Terrible Sharp Sword

Looks very good!

AWESOME CHRIS! I can't wait to see this on Game Day! Picking out the right rules for HUZZAH! 2013 and the 150th of Gettysburg is crucial!

See you at the tables!

NIVEN

  Well, if it's a Two Fat Lardies set of rules, then I will politely bow out. I find their entire concept to be off-putting and a little ridiculous, but that's only my personal opinion, and I recognize that other's mileage will vary.  

  If we insist on Gettysburg for 2013, then a brigade-level set of rules would, I believe, be much more appropriate to allow for ease of learning as well as maneuvering, etc.  It ought to be 28mm scale too, but again, that's just my 2-cent's worth.

   Having said that, Chris: Nice minis and terrain. It certainly looks great! Good job there!

  V/R

I wouldn't use Terrible Sharp Sword for a big participation game, not without serious modification anyway. The card-driven mechanics get to be a drag with more than a few players. There are a few concepts I might crib, though...
Curious what you find to be "off-putting" and "ridiculous," though. Not trying to start anything, just curious. :)

  Well, the whole "language" concept of their cards. It's a sense of them trying to be "kewl" with the different names such as "big man" or "coffee", etc. Plus I think that, as you say, the whole "wait around until my card is drawn. If it's ever drawn" mechanic. 

 If I was to design a card-driven system it would be more along the lines of "TSATF"  where you use a standard deck of cards with one side being red, the other being black, etc.

 The casualty draw for TSATF is also pretty straightforward: roll to hit as normal, and for every hit turn over a card. A 1-10 is a ranker, a regular soldier. A face card is an important casualty, like an NCO, a medic, radioman, etc. An ace is the unit's leader. If the card drawn is a spade, club or diamond, he's wounded. If it's a heart, he's dead. Nice and simple.

 But as I said, that's just me. Some other parts of their game mechanics for their various systems, like using "blinds" with markers, etc, just clutter up the board too much for my liking. I mean, why go to all the trouble of making nice terrain, etc, and then lay down colored counters all over it, etc?

 V/R

The use of language doesn't bother me, I find it evokes a better feel for the period. I hear you on the use of blinds. I think they are an interesting tool for deployment and hidden movement, but they do detract from the look of the game. I find they're usually gone after the first couple of turns, though. I like the card play for small games, but it's problematic for big games. I do like how the rules emphasize the importance of "big men," and the morale system. I think the Lardies games have a lot in common with The Sword and the Flame - clearly there was some inspiration there. 

  True.  It's only my personal tastes I was speaking of, and nothing more.

  As I said, you've got some lovely minis and terrain there! 

   My basic thought on the 2013 game was that it should be brigade-based if the club is going to play all three days, otherwise the thing gets to be a bit unwieldy with so many regiments. The option is to play regimental, but have each regiment represented by a single large base, as Impetus does. That could work too.

   Respects,

I agree the 2013 game should be brigade sized. Black Powder might be a nice fit.

Is someone looking to organize in 2013 a Fri, Sat, and Sun session as a seperate scenario for July 1, 2, and 3?

I want to do 7/1/63 on friday night- the cavalry and Iron Brigade are near completion..... not many commands though....

Saturday will be 7/2/63- a three-part study of the second day. Something like the original assault on the Peach Orchard followed by Hood's Division's assault followed by the Wheatfield and the defense of Little Round Top. The table will be massive in 28mm scale- we just need to pick out some rules. 

More to come on this one- we have some time yet..... Start thinking Boxers!

See you at the tables!

NIVEN

Andy,

   I'm thinking that it might be easy enough to generate our own rules for this game, and have them available as a .pdf on the convention site for download.  As a brigade-sized game, combat would be simplified with C&C and terrain playing important parts as well.  FWIW, I consider morale as part of the C&C problem.

  I'll have some ideas for you later on if your interested.

   Respects,

  Tim Kindred