Re: What's wrong with SF?

From: "Allan Goodall" <agoodall@hyperbear.com>

> There seems to be a bit of noise coming from the more vocal
"historicals
> only!" people on rec.games.miniatures.historical about this, but it's
> interesting to see just how many "die hard historical" players have
popped up
> and defended the game. 

I'm a historical gamer - but also have been known to indulge in Fantasy,
and
even Full Thrust <g>

Back in the 1970s, when I first started "Modern" gaming, we researched
what
was still in the Labs, and tried to simulate what we thought would be
happening
in or around the year 2000.

We were heavy on the smart bombs and ATGWs, but didn't predict either
Chobham
Armour or Long-Rode penetrators.

We got roundly castigated by the "historical fanatics" for doing such SF
stuff -
lasers and suchlike - but they were quite comfy with WARPAC vs NATO
confrontations,
which were and still are now thankfully in the realm of Fantasy.

To me, a well-researched Orc army list, or a list for the forces
employed during
the siege of Gondor, is at least as valid as a clash between 1799
Neapolitans
and 1814 Swedes - yet the latter was called "historical" then.

The attitude towards historical gaming has changed a lot since then,
with the
WRG not only providing army lists for "Ancients", but also providing
data about
historical opponents, or opponents they *could* have fought. For
example, the
1000 AD Welsh Army List's opponents include Native Americans from the
Louisiana 
region IIRC, based upon the apocryphal stories about Madoc's voyage
west. But No 
more games between 3rd Century BC Alexandrians and 1450 AD Bergundians.

So..what's wrong with SF? Some systems are just a bit too "free form",
allowing
pretty much anything, the ion doubletalk generators vs the neutronic
frobnitzs.
But those have mainly died by the wayside. Others have been called
"Napoleonics
in the year 40,000" with some justice - though the various Epic
incarnations
have matured so that they really reward tactics, formations and keeping
reserves,
rather than the old line-up-and-everybody-shoot.