Netlists

Following on from yesterday's post...

Those inhabiting the sewers that are internet forums, often grow vexatious on the subject of the internet list. And indeed I have railed against them myself on occasion. However I have been pondering the something in Paddy Griffiths book.

In the mythology of the first world war... and indeed this applies to some extent to the question of tanks in the second World War... those pushing the Lion's Led by Donkey's line often point to the higher numbers of machine guns in German companies, compared to British/French.

What they overlook is the reasoning behind this.

The key factors in the First World War were the handling of reserves and the artillery. The power of the machine gun was not it's killing power, but it's ability to delay enemy troops in no man's land, giving time for reserves time to deploy and pinning them in pre-planned artillery fire zones.

Add to this that the Germans appear to have increased the number of machine guns in order to compensate for a percieved lack of musketry skills among their infantry.

Why I mention this in relation to netlists is that long before I had heard of the Leafblower, I was planning an Imperial Guard army and reached much the same conclusion; I presume on the same logic basic - that by maximising the number of pie plates you make up for defficiencies of the basic Imperial Guard infantry man; which in turn probably explains the reasoning behind the codex design.

I suspect the reason people dislike netlists is not the list themself, but the notion that those using them have not considered the tactical and strategic assumptions behind them. That somehow if you build one you will win.

Which is rather missing the point.

Like or not, the games produced by Games Workshop are very deep and very subtle - numpties often dismiss the subtly as Beer and Pretzels - and just as those fetishising the machine gun, or later complaining about the inferiority of allied tanks compared to their German counterparts overlook how the technical advatage was surpassed and overcome.

peace:)