Almost 6 days in, now. Not sure how I feel about the ‘time elapsed’ feature, it seems a bit morbid. Kind of like the clock Leonard Nimoy kept around that counted down the remaining days he expected to have left in his life, calculated from actuary tables. When I surf the net, do I want to be reminded of how much time I’ve already wasted surfing the net? Does it make it more likely I’ll use my online time wisely, or just depress me? Discuss.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time on this site; never really bothered with forums before, but it certainly has been entertaining and became more so once I got a feel for what kind of people are behind the posts. Everybody here has got a bit of character or persona going on. Some people write things that are consistently interesting and insightful; others you can be fairly confident that you’re not missing much in skimming or skipping their posts. It’s like learning to determine good wines from bad.
I’ve had an interest in game design since I was a pre-teen, and Axis and Allies is a tinkerer’s dream. The system is so elegant and durable that it can take a lot of strain before it starts to break down, so I’ve used it to create several variants (some of which I posted when Thrasher’s site was still around; others are posted at BGG), most of which are in a way tests of what works from a game design perspective and what does not. This site has given me the opportunity to discuss my ideas with other people who care about the game, and that’s been quite valuable to my development in this area.
I remember the ‘dark days’ after Axis and Allies was released in the Gamemaster series, and there was no internet around to keep fans together, and there were no signs of new A&A games ever being produced. You’d really have to have friends who were equally game-crazy to sustain any kind of real interest in it, or cook up endless variants of your own. I think it was the release of A&A Europe (the original) which re-invigorated the (nascent and fractured) community, and guaranteed the game its survival in the longer term. I myself had ‘lapsed’ before then… the game stayed at my parents, and I’d bring it out over the holidays to play with relatives and childhood friends. With the mainstream arrival of the internet, and WOTC’s commitment to pumping out new A&A series games every year, this is really the halcyon era for the hobby–people know that they’re not alone in terms of their interest in the game. Things have definitely gotten better in terms of (1) sharing general enthusiasm, (2) clearing up official rules issues _, (3) spoiling information on new product releases, (4) finding others to play with, online or in one’s area, and (5) proposing and popularizing variants, and codifying house rules.
In terms of my personal life, I’m in the ‘final’ year of my PhD. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the present as to whether I’ll get it done well enough and soon enough, and even more uncertainty surrounding what I’ll do with my future life once it’s finally completed. It hasn’t been an easy ride, and a part of what keeps me cool right now is spending time concentrating on my hobby. I find it relaxing and pleasant to think about this miniature world where everything is certain and comprehensible, or at least analysable in principle. Now, as the pressure increases to finish up the degree, I find myself increasingly drawn to this site… both because news of the new Europe 1940 game is more or less constantly breaking, and because it’s escapist and fun. I have waaay more energy than I had ever previously had to devote to the game now that I’m trying desperately to avoid doing what needs to be done. Strange, isn’t it? Regardless, if I can pull this feat of completion off, my life will (by all current indications) be better than it ever has been; and if I can’t then things will definitely be (or at least strongly seem to be) worse than they’ve ever been. But hey: I estimate that I’ve got a modified (Global '40) Heavy Bomber’s chance of success. :wink:
Good thread, BTW. It raises some interesting questions. And it’s the closest thing this site currently has to a ‘confessional box’._
