- Rules for Wargaming - by Arthur Taylor
- Military Modelling Guide to Siege Wargaming - by Stuart Asquith
- Osprey Warrior Series - Samurai 1550-1660
The Samurai book is for a future project I have planned which is still a few months away from starting. For the moment it will go into the cupboard until I get closer to starting the project.
The Guide to Seige Wargaming was a surprise pickup. While it does not come with any rules, it does provide an overview and advice on the following:
- The Nature of Fortification
- The Strategical View
- A Seige in Detail
- Sieges Through History
- Battles Fought to Raise Sieges
- Appendix 1 - Figures and Equipment
- Appendix 2 - Further Reading
It was almost a year ago a I played my last siege game as part of the French Indian War campaign. I am hoping to get a few more ideas from this book, such as a siege operation against a fortified house as part of an English Civil War game.
The Rules for Wargaming was first published in 1971 and its 60 pages are packed with 8 rule sets. I have vague memories of the book from a long time ago, when I borrowing it from a wargaming school friend. It is an interesting little rule book covering a number of periods:
- English Civil War
- Marlborough's Wars
- Napoleonic Warfare
- American Civil War
- Mechanised Warfare
- 18th Century Naval Warfare
- Modern Naval Warfare
- Air Warfare 1914-1918
The rules themselves aim to remove chance from the tactical actions on the tabletop. For example, in shooting units cause a set number of casualties based upon the firing unit's strength. The book encourages the use of campaigns and map moves preceding the game. Incorporated into the campaign approach is weather, which is determined by the roll of dice, along with unit condition and a general's quality which are effected by the last game played, either positively of negatively.
Samurai project? That will be fun to watch take shape!
ReplyDeleteIt will be a few months yet before I get started, but it will tidy up the last remaining army I kept from my youth which requires repainting after a number of failed attempts when I was (much) younger.
DeleteI have just gone weak at the knees on seeing 'that' green book! one of my first (from the 'Discovering' series) and perhaps most influential reads...... well I was 16 after all!
ReplyDeleteThis was the first one I started to read of the three books. Some of the campaign thoughts I will be trying to integrate into my games.
DeleteThat Arthur Taylor book sure brings back memories. The only thing I remember from it was the "casualty norms".
ReplyDeleteYou have a good memory.
DeleteI still have my Arthur Taylor from '73/'74 so a bit tattered now. It was the first proper rule set I bought to go along with the Grant Napoleonic rules copied out from Military Modelling. Actually the rules I used most were the WW2 Naval ones with grey-painted, sip-shaped piece of balsa woo on the floor.
ReplyDeleteDo share anything useful from the Siege book - frustratingly many talk about gaming sieges but don't actually provide rules, e.g. the C S Grant Wargame Companion. Actually the most interesting siege gaming I've seen recently was Sevastopol on the "20mm Crimean War Wargaming & Other Stuff " blog.
I too enjoyed the Sevastopol game reports. The only siege rules I have come across were in the appendix of Fire and Stone - The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660-1860 by Christopher Duffy. I am hoping to do a game report after reading the book and modifying my current rule notes.
DeleteHi Peter- I'd be interested to see the section on 'Marlboroughs Wars'...havn't seen this book before. Good reading. Cheers. KEV.
ReplyDeleteHi KEV - given it is out of print I can scan that particular section and the core rules. Let me know an email you use. I will delete comment with email address after sending.
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DeleteHi Peter- Thanks for the e-Mail about the Marlburian Rules- much appreciated...they will help me in writing my own simplified Rules for a 6mm Campaign. Cheers. KEV.
DeleteDid you also get the generic rules? The period rule sets - if my memory hasn't failed me - all build on those so without them you'll have an incomplete set of rules.
DeleteYour memory is correct there are generic and period specific rules to overlay the generic rules.
DeleteNever heard of the Taylor book, and by 19781 I was already well into the hobby!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be one that slipped under the radar. It is only 60-70 pages long, but packed with rules. There is a nice review of the rules on the Lone Warrior site.
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