Can science fiction wargaming ever be realistic?
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Is it possible for science fiction wargames to be realistic when technologies are invented, worlds are created, and fictitious histories underpin them?
I love Sci-Fi as a genre, but I rarely play it on the games table. I'm a traditional wargamer at heart and I love the depth that comes with a real period in history. But I have played science fiction and fantasy wargames in the past, and this week I want to try to answer whether these can ever be 'realistic' when they are entirely made up?
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Arguably virtually all wargaming for the modern and early modern period is science fiction. The primary source material may be historical but the actual experience of it, for most gamers, is equivalent to their actual experience of the various science fiction settings. Good science fiction has an internal narrative consistency which can form as effective a basis for a good game as any historical narrative.
Science fiction(as opposed to Science Fantasy) Wargames are do-able but you need a very focused rule set. I would point you to Older sets like Hammer's Slammers, Striker and the Ground Zero games Rules sets Dirtside, Full Thrust and Stargrunt. All of the GZG rules are freely available for Download from their web site.
Glad to hear Stargrunt mentioned.
I like Aliens type games, Star Wars Legion wargames and a board game called Nemesis. Most war games have descended into line them up on the long edge and a mass scrum into the centre of the table Boring.
Excellent discussion/analysis, Lee.
Sci-Fi is a big culprit for being too gamey in my opinion. Thats why we use Force on Force to play Star Wars as opposed to the typical Legion rules.
I didn't intend to hand you a poisoned chalice, that's the one with pestle in it, rather encourage a discussion on what makes for a realistic SF wargame. I have opinions. But, as you say, not all SF stories are suitable for wargaming, and perhaps i should've added that to my very broad question.
For those who know, I've been working on a set of rules inspired by Chain of Command (sort of a reworking the aborted Fighting Season, but with some different combat resolution mechanics cause I'm not a fan of buckets of D6s), set circa 2070 - so five minutes into the future, but with the options to expand the setting to include aliens (gotta to cover the three Rs of SF: Rockets; Robots; and Ray guns).
So, thank you for your thoughtful video.
Thanks for the topic, and sorry it took so long to respond. It was a fun question to explore.
Space Opera sci fi can be a bit difficult to envisage and practically replicate on the table. '15 minutes into the future' or low tech sci fi, such as the Expanse is easier to do as it is more closely rooted in currently understood or possible technology, whereas Space Opera has the same difficulty as High Fantasy has with tech/magic. I prefer games to be, if not realistic, plausible.
Interesting discussion! I think some top level sci-fi concepts are too abstract to translate to the table top. However, for me, sci-fi armies have to function in a believable manner, if not realistic, on the tabletop in order to keep me engaged. Hence why I play my own version of 40k if I am playing non-historical.
I think it can be about as realistic as historical war games can be.
The area that immediately springs to mind for sci-fi wargames is Star Trek. Both planet based skirmish actions and space combat between starships can work really well in the setting. And 'realism', I'd venture that we have more 'evidence' to draw on for Star Trek than for many, many ancient periods, and even some more recent than that! This is because the producers and writers work from a closely coherent set of 'rules'...if shields can't be beamed through in Episode 6, then don't even think about trying it in Episode 9. This and the real world experts who consulted on the extrapolated future were instrumental in helping to create a believable universe for the franchise. You could probably do the same with the DC and Marvel comicbook universes.
Finally, I'm glad someone else has hand writing with a 'half-life'. I always reckon that after six months, half of any hand-written text I write will be indecipherable even by me. 🤣
Great video Lee. Don't think I will be getting into sifi or even warhammer 😅. I may go to partizan for the very first time, if I see I will come and sat hello cheers Grant
Sci-Fi can, indeed, be a realistic setting for games. Normally the games are based around battles, like epic 40k or fleet actions in space. These focus on the combat phases of relations. Then there are skirmish type games like Five Parsecs. There focus is on the team, its missions and personal progress. What I think is missing is the personal interaction which may be difficult to recreate unless you have some rules for that. Looking at depictions on screen things revolve around personal relationships, Walking Dead, Expanse etc.. I find it odd that people dismiss shows like TWD but miss that it is about personal relationships, not just about killing Zombies.
Similarly, fantasy gaming can be realistic because of the personal interactions and advancement of characters. Magic or more earthly weapons have the same effect in the end. I shoot you you die. You cast a spell and I'm dragged into the earth and die.
As I've said previously, I'm playing more skirmish type games where characters progress or die depending on the circumstances and the roll of the dice. I find it as realistic as I would like it to be.
Good arguments. 👍 I can't add anything important today, because I completely agree. Even 40K has some very plausible assumptions at its core, even if it is masked by loud advertising. 😉
I think realism is overrated, given the subject matter of what we choose to play. I go for tiny nuggets of truth sprinkled through it, in Sci-Fi that just happens to be nuggets of fiction from the canon of what I'm playing. I do use an invented SF universe which includes a mix of the films and books I like, so it becomes believable very quickly.
David Webber’s Honor Harrington space navy battles and marines landings political battles.
While I understand the reason for sci fiction wargames but as an old wargamer ,I think it probably will only appeals to youngsters , so not for me
YEs just like not all historicals are realistic... Battletech, WW3 team yankee are very reralistic for exemple.
No, no, no. And why do the sci-fi miniatures always have 'landscaped' bases?