So how would this work exactly? Do we get together as independants on Independance Day or something? I am contemplating independance, what rules should I go by for my ship?
It means if you arnt part of a group yet im not going to be a in one sunday i think and have you ever built a ship? if i were you i would buy a used one
I'd think whichever rules appeal to you most, or that the people closest to you are following. If you have two ships, and someone else interested in driving one of them, that's all you really need. Clubs and their politics can be quite overrated in my opinion.
I have to agree with you on that Crzy Hawk. Why can't people just go out and have fun with their ships?
That's definitely one of the questions that everybody who's independent probably is (or should be) asking themselves. My opinion is that, just because somebody happens to be independent doesn't necessarily mean that they can't battle with a club sometimes. In fact, I'd highly recommend it. Maybe more than 1 club, even. As long as the clubs allow visitors to participate (& I believe most do), why not? It sure beats the heck out of not battling at all! Then the issue becomes, battle with whom? Look around, see who's around that you might be able to go battle with sometimes. Build to their standards. If you're lucky, there just might be more than 1 club within a reasonable drive (yeah, I've seen the price of gas!) whose construction rules are at least close enough that you can run the same ship in each. Another idea might be to build/buy more than 1 ship, so that you can fight with multiple clubs/different formats. If there aren't any formal clubs close enough, see if you can round up a few like-minded souls & start your own. It doesn't necessarily need to be formal to start with. Take everybody's temperature & see if you can all agree on a format. I'd recommend sticking to 1 of the major, well-known formats just for the simple reason that you can join them later if you want, or buy used ships if that's your pleasure. And, like you say, there might just be something that can be done with all independents. There might be other ideas, too. JM
Certainly the more people post interest and location the more easy it will be for clusters of interested people to form up. I watch for start ups and clubs, and find that usually when someone posts, there is someone who knows someone who has contacted a list or forum like this. I think there are more out there than we know Mike3
I feel that the time has come up here for less organization for more fun. Sounds good to me! Where do I sign up... independantly speaking.
I think you're right, & I hope we can smoke more of them out by continuing to discuss & address their needs & concerns. JM
A certain amount of organization is necessary, but I certainly hear what you're saying. Dealing with all the BS that a club often creates can take a lot of the fun out of it sometimes. You've got to keep everybody safe. You've got to get the word out & promote so that you get enough people coming in to make it fun. You've got to keep things even & fair for everybody, so that they'll have a chance to have fun & want to keep coming back. You've got to help people out with technical & other issues, so that they're able to compete effectively. You've got to set up & tear down anything needed to stage a battle. You've got to have gas, ammunition, & patching supplies available. All of this stuff needs a certain amount of organization, & that's where a club comes in. It would be nice to have access to all the "services" that a club performs, without having to deal with the other stuff. One idea that might work for those who live near a club might be to maintain a certain amount of pressure on the club to allow "guests" to participate in combat. I think most clubs would go for it, or already do. It might cost a little more money for an independent, but it might balance out by what you don't have to worry about. I think that's exactly the sort of issues we independents need to be talking about, though. How do we provide (or find) what we need? JM
John, the main idea that comes to mind is to have stock of what is needed on hand ourselves. If we can be a "revolving door" member than so be it. But, you absolutly right. I've been affliated with a club now for three years and the political crap and on-line posturing, backstabbing got bad enough that I was not interested in the hobby anymore. The thing is these emotions are pouring through the whole group and here we are... looking for other options....
Maybe another viable idea might be to form a loose, temporary organization just for the purpose of putting on a battle 1 time in 1 location. If it ends up working out, learn from the experience & do it again sometime/somewhere else. I'd even go so far as to invite clubs (or rather their members as individuals) to participate if they want. Maybe even have multiple formats in alternating sorties, or something to that effect. Even wilder might be to have multiple formats concurrently. Not a vs. event, but rather "separate" battles going on at once, with the potential for interaction between as well as among the formats. What got me thinking about his was an American LeMans auto race that I happened to catch the other weekend. They have 4 different classes of cars running all at once, which makes for some interesting interactions. A similar event for combat warships might have small gun, Big Gun, Queen's Own, Treaty, Battlestations, etc. all on the pond at the same time, but divided up Axis vs. Allies. The ships of 1 format might tend to bunch up & fight one another, but every now & then you might get an interesting combination of ship-on-ship that you don't always see. JM
That just might work Axis and Allies is constant across formats for the most part, and differences in construction and style of play are balanced. I have always thought that some of the overlap between 1/96 and 1/144 could be played fairly well, if you were looking to throw some considerations out the window. 1/96 ww1 battleships often become much the same size as 1/144 ww2 battleships if my guesstimates are right. 1/96 subs are much more likely all around I had thought that 1/96 geared to the ww1 timeframe would lessen the roles of carriers. Which for some reason don't seem to be popular boats. I am somewhat confused by this, as it seems that they are the most easily armed with off the shelf components, given the generous sharing of the Arizona cannon design. But if the "independent event" format comes into being... And a lot of out of the box ideas are put into it, I think that a venue where disparate scales and armaments can play and be tested will be easier to gather critical mass than a new but rigid ruleset. Mike3
I actually wrote the rule set for a 1/72 scale club with 1880 being the start and 1922 (Washington Treaty) as the cutoff date, with the last battleships that are legal to build being Nelson/Rodney. For a WW1 style club 1/72 is probably better due to the fact that early destroyers and subs are very small ( with some exceptions ) and the increase in scale helps. Most people think that 1/72 scale battleships are impossible because they automatically think later ships. A 1/96 scale Yamato (and Shinano) is being built. A 20,000 ton dreadnought in 1/72 isn't impossible.
if any of you live in the philadelphia area and you are making or have a ship built around the big gun model warship combat rules hit me up once i complete my ship i will need some people to battle with as the closest clubs are the cbg and the mabg just hit me up with a emali at ledersclub2005@yahoo.com if you would be interested in battling with me
