USK Responses and the wider world

[jdm]

All

Thank you very much indeed for the feedback, theres a fair bit to keep us busy for a while.
After its been absorbed there will be a new version released and some new testers will be taken on board.

So far as your NDA's are concerned there is nothing in the USK reports that we would have any issue with you releasing to other forums or web sites. I am sure you realise that clips from the rules or sensitive information about release dates and other "classified" information that you picked up at the week end is still off limits, but the sort of posts arready expressed here are fine.

In short talking about the rules and how they play, the terms used etc are all ok to use in posts, but not clips from the documents themselves..

If you want to post elsewhere and are unsure about the content drop me a note, but in general terms we have no problem with spreading our good news a little

Regards
JDM

[shall]

I would second all of that. It is now a good time for people who have played and enjoyed the game to let it speak for itself. I would be really interested to see what sort of comments started to move about if the things you are posting here went on some public forums. We certainly felt at the end of the weekend that we were both on the right track and not that far from a good end result. We would find it hard to get over the last few hurdles without the type of quality input you have all given us. Spo thank you for all of that.

All we want to do is to create a really really good game that is both realistic and fun. It is aiming to make every dice roll exciting and I thought it interesting that we had 2 nose bleeds during game over the weekend - it seems the excitement was just too much at times! I hope our insurance cover is good - but then we do hav a doctor in the house

There is a sense that we are having a go at DBM, and this is something I would like to see dispelled as much as possible. In reality we are just doing the best job we can for the hobby and its future - and hopefully lots of people will like the way it plays and feels. From a personal point of view, I would say that Phil Barker is one of the all time heroes of the wargaming world - along with Charles Grant and Donald Featherstone and Bruce Quarry. As such people end their careers - as is clearly now becoming the case for Phil - others need to pick up the mantle to give the hobby a bright future. If we can go someway to doing that well we will all sit back very happy. Its been a huge task so far - but worth every minute when we see people having so much fun and excitement.

So a big thanks to everyone for all the time put in so far. On a personal front, I am more enthused about Ancient Wargaming today than I have ever been. Can't wait for the first AOW campaign - my biggest interest in wargaming in fact (despite all the competition play).

Si

[neilhammond]

There is a sense that we are having a go at DBM, and .... In reality we are just doing the best job we can for the hobby and its future

As a recent "joiner" to the forum and the rules, with a reasonably fresh perspective, I don't get any strong feeling from either the authors or the play testers of any desire or intention to have a go at DBM. In fact my observation is the opposite. I'm impressed by the level of maturity and balance from the AoW community with regard to DBM and other rules (DBMM, DBA WHAB, F&F, FOW have all been mentioned without any trash-talk).

It is inevitable that there will be a perception of competion - after all AoW will be competing with DBMM for the wargamer's attention. In the short run people will probably buy both sets. In the long run people will gravitate to the better, more balanced set of rules.

Neil

[shall]

Good news indeed as this is indeed how it is. All we can do to make people understand this is the case the better. Happy gaming.

Si

[donm]

I hope our insurance cover is good - but then we do hav a doctor in the house

Si,

I to hope the insurance cover is good, as being on the same side as the said doctor was not doing you much good on sunday

Don M

[rbodleyscott]

I to hope the insurance cover is good, as being on the same side as the said doctor was not doing you much good on sunday

We won 32:0 with Early Moorish. How much more good could it do?

[donm]

Richard,

I was refering to Simon's sharp pain in his chest and your instant diagnosis and cure.

Don M

[donm]

Have tonight posted the following on the BHGS yahoo group and the BBMlist yahoo site. It will be interesting to see the reaction.


Aow at Usk 2007

Having seen all the various postings about the Usk DBM doubles and how long the DBM competition may or may not continue at this venue, I thought that some people may like to know how the AoW doubles competition went and what the future holds for the rules.

I joined the Beta Testers back in November last year having offered my services to JD following the trip to Ghent. I have no problems with the current version of DBM and played in more competitions last year than any previous year. Mainly I play 25mm as I am not a great fan of the light horse lottery. Steve Hacker joined me in the play testing and we initially decided we would concentrate on 25mm.

When my first copy of the rules arrived by email, my week was thrown into complete chaos. I found myself reading through the rules and lists at every opportunity. My desk at home was covered in my attempts to write army lists, the bin had over flowed on to the floor. I found myself logging onto the forum and posting a message most nights. Would my painting time suffer forever?

The first game went very slowly while Steve and I got to grips with the movement rates, shooting factors, cohesion tests and complex move tests, etc. We did not worry about tactics, we just charged in to see how things worked. By the end of the third game we were not looking up the basic factors, we were looking at the detail of impacts, melees, evades and routs. All the time we had the support of the forum to answer our many questions and air our opinions. The biggest surprise to me, at this point, was how well my 25mm Sassanid Persians worked (my very first ancient army). They have been gathering dust for many years.

During the Christmas break we changed to 15mm in readiness for the competition at Usk. We came up with an Abbasid army because of its mixture of armoured horse archers and armoured lancers. Bow armed cavalry shoot and have the option to evade in AoW. The mixed units of spearmen and archers, we felt, would be good against other cavalry and elephants.

The transition from 25mm to 15mm was seamless. In AoW the movement distances, etc, are the same for 15mm as 25mm. You do gain a little more room because of the different bases sizes, but the game is essensually the same. Steve and I found we were enjoying the games as much as 25mm.

We tried out many of our old unused 15mm armies in an attempt to fine-tune our army for Usk. However, our biggest problem was our interpretation of the rules. We had only played each other. Had we read it correctly or were we on another planet? Only the games at Usk would answer our question.

More tomorrow when I will try to recount the games.

Don M

[rbodleyscott]

I was refering to Simon's sharp pain in his chest and your instant diagnosis and cure.

Ah that, yes. In my view it was deliberate malingering to delay the game.

[hammy]

Don,

Can I suggest that you put your Usk reports on the open forum here as well as the BHGS list.

BTW I don't agree with Robbo that the BHGS list is a purely DBM thang but perhaps there is an argument that the normal DBM list is perhaps not the right place for too much AoW propaganda.

Hammy

[donm]

Wow, well I didn't expect that reaction

Don M

[jdm]

My only comment on the posts is that Robbo says he is testing. I have received no feedback from him.

Not at all concerned about his view of whats appropriate on the BHGS list, his view is as valid as any. Hoever I would like some feedback

[hammy]

At the moment the text of the BHGS_UK_DBM list on Yahoo reads:

"A group for members of the BHGS (British Historical Games Society)
to discuss any issues relevant to the DBM (De Bellis Multitudinis) wargame rules in the UK. Issues for discussion could include: tournaments; rules queries and clarifications; army list queries and clarifications.


DBM (DE BELLIS MULTITUDINIS)
Wargames Rules for Ancient and Medieval Battle
3000 BC to 1500 AD

by Phil Barker and Richard Bodley Scott"

As things stand Robbo has a very valid point.

My feeling is that there should be a poll on the BHGS_UK_DBM list to change the terms of the group to allow any wargame system that is played at a BHGS event to be discussed. Of course Usk wasn't a BHGS event so ....

I did put a link to the forum here and posted my report on day 1 to the open AoW forum.

Hammy

[hammy]

Having just checked there have been 44 reads of my report so far but 2 of them were me. That is still a reasonable hit rate in six hours.

Hammy