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 “The times they are a-changin’ ”
- Bob Dylan According to Wikipedia, in the Coptic Orthodox Church, the New Year, called Neyrouz, coincides with 11 September in the Gregorian calendar between 1900 and 2099, with the exception of the year before Gregorian leap years, when Neyrouz occurs on 12 September. Autumnal equinox day (usually 22 September) was "New Year's Day" in the French Republican Calendar, which was in use from 1793 to 1805. Coptic Christians and revolting French share a September New Year with a third group – students. Schools and colleges the length and breadth of the country resound with the dull tread of the unwilling , shuffling back from their summer breaks to the grind of autumn term. Just like at normal New Year, resolutions are made by the students (albeit at the behest of the teachers) to work hard, hand in their homework, tuck their shirts in, and sit down and shut up. Just like normal New Year’s resolutions, the promises wither and die with the autumn leaves. Strangely, for me September is also time for my New Year’s resolution for my wargaming projects. For the last few years I’ve developed an unwargamerlike trait of planning ahead with my wargames projects and carrying them through to completion. The unpainted mountains of lead are a thing of the past, now each year at this time I plan next year’s project. Which period I’ll play, which rules I’ll use, whose figures and what scale I’ll be gaming in . Why in September? Well the first stage of “project design” is to read around the subject. Not just a couple of Ospreys, but at least half a dozen “big books” on the subject. It becomes pretty clear after the first couple of books if I’m really interested in sustaining that project for the next year. This strategy has led over the last three years to refighting Operation Compass in the Western Desert of 1940, the US marine battles of the 2nd Gulf War, and the three battles for England in 1066. The likely project for next year is the Prussian view of Napoleons’ Hundred Days Campaign. Probably in 6mm (those Baccus figures are just wonderful), probably using the Polemos rules (also from Baccus). You’ll note that I use other people’s rules for my project games. This has been a deliberate choice. If I’m writing a new set, I find the distraction of another project really helps the creative process. Particularly if I’m stuck on a part of the rules – currently some of the complex numbers that need crunching for the campaign system in Astronef – playing a set of rules by somebody else, particularly a set of rules that actually works, reinvigorates my rules writing. Hastings 1066 – a view from the shieldwall - the game I outlined in my last blog, is progressing well. My playtesting has been greatly enhanced by the discovery of vast numbers of useful colour paper figures at the juniorgeneral.org. This is a great resourse, check it out, it’s free!
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