Is it really inertia to stick to what you like

 

There was an interesting post on TMP (which I still occasionally read) the other day about whether people have too much inertia to rebase for new rules, try out new rules, sabots, etc - even though it might make their hobby easier or more fun.

This got me thinking about my own approach to the hobby and the way the hobby seems to be going having just read the latest Wargames Illustrated who’s content bears less and less resemblance to my hobby at all with the emphasis on new boxed games with lots of supplements and new “Factions”

I have settled on some rules for all the periods I play and I am happy with them and fully intend to stick to these rules and periods. I don’t think that is inertia, I think that it is sensible and a rejection of the “butterflying” that so many wargamers seem to do, chasing the latest new rules, the current trendy game or the latest range of figures in an attempt to find something “better”.

For instance, Sam Mustafa has just released the “Scourge of Princes” rules which cover Italian Wars up to Thirty Years War, etc. There is a lot of excitement at my club to try these rules out and people queueing up to play games.

I like some of Sam’s rules – okay, I like Blucher and still play it occasionally. Scourge is apparently based on some of the Blucher concepts. So, should I splash out £37 on a new set of rules which might give me a better gaming experience or should I stick to the rules I have? There is time and effort to learn a new set of rules and ultimately many of them are disappointing or have problems so why not stick with a set of rules that works?

For Thirty Years War I will be using “Through the Square Window”. The project isn’t playable yet, so I can’t say definitively that they tick all the boxes but they look like they will provide the type of game I am looking for, will work with large singly based units and be easy enough t remember the rules.

For Italian Wars I am slowly collecting 6mm Baccus as they release their new range and I intend to use the Hex based rules published in Battlegames #7 which again seem to satisfy what I want from such a game.

I see no reason to look at Scourge of Princes if I am happy with my current choices of rules – even if I haven’t tried them out in anger yet.

The same is true with Napoleonic rules that are in use at the Guildford Club – General D’armee 2 are particularly popular but, to me, seem far too complex and I played Soldiers of Napoleon but could see no reason to adopt them rather than Blucher (which I play occasionally) and my usual set of slightly modified Neil Thomas Napoleonic rules.

I am in the fortunate position that I have now got collections (or planned collections) filling all the periods I have an interested in. I have recently acquired a 10mm WW1 British and German collection for 1914 (both the time period and the Great Escape Rules!) and that plugged the final gap in my collections to provide some Machine Age wargaming.

I have the following periods and associated rules (28mm unless otherwise noted):

54mm Punic Wars : Command and Colours Ancients
EIR Romans and Germans: To the Strongest / Neil Thomas Ancients
Dark Age Saxons/Normans/Arthurians: TTS / Neil Thomas Ancients
Wars of the Roses: Field of Chivalry / Lion Rampant
6mm Italian Wars : Hex rules from Battlegames #7
Epic scale Thirty Years War : Through the Square Window
Marlburian : Siege of Dendermonde – Charlie Wesencraft’s skirmish rules / Vauban’s Wars (Piquet)
Seven Years War : Honours of War
40mm AWI : Rebels and Patriots
54mm Napoleonic : Neil Thomas / Blucher
20mm ACW: Hot Lead and Cold Steel
FPW: Neil Thomas 19th Century / Field of Battle (Piquet)
54mm NWF: Men Who Would be Kings
20mm Sudan ; Men who would be kings / Sands of Sudan
54mm 19th Century: Funny Little Wars / Portable Wargame
10mm WW1 : 1914 rules
20mm WW2: Rapid Fire Reloaded
1/1800 WW2 Naval: Victory at Sea
1/300 Naval: Cruel Seas
18mm Martian Empires : Martian Empires

I also have a range of skirmish periods that use a variety of rules – more and more based on One Hour Skirmish wargaming. These include:

Gangsters
3 Musketeers
Ogre (Steve Jackson Games)
Superheros (Marvel Crisis Protocol)
Fantasy (Frostgrave and League of Dungeoneers)
Spaceships (Federation Commander)
Star Trek skirmish


I have sold off quite a few collections over the last year or so, as well as thinning out the unpainted figures as I realised that I will never get everything done. I have too many other hobbies to concentrate solely on wargaming.

I cannot see me adding to this list, there is enough work just getting the collections that have yet to see the table (Siege of Dendermonde, TYW, Sudan and Italian Wars) into a playable state let alone expanding on existing collections.

So if I remain as a "caterpillar" rather than blossoming into a short-lived "butterfly" and perhaps eventually become a hobby "dinosaur" I think I'll still be quite happy.