'Round & 'round

Just when you thought your design was done and ready for beta testing, the staff revolts and wants something completely different, like a throw in from left field that beans you unexpectedly. Being a game designer means having to say no, no way, forget it, etc, and then compromise, 'cause maybe you might be wrong. This is one of those no's, but with reservations just in case.

It comes mainly from me being a game designer, while others are history buffs who want the simulation side covered no matter how difficult that may be. A car analogy is appropriate. Some are willing to slap chrome onto the design until the engine — my bailiwick — cannot even move the car. My job is to keep the engine running and the chassis lean and functional, and the wheels aligned in one direction. That is harder than it first appears, as everyone wants it to run in different directions, at different speeds.

Libraries & Reading

Unfortunately, these are two different things. My library is very impressive, but my reading is well behind my acquisition rate. There was a time I could keep up, but that time has most definitely passed, due to 1) time pressures of other aspects of my life, and, 2) my tendency to buy in excess of any notion of when I will accomplish reading all these wonderful books. Just like the rules junkie I am, I see great titles that have been reviewed well on topics I am interested in and out comes the wallet. Sad to say, I will have to stop before I am virtually surrounded by groaning bookshelves. But just one more cannot hurt...

I Hate It When This Happens

You are designing a game, and well into the first playtest you discover a major flaw in the design. It was pointed out to me by an off-the-cuff, sort of throw away remark by one of the playtesters, but it resonated loudly. Now it requires a very thorough change in one of the major elements of the design, which, by the way, is the next campaign for General Quarters. Too early to say what it will be about, because it is not even in beta testing yet. So we have no idea when it will be released. But once we have a MSS, we will be broadcasting, you can be sure.

AAR's, and why they help

There are a lot of After Action Reports in the ODGW Lounge section, most from the Miracle Mile Gamers (MMG) of Los Angeles. We play MP exclusively, and have been involved in playtesting down through the years. Taking pictures of the game is second nature for us, and our game host, Sacha Schwarzkopf, loves putting together the detailed narrative of the games, which — surprise! — always end with German victories. But anyone can contribute, and we wish others would. It is a great way to help along the hobby, and promote the game. Enlightened self-interest, doncha' know.

Command Radii and Regulating Battalions

Almost two thousand posts on TMP on these two issues alone, and they were very detailed arguments backed up by plenty of primary research that I managed to get hold of. Just phenomenal. Hope I can put some of it into version two of Battlelines. Pretty overwhelming, though. Lots of reading of documents from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries.