Well, I wrote a nice short, simple set of toy soldier rules. Then I tweaked it and tweaked it until I had a nice convoluted set. So I ripped it apart, started again and basically re-invented Hearts of Tin with single figures. Poor Hearts of Tin! That led me to reopen that and just incorporate a few things, then I noticed that some parts were incompatible or contradictory so I patched, and then patched the patches.
There's only one thing to do when I get in this mode. I went up and painted 4 more Zinnbrigade figures. When they were done I hauled out some ACW troops and confirmed that HofT was a mess again. I've just spent a few minutes rolling back some of the new and improved ideas of this last 2 weeks and then most of those of last year. All the convoluted series of multiple phases is gone and the game is back to move or shoot or charge and all combat is resolved as each "order" is carried out, a system that has served well over the years. Good thing the basic mechanisms appear to be robust.
If all goes as planned I'll have a small test game on Sunday as well as a test of the Toy Soldier game which is less like a toy soldier game and more like a simple OSW game crossed with HofT. In other words in my comfort zone.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
A Fiddler's Lament
Born and raised in the suburbs of Montreal, 5 years in the Black Watch of Canada Cadets, 5 years at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean followed by 4 in the navy. 25 years with CPC in IT simultaneous with 23 years running a boarding kennel. Inherited my love of toy soldiers from my mother's father. Married with a pack of Italian Greyhounds and 3 cats. Prematurely retired and enjoying leisure to game, maintaining our 160 yr old farmhouse and just living.
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Hope the test game goes well and I look forward to hearing about it...
ReplyDeleteAlan
Will be interested in your findings
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting, good luck with the tests.
ReplyDeleteNo easy task to keep each set of rules distinctive enough for it to be worth being separate at all, when they are bound to have successful mechanisms in common.
I just need to control my enthusiasm for collating! (and figure out the real point of each)
DeleteTinker away. That's half the fun. I really need to play one of your rule sets one of these days.
ReplyDeleteThey are just waiting.
DeleteRoss Mac,
ReplyDeleteI am constantly tinkering with my rules ... and going backwards and forwards (and sometimes sideways) in my efforts to 'perfect' my rules.
It is the burden we wargamers carry ... and carry with pleasure!
Good luck with your play-test game.
All the best,
Bob
Its all about the hunt isn't it?
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