4th Edition Rules - comment now or forever shut yer trap!

[emperor_nero]

I suppose I am asking for something akin to a hand-holder type thing to introduce new players into the ruleset. Wargames are really a tough nut to crack and they usually take someone with experience in playing them to learn how to play. A set of introductory scenario or something like what ASL did with their starter sets but on a smaller scale. You take the rules, cut out some of the more complex issues, and gradually build a new player up to the full ruleset. I got my hands on a copy of Battle of the Bulge and it has a very easy (or so I am told) first scenario that is good to start off with, but for someone with no wargame experience it is difficult to dive into.

Lessening the learning curve will encourage people who haven't play the game to play. Some people can jump in and in a game or two have the rules down pat and some people will need a whole campaign of games to get the most simple rules down. I suppose the suggestion is a Quick-Start Rule Set. A couple of pages of rules that are the bare-bones basics someone needs to play that a new player could use to slowly introduce themselves to by just plugging rules in as they feel comfortable.

I guess that is probably too much to ask, as I don't think this game is aimed at new players I don't suppose. Though the more interest you can build in the game by making it easy for people to get hooked, the more business it can generate. Like a drug dealer giving away samples of crack to get someone addicted... Well, maybe that isn't a good metaphor or at least not a family friendly one but I can't think of something more appropriate.

Nero,

There is also the offer of a game on skype using a simple scenario. The player you connect with will walk you through.

There are 4 or 5 here that will do that for you

Yeah, Daniel and I are planning that. I was just suggesting this for people who don't find this community. I am not talking specifically for me, but from my perspective as a new wargamer and a new PGer. A way to improve the rules and drive up some more interest about the game. If you can go in and teach someone to play, or yourself to play in 30 minutes then you don't get the problem of new ruleset weariness. In video games and board games there is a line that is drawn between something that is "gamey" and something that is "simulationist". Games that are simulationist take a special niche of people to play and therefore usually have a much smaller community, but if you can expand past that niche by making a smaller set of beginner rules easier and quicker to grasp (more gamey) then you can bring in more people who might be on the fence.

Well that is just my two cents. No harm in throwing another perspective into the mix, eh?