"Keeping It Historical?" Topic

When playing an historical scenario, do you insist on re-rolling if history "isn't followed correctly"?

Of course not. Don't be daft.

Ditto

x42

Heavens no. Play the game and make history with your friends.

I'll have to try that argument on my opponents whenever I'm losing!

(And honestly, of course not).

Ditto

Huh? When your models can't deviate from history, the technical term is not "gaming" but "diorama construction."

I'm with everyone else so far.

No.

Really reaching for talking points now….

If this how you want to "game", what would be the point of rolling any dice in the first place?

Definitely not!

Play again next week and buy new dice.

Luck is a part (sometimes a large part) of battles. Today's luck may not be the same as tomorrow's.

No! One of the joys of designing and running a historical scenario is seeing players have fun by making different choices than were made in history, and thus getting a chance to get different results – all this taking place within the historical constraints of the scenario (relative force strengths, weapons capabilities, leadership, morale, terrain, logistics, etc.).

Which historical constraints are selected as crucial and how to model them is up to the scenario designer. However, if you need to re-roll to avoid violating a crucial historical constraint you need to redesign your scenario and playtest again.

So if you've decided that the Japanese fighting to almost the last man is a crucial historical constraint for your Iwo Jima scenario, a really crappy morale roll on the last turn should not cause entire Japanese infantry companies to surrender en masse. If it does cause that effect when running a game, you can ignore that roll or make a re-roll DURING THAT PARTICULAR GAME. But once that game is over you should run – not walk – back to the drawing board to fix how your scenario or rules handle Japanese morale.

I have done 2 Gettysburg games with historical layout and oob but to me you pick a starting point then from there its alls fair.
Am pondering ( since I have Prussian and Russian forces in the Napoleonic age to go backward and try a few 7yw battles and will do the same by picking a start time and go from it as I want.

I note some like to refight historical battles with the forces lined up opposite each other in the manner determined by their original commanders. I prefer to see the original battlefield and forces but their place on the table determined by the gamer.

Our scenarios have the original starting forces and positions, the each commander can make his own choices. We've play Waterloo three times and the French have won them all.

Nope. I'm with tyroflyer2, wrgmr1 & all the others on this one too.

Nope… We just play it out and then discuss how it went in history and why it might have played out differently on the table.

I'm with MCM--you let the game go on, then afterwards, you figure out why it didn't work the way it did historically. Then, you can tweak the scenario to correct the problem.

Grelber

When playing an historical scenario, do you insist on re-rolling if history "isn't followed correctly"?

Why?

There wouldn't be any point in playing the game if you did that. Where does this stuff come from?

No. The US has won the Alamo 7 out of 10 tries for us.

Where does this stuff come from?

Covert Walrus wrote:

…the games at some clubs I played at would work out almost exactly the same every week/month; Due partly to the sort of players who *insist* on re-rolling when history "isn't followed correctly".

TMP link

Certainly NOT !

Utterly ridiculous, both the idea and the question.

Not sure it is a ridiculous question as there appears to be thoughts on both sides, but to me in the end do what you feel is best.

Not at all! So long as the rules allow for the historical result a little variation makes it interesting.

No, that's what makes it a game.

Good Lord!!! of course not. It's a GAME

No. Few would.
It can be though of to test a set of rules against History, to see how and if and stats, to be happening like history. If it can't for ex then we should understand history is wrong. Err, the rules have a problem.

I think one could argue a rule set should be able to replicate a real battle

I once played a WWII Russian NKVD officer,I got to wear the Blue Hat and stand behind the other Russian players with a loaded pistol.

Why would I? :o

I suspect the person arguing for a "historical" result was the loser in the fight.

I insist on a re-roll if the ahistorical result is to my detriment and petition against it when such a result is to my favour.

No. As previously pointed out, are you building a diorama or playing a game.

Play on, of course.

The UFO doesn't have to land in exactly the same spot each time to be historically acceptable in my games. :)

Dan
PS. There are of course always a few who expect the die to always fall in exactly the same configuration and at exactly the right moment. Any deviation is inconceivable.
TMP link

Where do people find these nut cases?