tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post3135430976587408343..comments2024-03-18T20:32:20.647-07:00Comments on Dale's Wargames: Special Abilities versus Standard RulesDalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667428218897971037noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-74677537136997378222016-10-24T12:15:35.642-07:002016-10-24T12:15:35.642-07:00Special rules, don't ya just love 'em. A l...Special rules, don't ya just love 'em. A little change here that adds some character to a few special figures in the warband: Robin the keen shot, John the tough fighter.<br />They're the difference between a bland game of die rolling and a game that leaves you with a memorable tape.<br /><br />Special rules, don't ya just hate 'em. A 12 page supplement listing them all, and 3 specials for every player. It's so difficult to remember, and nobody thought of the combination effects. Do you remember when that guy combined "extra range", "unlimited firepower" and "Flamethrower" and destroyed your entire warband before you even got to move.SteveHolmes11https://www.blogger.com/profile/17392212343858957364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-48144176615016571902013-04-11T14:25:29.072-07:002013-04-11T14:25:29.072-07:00This is a great topic. I think an overabundance of...This is a great topic. I think an overabundance of special rules and chromey abilities on a unit/faction/type is something that plagues a lot of wargames nowadays. The reason why I think this is a bad thing is that it pushes gameplay into a direction that I personally think is the complete opposite of what makes tabletop gaming (and actually almost all gaming) enjoyable: less choices and more rules following.<br /><br />I remember playing some games where I was bored to tears because of the limited choices I as a player had. Games that had very little in terms of play other than "move these units here, then shoot with them at those obvious targets, then fight in melee. Rinse and repeat". <br /><br />My personal belief is that a game succeeds when the crux of its gameplay revolves around one or two key mechanics that challenge the player with choices. Games with complex basic rules or tons of special rules can be irritating because they force a player into predefined ways of playing a game while also increasing the mental workload (and often bookkeeping too). <br /><br />The most fun games I've played are those that are built on simple basic rules that revolve around some kind of key dynamic that challenges a player's decision making, whether it's to do with outmaneuvering your opponent (e.g. De Bellis Antiquitatis), risk management (SoBH activation rolls), resource management/allocation (dice pools in various games), or something else. <br /><br />I think special rules can be great for adding a bit of spice and encouraging player's to tinker with ways of altering their gameplay, but the real meat of the game has to be there and be potent enough to stand on its own. I remember when I played Warhammer 40k a lot, I eventually quit because I felt like if you took away all the game's special rules, there was nothing left except a series of very obvious choices for me as the player to make while rolling awful amounts of dice and moving my models directly forward every turn.<br /><br />Okay I'm getting carried away now ahaha.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04156382467070858671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-37952315149116877272013-04-06T10:56:08.140-07:002013-04-06T10:56:08.140-07:00Dale, I went through a similar evolution. In my e...Dale, I went through a similar evolution. In my early twenties, I enjoyed large and complicated games. I also would learn and play the latest Strategy & Tactics or Wargamer game upon each release. Even today, in my mid-fifties, I still enjoy large and complex boardgames ( Gamers' OCS, CWB) but at a much reduced frequency. I tend towards series rules (exactly for the reasons you state) and wouldn't consider learning a new rules' system on a bimonthly basis as I did when younger.<br /><br />Long gone are the days of multi-day miniatures games. My taste in miniature rules has definitely evolved towards the less complex. My hunch is that young gamers associate realism with complexity. Only later does one realize that same level of realism can be accomplished by data reduction techniques and abstraction. This evolution likely boils down to the central argument of either "designing for cause" or "designing for effect."<br /><br />To answer your original question, I do prefer simple rules' mechanisms with chrome layered on top. I prefer simple but not simplistic and am firmly in the design for effect camp.<br /><br /> Jonathan Freitaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862373894196924886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-66601407059886616432013-04-06T07:50:10.104-07:002013-04-06T07:50:10.104-07:00Sometimes less is more. I think also bloated rules...Sometimes less is more. I think also bloated rules tend to encourage gotcha rules lawyer-ing and tournament gaminess. I have really gotten into Munchkin of late after subscribing to Munchkinland. I even got the whle family to play and my wife begrudgingly admitted it was fun.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15428727065347379281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-18707609088382727832013-04-06T00:16:12.713-07:002013-04-06T00:16:12.713-07:00How about a combination, like Barks mentioned? A ...How about a combination, like Barks mentioned? A core set of rules and a few special abilities. <br /><br />One of the things I like about Armati is it does not have many special rules at all. A friend I I play about 1-2 games per year over the last 12 years and he is not a miniatures gamer. And the rules come back very easily. It is a bit like chess - there are some core rules and a few special abilities (e.g. en passant, castling). I do like rules that have a few special abilities but when it goes crazy, I am with you - it all becomes a bit too hard. Lots of exceptions to rules is just as bad - I prefer special abilities to exceptions (and yes, they may be the same thing, just I find them easier to be associated with the unit type than the action).<br /><br />It is likely your fun factor is longer longer tied to all those different combinations - you prefer the strategy to the tactics. Maybe. Or maybe it is more that you prefer to game than having to juggle all those rules in your head.<br /><br />Or maybe it is as you say, and you are just getting old :-)Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38671384.post-26640044791354174302013-04-05T22:51:18.582-07:002013-04-05T22:51:18.582-07:00I hear where you're coming from. I often talk ...I hear where you're coming from. I often talk about 'rules fatigue'. I prefer to know one core set of rules, and then plug in a few 'special rules' for period flavour. C+C is a great example; I would tout Ganesha Games' Songs system for skirmishes. I just can't recall all the differences between rule sets, let alone unit special rules- I just want to play a game!Barkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04389368754759452544noreply@blogger.com