An Enjoyable Diversion

Dr. X posts this from Wesnoth:

"I've enjoyed this game very much. Logical gameplay and tremendous scope for tactical and strategic thinking. It's actually quite similar in some of its key dynamics to Panzer General, and I mean that as a serious compliment. The problem with most RPGs and wargames is that they do not capture the element of dynamic movement.

"I am not just talking about modern warfare here. Napoleon made his name not just by fighting well in set-piece battles, but also by getting there, in Bedford Forrest's excellent formulation, "firstest with the mostest." Even at Waterloo he almost caught Wellington napping, and in point of fact got to grips with the British before they could link up with the Prussians. That wasn't luck - it was a hallmark of his strategic career.

"And I do not think the simulation has yet been written that can capture Grant's remorseless genius at the Battle of the Wilderness. It is one thing to get the worst of a horrible battle in the middle of nowhere, in which 30,000 men are killed are wounded. It is quite another to disengage and then advance quickly. That was the end of the Legend of General Lee - he could whip anyone on any battlefield, but not every day, scrounging for replacements and supplies, with a larger army racing him to Richmond. Grant's dynamism changed the state of play.

It's a shame more games don't try to capture this element."