American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Does anyone else see a rise in gamey tactics?
I for 1 do and some players are far worse than others,
it's just I really like the historical aspect of this system . it is just sad that some players do not care about anything of the sort

Once i find such a player they go on my never again list

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COL. R.T Coyne
7th Brigade 4th Division" Coyne's Cavalry Rangers"
1st Corp Army of Northern Virginia

Another RED FLAG for me is someone with off the charts battle result in their record
I mean for me a win % of 60 or higher raises an eyebrow and lots of Major victories also is an indicator
After the game i am in now i will concult the records and this is info i will use to decide to play

These Time thieves that steal games thru cheating and taking up your gaming time should be expelled from the club once exposed

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COL. R.T Coyne
7th Brigade 4th Division" Coyne's Cavalry Rangers"
1st Corp Army of Northern Virginia

I hope you're not including me in that. I have a battle win rate of 69.39%. [It used to be higher, 71.98%, and a lot higher in my earlier days. Recently I have been playing against a talented Union Member, so my win rate is dropping.] And yep, the vast majority have been Major Victories:
Maj Vic - 57;
Min Vic - 6;
Draw - 10;
Min Def 6;
Maj Def - 19.
Some people are simply better at the games than others. The 'win' rate is not necessarily an indicator. There are things that indicate cheating and some, that in my view, prove it. But winning games is not among them. My recent Union opponent has won most of our games but I have seen nothing to indicate that he is cheating. I will continue to play him (despite my losses) when he returns from real life commitments, as I find him a challenging opponent and we on and off discuss other things.

I do not deny that there are cheats and regrettably I have had experience with several. Once identified they are on my blacklist, five still remain on that list.

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Paul Swanson
Lieutenant-General
First Division
First Corps
Army of Northern Virginia

That would leave me out, back in the Battleground days when I first joined my winning percentage was around 80%.
I had been playing hotseat with a local gamer who like me had made it to the finals at several Origins boardgame tourneys back in the late 70's.
He is a good player too and we each won about half the time, usually depending on who had better luck.
Unfortunately he isn't good with computers and couldn't get a handle on pbem.

With the switch to the HPS/JTS/WDS games my winning record is around 60% now since the Turn Mode favors the attacker.

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Gen. Ken Miller




The McKeesport Union Guard

1/1/I
AotP

To be clear the red flag I was referring to in terms of win % and Major Victory's is simply this

1. The record indicates a really good player, and I must proceed with caution so a short get to know you game is in order
2. Just my own opinion, a lop sided ratio of Major victories at least tells me that Weaker opponents need to be aware because you are not going to throttle your skills vs a weaker opponent in order to "share "your ability with a lesser opponent, That perhaps it is first and foremost a game to be won as much as possible vs
an enjoyment of a hobby with a fellow gamer. A no tomorrow battle vs a battle where you know your army must continue to exist as a fighting force

And I don't know about others but the games I enjoy the most are the ones that are nailbiters and not blowouts as either the victor or the Vanquished.

my gaming time is very valuable to me as it is a hobby that I do to enjoy. I mean like reading a book No one wants to read a crappy book so the time you want to spend reading you want it to be a good one.

Maybe i am just rambling on because I am about to hit the age 65 milestone and reflecting on how i spend my time and want to get the most out of every minute of
the time i allocate to gaming as I strive for Quality over Quantity, Enjoyment over Winning or losing

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COL. R.T Coyne
7th Brigade 4th Division" Coyne's Cavalry Rangers"
1st Corp Army of Northern Virginia

You could have stopped with number 1,

1. The record indicates a really good player, and I must proceed with caution so a short get to know you game is in order.

because you need to do that with every player. Their won/loss record normally doesn't mean a thing because that can depend upon the quality of the opponents and/or the scenario choices that they played. The key is how much you enjoy the game and the person that you are playing. Also, the definition of gamey varies with each member so just find those that you are comfortable playing, but don't despair because there is a fit in this club for all of us misfits (not trying to insult you by calling you a misfit but all of us are misfits in some way regarding the game system).

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Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

You mentioned "gamey tactics". Can you give some examples please? It's always good to discuss what you won't accept prior to starting a game. There are some people who like to only play scenarios that they have heavily studied or played and this certainly helps ones record. For myself I tend to play veteran players and I don't like to look at a scenario before I play it. My record tends to reflect that I imagine but since I have not looked at my record in a long time I'm not concerned about that. I'm sure you can find some guys who think along your lines, I have not any problem.

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MG Ed Blackburn
2nd Corps, 1st Division, 6th Brigade
AoT