Tuesday 27 April 2010

Not *quite* an impulse purchase...


...but I had promised myself not to buy anything new this month.  However, put a few glasses of Pinot Noir under my belt and I'm more than willing to live life dangerously.

I have been considering this set of rules for Napoleonics for a long time now, but had held off seeing that I already had General de Brigade and Black Powder.  Not to mention a host of older rule sets as well!
But R2E looks interesting, and is set at a level of representation and detail that appeals to me.  Some of the recent reviews I have been reading (such as those found here and here) have pushed me off the fence, and have led me to the conclusion that these are indeed a set of rules worth having a look at. 

Anyway, R2E is the rule set that is leading in my poll.  Not exactly a meaningful sample statistically I'll be the first to admit; but nonetheless they are the rules leading the pack by a two-to-one margin!

So off went the order today.  While not cheap, they are not overly expensive either, as rule sets go these days.  They are certainly gorgeous, illustrated with mouth-watering photos and being very attractively laid out by Clarence Harrison.  

Now, eye candy may not a good set of wargames rules make, but all things being equal it can't hurt either.  One reason I'm still interested in Napoleonic wargaming today is the eye candy that made the front cover of Bruce Quarrie's Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature and Pete Gilder's articles in the earliest Miniature Wargames mags.

Clearly I have developed a sweet tooth when it comes to wargaming publications-  and I am not about to make any excuses for it.  A visual hobby demands a visual treatment!

I haven't yet felt the pull of Sam Mustafa's Lasalle, as I am waiting first for the latest incarnation of the GdB rules once they are available.  In any event, there is no reason why I have to stick just to one set of rules alone.

2 comments:

Iannick said...

- A visual hobby demands a visual treatment! -

I like that quote.

Peter said...

I think that you will be happy with Republic To Empire. I think I am!!! I can only 'think' I'm happy with it as all I've done to date is read it. A few games will reveal more.They may seem a little intimidating at first but I have it from several generals that it's not that bad once you are playing.

And you are quite right - there is no reason that one should be restricted to a single set of rules. Different rules offer different experiences. This is the line I'm taking. Of course too many rules means too much reading of rule books during a game.

Salute
von Peter himself