background where one day's allies can be tomorrow's enemies. One of the large, multi-player games I ran featured marriage as a game opportunity, a part of the game which proved very popular and which offered a different means of achieving one's objectives. I certainly find myself drawn more to the non-table top aspects of conflict such as campaigns and diplomacy.
ReplyDeleteI too really enjoy/enjoyed MLS and the creation of interwar imaginations for use with the figures. My main imagination is based on Denmark l guess but with a very much HRE vibe too.
DeleteHaving played the War of the Austrian Succession recently in Jon’s games l am tempted to take my interwar period Italian imagination The Duchy of Volare Cantare back in time to the 1740s. Raise a few units for some hex based games, enjoy the uniform creation not to mention fun with flags…
Alan Tradgardland
A few Warlord sprues and Bob’s your uncle…
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
I seem to take 'proper' historical periods, reading thoroughly on the period (my favourite part of the wargaming) and then weaving in novels and films for an Imagi-nation. Currently interested in 1920's Himalayan foothills, FIW, Late 4th to Early 5th Century Roman Britain with Arfur figuring large and now collecting figures for Tom Clancy's The Division which cannot be anything but imagination. :0) may I ask what scale of figures you use for one man to one man at platoon level, please?
ReplyDeleteSounds a great plan to take history and weave in both novels and films. Do tell us more of your games. I use 28mm figures for my platoon action Very British Civil War . Some games have been a platoon aside on a dining room table, giving an interesting gaming experience. Other have been a number of platoons a side with added tanks, artillery etc, still in 28mm but on a big table.
DeleteP.s is your Arthur influenced by Rosemary Sutcliffe, Bernard Cornwall or which other novelists?
Alan Tradgardland
I use OHW by Neil Thomas because it is small space, easy to play and simple to remember. That said, I use John Acar's More Chaos alternative to be rid of the 15 hit roster and I am experimenting with a roving commanding officer to give some moral support around the units. The other thing I like is a unit is any number of figures. I base Infantry in sevens or eights so a section at one to one but think of them as companies for between the wars period.
DeleteMy Arfur is influenced in part by The Winter King Trilogy by Bernard Cornwall (which isn't a patch on his Uhtred series). There isn't a lot in readable novels for Arthurian times although many of the Arthur books posing as histories, as Guy Halsall shows in his The World's of Arthur, are fiction. Reading Guy's book made me thin that section of my library. In other periods for Roman Britons there are authors such as Scarrow, Ross, Goldsworthy and Harry Sidebottom whose The Return, although well out of my period, is a superb novel.
Sorry to go so long!
I am eager to try more VBCW; creativity and imagi-nations have always attracted me since my first reads of Charge! and Tremorden Rederring, and I would rather play semi-historical than straight historical any day.
ReplyDeleteVBCW is such fun.Full of characters on the tabletop in a way that Charge and Hyboria was . Semi historical is terrific fun too. I was never a one for refights of historical battles so much but have come to really appreciate them more through Jon’s games.
DeleteAlan Tradgardland
It's a great setting... my Lanarkshire miners and Cameronians (backed up by Hamilton Accies) are about to be reinforced by some members of the Rutherglen WI from a recent kick-start. I need to add some opponents for them though
ReplyDeleteSome excellent forces you have raised there! Are you tempted at all by the Falkirk anarchists who featured in the lore? I do look forward to hearing what opponents you raise and perhaps seeing photos of them…
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Alan, I seem to remember talk of 54mm VBCW at one of the Woking Games Days...the small size of the armoured vehicles involved would make this scale more practical. Have you come across a set of rules setting the same idea but in 1979? They were (are!) called Winter of79. At the risk of being a party pooper, the more divided we seem to be as a nation the less I want to game it!
ReplyDeleteThat last post was me by the way:)
ReplyDelete