Re: Does this animal exist?

From: gbenage@aol.com (G Benage)

Date: Wed, 06 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000

>In my review of World War IV I said.. "Veteran players have a vague idea
>[of how combat works], but no one really knows for sure."

>That's accurate.  You don't know how combat works, because the rulebook
>doesn't completely tell you how it works.

I feel like I have a very good idea of how the combat *system* works, that
is, of how it is structured.  Attack Factors are compared to Defense
Factors which obtains combat odds, these odds are referenced on a Combat
Resolution Table to determine the percentage of adverse results, the DF of
each unit is again subtracted from this base number to determine a final
percentage chance of an adverse result.  This is explained on pages 11-12
of the rulebook.  What I don't know are the precise percentages...hell,
John is playing in Game 1, and since the game's been programmed, I don't
think *he* remembers what the percentages are!  As my previous posts have
tried to explain, crunching these percentages isn't at all important to
execute a military campaign in the game.  That's the bottom line.  Still,
I'm pleased that you have at least recognized the necessity of this
structured, random element.

>Of course my review is an opinion.  I described the game, identified the
aspects >of it that I liked and those that I didn't like, and then told
everyone how I felt.

Of course, it's in the *description* that the distinction between opinion
and analysis can be found.  You offered a description of the combat system
and suggested reasons why it didn't work for a wargame--that's an
analysis, Bob.  I apologize if I'm splitting hairs, but I think it's an
important distinction.  It's on the basis of the analysis that a review
can be good or bad, accurate or inaccurate (as you say).  Opinions don't
share those characteristics--a reviewer expressing an opinion could only
be "wrong" if he were lying about the nature of his opinion!  As analyses,
game reviews can be both bad and inaccurate, just like film or book
reviews.  Literary criticism would be a lifeless and pointless field if
every critic offered reviews that couldn't be right or wrong because they
were simply opinion.

Regards,
Greg

References

Re: Does this animal exist?
bmclain1@khan2.dandelions.com
Wed, 06 Sep 1995 00:00:00 +0000