If I might share a tip I discovered while Andy and I were trying to get our heads round Dux Britanniarum, which is of pretty universal application, especially if Rich Clarke is the primary author of the rules...
Don't overanalyse.
Rich does tend to write very simple, direct rules: there can be a danger of looking for cleverness and complexity that isn't there. For example, if the rules say 'X for troop types A and B', then it is almost certainly the case that the rule was not intended to apply for troop types C and D, even if it doesn't say 'only A and B'. (Specific ones temporarily escaping me, but there are, for example, Dux Brit rules phrased this way that only apply to formations, or only to groups.)
The second tip, of course, is 'do check the errata' :D But in general? Take the rules literally. If a rule is worded so as to apparently omit your specific case, it probably doesn't apply. If you still can't figure out a resolution, or doing so seems completely wrong, consider the spirit of the rule. And of course, if all else fails? Ask on the list or the forum :D
Souns advise.
ReplyDeleteAs I pack my figures for a game of Chain of Command this afternoon, I claim to be semi-proficient in the speaking of Lard! "Fun fun fun! :-)
ReplyDeleteHaving tried two sets of Lard rules now (and while I am wholly in admiration of their effort, and fan base!) I will never, ever, buy another set of their rules... my mate and I have been wargaming for getting on for 70 years between us, and we found them endlessly frustrating... what they need is a really good editor, someone who can translate the (clearly) clever ideas into something that reads clearly, and doesn't require us to "over analyse"??
ReplyDeleteI don't find 'em that bad, but I do think that the guy who writes the rules should not be the same guy who designs them. While I don't think one should write to make a system rules-lawyer-proof, since that's impossible, a good editor would help. (My review of At the Sharp End goes into more detail on this, and I put there the chart that I'd had to devise for myself: simply, what happens in which order in a campaign turn.)
DeleteAgreed... it's almost like they are too close to them and they assume people know more than they actually do... :o)
DeleteJust perusing your wonderful site. I am with Steve.
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