Star Fleet Battles & BattleTech

This article is interesting. I agree with much of what he has to say.

Personally, I think he's right to compare BattleTech to Car Wars. BattleTech is, to me, a simpler iteration of Car Wars- wherein damage is fixed rather than variable. Movement is much, much simpler as well.

Personally, I am amazed that BattleTech is still as popular as it is, and Car Wars has died. When I played Car Wars, the support was much greater, including an annual world championship.

Like Wolves on the Fold
Lt. Col Mike Snook
5/28/2006

This book is a detailed discussion of what happened in Zululand. Movies have been made, and books written about this event, but in my mind, this is the definitive source.

Lt. Col Snook was actually with the impacted Regiment, so he was able to review many source documents. He presents these with detailed maps, sketches and artwork. It’s a tremendous read. He’s written one other book, How Can Man Die Better? about the slaughter at Isandlwana. I’ve not read this one yet, but want to.

You know how when you watch a post-game interview with a sports player (doesn’t matter what sport) they say all the trite clichés- “We went out and gave 110%” blah blah blah? Lately I’ve noticed that this trend has extended into all fields, example: “We know you’re giving 110%, but we’re gonna ask you to give 120%!” Well, what these men did at Rorke’s drift is a powerful illustration of what grit, wits, and pure gumption can attain. They didn’t sit around talking about how much they were going to give, or how they could contribute to the team’s shared goals: They dug in and commenced the grim work of defense.

Seems to me in modern times, we talk about it. But these men? They lived it. It’s a true story of winning against overwhelming odds. While I still like heartwarming tales, Miracle comes to mind (great film) this story is a quantum leap in bravery.