"Good Service from Scale Creep Miniatures +1" Topic

Recently in defining games the term fun is defined as a key requirement.

As a Brit I would not really want my game to be described as fun. To me that implies a level of banality, not much brain power required and more laughter and talking off game.

A game I would want and that I currently play, would be described as Engrossing, Riveting, to some extent addictive, perhaps even demanding to some extent, certainly exciting. That could be downgraded as enjoyable. But not fun. Is this simply an across the pond difference in language or are we looking at differing requirements?

As a baseline I am recently retired engineer some 62 years young. Our rules were published in 2008 while still working and have not needed much upgrading in the intervening years.

Items ordered arrived as described and in a timely manner. Thank you Mark.

Mark is tops in my book.

Mark is #1 in service.

Do you feel that your definition of fun and its relationship to a game, is pretty much the way all "Brits" feel?

Ottoholme, that is my impression but it may not be universal.

Engrossing, Riveting, to some extent addictive, perhaps even demanding to some extent, certainly exciting. That could be downgraded as enjoyable. But not fun.

Engrossing, Riveting, addictive, demanding and exciting sounds like American fun to me…

Ralph Koster in his book A Theory of Fun for Designing Games has his own ideas of fun:

Fun from games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. In other words, with games, learning is addictive.

However, he does then have a whole chapter on "Different Fun for Different Folks."

There is a lot of enjoyment to be had playing wargames and they can offer a wide variety of different kinds of fun… the questions are simply 1. what kinds to you want from a wargame? and 2. How to design the rules to provide it?

When I read the topic of the discussion being "British fun" I was sure it would center around Rugby, Guinness and hooligans. I'm very disappointed.

Wolfhag

I think we should let UshCha clarify his statement rather than others doing it for him. I think his meaning was "to me and me mates" this is fun, and he and his "mates" just happen to be in England. I don't think he was really saying that "fun" is different in Britain than it is in the US.

He said "A game I would want and that I currently play, would be described as Engrossing, Riveting, to some extent addictive, perhaps even demanding to some extent, certainly exciting. That could be downgraded as enjoyable. But not fun."

OK, but just yesterday we had another battle in our Imagi-Nation Campaign (the Defense of the Inca-Dinka-Doo, which saw over 800minis in an 18th century battle between the Imgo-Turkish army of Ikea and the Imago-Dutch forces of "The Neverneverlands" and the players were gnrossed, rivvitted, and fixated on the game, eagerly discussiong options and tactics and strategy, punctuated by what I can class as nothing less than fun by the uproarious laughter, the smiles, the eagerness, the goofy comments, and the pure enjoyment of a game well lubricated with munchies, iced tea, beer, and later a sumptuous dinner. The excitement, to say the least, was palpable.

which says its seems to be semantics fun covers both serious and humorous game in you definition. understood.

I'd rather have satisfying games rather than 'fun'. Satisfying could be having a chat and pushing tin with friends for a couple of hours, which might indeed include a few laughs, or it could be the big WW3 game we played on Saturday, which involved discussion and arguments over reserves, fall back lines, chemical and nuclear weapons, whilst people moved contests and rolled dove next door and we awaited reports. Both games satisfy very different needs and I wouldn't want a diet that was exclusively one or the other.

As a Brit, I would like to confirm that the British idea of fun might be better described as "being challenged", and would definitely be the subject of what I am reliably informed is "dry humour"

For instance, fell running is a popular sport, although I doubt many wargamers are into it. Running up and down mountains – bad weather (in which the hilly parts of Britain specialise), only makes it more epic

I played a couple of games of DBA today – it was great fun, although there are a few gentlemen in Valhalla would like a few quiet words with their general, so I am keeping quiet about how I did in the first game. This fun matched McLaddie's quotes. Tactics kept changing so solving puzzles, learning more about the rules and tactics, not to mention the risk of lining up in plough terrain.

The games were also engrossing, riveting and my lead addiction must surely be done by now, says he eyeing the boxes and boxes of unpainted armies on the shelves.

The other part of fun of course comes from the company you keep, except that I didn't get beer and dinner :(

John

Mark sent me some much needed corduroy…..only charged me s&h

He is a blessing to this hobby