How do You play GASLIGHT?

[Dewbakuk]

This isn't a "please explain GASLIGHT to me" thread. It's a fairly simple rules set and I've played in the past. What I want to know is how you've modified it. Several people have mentioned adding/swapping rules from Battles (which I own but haven't played), which rules and why?

As I said previously, I'm going to be introducing some new players and would like to make it as smooth as possible for them.

Cheers guys!

[Malamute]

Dewbakuk - The best people to answer this question are Sir Henry Bullshott and Thunderchicken.
Sir Henry has done lots of work on the rules producing reference sheets etc for our games with separate stats for the specific vehicles etc in our England invaded campaign. Drop him a PM I am sure he will be able to help you.
Thunderchicken has an excellent grasp of the rules and will also be able to help you I am sure.

[Dewbakuk]

Cheers Malamute, I'll drop Dave a PM then, thanks.

[Lupus]

Just picked up the Gaslight rules myself so hopping to get 10 minutes on the Train home this evening to read them.

[Thunderchicken]

Dewbakuk,

Feel free to PM me if you need any advice. Sir H and I are in the process of modifying the rules for a very large game in October (the mini campaign you've seen running on this forum is an opportunity for us to tweak the rules with help from Malamute and Nickinsomerset).

Also, have you looked at the GASLIGHT Yahoo group? The authors of the rules are quick to respond to any queries and there's always great ideas being banded about.   

[Dewbakuk]

Thanks Thunderchicken. So, have you incorporated any rules from Battles into your GASLIGHT games?

Yeah, I've been a member of the GASLIGHT Yahoo group for many, many years. It's been a little quiet lately though. Maybe I should make a post and wake everyone up

[Malamute]

Dewbakuk,

Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

Dewbakuk - please PM him, He doesn't have many firends and likes to receive mail.

[Bullshott]

In answer to Dean's question, we use GASLIGHT rules with the Battles by GASLIGHT supplement in order to simplify the large battles we play.

The original GASLIGHT rules are really only designed for fairly small games - typically each side player having no more than 1 or 2 each of troop units, vehicles and independant main characters. Due to the card-based order of movement system and multiple die rolls required for the game, any more than this can cause the game to bog down (especially if multiple players are involved).

Battles by GASLIGHT has 4 main features that simplify/improve play:

1 - The card-based movement system changes to 1 card per command of 1 leader and up to 4 troop/vehicle elements, thus speeding up movement a lot.
2 - For failed unit morale you roll the effect for all unit members (in the original rules you roll separately per figure).
3 - New vehicle hit effects table. The generic Hit Table in the original rules applies to all vehicle types, with separate columns for the effects of Non-Penetrating, Penetrating and Catastrophic hits. The Hit Table in Battles has separate columns for Wheeled/Tracked vehicles, Walkers and Flyers, with only one effects column per vehicle type. With this table you get more applicable results for the affected vehicle.
4 - Rather than using one die per unit member shooting or attacking in melee, Battles has a very good combat table wherin you make one roll for all firers/attackers in a unit who have the same weapon and SHOOT/SCUFFLE roll. This reduces die rolls a lot and works very well. It can also be used where multiple unit members need to make SAVE rolls or START/ SUSTAIN rolls (e.g. for my Prussian luftreiter helicopter troops).

1, 2 and 3 above also work very well with normal GASLIGHT games.

Other than using the above rules, we have also used the rules within Battles for vehicle overrun attacks on troops, vehicles ramming each other and troops attacking vehicles with bombs (having played with these a couple of times we will be modifying these rules to suit our style of play). Battles also has rules for repairing vehicles in battle, but we have yet to explore these. As per my comments above, these additional rules are all compatible with normal 'small' games using the core GASLIGHT rules.

The other main feature of the Batltes rules is the inclusion of Leviathans by GASLIGHT (rules for very large vehicles). We have yet to try these rules, so I can't provide any feedback on them at the moment.

For anyone playing GASLIGHT the Yahoo group is highly recommended, as it is moderated by the guys who wrote the rules and is a good place to discuss problems with the rules or suggestions for things outside the rules. As Dean said, the Yahoo group is a bit quiet at the moment, but I'm sure that with a few posts we can wake them up!

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/GASLIGHTrules/

For those of you who are Yahoo group members, I have posted the playsheet and vehicle stats we used for the Prussian Invasion games in the files section on the group (see folder called House Rules).

[Thunderchicken]

Dewbakuk,

Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

Dewbakuk - please PM him, He doesn't have many firends and likes to receive mail.

Yawn. Keep that up and I'll tell everyone about your rash and how you got it. 

[Dewbakuk]

Excellent reply Dave, thanks!

I think I'm going to apply 2 and 3 to my games (I was using 2 anyway as it's a pain otherwise). I'll stick with the standard activation to start with as I'm starting them on small games. If I did it the Battles way it would turn into a turn-based game 

I'll have a look at the rules for overrun, it's a rule that most games should have so will probably appear.

I'll tell everyone about your rash and how you got it.

Does it include an Ape? Stories like that should always include an Ape! 

[Bullshott]

I forgot to mention some house rules we use:


1 - Choosing targets: In the original GASLIGHT rule set any main character can nominate who he is shooting at in an enemy unit. We never allow MCs that are part of a unit to do this. Only unattached MCs are allowed to do this, and then only for standard games - for our big battles no MCs are allowed to nominate targets.

2 - Machineguns: There has always been some debate amongst the GASLIGHT community about the number of 'shots' a MG should be allowed to fire - in the original rule set and Battles Gatlings & LMGs fire 2 shots, MMGs 3 shots and HMGs 4 shots. For simplicity in the current games (nominally set in the 1880s) we class all crewed MGs (i.e. all but LMGs) as Gatlings in the rules, but give them 3 shots. Any figure carrying a LMG or SMG is classed as a SMG in the rules. This system seems to work very well.

I have also added a new MG category - the 'Heavy Gatling' - this covers 1" calibre Gatlings and Nordenfelts that were often fitted to ships in the late 19th century. These are treated as normal Gatlings but with a better SRM. In our games they are sometimes fitted as main armament to vehicles (and my Prussian powered suits) or as secondary armament to some heavy vehicles and are used to provide better capability against enemy light armour than standard MGs or small cannon.

3 - Rifles: For our pre-1900 games we treat all repeating rifles including bolt-action types as the Breechloader/Repeating Rifle category in the rules (24" range). We have found that if you use the bolt-action category (36" range) rifles become too effective - outranging small cannon and (especially in big Battles) preventing armies from closing on each other.


Future items to add to the playsheets will include amendments to the Battles rules for ramming and troops close assaulting vehicles, plus rules for airships (based on the rules in the GASLIGHT 'Victoraia Hawkes' ACW supplement) and automatons.

[isaanmini]

Hello All

Dave.......I am considering buying the GASLIGHT  compendium, but I am thinking after reading this post ,that you have almost completely overhauled the rules

Do you have a complete set of updated rules that you could let me have?

Regards

Barry

[Ray Rivers]

Keep that up and I'll tell everyone about your rash and how you got it.

 

 

[surdu]

Hello All

Dave.......I am considering buying the GASLIGHT  compendium, but I am thinking after reading this post ,that you have almost completely overhauled the rules

Do you have a complete set of updated rules that you could let me have?

Regards

Barry

It doesn't sound like a complete overhaul to me.  The comments were about Battles by GASLIGHT, which are all included in the Compendium.  The other changes sound like minor tinkering to me.  GASLIGHT was designed to enable players to make changes to suit their notions without breaking the underlying systems or design philosophy -- but you have to have something the modify FROM. 

Buck

[isaanmini]

Thanks Buck

I had kind of figured that........I will be buying the compendium......after I wrote the post I felt that maybe I owe to the publishers anyway.

I hope to pick up a copy at Colours, if I can find a retailer.
I am also hoping to meet up with Mark and Dave there and anyone else interested in Gaslight.......perhaps we could have a drink and a chat.......anyone?

with a bit of luck, by that time I will have some stuff to bring to show people.....the Prussian dollies and a few more bits are definately going to the moulders this week

regards
Barry