"A game unfolding" Topic

I have been fortunate enough to be involved in a very large TYW game that has been fought, 3-4 hours a week, over several months.

This is courtesy of a permanent set-up in a bespoke wargames' room.

The rules are fairly complex because they can be.

Amongst other things I am relishing being able to step back from the table and observing the entire scope of a game, the diorama of the developing story, the ebb & flow of the battle and enjoy the entire experience. It strikes me that this isn't always possible in most games with a far tighter time table.

Am I wrong about this & does it matter if you don't get this opportunity.

I don't think you are wrong about it. I think it would be nice to do that sometime and TYW is a period I think I could be interested enough in to do it for a good long time.

One thing about the complexity of the rules is that it does give you time to reflect. There are a fair number of people that would think that the complexity makes the rules more realistic or makes it more of a simulation or whatever.

This time for reflection shows that they certainly do not.

Let me state that this is not criticism. The wargame is meant to be enjoyable. You seem to be enjoying recreating the action in your mind as it happens on the table and I think that would be fun too.

Most of the games I play, even fairly big ones with more than a thousand figures on the table, get wrapped up in a few hours.

There is one aspect of this that, despite the detail in the rules, makes them much more realistic than other rules that do have that detail.

And that is that you don't really have time to reflect on things. It isn't that you have some sort of limit of your time in a turn but it is that you want it to go quickly.

So you might not consider ALL the possibilities, you might sometimes just react.

A case in point.

I was playing a Warmaster game against a friend. He had Orcs, I had Chaos.

My big plan up the middle didn't work out as planned and, somewhat frustrated, I had planned to follow it up by trying to smash my way through with my Chaos Warriors.

After my big play didn't plan out my friend thought he had it in the bag. He went for a smoke break.

It was probably one of the most fatal cigarettes he ever had because it gave me time to reflect.

I came up with a different plan and smashed his army to pieces after his next turn.

I likely wouldn't have had that time in a real war.

I don't think you're wrong about it. I'd love to have a huge battle set up some time for months to game. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Nice point about the reality of commanders needing to think quickly, PS.

And I know you don't think I'm claiming any sort of superiority for complex rules but to make it clear to others: I'm not.

Am I wrong about this

There are many ways to enjoy a wargame.
None of them are "wrong".
There are only ways that suit you, and ways that don't.

How can it be wrong? If you are enjoying yourself then it is the right way to game?

You are certainly not wrong and as it has been stated, to each his own.

However, like you I do like the type of games you describe versus the rapid fix or quick play games. My aim is try to make the historical battle as realistic as possible. If that means complex rules then so be it.

Those are the type of games I grew up with. We would have a large game where we would meet once a week for a month or more. It was a lot of fun and now that I have my own wargaming room I hope to start it up again.

Me and a friend once played an ACW game with 5,000 28mm figures that lasted 6 months. We played a few hours whenever we had some free time. I have a 5 x 15 foot table which is permanently set up. It was a most enjoyable time. Very relaxing and I too had fun just watching the battle develop and deciding where to bring on my next batch of reinforcements and where I could exploit the enemies weakness. However we did not use complex rules.

If the table that is left set up is in your house,would that be considered a home field advantage?

A long, complex experience can be deeply satisfying in the right circumstances. It's why ASL is still being played.