One Hour Wargames

I downloaded Neil Thomas' latest book last night. I'd read some positive reviews, and I have really enjoyed his other books. This latest offering is designed for people who are short on time and space to play wargames. Neil goes through many different historical periods and narrows each down into 4 different troop types. The rules are very straight forward and will be easy to remember in a game. I doubt that I would use them 'as is' but the four troop types work well with my next venture, more of which below.

Recommended

Where this book is worth the price as far as I'm concerned, is in the 30 scenarios and army selector that it contains. Each of the scenarios are well thought out and would work together well as a narrative campaign. Some borrow from other wargamers such as Charles Grant and Donald Featherstone, while others are based on historical situations. Neil's debt to and love of these 'old school' wargames doyens is obvious, and his approach to wargaming reflects those pioneers well.
I'm thinking that I'll try and get a few more Crimean games in using the scenarios in this book - I just need to get some artillery and cavalry painted so that I can use the force selector the way it was intended.

While on the subject of solo wargaming, I thought I'd mention a book that has proven inspirational and indispensable to me in that respect. This is the Military Modelling guide to Solo Wargaming by Stuart Asquith.

I borrowed this photo as it was easier than taking my own and uploading it. Same book though!

I have huge respect for Stuart Asquith. I rate Practical Wargamer as the best wargames magazine ever published, and the bar by which I measure all others. Today, in my estimation, only Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy comes close, and historically only the early issues of Battlegames equaled it (coincidentally Stuart wrote columns in those magazines).

Solo Wargaming is 125 pages chock full of ideas and scenarios for the solo player. Some of these are not as fully developed as one would like, but they provide some great starting points. I'm sure that Featherstone's Solo Wargaming and C S Grant's Programmed Wargames Scenarios are also excellent tomes that would complement this one, but unfortunately I don't own them. I noticed that Don's work is reproduced by John Curry, so I might have to acquire that one. I don't know for sure, but I think that the Partizan Press Guide to Solo Wargaming by Stuart Asquith is essentially the same book, which makes it available new from Caliver Books for those that want to peruse it.

What shall we use to fill those empty spaces? *

I have a space in my cabinet beside the 15mm Punic Wars unpainted lead and just above the 15mm Napoleonics unpainted lead. I've been wondering what unpainted lead should be used to fill this space. I considered 15mm Marlburians and the Austro-Prussian War as candidates. But I already have the Crimean War for mid-19th Century and WWI for picklehauben. And I've already done 15mm Marlburian once and discovered that unless I have 50 units a side I can't capture the feel that I want for that period. The space in my cabinet is not that big. Seven Years War? Too close to Napoleonics, which I've already got. Then it struck me. The Great Northern War. The pikes make it different to the other horse and musket games I play. Charles XII and Peter the Great are fascinating characters. Tricornes and big cuffs! I'm sold. So I've made an initial order with Ian Kay at Irregular Miniatures, and I'm really looking forward to them.

I figure I'll adapt Neil Thomas' Napoleonic rules. They will need quite a bit of adaptation, but in a very simple way. There are four basic troop types - cavalry, artillery, infantry (both armed the same) and dragoons who frequently dismounted to fight. The Swedes need attacking bonuses to represent the success of the 'ga pa' charge and the effectiveness of their cavalry. I'll have a play around and see what I come up with.

*apologies to Roger Waters.

Nate