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Cataphract: Medieval-fantasy roleplaying wargame, in the Black-Sea C. 1300

https://samsorensen.blot.im/cataphracts-design-diary-1
52•vidro3•3d ago

Comments

reactordev•1h ago
Was totally interested until I read its play-by-post and he keeps track of all the troop movements and results. Not exactly what I had pictured in my head before I clicked the link. I don’t understand how people have the time to play things by mail in realtime. I want an evening escape, not a lifetime achievement.
Xelbair•1h ago
you're unable to comprehend why people have a long-term hobbies?
thih9•19m ago
> I don’t understand how people have the time to play things by mail in realtime

It's not via mail, it's via discord; there are more details in the submission:

"I set up a channel on a reasonably-popular RPG discord server I’m on, then each commander gets their own thread, using discord’s thread feature. Each commander then gets a little doc with their character writeup and a sheet with their army numbers. They write messages to me, I reply and notify them as events occur, and I keep track of everything on a big spreadsheet and a running Photoshop map file. (...)"

---

Also note that in early wargames writing down orders was part of the game, e.g.:

"Players do not speak to each other. Instead, they communicate with their teammates and the umpire through written messages. This is so that the enemy team cannot hear their plans. This is also so that the umpire can delay or block messages if he feels the circumstances on the battlefield warrant it. In the early 19th century, officers in the field communicated over long distances through messengers. There was no radio in those days. Messengers needed time to reach the recipient, and could be delayed or intercepted by the enemy. The umpire can simulate this problem by holding on to a player's message for a round or two before giving it to the recipient, never giving it, or even give it to the enemy."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsspiel

GolfPopper•21m ago
The A Collection of Unusual Pedantry blog which the author references is an amazing introduction to this work of thinking (the challenges of military operations, and the forces that shape warfare and civilization). [1] If you're already familiar with ACoUP, or find Cataphracts fascinating, you might also enjoy Edward N. Luttwak's The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire of which one review says (and which I find a quality summary):

    "The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire is written with a profound knowledge of the field, a thorough mastery of the sources and secondary literature, and a lively and engaging style that both specialists and general readers will appreciate."     —Peter B. Golden, Rutgers University
1. https://acoup.blog/
lovegrenoble•2m ago
It will go well with fantasy ambience for RPGs: https://tabletopy.com

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189•smig0•3d ago•109 comments

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424•todsacerdoti•16h ago•256 comments

Cataphract: Medieval-fantasy roleplaying wargame, in the Black-Sea C. 1300

https://samsorensen.blot.im/cataphracts-design-diary-1
52•vidro3•3d ago•5 comments

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291•sebg•18h ago•126 comments

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12•tobr•3d ago•4 comments

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134•todsacerdoti•14h ago•9 comments

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130•cempaka•2h ago•156 comments

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64•greentec•12h ago•20 comments

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35•simonpure•8h ago•8 comments

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155•todsacerdoti•3d ago•37 comments