I admire Sidney Roundwood at Roundwood's World, and I'd bet you do too, or will as soon as you visit the blog. I think he has what many of us aspire to, a full approach.
He's done me the honour of building on a post I wrote a couple of months ago, Getting out of the boat (1), a post representing a part of what the Expanse is all about. He used the ideas in a Great War battle over his superb trench boards featuring a mix of rules.
This and one or two other things currently in the pipeline have left me in a happy stupor.
Why?
Setting aside even the fact that it's Roundwood and others I respect, I think it's about seeing a contribution recognised, its value acknowledged, and in blogging knowing something hasn't just fallen by the wayside. It's understanding in some small way we've added to the sum of thinking and experience.
Setting aside even the fact that it's Roundwood and others I respect, I think it's about seeing a contribution recognised, its value acknowledged, and in blogging knowing something hasn't just fallen by the wayside. It's understanding in some small way we've added to the sum of thinking and experience.
Every one of us who creates, suggests or speculates in whatever form is contributing just like this. We all do it in some way, and it's a very precious thing. And key I think in keeping the passion high and keeping the contributions coming is feedback.
If you see something good out there in the blogosphere or elsewhere, I'd encourage you to use it, respond, praise the positives and help improve the rest. Leave a comment, write a post, recommend it, especially if the source has a smaller audience.
Get involved in the exploration. If you're not sure where, start with the blogrolls here.
Thanks again to Sidney and to everyone who's run with an idea they saw here, and most of all to everyone beginning, continuing or supporting that wider exploration in any way.
_
6 comments:
Saw that on his blog, you are a great influence on others, sometimes you are too far ahead of your time or our/my brainpower, I'd like to call you the Stephen Hawkings of the blogosphere. Always visit your posts, sometimes more than once a day but don't always comment because I don't feel I have anything to contribute but it makes me bloody think. You are an asset to the blogosphere and I have pimped you as such.
This is very very true. Since I've started blogging, and especially since I've really discovered the gaming blogosphere I've always felt inspired. There are just so much cool stuff out there!
Of course an important part is to spread the love and tie knots. I love the community feeling that we continually create as we slowly make our way through the web.
I think you're an expert in this field Porky and many of my regulars I discovered through the Expanse.
The power of ideas is great indeed!
Well said.
How I would love to inject a picante bit of contraversy by dissenting, I have to go along with what the Lurker and Martin have said.
Keep, it up, Porky. :)
A lot of quotable material here! I can see 'the Stephen Hawking of the blogosphere' going up somewhere..!
@ The Angry Lurker - Thanks very much - I also like the idea I might be ahead of my time, misunderstood..! To be honest I'm trying to rein in the worst excesses, and I do realise a lot of what goes out probably isn't explained as well as it could be. I tweak and try to break the weirder stuff down, but I could do better. I'm glad you do come back and I'm very grateful for the mentions.
@ Martin - I know what you mean. There's just too much good thinking out there to take in some days, but it's always energising. We all know too Fire Broadside! is one of those crackers, full of grand vistas - that last post had bags of scope. I think I've mentioned before that I learn a lot from you, and I can't be the only one.
@ Trey - Thanks! I will, and I don't even think I could stop. Feel free to put the cat among the pigeons when there's a need. Dissenting is perfectly fine, and I do it plenty, though hopefully always in the nicest possible way..! I like the idea of the dissent coming in wider responses too, in later posts and ongoing developments, a kind of background debate.
Porky - Thank you very much for the mention, although it really should be me thanking you. What I look for in a game, especially one which I am umpiring/ gamesmastering is something to really catch the players' attentions. Something which really makes them feel as if they have the same decisions, the same assets, the same restrictions as their tabletop counterparts. The rules I've chosen for the Great War games which we have been playing certainly do that but there is always room for more. Which is why your "Never get out the boat" post was so helpful to me.
I am also a really committed fan of a "game within a game" - something which, while not detracting from the main wargame, gives substantial challenges to the players in its own right (like rescuing a fallen comrade, clearing a mined road, and so on). The ideas and themes for a "game within a game" is something else your posts offer through sparking ideas of how to add in elements which the original rules writers can't focus on in constructing the main rules.
What I am trying to say, inelegantly, is that your posts are really valued and really helpful. So, Stephen Hawking or not, please do keep posting. And thanks, again.
Kind words again. I'll resist the urge to carry the thanking on - we need to stop somewhere! - but I'm very grateful to you too. It's hugely encouraging to get this kind of reaction, and even if we suspect other people think a similar way and like what we do, it's great to hear about it!
Your comment even has new ideas to consider, and it'll be no surprise I like that thinking on equalisation of player and played. The multiple objective approach too, and I'm also giving some thought to what might be called deep objectives linked with information exchange and knowledge in games. This could involve learning about the true natures, and have understanding become a goal. It would fit that chaos and fog of war thinking which is what got us here in the first place. There's certainly a lot of space to explore still.
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