Sunday 5 April 2020

A challenge

Speaking to my son up in Liverpool early this evening I was telling him about doing some of the painting/basing jobs I’ve been doing. He asked if I’d got any games in lately or if I’d persuaded the girls to play a wargame. On being told no he said why don’t we do a game over FaceTime. Good thinking, I thought.

So my challenge is to come up with a scenario that will not only work with the technology, but exploit its potential. I’m thinking along the lines of a game where he doesn’t get the full picture. I could show him short clips of what is going on on the table. Hmm. But what to play?

I have SYW and ECW forces ready. Or I could attempt to finish enough of the WWII or AWI in time.    The advantage of the first two is I have reasonably well tested rules, but the second two would give me an added incentive to get things done.

There are some great possibilities here. I think I need a clear plan and a clear method for carrying out the game.

If anyone wants to chip in with suggestions for historical battles, or imaginary scenarios I  am all ears. I will of course post an account of the game. SYW doesn’t have to be limited to Prussians v Austrians or Russians. It doesn’t necessarily have to be SYW. 

6 comments:

  1. That is a great idea to game remotely with your son! This might be a good opportunity to get your WWII figures out on the table and give Norm's Tigers at Minsk a try. What do you think about this idea?

    If you want SYW, the Honours of War forum has many scenarios available; some designed for small actions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. go with what is ready at hand and plays fast

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmmm! I need to check whether I have the right paint for the Soviets. I could mail order some but I’ll have less time to paint before next weekend when I’ll have time to run the game.

    My natural tendency is to go for the familiar and what’s ready. But it’d be nice to stretch myself, if I have the right kit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OK checked my paints and I have paint that is good enough for both Finns and Soviets. So 70 odd Soviets and a few Finns prepped and undercoated yesterday. Realised I need to place an order for bases!

    Downloaded and read Tigers at Minsk. They look promising. Just the right level of detail for me especially if I do an infantry only action to start with.

    It’s been a looong time since I wargamed WWII.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A map based war of manoeuvre. Any period as troops wouldn't need to be painted. As I understand it, the SYW was mostly just such an exercise, preserving troops for when needed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my blog Khusru. Good suggestions.

      One of the scenarios I have in mind is actually a real action from the ECW that covers a wide area with small numbers on each side that would no way fit on my table if I didn’t play part of it on a map.

      Delete