Reply To: Inaccessibility of Historical Wargaming

[oriskany 60771xp 1]

“@chaingun: “I know @oriskany and @piers along with Toofatlardies have tried to inject the openness of historical wargames”

We do what we can.  You’re right though, it’s never enough.

And I agree, this isn’t even close to a war or words.  The flame wars we used to have on the old Unclejimmy thread, now those were some word-wars!  🙁

And I agree with @olliep as well – there’s definitely a “middle range” I try to shoot for when it comes to historical accuracy.  First off, my minis are almost all 15mm, so I get a little extra leeway because of the smaller scale.  Second, while I make sure never to take gray panzers into a dunkel gelb scenario as @piers says (gasp!  The shame!) … I do not bother too much with divisional markings, and keep tactical markings to a “generic minimum.”  Those numbers on the sides of the turrets do mean something, you know … and to the true rivet counter, can make a miniature (especially a German one) inaccurate.

The same goes for my 20mm Crown Germans and British for American Revolution.   Not quite the “dark side” of Napoleonics but the same hazards apply, each of these regiments had different details in their uniforms and flags and there’s just no way I’m, painting up hundreds of figures to have them used in only one battle, unable to use them in the next battle because they’d be “inaccurate.”

Americans in rags, British in red coats, Germans in porn-mustaches and dildo-lookin’ hats, check, check, and hella-check.  Let’s chuck some dice.

Now where I get to @piers-levels of “rivet-counting” is in the force makeups of the given scenario.  My scenarios will have the right numbers of the right units, under the right commanders with the right equipment, with the right victory conditions reflecting the right orders at the time … even if those units are painted “85%-90% visual-generic,” or are counters on a hex grid, or even quarters and pennies for all I care.

I care about the visuals much less than the game mechanics, units and formations, military tactics, and historical facts.

So there are different ways to rivet-count, is what I’m saying.