Have default optional rules changed?

[phoenix]

Well, I for one wasn't disparaging anyone, Kool Kat - is that what you're saying? I think, however, that when discussions start to take place designed to influence what the designer will work on and where (as is the case here) the designer has said that those discussions relate to a vocal minority, it's sometimes important - if you're therefore part of the silent majority - that you represent your views in the discussion, because there's always an economy of effort involved in the design process and I for one would rather the designer did not spend his time fixing things which, for me, are not broken. And in the case of special rules that's because, as I said, they don't even get near cropping up as an issue for me. And I NEVER play against the AI, always either PBEM or hot seat (for practice). At the moment I have 3 PBEM games on the go (and many more hs) and there has been zero discussion about optional rules (true, one of them is a PB game where the optional rules aren't so numerous, maybe). In the past playing these games, or the Nappy games, I've never had any issues about selecting optional rules with opponents, just a simple starting discussion. So I'd rather David worked on other things if it came to a choice, which it usually does. I realise, of course, that others feel differently (and are vocal about that), but it's good to also know that there is a difference of opinion, good for the devs, I mean, and good maybe to know that I didn't think David in his reply said anything that should have caused offence, which was a little how reaction to it looked. Presenting my own opinion is not disparaging people. Or were you addressing only Country Boy's comments? About those I would say playing wargames with counters is a 'first world' phenomenon, period. Obviously. But here we are doing it, so it's hard to distinguish, for me, between levels of 'taking it too seriously'. I'm sure I take it as seriously as those worried about too many optional rules, it's just that's not the issue I worry about.