Monday, June 22, 2009

Error in Waterloo's rules, or just awkward wording?

I'm not sure how often it will come up, but there is a possible contradiction between the rulebook and the player aid on when the initiative changes at 7 p.m., or perhaps just unclear wording

According to the rulebook, the French player keeps the initiative "If at the start of the 7 p.m. turn the French holds all three strongpoints."

The player aid states "The Allied player will take the the initiative if the French player does not control one of the three strongpoints."

I think it's trying to say the same thing, which is that the French must hold all three strongpoints in order to keep the initiative. That would be the historically correct interpretation. Hougomont never fell, but the French did occupy the other two.

But I could see a French rules lawyer arguing that he does control one strongpoint and therefore keeps the initiative. I think it's a tortured reading, but I've run into worse over the years.

2 comments:

  1. This is indeed a contradiction, and you don't need tortured logic or a rules lawyer, just someone who claims the play aid takes precedence over the rule. This smacks of a late rule change that didn't make it to the play aid.

    French hold all three: French keep initiative by rule (all three) and by aid (control at least one). Clear enough.

    French hold one or two: By rule, Allies take it. By aid, French keep it because they control a strongpoint. Clear contradiction between the two

    Sadly, the 'Geek is down as I type this, so no help there.

    I generally hold the rulebook as the primary authority unless overridden by errata, just as I hold rules over examples of play within the rulebook.

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  2. Worse than that, the player aid version could be interpreted as saying that the French must control EXACTLY one!

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