Whilst not perfect I still have a soft spot for this, my first book - written in collaboration with Bob Cordery.
On the glorious 1st of June (no, not that one….) I received the following review on Amazon for the Portable Ironclads Wargame from a chap called Adam in the US of A.
“To the writers: Do better! There are plenty of 3D artists make some 3D STL files call me.
The book is okay. They don’t give any blueprints to make those ships that they have there. There are no measurements, and there is no PDF file attached, so it’s a little disappointing. I have a friend who has a 3D printer who has some of those files available, but I thought it would give me the directions to make my own ships, and it does not.”
Now when I read this my first reaction was one of mild amusement. The book was never intended to be a textbook of how to make model ships for wargames, mainly because my models are deliberately simple in construction and are designed as gaming pieces first and foremost. I also thought that the pictures alone, along with the chapter dedicated to modelling hints and tips would give the aspiring ACW naval wargamer enough basic information to enable them to ‘have a go’. Given the basic simplicity of my models it seemed fairly pointless giving detailed construction notes or plans because virtually all of my models are ‘based upon’ rather than museum quality pieces.
Whilst it would be flattering to see someone launch a range of 3D printed versions of my models what would be the point? There are far better models available within the physical and 3D printed space (with a nod to David Manley at this point!) which would cost as much to print as one of my own. Indeed, the closest my models have come to being commercially available was via Warbases and, as yet, this has never come to anything tangible.
I am disappointed with the review, simply because it seems as though ‘Adam’ has rather missed the point of the book - it is an old school ‘here are some ideas that you can go away and experiment with and find your own path’ style of wargames book where the reader is actively encouraged to do their own research and by extension, make up their own mind about the period. Mine is most definitely not the last word on the subject and was never intended to be so. The same applies to the models I built and used.
I am more than happy to read constructive criticism of the content therein but being criticised for something that is not included, was never intended to be, is a little on the irritating side, especially when one is unable to challenge the comment made.
Am I being overly sensitive? Initially I thought that maybe I was but after having considered the comments made I believe that I am right to be, how shall I put it? Vexed.
I feel better for having gotten that off my chest - probably more than I should!
4 comments:
David,
It seems to be the time of year for irritating reviews as I had one for the latest (I.e. nine-months old!) Portable Wargame Compendium. Apparently the cover annoys the editor of a ‘popular’ wargame magazine because it isn’t covered in pretty pictures … and as well all know, having loads of pictures of pretty toy soldiers is the be all and end all of wargaming!
I’d advise you to do exactly what you’ve done: shrug it off and move on. The hobby is big enough to write off bad and ill-informed reviews. At least your reviewer seems to have bought and read your book whereas mine merely looked at a picture of the cover!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
Perhaps the hot weather has something to do with it! I have moved on from the review - writing about it was oddly cathartic - because, as you correctly pointed out, at least he purchased a copy although I am not convinced that he read it in any great detail!
I noted your PWC post and my first thought was ‘Really!?’ I actually prefer the plain cover for the series as it is very smart and besides, there is plenty of picture content to satisfy even the most aesthetically demanding reader. Of course if he had bothered to look at it he would have known this!
Onwards and upwards I guess.
All the best,
DC
It is a very odd criticism. I would never have expected to find anything beyond rules to play from the books description. I guess this goes with a younger generations instant gratification expectations. Not a criticism as they were trained, not born that way. I would simply ignore it as your intended audience most likely will.
My own review is much simpler. Great book with easy to learn mechanics and lots of fun.
Hi WEK 3,
It was a rather strange comment and I agree about the instant gratification aspect. Many thanks for your positive review - it sums up exactly what I wanted to achieve!
All the best,
DC
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