Reply To: The Intersection of Simulation and Beer & Pretzels

[Sparker]

Bandit wrote:

or worse, non-historical motivators to drive historical results.An example of the latter can be seen in Command Points and in Command Radius. A fundamental criticism of Command Points is relating them to the issuing or orders. As yourself, have you ever read an account of a battle where a general lamented how he didn’t have a method for issuing an order? Or, better yet, when he thought to himself, “I issued the attack order to the I Corps first because it was most important and I knew whichever order I issued first had the best chance of success.” Well, I have never read such accounts.

Good point, and of course I have never read such accounts either! But primary historical sources are often as much about what is left unrecorded, since the writer assumes the everyday and obvious doesn’t need to be remarked upon. Whilst I cannot immeadiately find you a historical source, I’ll eat my hat if even the most successful battlefield commanders didn’t steadily develop tunnel vision as the battle developed, and concentrated their nervous energy, and fleetest ADC’s, on ensuring a particular Corps carried out their wishes! Which is a long winded way of saying, the game’s command activiation mechanic, in forcing the player to prioritise his impact on the action, is realistic in its effect if not in its format or phrasing.

I think the answer to your question lies in market segmentation. Yes some wargamers prefer detailed simulation a la Empire V. But I suspect most are reasonably happy with ‘beer and pretzels’ thinly disguised with a veneer of historical authenticity.

Probably the most successful are those which provide the toolkit to do either, so that tired, time poor or ‘fun first – history second’ gamers can throw down a ‘pick up game’ fast, but those blessed with a compulsive-obsessive period tragic in their group can allow him to take the time prior to the game to add the period and campaign chrome through tweaking the unit stats and characteristics, and delving through the tool kit of special rules and add-ons to fit that particular battle. As you may know, I consider Black Powder, and its stable-mate Hail Caesar, to be such a happy medium!

So, FWIW, my advice would be to have the ‘beer and pretzels’ aspect prominent during the actual game play, and the ‘simulation’ aspect as a voluntary add-on before the game starts…

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