Re: GZG DS2 Mikko: Genres for DS2.

> On Fri, 11 Sep 1998, Tom Sullivan wrote:
> > Not all of us, 
> > alas, have the option of playing against a regular group of
opponents.  
> > Some of us are restricted to pick-up games at the local Hobby Shop,
and 
> > you can't really go into a game like that with a bunch of improvised
and 
> > house rules.  People don't like that.  Frankly, you just can't
expect 
> > people to accept them without first familiarizing themselves with
them.  
> > And sometimes, not even then....  All of the solutions listed
involve 
> > making things up, and that's fine as far as it goes.  However, you
are 
> > going to have to fight for every single rule change that you
introduce.  
> > And you will have to do it Every Damned Week.  I don't much care for

> > that myself.  The entire point of a "Bring and Battle" game is to be

> > able to walk in with your troops, sit down and start playing against

> > your opponent(s).  And please--let's not argue the virtues of this
kind 
> > of game.  They are fun, for one thing--there is something nice about

> > being able to pit your trrops against another's in an even
fight--and 
> > they are sometimes your only gaming option.

in part, this is why the web is useful and what this list is for. if a
supplement for (say) hammer's slammer's is written, and most people on
the list who read/analyse/try it like it, then it becomes a de facto
standard. you can print it out, along with some credentials to prove
it's popularity, and take it along. hey presto, you have a pre-writtem,
pre-debugged, pre-approved quasi-official supplement to use.

the big and valid objection is that often, and in the case of HS
especially, the genre background has some assumptions that are very
different from DS2. whilst you could probably use an LVC-equipped
company against someone using vanilla DS2 without trouble, using HS
supertanks with HS superPDS will wipe out GMS altogether, and GMS is an
important part of most vanilla DS2 armies.

this is because the HS SPDS is not a generic system - it is a system
highly specific to its genre. that you cannot take an HS army to a
bring'n'battle where other players are fielding vanilla armies is not a
fault of DS2 - it is impossible in *any* system, because it simply does
not make any sense. in the vanilla genre, GMS is useful; in the HS genre
it is not. both of these genres cannot be in use at the same time.

if you want to play HS, you will need to arrange it ahead of time. go
into the hobby shop, find the bloke who runs the games, show him the
supplement and ask him if you can have an HS game. he will put up a
notice, or tell the players, and make sure they can get their hands on
the rules (why not put a copy in your local library?), and they will all
turn up prepared. thus, you may play HS. sorted.

Tom

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