Another one to boost replies for compulsive posters

Started by FierceKitty, 31 October 2016, 04:46:26 AM

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FierceKitty

You need only raise the question of whether balrogs can fly to set the nerds arguing for hours.
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Ithoriel

I suspect we can be just as certain of the capabilities of balrogs as we are of those of many historical troop types. Providing neither the former nor the latter are unduly overpowered I can't say I care much, to be honest.

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FierceKitty

My point was related to the allegedly fewer grey areas.
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Quote from: FierceKitty on 02 November 2016, 01:54:53 AM
You need only raise the question of whether balrogs can fly to set the nerds arguing for hours.

African or European Balrogs ?

IanS
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Zippee

Quote from: FierceKitty on 02 November 2016, 07:19:55 AM
My point was related to the allegedly fewer grey areas.

Alledgedly?

you want historical grey areas?

What was a peltast and how did he form up and what weapons was he equipped with - what about an Iphicratean hoplite?

Thureophoroi what were they and what did they look like?

Chariots - what's with the 3rd horse - how does it contribute?

Chariot runners what were they and how much were they paid?

Cromwell 95mm was it worth the build time?

I said fewer not none!

FierceKitty

You could effortlessly fill ten pages with similar queries about fantasy issues. Some of them would even be real questions.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

DanJ

Personally I don't object to imagination based games as essentially all wargames involve the use of one's imagination and the suspension of disbelief (i.e. I can't believe I've just rolled cr*p dice AGAIN!!!).

I've never bothered to build a full imagination campaign, but can see the allure, anything based on history is, of necessity, constrained by the historical geography which can have unfortunate results.  I tried running a Renaissance campaign a few years ago, the rules were fine, the historical setup was good, but the physical limitations of trying to play a campaign from Southern France and Southern Germany down into Sicily proved to be rather constricting for the players.

Players at the out edges could only go one way while those in the middle were beset by enemies.  All very historical, all very real but terribly constraining on the players room for manouver.  An imagination campaign could improve on the player experience by altering the geography to allow more flexibility.

Zippee

Quote from: FierceKitty on 02 November 2016, 01:07:18 PM
You could effortlessly fill ten pages with similar queries about fantasy issues. Some of them would even be real questions.

So?

The author can give a definitive answer to any query, that very 'closed box' approach is why so many of the popular game systems are just that game systems with in built definitions, rules and parameters - no debating the finer points of history. It's in the 'codex' and that's that.

Of course they then have to update and change the 'codex' in order to generate more sales, <shrug> that's business.

But unlike historical interests a fantasy or SF background can be written and presented, whole and complete with no uncertainties. Naturally there are backgrounds never written in that way, but like Tolkien written as pseudo-history with open questions, now unanswerable without that same authority at the helm.

There is no period of history that can be presented with 100% certainty, all of it is arguable and questionable to an extent - that's one of its attractions, it's also one of the major things that turns many away.