Sunday, May 9, 2021

Trying It On

Hurrah for the denizens of the blogosphere. Thanks to four brave volunteers I have now experienced a 4 player + moderator, 3 time zone, coast to coast, miniature wargame and not only learned a few things but enjoyed it.

The view from the other side, pulled back to show the whole table.
(Screenshots courtesy of Murdock: see murdocksmarauders.blogspot.com)

We used Skype for this game and as the listings on the virtual Huzzah registration site lists Skype as the medium and 2 people have already signed up,  I am going to stick with it until then. A quick chat with Rob over Discord seemed to have better video so that will be something to investigate later.

Zoomed in a little closer, a little later in the game. 

There were a few technical glitches and a learning curve on my end as well as one brain failure on my part which ended the game abruptly when my phone/camera ran out of juice because I had forgotten to plug it in as planned. But we still managed a 3 hour, 4 player game which felt a lot like a normal convention game apart from the occasional request to zoom in or out or pan across to a different part of the table .

And even closer as the game entered its final phase.

Quite apart from the remote aspects, due to other demands on my time, I had only managed to design the scenario earlier that afternoon and finish a solo play test an hour before the live version and was starting to feel.....fatigued and a bit brain dead by the last hour but I've gotten used to that over the last few years. Resting up before the next game is now on the toodoo list. The scenario seemed to work well though with multiple possible approaches to the tactical problems and each of the games coming to a conclusion at the last moment. I think I should, perhaps, write up a generic version to make available here.

Well, one week to the next test game. I don't want to mess with the table so it'll be a week for some painting I think.

Speaking of next week, there is still one slot open for the Saturday game if some brave soul wants to volunteer. 



14 comments:

  1. It was fun! Thanks again for hosting.

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    1. Thanks for volunteering! I enjoyed it but it was also a good learning experience.

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  2. Congratulations! Looking forward to next Saturday's game.

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  3. Great fun to virtually push about your large miniatures.

    They certainly make a thud when hitting the table.

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    1. Yeah, I need a solid oak tabletop so it doesn't shake when they march in step.

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  4. > not only learned a few things but enjoyed it--

    --wait, What? You *enjoyed* it?!?

    (hyuk!) Seriously, pretty cool this type a' thing can be pulled off reasonably well nowadays. (Good to knowwwww....)

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  5. So glad it is working so well. I look forward to hearing about the games.

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    1. I'm trying not to say too much till the actual virtual convention games are played in 2 weeks time.

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  6. Ross Mac,

    Remote wargaming is something that I think a lot of us have learned to do over the past eighteenth months, and although it is not quite as fulfilling as a genuine face-to-face encounter, it come pretty close. I am taking part in a remote Napoleonic battle this after noon, and I am really looking forward to it.

    All the best,

    Bob

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    1. I've been playing a few remote games a year since 2012, but only with a single connection. Its a great way to overcome distance as well as isolation.

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  7. Ross - if the photos were taken from the remote end of the connection then I have to say that is far better picture resolution than I can get with my local broadband speed - really pretty good. Battery life is certainly a problem on these sessions. My old iPhone, which is still in use as an internet terminal, though the SIM has moved on to my new phone, goes as flat as a pancake in an hour on Zoom, so I just have to remember to have all mobile devices connected to the mains throughout. Anyway - looks very good - well played, sir!

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    1. Thanks! It was certainly better quality than my last remote game unsing the built in camera on a laptop.

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