My experience of competitive play within NW was an overly unrealistic and restrictive one. If you are hoping to encourage those rules, and to only cater for the current NW Community in competitive play then you'll do your game a disservice.
What did you not like about competitive play in NW? What did you find restrictive? How would you like to see competitive play in BCoF?
It was along time ago so correct me if Im wrong. Where do I begin.... Lets start at the top, the inability to target Officers. I mean really, its the first natural choice of target surely! Cut off the head and the body fails.
Some rules like Line only, no Skirmishers, Light, Flag bearers or Musicians. Lets get rid of Trees, Hills and cover completely and fight in a perfectly flat Arena shall we!!!!!
Whats with the strict rule on Skirmish spacing (if even allowed in game). Skirmishers surely should take advantage of terrain and cover, and not be concerned by the 3-4 spaces between them and their fellow skirmisher.
Lets move on to gaps in the line and firing rule, it happened as the chaos of battle and as soldiers drop.... why penalise a regiment in the heat of battle for some gaps in the line?
Movement in Line only!?!?!?! Why?
I mean you build a game, and then start saying we dont want to build in restrictions. No need, the player based restrictions are worse and hamstring the game completely! They put me off taking NW or HF seriously. If you are building a game for the old NW crowd and their competitions then be honest and tell us, otherwise give us some game built options to help promote the game we wish to play (Realism/Hardcore/Arcade).
How would you like to see competitive play in BCoF?
For a start lose the competition reference, surely every game is a competition between sides. A winner, loser or draw! By pushing the Competition label, you are cheapening the experience. Making a two tier game, the one plebs play and then the self called 'Pros!' Cant they play together with game applied rules and experience the game together?
The key to any type of musketry game is maintaining the Lines, Regiments and Cohesion. Penalise Lone wolves or kill count players and push TEAM play, whether that be bonuses to players who plays as a unit with extra tickets, points or quicker spawns for collective play. Make going alone cost the side dearly, make not being a teamplayer a huge disadvantage to the team and to the player as well. Killed out of Line - extra time to spawn, extra points lost, unless of course you are a Skirmishers (unique rules apply).
Make Team objectives the priority over Kill reports or personal achievements.... I'd ban personal kill counts, over Regiment/Company kill counts any day!
Make moving in formation quicker. We've all run alone and felt it. Run with a group and time flies. No lagging behind when 30 plus guys shout 'get your arse moving'.
There are so many things the game can do better than player 'artificial' rules, just needs the will and the way.