Thanks for this entertaining and lucid overview. I have played both skirmish games such as Saga, Ronin, in Her Majesty’s Name etc and RPGs such as D&D etc. Some that I think come close to crossover are The Fantasy Trip, The One Ring or Runequest. Usually it is clear though on which side of the line a particular game falls.
Hey Big Lee! I hope that you are feeling better! I think that there is a very gradual border between the two... but, as always, the bottom line must be what balance the players enjoy and are they having fun while playing the game!
Ed the Two Hour Wargame guy often uses the phrase “RPG lite” to describe very small skirmish games with a central “star” character, some character development over time, and a narrative that develops from the results of encounters
Thanks for looking at the question I posed, and get well soon, Lee. I suppose I really should give my view, but first...I'd question your narrative/tactical dividing line a little. Mainly on the grounds of wargaming actual historical battles and encounters, especially when played in the context of a campaign. Surely that brings in a narrative element, a tactical element and sometimes a strategic element together in a dynamic mix that fluctuates in focus between both (or all) elements. To the main question...I see small mini count tabletop conflicts as a spectrum on which RPGs and skirmish wargaming both sit as broad and overlapping bandwidths. Logistically at least, they are closer cousin's than a large battle such as a Battle of Wagram using Blücher or BBB. The zoomed out focus of commanding tens of thousands of men is far removed from either SW or RPG and that perspective can blur the fine details of the distinction between D&D and Necromunda. I guess that is at a far removed part of the same spectrum...gamma rays to the microwaves...perhaps. Of course, there's room for all and I don't see any real hard dividing line between RPGs and wargaming. As I said, it's all a spectrum.
Get well soon Big Lee. Saga comes to mind when talking about crossover between genres. In Saga you play the role of a Warlord with special abilities not unlike RPG's.
Due to reduced space constraints, I am playing fewer full size wargames but Portable Wargames and Skirmish wargames. I think the last time I played an RPG was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .... about 30 years ago. I am afraid I spend more time making terrain and scenarios than actually gaming.
I've been playing more skirmish/rpg types of games, Five Parsecs from Home, Five Leagues from the Borderland and Zona Alfa which have a strong narrative aspect but with the encounters being part of the driving force of the game. I would call them RPG's. Ronin I would call a skirmish game.. But, I could be wrong! And it doesn't really matter what I it's called if I'm enjoying it. I may be stepping on toes when I claim it is all wargaming, but I don't mind.
Thanks for this entertaining and lucid overview. I have played both skirmish games such as Saga, Ronin, in Her Majesty’s Name etc and RPGs such as D&D etc. Some that I think come close to crossover are The Fantasy Trip, The One Ring or Runequest. Usually it is clear though on which side of the line a particular game falls.
Hey Big Lee!
I hope that you are feeling better!
I think that there is a very gradual border between the two... but, as always, the bottom line must be what balance the players enjoy and are they having fun while playing the game!
Very early to this video! Im currently trying to make a Skirmish FPW game so this is perfect.
Ed the Two Hour Wargame guy often uses the phrase “RPG lite” to describe very small skirmish games with a central “star” character, some character development over time, and a narrative that develops from the results of encounters
Thanks for looking at the question I posed, and get well soon, Lee. I suppose I really should give my view, but first...I'd question your narrative/tactical dividing line a little. Mainly on the grounds of wargaming actual historical battles and encounters, especially when played in the context of a campaign. Surely that brings in a narrative element, a tactical element and sometimes a strategic element together in a dynamic mix that fluctuates in focus between both (or all) elements.
To the main question...I see small mini count tabletop conflicts as a spectrum on which RPGs and skirmish wargaming both sit as broad and overlapping bandwidths. Logistically at least, they are closer cousin's than a large battle such as a Battle of Wagram using Blücher or BBB. The zoomed out focus of commanding tens of thousands of men is far removed from either SW or RPG and that perspective can blur the fine details of the distinction between D&D and Necromunda. I guess that is at a far removed part of the same spectrum...gamma rays to the microwaves...perhaps.
Of course, there's room for all and I don't see any real hard dividing line between RPGs and wargaming. As I said, it's all a spectrum.
NAM '68 Tour of Duty is a new rule set that combines skirmish historical wargame with RPG.
SET IN VIETNAM!
Get well soon Big Lee. Saga comes to mind when talking about crossover between genres. In Saga you play the role of a Warlord with special abilities not unlike RPG's.
Due to reduced space constraints, I am playing fewer full size wargames but Portable Wargames and Skirmish wargames. I think the last time I played an RPG was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .... about 30 years ago. I am afraid I spend more time making terrain and scenarios than actually gaming.
I've been playing more skirmish/rpg types of games, Five Parsecs from Home, Five Leagues from the Borderland and Zona Alfa which have a strong narrative aspect but with the encounters being part of the driving force of the game. I would call them RPG's. Ronin I would call a skirmish game.. But, I could be wrong! And it doesn't really matter what I it's called if I'm enjoying it. I may be stepping on toes when I claim it is all wargaming, but I don't mind.