For myself I would play mostly Historical Competitive if I had the choice. Since I play in a lot of tournaments I end up playing mostly Competitive-Historical to Strictly Competitive. I play Strictly Historical the least and usually at someone else's request. I don't mind playing that way, but actual historical battles are rarely symmetric and the game itself really doesn't lend to simulations very well. It is still an approximation at best. Ships that can't lay smoke screens? Submarines running around in the middle of fast fleet engagements? But it is fun to try sometimes.
I think you are over-thinking it. If you play a game with two sides and an outcome with one winner it is a "competition." It doesn't have to mean the Olympics. Even if you play to the point where logically one fleet would retreat rather than keep fighting to the death you still basically have a competition with one side coming out better than the other.
I think we all try too hard to claim to be "unique" for whatever reason. The options I gave cover the spectrum from "pure historical simulation" to "pure rules-lawyer" play to win. We all fit somewhere in that general spectrum. The descriptions weren't meant to cover every detail.
As I said above, I have played games and tournaments across that spectrum and there is no right or wrong. Usually I play the whatever the host or local players want to play. Like au64, I just like the opportunity to spend time with friends with a common interest.
Maybe. Theres enough times that countering a strict historical position with one that emphasises player has been met with "power gamer" and "competitive types" that i felt it needed to be clarified.
I play on occasion so saying I'm just collector and don't play isn't 100% accurate but my goal has always been to get a card for every class of ship. I could care less about having every named battleship in a class or operationals. I'd rather have an unrepresented minesweeper than another Scharnhorst, to hell with its playability. I'm not limited to historical, I also want cards for all the units that were laid down and when I do play I am fine with taking liberties with historical scenarios. I do prefer nation pure builds and I would not at all call my builds competitive when I play. I don't like putting 3 fighters on a carrier, I bring a fighter, dive bomber, and torpedo bomber like the air group should have. I always have cruisers and destroyers to protect my carriers and battleships.
Historical Competitive: Going as far if playing in 1944; no ships that were sunk prior to that year can be used nor any fantasy what if ships... you want fantasy go play Warhammer.
Their ship their coffin The cruel dark sea their grave.
Historical Competitive: Going as far if playing in 1944; no ships that were sunk prior to that year can be used nor any fantasy what if ships... you want fantasy go play Warhammer.
The problem with not allowing ships in years after they were sunk or decomissioned is that you need to have that information. It is available for the Forumini cards, but not the original WotC cards. Of course, if you are that much into the history then you have probably already looked those up and marked it on the cards or put it in a list.
The IJN Carrier Liberation Force - "Because We Care" Join the IJNCVLF. Service Guarantees Citizenship!
Maybe. Theres enough times that countering a strict historical position with one that emphasises player has been met with "power gamer" and "competitive types" that i felt it needed to be clarified.
Understood. I tried to think of a different word for "competitive" but nothing came to mind. It is weird that a message board about a game tends to put a negative association on the word "competition." But that is certainly not the weirdest thing going on around the world today!
The IJN Carrier Liberation Force - "Because We Care" Join the IJNCVLF. Service Guarantees Citizenship!
I wouldn't really say my style is like any of the ones stated. I play with IRL friends whenever they come over and usually make both side's builds. I play very uncompetitively and mostly for the explosions. Usually my builds are similar to those Shinnentai did way back, but with more adherence to year limits, and I *try* to make it seem somewhat like a real battle. For example, whenever I get my new mat and finish my models of Saipan and Tinian, I plan on doing a big 1050 point game of units that are mostly those that would have been at Phillipine Sea, but with variations to keep it balanced.
Edit: I realize now that this is sort of what Historical Competitive was getting at, but I can't consider it competitive due to me making the whole settup and generally hoping for a somewhat to-the-wire ending.
Historical Competitive: Going as far if playing in 1944; no ships that were sunk prior to that year can be used nor any fantasy what if ships... you want fantasy go play Warhammer.
The problem with not allowing ships in years after they were sunk or decomissioned is that you need to have that information. It is available for the Forumini cards, but not the original WotC cards. Of course, if you are that much into the history then you have probably already looked those up and marked it on the cards or put it in a list.
I have each nation's ships listed on a spreadsheet, date of commission, date of sinking, date of decommission.
Their ship their coffin The cruel dark sea their grave.
I wouldn't really say my style is like any of the ones stated. I play with IRL friends whenever they come over and usually make both side's builds. I play very uncompetitively and mostly for the explosions. Usually my builds are similar to those Shinnentai did way back, but with more adherence to year limits, and I *try* to make it seem somewhat like a real battle. For example, whenever I get my new mat and finish my models of Saipan and Tinian, I plan on doing a big 1050 point game of units that are mostly those that would have been at Phillipine Sea, but with variations to keep it balanced.
Edit: I realize now that this is sort of what Historical Competitive was getting at, but I can't consider it competitive due to me making the whole settup and generally hoping for a somewhat to-the-wire ending.
Definitely Historical Competitive. Again, don't the the word "competitive" overwhelm you. Even a to-the-wire ending is a "competition." The best kind in fact if you are an advertiser for a sporting event!
The IJN Carrier Liberation Force - "Because We Care" Join the IJNCVLF. Service Guarantees Citizenship!
The problem with not allowing ships in years after they were sunk or decomissioned is that you need to have that information. It is available for the Forumini cards, but not the original WotC cards. Of course, if you are that much into the history then you have probably already looked those up and marked it on the cards or put it in a list.
I have each nation's ships listed on a spreadsheet, date of commission, date of sinking, date of decommission.
Why am I not surprised?
The IJN Carrier Liberation Force - "Because We Care" Join the IJNCVLF. Service Guarantees Citizenship!
Of course, we all have that data if we use Hap's spreadsheet. I couldn't build a fleet without it!
Of course it really gets interesting for Italy and France, who surrendered and changed sides, or who scuttled their fleet when building a fleet for a game. I started looking at all the ships the USN gave away as lend-lease to various countries during the war. Helps to build up that fleet as well; like Russia.