HardLuckYetAgain -> RE: 8MP T41 (8/22/2018 3:26:28 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Telemecus Turn 41 Rules and Interpretation This was another turn in which the Axis team had to debate extensively the rules of the game, and what we could do within them. The house rules can be found in the sign up thread http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4245675 In particular we have debated two continuously quote:
House Rules 4. No unit may deliberately move forward into isolated status (defined as being more than 99 MPs from a railhead). Units that are isolated due to being surrounded may only move towards supply. The only exception to this rule is air-landed units which may move in any way. 5. The game is supposed to be fun and historically plausible, they players agree to play accordingly and not try to exploit the game engine or do ”gamey” stuff. Rule 4 in particular caused us many problems over Operation Dumbo Drop and the end of the clear turns before the mud period. Did this apply to units that were suddenly isolated because of mud? Did this mean we could not reseal a broken pocket if they were suddenly isolated? Could units be trapped by just the one side towards supply even though an escape route round an obstacle might exist and so on. The debates went on endlessly. In the end we did lose units and cancel a major operation in 1941 because of what we thought the house rules meant. This turn rule 5 became the main point of debate. If I knew then what I know now I would have asked that the rule be changed to specific actions rather than a subjective assesment. I consider myself to be a historical player, and get surprised when others say I am not. Similarly I see certain tactics as obviously ahistorical being treated as orthodox on these forums. The question was what exactly is historical and what is "gamey" stuff? And is there any such thing as "historical" other than just meaning "what I did not think of myself" or "what I feel like it should be?" We did use that principle of legal interpretation often used in common law systems and some others that a law is meant to stop something and not meant to be vacuous. And that as everyone had different views we should look to what the author of the rule meant by historical or gamey. As far as we can see the rules author, Hortlund, only gave one example of what he saw as being ahistorical or "gamey" here http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4210686&mpage=5 - see post 141 In particular they refer to the use of dummy stacked units to prevent a unit reteating the wrong way in this picture [image]http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/upfiles/1562/E7CDB92B3CFB4A1CBFFB7E729456A710.jpg[/image] Without expressing any views on whether this is historical or not (and I have many doubts on whether it is a meaningful term at all as I usually see it posted) we have to accept the author of the rule saw it as being so. So if anything is prohibited by this rule, this must be. It follows from that fact that if anything is included in the rule this must be, and that the rule should not be interpreted as vacuous, that the house rules prohibit this action in this game. In this turn we faced the exact analogue in that we did not want units that just crossed the river Don being forced to retreat back the wrong way. After debating the rule in the end we did not place other units to prevent this happening. A great deal of this stems from the gaming system itself not being able to adhere to certain perspectives that would not happen historical. So player do the best they can to overcome these situations. But interpretation is in the eyes of the beholder. Ask one person you will get an answer different of the next. Good luck
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