Moves Issue34.Pdf

2 MOVES nr. 34, published August/September 1977 Opening Moves "It seems we've stood and talked like thb before . " Variation versus Innovation One of the most powerful words in advertis- Circulation: 9100 ing is "new" - probably because in Western culture that which is new is almost always Editor/Executive Art Director Redmond A. Simonsen considered automatically better than that Managing Editor Robert J. Ryer which is old or familiar. The impact of the Art Director Manfred F. Milkuhn concept of newness, however, is subject to Contributing Editors modification by context; i.e., the quality of Richard Berg, James F. Dunnigan, Frederick Georgian, newness must be perceived as an improve- Phil Kosnett, Steve List, Mark Saha, Jerrold Thomas ment upon a familiar benefit rather than as a threatening global change wrenching the MOVES Magazine is copyright O 1977, Simulations Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved. All user into unfamiliar pathways, creating that editorial and general mail should beaddressed to SimulationsPublications lnc.,44East 23rd Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10010. of tension (created by too-rapid in- MOVES is published bimonthly. One year subscriptions (six issues) are available for $8.00 (U.S.). Back issues or singlecopiesofthecurrentissueareavailableat$2.50percopy.Pleaseremitbycheckormoneyorder(U.S.fundsonly) trOduction of unknowns) "future- Printing and Binding by American Press, Inc., Gordonsville, Va. shock." ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: Readers are invited to submit articles for possible publication in MOVES Magazine. wargamers hunger for new games, but Manuscripts must be typewritten, double-spaced, on 8%x 11 white bond, with generous margins. Pleaseinclude your we full name on each MS page, and your name and address on the cover page. If you wish your manuscript returned, the most part- what we are seeking are include a stamped, self-addressed 9 x 12 envelope. In no instance, however, can SPI assume responsibility for novel vafiati0~On a few central themes manuscripts and illustrations not specifically solicited. rather than authentic, ground-breaking new approaches to wargaming. Much of the proof for this semi-outrageous statement can be found in the very form that most wargames take: a hex-grid map; numerically valued units; probabilistic resolution of com- In this issue. bat using a table (or tables) and one or two dice. One might object on the grounds that True Victory JOHN E. KOONTZ 4 this is a statement akin to saying that all Napoleon's Victory JERROLD THOMAS 11 automotive design is unoriginal because the cars all have wheels, motors, and steering Spanish Gold DAVID R. GRANT 16 aechanisms. such criticism fails to account for the fact that the grid-map format strong- A Productive Approach STEVELIST 17 ly influences what can be simulated, how the basic mechanics must work, the sort of rules Wacht am Rhein: Addenda JOE BAL KOSKI 22 statements necessary, the abstractions of ter- rain analysis, and a whole host of other The Long Patrol STEVEN M. DICKES 24 aspects of conflict simulation. Also, the basic MOSCOWCampaign PERRY MOORE 25 elements of automobiles are existential facts, not deliberately chosen forms such as is the Wurzburg JACK BL UDIS 26 case in grid-map games. This is not to say that the grid-map game Opening MOVES REDMOND A. SIMONSEN form is not a highly successful and very flex- ible simulation environment - it is. Never- Designer's Notes SPI R~DSTAFF 3 theless, with very little effort one can think of Your MOVES THE READERS 27 a number of other basic environments for manual conflict simulation. Some of these Forward Observer RICHARD BERG 28 alternate forms have been tried - and have had only marginal success and consumer ac- Footnotes THE READERS 30 ceptance. Area-movement games, for exam- ple, are generally not well received - even Playback THE PLAYERS 33 though they are a first cousin variation of the Feedback/Playback Questions vox POPULI, VOX DEI 34 grid map form. No serious attempt has been made (commercially) to use a free-map simulation form, i.e.. using a real military- style map, rendering unit moves in terms of kilometers and coordinates, etc. Going even Simulations Publications, Inc., 44 East 23rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10010 further afield, it should be possible to develop a successful series of simulations $hat rely mainly on highly evolved written in- structions and interactions between opposing forces on a totally abstract display (that nonetheless accurately simulates the combat the pleasures of simulation gaming that we environment). have not seriously explored or encouraged. Some publishers have attempted, in specific The publishers must of course produce these instances, to break from the grid- new approaches - but the gamers must Designers map/digital unit mold. SPI has done a widen their mind-set to create the at- number of area games, games that incor- mosphere in which such games can flourish. Notes porated displays in place of hexes, and games One of the problems that small industries in which the units were valued by means face (and wargaming is a pretty small in- other than strict digitalization. Recently SPI dustry) is being able to afford the risk of WORK IN PROGRESS published BattleFIeet Mars - a game with radical new ventures - in this case, spending many truly different movement and combat the creative and corporate capital-to develop Please don't order any of these titles until resolution techniques. It promises to be an dramatically new simulation gaming their availability is announced via S&T. exception to the lukewarm reception most systems. In such cases, it helps if the audience Descent on Crete such experimental systems have received in gives evidence of being open-minded and The game is rolling along, now that the Order the past. This may be due in large part to its adventurous enough to warrant the risk. The of Battle for both sides has been settled. The science-fiction setting. Garners seem more core of the wargaming audience is more of a designer sifted through the many conflicting willing to allow radically different ap- true community than in most hobbies. The sources and sketchy descriptions of the dif- proaches within the sub-genre of SF games. publishers (particularly SPI) rely heavily ferent reorganization, and he believes he has upon the inputs of this community to guide come up with as nearly accurate an OB as And, indeed, what we call conflict simula- them in their product decisions. Much possible. Once the designations and strengths tion gaming is truly a genre, i.e., a distinctly valuable material flows from the diverse and of the units were determined, it was fairly limited sub-set of conflict simulation. 1 sug- intelligent group of hobbyists of which you, easy to place all the units where they were gest that we wargamers are more interested in the MOVES readership, form the majority. when the Germans landed. In the early the form of gaming than in the substance. If, therefore, you agree with my basic thesis playtests, the Germans were winning too fre- Think of the great number of games (by SPI that the forms of conflict simulation are quently. However, those Germans were and other publishers) which, if you stripped more limited than they should be, there are a overstrength, and with the corrected OB, them of their historical window-dressing, few things you can do to help expand the they should not be overpowering. One of the would be virtually identical, having only the horizons of our hobby. Examine your own interesting events in those playtests was the most minor rules changes to separate them. prejudices concerning game forms - at- German Player's assault on a key New People tend to allow subject and period to tempting as objectively as possible to Zealander position. Airstrikes were called in, dominate their buying decisions - but many separate form from substance. Encourage in- but, to the German Player's dismay took out times this distinction is simply an illusion. novation through your letters and in the case his front line. Those rules, and the Com- Many games (including many SPI games) of SPI) via Feedback. When you buy a game mand and Control rules, are the successes of have nothing major in their systems which is that doesn't fit your preconceptions - play playtesting so far. Now, the blindtesters are a uniquely significant characteristic of the it several times before you make up your going to receive the rules and the game, and historical period being simulated. If you mind about it. You can also write short ar- the rough edges should be smoothed out. changed the names of the units and towns, ticles for MOVES proposing new game Eric Goldberg you might as well be fighting the Battle of the forms - I don't mean scenario variants - I Bulge rather than the Battle of Waterloo. mean actual outlines of specific game War in the Ice Both the gamers and the publishers share systems . game systems that don't use hex Surprised? Me too. This started out as a responsibility for the limited nature of our grids or that are radically different in some joke, a bad pun on War in the East. So Brad hobby. As mentioned, the publishers have other basic way. In this way we can all get our printed my feedback suggestion. And despite made some attempts to enlarge the definition feet wet at relatively little risk. a large negative minority (25% rated it '1') of the field, but the response of the gamers I realize that ultimately, it's up to the there were enough favorable votes to make it has been less than enthusiastic. This may be publishers to produce the breakthrough borderline.

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