Re: Points, Mass and FT3 [FAO MJE-JMT-GZG]

At 12:59 AM 12/13/96 -0500, you wrote:
>	Dunno about that lack of flavor, but I don't have a lot of
>experience with HOTT.

The problem with HOTT is that an Orc blade unit feels exactly the same
as a
Dwarf blade unit or a Human blade unit (and the same could be said about
the
other unit types). The armies are distinct as a whole, and the
interaction
of the whole army is the most important factor. However, an Orc army of
8
warbands (Orc soldiers), 2 shooters (Orc bowmen), 1 heavy cavalry (Orc
boar
riders), and an Orc general is functionally identical to a Wood Elf army
of
8 warbands, 2 shooters, 1 heavy cavalry, and one Elf general. In a game
played at a smaller level, the Orcs might outnumber the Elves and the
Elves
may be more capable (1-on-1) with the Orcs, but HotT loses this detail.

>I've been planning on taking a small set of
>counters (not miniatures; I don't have enough) to a medieval historian
>friend of mine, showing him how the battles flow, and getting his
>opinion.

You might want to show him DBA, as well. Although there aren't a whole
lot
of figures on a DBA/HotT battlefield, at least the end result feels more
like a battle than Warhammer.

>	Despite my general lack of confidence in net.projects, here's
>my $0.02: 

I have a general lack of confidence in them as well. I think it can
work,
though, if you have the right kind of people working on it. I'd work on
a
set of rules of my own but I'm currently working on my own samurai
skirmish
rules (as well as other things). 

>	You won't be talking one game, but three, maybe four: strategic
>(campaigns), grand tactical (HOTT scale), and skirmish (GURPS or
>Bloodlust). 

I'd leave out the skirmish rules. There are a couple of these right now
(technically, Warhammer falls into this). The campaign rules would be
part
of a grand tactical set. I'm not sure you'd need a tactical set,
assuming
that fantasy battles are much like ancient battles. A properly designed
rule
set should be able to handle tactical to grand tactical.

Allan Goodall:	agoodall@sympatico.ca 
"You'll want to hear about my new obsession.
 I'm riding high upon a deep depression. 
 I'm only happy when it rains."    - Garbage