The Good Stuff.

 Oh Dearie Dearie me ......

My earlier post "Love Hate Relationship " sparked off a few other chaps views- which of course was the point and overall those that I saw  were all thoughtfull and thought provoking- though it has to be said the short TMP thread was - as usual with many of  that organ's posters  less than inspiring.

 http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=384590

The initial posts get the point- ie discussion  but the rest- well why post in the first place if you can't be bothered or in the case of the aptly named Supercillious Maximus why post if you are simply a self satisfied   sort of fellow ..... or similar .....maybe he's a merchant banker - they are usually pretty self- satisfied ....  but then I could be wrong ...  
 Nevertheless sometimes even the twaddle gets you thinking, the crack about "people he doesn't know vey welland being bitter - what a lot of arse !  - Hmm well Its about reading the words. I don't KNOW Jane Austen or William Shakespear- they being dead but I can read their writings. but then you do wonder with some TMP ers if they actually read actual books with actual pages in .... or if some of them have ever  cracked a smile or had a laugh that wasn't based upon shadenfreude or heavy sarcasm ....

 Nevertheless

It did start the thought juices flowing. If, for instance there are things you dislike about the hobby there are obviosly things you like . Now when I wrote Love Hate Relationship  I deliberately avoided the particlar- hence no history and no references to particular periods since I was speaking of the hobby in general rather than my personal likes or dislikes- after all I don't have to deal with the dislikes personally I can simply ignore them.  Equally for everything I disliked there was an equal and opposite like- a bit like Newtons third Law .... well sort of !  as did those other chaps who joined the conversation  but the overall feeling I get from TMP- in this case was not the usual small minded narrowness but rather Apathy rules - if it could be bothered.....

However.

 Lets have a think about the Good Stuff in our hobby- again trying to avoid the particular- at least to begin with as the particlar will change for each different person - or at least I hope it would- not so sure of that as I used to be though, at least not so far as the mainstream is concerned- how did that dude on TMP put it " Why ask Why  Just do it .... How narrow and small . That statement was probably the most depressing in that - mercifully short- thread.  .

 So moving swiftly on  asking why IS part of the Good Stuff  why does this period work this way? Why are these rules complete crap but THESE  are not? or even Why does this period interest me and thos one bores the arse off me?
 For instance I simply can't get interested in the Western Front in WW1. I've read about it have several books upon it  but ultimately the futility of it wears me down- it  carries with it too much baggage. Now I have gamed the 1914 campaign- when there was still hope  I suppose- "Home Before the leaves Fall", "It'll all be over by Christmas" . Those poor chaps couldn't know - the way we do, how wrong they were

WW1 Brirish 13 pdr of the RHA in action in 1914. 20mm figs by various makers .

One of the main resons I do this is to discover the human stories behind the models- this is something that wasn't as  important  in the 70s when I was far more of a "mere gamer" than I am now. but that is part of the Good Stuff too . Rather than merely throwing dice at the behest of a games designer I do want to know why..
 But as well as the Why there is the How. How did these troops fight? How do these rules cater for that method? Again sorting this out is part of the Good Stuff-even if -  it means trashing a set of rules gamey  chaps think the sun shines out of ! .   Now as it happens- assuming we are  doing a Game at Druham on June 13th  I'll be testing some new ideas on the How- in this case trying out some adaptions to Warfare in the Age of Reason to reflect the points regarding Doctrine brought up on Blackmores fine book "Destructive and Formidable". The idea being to closer reflect the differeing Tactical doctrines of the various 18th century armies I have so the scenario will be based loosely on the battle of Blenhiem- but thrust forward 50 years or so to the SYW. Amendments will be largely concerned with fire and movement and  firing ranges but also with morale  in certain situations. I'll post the amendments once I've finished writing them - they are deliberately untested. I want to use them "clean" to see what the players think.
 Lets face is discussing this kind of stuff with the like minded is one of the Best Bits of the Good Stuff.