Tony Bath and why we love this hobby
Jul 7, 2015 14:50:30 GMT -5
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Post by tetramorph on Jul 7, 2015 14:50:30 GMT -5
From Tony Bath's Setting Up a Wargames Campaign:
First of all: Wow.
"Full rein to . . . creative genius, both as regards the rules . . . and the countries and characters . . ." Yes. This is why we are here. This is why we not only play D&D, but OD&D.
The "desire to run a mythical continent," as a "sign of power mania," but, more importantly, the "freedom" wargame-campaigning gives to "a bent for organizing things." Yes, and yes. I think I enjoy thinking about, planning, "stat-ing out" my campaign as much as I enjoy running a game for players within it!
"Certainly campaigning will indulge many complexes." Wow. I don't know many gamers this frank about themselves these days! I think has pretty honestly hit the proverbial nail on the head for many of us. I love his straightforward statement of gamer psychology! Gaming and campaigning is a sane and creative way to work out a lot of things. In Jungian terms, it certainly seems to engage the shadow-self in a creative and sublimating way.
We referees have to "learn to be as unbiased as possible," we have to learn to "find methods of solving tricky problems," especially "setting up scales by which to decide just how successful" our player's characters attempts to affect their fictional environment will be. Yes. That is essential to being a good ref. So spot on.
This single quotation of Bath's sums up so much of why I love this hobby. I'd be happy to read what you all think.
Fight on!
The wargamer who either runs or helps to run a campaign . . . can give full rein to his creative genius, both as regards the rules he uses and the countries and characters he creates. A radio interviewer once asked me whether the desire to run a mythical continent of my own was a sign of power mania; I replied that this was possibly true to some extent, since most of us like the idea of playing God to some degree, but more important was the freedom it gave to a bent for organizing things. Certainly campaigning will indulge many complexes. Further, in running a campaign you have to learn to be as unbiased as possible, and to find methods of solving tricky problems, of setting up scales by which to decide just how successful a certain move by a player will be. (p. 56.)
First of all: Wow.
"Full rein to . . . creative genius, both as regards the rules . . . and the countries and characters . . ." Yes. This is why we are here. This is why we not only play D&D, but OD&D.
The "desire to run a mythical continent," as a "sign of power mania," but, more importantly, the "freedom" wargame-campaigning gives to "a bent for organizing things." Yes, and yes. I think I enjoy thinking about, planning, "stat-ing out" my campaign as much as I enjoy running a game for players within it!
"Certainly campaigning will indulge many complexes." Wow. I don't know many gamers this frank about themselves these days! I think has pretty honestly hit the proverbial nail on the head for many of us. I love his straightforward statement of gamer psychology! Gaming and campaigning is a sane and creative way to work out a lot of things. In Jungian terms, it certainly seems to engage the shadow-self in a creative and sublimating way.
We referees have to "learn to be as unbiased as possible," we have to learn to "find methods of solving tricky problems," especially "setting up scales by which to decide just how successful" our player's characters attempts to affect their fictional environment will be. Yes. That is essential to being a good ref. So spot on.
This single quotation of Bath's sums up so much of why I love this hobby. I'd be happy to read what you all think.
Fight on!