I have a cracking headache, I’m not very well at all. I left work this morning after only a few hours of being there. A negative COVID test result was nice to see but still, I hate being ill, especially as a one-man small business, there isn’t anyone else to get things done.
So given I’m not massively keen to sit here in front of this screen and write up a big article, I thought I would pose the simply question (and disguise it behind the title to see who reads the article and comments, sneaky!) … do you prefer pitched battles with ‘even’ forces (like matched points etc), or are you a narrative and story player?
I don’t do as much narrative gaming as I’d like, it can be a LOT of work writing up a scenario and identifying the forces, it’s not as simple as just saying “Let’s play a 1000 point battle” and then picking a scenario/deployment from the rulebook.
Perhaps you’ve no interest in narrative play, maybe it’s just part of my gaming radar as I’m interested in modern wargaming where many rulesets are focussed on asymmetrical warfare with a focus on narrative gaming.
Rules like Spectre Operations where there are no ‘army lists’, there are no points values, it is purely a narrative and scenario game. Games like Twilight – World of Anyaral, a lovely and unique fantasy skirmish game that whilst each unit has points, the game is heavily story driven.
I had a great time at the Axes & Ales Gaming Club a few weeks ago, play testing some WW2 squad based skirmish rules being developed by Peter Overton from Demented Games. It was such a fun experience, certainly a little more detailed than I’m used to but it was a wonderful example of a heavily narrative, and cinematic game.
It was great to catch up Ara Harwood from Mana Press also, together we ran through some of the mechanics of Peter’s new game and generally had a blast whilst sipping a few beers at the club.
So just before I head off to lay back down and gobble up more pain killers … are you a pitched battle gamer, or do you enjoy a good narrative story?