Sunday, December 28, 2014

Interesting Rules Readings: Neil Thomas Rules & Grand Battery

If you spend as much time hunting on Amazon as I do, you've probably come across some of these rules and/or hobby books below.  I am reading through most of these at the moment and wanted to share my thoughts on simple (though not simplistic) rules.
Ingenious concepts in this book.  Hit-based games where units plink away at one another unit they reach their hit point.  Covers ancients all the way through WWII  

 I currently have in my possession "One-Hour Wargames" as well as "Wargaming: An Introduction" and "Grand Battery."  I am waiting on receiving  Neil Thomas' "Napoleonic Wargaming" in the mail soon.  (got an excellent deal for it, I did).  One Hour Wargames prides itself as being a champion for gamers who are time-challenged, space-challenged.
Excellent games for beginners that whet the appetite and (IMHO) provide a challenging game without too much added complication.  Think Featherstone or Charles Grant.
 Wargaming an Introduction's concepts are a little meatier than the 1 Hour Wargames rules and have a little more of the tabletop wargame features we all know and love. I heartily recommend picking up a copy even if just for the sake of reading through it.

Still in the mail and I cant wait for it to arrive!
The next set of rules I waited for last to talk about since they are famously infamous.  If you do a quick Google search for the Grand Battery rules, you could probably find a blogger who is willing to give them away for free (no lie, I found 2 blog posts written a few years ago).  I don't think I'm willing to part with my copy just yet.  It's entertaining to read, even if it's not very well written.  The complaints I've read seem to center around the lack of good explanations in the book, the NINE page "quick reference sheet(s),"  some points in the book that contradict themselves a few pages later, and a few really in depth reviews mentioned that they felt the casualty rates were not "realistic."

For me - I can say with absolute, infallible certainty that none of the gentlemen who wrote about "realistic" casualty rates ever actually participated in a Napoleonic battle.  That being said, there are plenty of first hand accounts where you can read about battles so their comments may be warranted...

Anyways, I actually like the tables and they're not too daunting once you read through how to read them.  I am not sure I care for the command rules, even though they seem to be the meat and potatoes of the game itself.  But the regimental orders make sense to me.  I think I owe them a spin through to see how they play first before I pass any judgement.

So with that in mind, I will neither praise nor trash Grand Battery just yet.  I think the book is entertaining (half of it is devoted to history and wargaming, and only a short part contain the rules themselves).



Last year I posted a rather nostalgic bit on why we choose to wargame.  For me, "playing with toy soldiers" was the eventual answer I came up with, and I've tried to find suitable rules to complement that interest ever since.  The Neil Thomas rules are certainly in keeping with that tradition and so far I am impressed.  I'd actually like to play a game and see how it goes.  Who knows, any of these could become a staple rules set of mine!

17 comments:

  1. Nice one Steven. I like the one hour wargames concept.

    Review as a game at some stage please!

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    1. Paul,
      The one hour wargame rules are pretty neat - puts a new spin on "regular" wargaming and wargames are fought to completion differently than one is used to.

      No worries - a review will be forthcoming SOON! The nice thing is, almost all of the mechanisms are similar.

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  2. I've been putting off buying the one hour wargames book. I do love his other books.I think I'll give it a try.

    Agree with you on 'Grand Battery'. I wasn't impressed.

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    1. If you enjoyed his other books, you will really like 1 Hour Wargames. It's a good read and he gives his explanations for the methodology behind the rules.

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  3. Oh yes. And have a look at my latest blog post. I can email you a set of the 'Lightning War ' rules if you're looking for fastplay WWII.

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    1. I am headed there now!! Please send me a copy of Lightning War as I am always looking for fastplay games!!

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    2. Have sent you copies of version I and II Steven. Hope to hear your thoughts soon.

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    3. Also thinking that these rules would be perfect for Cold War scenarios - possibly using WEG's 'Fire Team' boardgame.

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    4. Thank you sir! Rules received and reading them now. Looking forward to taking them out for a test-spin!

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  4. The one hour war-games book sounds very interesting indeed.
    I enjoyed his "Ancient and Medieval Wargaming" as well as his "Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878". The latter sound every much in the same vein as Grand Battery as in a mix of history and gaming as well as rules.

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    1. Paul,
      It's not bad. I have a small Napoleonics game going with them and they're a tad awkward. He doesn't let you charge with infantry and although he gives a great rationale for it, it just is ingrained in my head that you shoot a volley then rush in to give them the cold steel!

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    2. The Nineteenth Century Warfare book is the same. I am unlikely to use the rules it has, but I enjoyed the read as it was very thought provoking about how to include different aspects of the period without making things too complicated.

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  5. Looks like you found some interesting reeds! For me these would be good to see the painted figures as example!

    Greetings
    Peter

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    1. Peter, plenty of reading to keep me busy and occupied.

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  6. Cool! These are the rules that got me started in real wargaming.

    I got gift cards to a local book store for a while from a family member, and would add to the “Neil Thomas collection” each Christmas; I have the introductory book, the Napoleonic, and the Medieval/Ancient books.

    Have a great New Year.

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    1. Hi Ben,
      Good to hear from you again! The Neil Thomas books really are neat and also very inspiring to wargamers I think. I will make it a point to play these games every so often.

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  7. Very interesting, I'd not heard of any of these. They will have to wait though, as I am amassing quite the library of unread rules. Keep up the great work and Happy New Year.

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