"Does Re-enactment influence your gaming ?" Topic

Darn, reactors = re-enators

Calling Dr. Freud

I've been a serious gamer for over 40 years and a reenactor (ACW)for over 20. Has my reenacting affected my gaming? Absolutely. While reenacting is not real combat, it's the closest anyone can get. Doing reading and historical research is important, but reenacting is the only way to really understand what it's like to stand in close-order ranks with the noise and smoke of musket vollies all around. Reenacting as a private soldier lets you appreciate just how little a man in the ranks really knows about what's happening around him. If you get the opportunity to command at a higher rank you quickly see how difficult it is to maneuver a large body of troops over rough ground and the impossibility of fancy maneuvers once you are in close proximity to the enemy. No amount of book-study is going to teach you that.

So reenacting has affected my gaming, but I'm not sure if it has affected me for the better :) It has led to a strong dissatisfaction with most of the rules sets I've seen, but I must admit it hasn't provided many insights on improving those rules. Game play-vs-realism still remains a problem.

I will say that it has made it easy on which sets of ACW rules I'll even give a serious look: If I find any rules for "Extended Line" formations in them I immediately put the rules back on the shelf and move on :)

I know several people who got into gaming through contacts made doing re-enactments. A few who came from the other direction.

I know a couple who consider re-enactments to be just a fancier version of gaming.

I have had similar experiences, Saxondog. I meet many gamers thru reenacting.

My biggest influence from ACW reenactments would be an attention to detail. Most gamers wouldn't know if a figure was in a stance that wasn't used during that period. Actually doing the drill gives an understanding of when and why something is done.

Another influence would be my interest in doing regimental scaled actions.