It is often said that one of the most important military principles is maintenance of the aim........
Sadly, for the butterfly wargamer, easier said than done....
A rather depressing realisation of mortality as I get nearer retirement (mentally already there!) has led to a desire to not only complete projects, but also realise those that have been in the planning stage for decades....
One of my planned projects has been WW2 in the Western Libyan desert, especially 1940 to 1941. For years I have been collecting reference material, books and miniatures but have never got around to making it happen.
It was very close about 20 years ago when I had lots of 15mm awaiting paint, working on a platoon per stand basis (Command Decision / Spearhead). Sadly, real life intervened, followed by job moves, physical relocation, yet more job moves, redundancy, family, new career all of which pushed it to the back-burner....
In the intervening time, my ideas and outlook have changed considerably. No longer do I want complex rules, nor tactical type games. Instead, I have embraced the idea of operational style games, with stands representing battalions as a basic scale. Rules such as Megablitz, which I struggled with as concepts, have now become the level for C20th games.
As I moved towards that tentatively, I found for a while that I wanted both. So, rather than use the 15mm, I ended up collecting "20mm" versions specifically to try out games at operational scale. Mentally, I think I was retaining the 15mm "just in case".
A few years ago, I discovered the old GDW "double blind" series of boardgames and in particular, Operation Crusader:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6814/8th-army-operation-crusader-the-winter-battles-for
The concept is each side has their own map and has to discover the enemy's units through contact. Not only perfect as a campaign, but also for distance play. I have picked up a couple of copies cheaply from eBay. One now resides some distance away in the North, the idea being to play it as a campaign, fighting the battles with miniatures "some time". A combination of chatting to my perspective opponent and a book purchase once more raised the idea to "centre stage".....
I thus spent some considerable time digging through boxes as I had the strange urge to build quirky British armour.......resulting in unearthing the likes of these:
There is of course, lots more.....
I have plenty of source material that can expand the OOB in the game. I started working out what is needed for a full Megablitz orbat.......
As this grew and grew, I could feel myself becoming dispirited and I started to convince myself I should just concentrate on the existing projects......then I began to have the thought that it wasn't necessary to create everything, especially infantry. The game has battalions of armour, but infantry are in brigade or regimental strength counters with stacking limits of a brigade/ regiment and battalion per hex. I'd already started working out how to translate this to a 4" hex from the game using the different ground scales. ...
I'm now wondering about everything on 2" / 50mm wide stands and having infantry as a brigade / regiment but keeping tanks as battalions; the desert was really about mechanised warfare with infantry tending towards static defence or inf v inf slogging matches. Even 3 infantry stands per division would allow them to be individual battalions for a brigade action if needed.....with multiple small divisions, enough for a full divisional action with a stand as a battalion.....
I cannot but help wondering if I shouldn't just concentrate on finishing the existing projects; sadly the itch just won't go away!
May as well scratch that itch!! I like the idea of the maps, not knowing what your opponent is up too sounds a great concept. I have a couple of years until retirement and hope to scale down my projects but the butterfly is strong!
ReplyDeleteDonnie,
DeleteAs much as I want to be rational and logical, the ideas have been floating around my head for a while so the only way I can conquer it, is to do something that satisfies that particular urge.
I've been looking into my retirement options. From a very depressing start, it now looks like I can go earlier than first thought. Still waiting on information from a previous occupational pension to make final decisions.
Neil
It's a hard one Niel, I have to stop myself from starting new projects with different figures as there are so many nice ones out there (40mm Napoleonics curse you Doug).
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I made myself stop buying wargaming items that did not fit into projects I was working on.
Also I look on life as "I will live forever or die trying" , I am chuffed I got past 30 with some of the work I did. So for me every days a winner.
Willz.
Willz,
ReplyDeleteA while back, I wrote down what projects I was doing, had figures for or what I really wanted to do. My purchasing has been a combination of what I need for current projects and those future ones that are irresistible. I have justified this as meaning I wouldn't need to buy them on a reduced pension income.
I thought I could resist collecting the same periods in different scales, but like most wargamers have fallen foul of that several times, but resisted for many more (micro armour for example).
I figure I can always sell them if I need to because I can't see to paint them for example. I'm not ready yet.
I've seen so many people die before anyone thought they would that I try just to live for the present.
My main ambition is to live long enough to retire and buy myself a massive shed / man cave......☺
Neil
Being abruptly smacked in the face of one's own mortality can be a shock to the psyche, for sure. Rather than succumbing to the urge of dropping planned or existing projects, I recommend redoubling your efforts in pursuit of projects you want to tackle. We only live once, right, so why not push the limits?
ReplyDeleteFor WWII campaigning, there are too many boardgaming engines that would suit your needs to count. GDW's old double-blind system might work but that is no longer state of the art. There are better choices for operational game engines. While a boardgame is a perfect choice for handling the operational and logistical aspects of a campaign, maybe rules like Chris Kemp's Not Quite Mechanized would fit the bill for resolving these operational encounters? I know Chris is nearing publication of his long in-work rules.
Best wishes on your upcoming retirement. Perhaps you will get a chance to do some more gaming?
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteBeing realistic, I have limited time until I retire to paint. I would like to think that when I retire I can employ the same elves you do to churn out miniatures! ☺
Until then, while I try to use the free time I have, it's not always productive as I'd like. There is always the risk that age and or illness may prevent what I'd like to do. I'm also aware that I'm not the fastest painter. It has taken since the late 1990s to get my SK project to where it is! I'd really like to do everything, but know deep down that may not happen, hence it's about prioritising.
The old GDW boardgame is simply a campaign generator. As it was designed to be played by two people using trust, it works well as say an email campaign. Neither of us want to use Vassal or similar (this game is on there).
I'm well aware of NQM and how it is now hex based. I'm afraid I struggle with the combat system. It has lots of good ideas, but is perhaps too detailed for me (Chris started with company sized elements and I think it shows in evolution). I have half a dozen Operational level game rules, all have something but also lack what I'm after. I await Frank Chadwick 's set with increasing frustration at the time taken to release it! I even have some drafts of my own attempt at a rules set.
Still have 3 1/2 years at present estimation. A lot depends on projections from an old pension. Once I can escape work I fully intend to actually game more and run campaigns.
Neil
Having only watched a few of Chris' NQM games from afar, I have not gotten my head around them either. 3-1/2 years to retirement? I figured you were ready to leave much sooner than that. Of course, we cannot take on EVERY project that we would like, I may die trying...
DeleteI think NQM benefit from having Chris present......☺
DeleteSadly, that's the current "best guess estimate" , a lot depends on what I will get from a previous pension and whether I go for partial retirement.....
Neil
Neil -
ReplyDeleteI can sure lord relate to your dilemma! Although one can't help worrying about it, I try not to worry about it overmuch. In some ways I have less excuse. I have all I really need for my 1813 'War of the Nations', but for obscure reasons lack the oomph to get the thing under way. Or the Second Blacklands War (it's all there!), the Great Chromatic War, The War of the Imperial Succession - and at least two other campaigns that got started and suddenly stalled, and, promises to self notwithstanding, don't seem to want to get started again. A couple of years back it took some effort of will to round off the 'Long Live the Revolution' project.
I used to have an expression for the tendency towards hyperactivity when there were a lot of projects on. Comes from my computer days. I called it 'thrashing' - picking up this, then almost immediately dropping it to pick up something else. Very little actually gets done. Not a good situation.
The best solution was to focus on something, and stay focused, an effort of will that gradually fades once one gets 'on a roll'. Alternatively, do nothing. Not a solution in itself, but may lead to one, as sooner or later the urge to get off one's chuff leads to doing actually something. The 'iron enters the soul' sufficiently to pick up a project and run with it long enough to show some progress.
I'm sort of going through this process myself - but one should perhaps beware of expected events (discovering a long forgotten box of stuff) obtruding and scrambling one's programme...
Cheers,
Ion
Thanks Ion. Part of me wants to stay focussed and complete current projects, such as SK (almost there) and AIW (if I want to paint tanks I have enough here). The other part of me knows too well it's best to go with the flow and not do something just because it needs doing, sure way to turn it into a chore!
DeleteI'm using the urge as impetus to get started - even if I don't get far!
A sure way to get sidetracked is to dig out old boxes of stuff!
Neil
Hi Neil, as you know, Operation Crusader is one of my long term interests too. I've done it with both battalion and brigade level stands, the latter actually work very well and keep things manageable. In the recent Megablitz game I ran, one of the reasons I didn't include the Tobruk garrison and siege forces was that it would have been another five divisions to paint! With brigade level elements you can easily do the whole thing, I did Gazala at that level too. I like the idea of using tank battalions though. I wrote my own rules for this stuff, once you are at boardgame level, it can be quite abstract.
ReplyDeleteThanks Martin. Your rules and articles have been a constant source of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of infantry brigades and tank battalions was partly inspired by the game (inf are either btn or regt/ brig) but also by the opinion that infantry were "useless" or less important v tanks (not true of course) in the desert; also partly due to the way they fought. While individual battalions fought often significant actions, the bigger picture involved the whole brigade (examples are Tottensontag, and the NZ at Sidi Rezegh).
Currently debating artillery. I'd like to include it, perhaps as a divisional asset.
Using SPs makes these infantry and combined artillery formations quite resilient - 11+ for CW infantry brigades. It would mean being able to do all those Italian and CW infantry.....
Neil
Just once I'd like to read to blog article without the inevitably of death being mentioned.... lol
ReplyDeleteThough it is true that there is only so much time in the day, and only so many days....man, now I am depressed.
I think many wargamers struggle with the competing desires of finishing existing works versus starting new ones. I don't have any good solutions. Only bad ones. 😁
Sorry Stew, being a youngster you probably don't think about mortality....☺
ReplyDeleteSadly, when you reach 60 (and over) something happens that makes you think about such things......probably because you have more time behind you than in front of you!
I guess wargamers think about wargames all the time; part of that is all the armies and periods you want to do.....
Neil