Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

It is being discussed in another thread, the use of House Rules is an annoyance. However, I point out here that it is an inevitability due to the fact that no game engine or project to tweak the files can ever remove them.

All of us have a particular style we enjoy. Whether it is the blitz or whether it is just to play in a more subdued style. And in that comes House Rules. No settings group or well intentioned folks will ever remove the use of a rule mutually agreed on by the players. And frankly the day that that happens it will mean that the game engine or settings are so unrealistic that I would not play the game.

House Rules are in every game I ever played with the exception of Squad Leader. I am sure that someone had them but the game was so well written that I cannot recall ever having to make up something to make it work. Hey, even Chess has a house rule that says you do not talk during your opponent's move. (It was never in the instruction manual ...)

However you value the units, structure the tables, etc you cannot remove house rules from the mix. They simply are a way of life in gaming. From miniature rules to board games to computer games. And frankly they give the game some freedom from the designer's viewpoint which can be flawed.

I use very few HRs in my games. I prefer to just use sound military judgment in the use of my units. I call it a style and not a HR. None of my opponents, lately anyway, have commented on my play and they are historical guys too. Not just gamers that bought the game because they like the period.

If the HPS/JTS Nap series is flawed it is in several areas that could never be corrected by tweaking the files. You end up with a freak game otherwise. You can only tweak it so much before it departs from the realm of Napoleonics and becomes something entirely different.

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Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

Bill,

Happy New Year to you and your family . I would like to just say along with the sentiments in the other topic I too am extremely grateful to yourself, Rich Hamilton and all the guys who have put time and effort into these games. They are the best Napoleonic 'wargame simulation' and give the best opportunity to fight different campaigns and battles at all levels, that there is on the market, bar none!

Now as to House Rules, you are totally correct in that most complex simulation games have house rules that cover 'realism' that the sytem is unable to replicate effectively or with a realistic outcome. I too have always played with them and any knowledgable opponant can see the reasoning behind them. They actually enhance the sytem and the playing enjoyment. Remebering them and playing them without upsetting the game/opponant is another story

Roll on the next title and the next battle !!

Helga a round to all HPS game developers and their assistants!