Transatlantic wargaming buddy Jay Arnold recently gave me the chance to speak freely (don’t I always?) on the subject of my forthcoming book for Pen & Sword, Wargaming Campaigns. You can listen to the podcast right here using the link below.
For those interested, the manuscript is now up to 95,000 words and I’ve already done a great deal of map-making, so I’m hoping to have the final design of the book to the publishers later this year.This means a likely publication date of Spring 2018, but I’ll keep you posted.
Parental guidance: this is a show recorded by two adults, and there are a few rude words used, though only in passing and in jest.
Henry, I’ve just listened to your chat with Jay. I actually started with Little Wars, and then discovered John Tunstill and Donald Featherstone. I’m coming back into the hobby after a long pause and am amazed with what’s now available.
I think an important part of Old School Wargaming is that we had to make do with what little there was. You mentioned the Airfix La Haye Sainte. These days there are so many systems where a set of rules is linked to figures, even terrain. You get people asking if they are allowed to use other figures, or even paint, with a particular system. Can I use Perry figures with test of honour? Can I use an airbrush with GW figures because GW don’t sell airbrushes? etc. These are meaningless questions to an OSW.
A very good point, John. Nowadays, people are more used to the ‘game in a box’ idea, so successfully marketed by Games Workshop of course. We were part of the ‘mend and make do’ generation to whom recycling was a fundamental part of our hobby!
In your delightful Interview for Wargaming Campaigns on Veteran Wargamer Podcast you mention a method of simple campaigning using cards developed by Jim Webster. After a time consuming but feeble effort I was unable to find any information about this system. Would it be possible for you to help steer me in the right direction?
Hello William.
Jim’s a clever fellow and you can download one example here, extracted from MWBG 368.
Thank you for the rapid and helpful response. Yes, Jim is a clever fellow and has been gaming and writing for a long time. Thanks again.
I must confess to consulting Wolsley’s Pocket Book for supply rates, especially water, for a Victorian Science Fiction campaign. While the detailed calculations were over the top, I did learn that a typical British force could march one day away from a water source with little problem, two to three days would require some preparation and logistical support, and more than that was a very serious undertaking.
In terms of the campaign, where one hex is one day’s march, the implementation was very simple. A unit can march into the hex next to a water source on its own, more than that will require a supply unit between it and the water. For really long marches into the desert, some sort of arithmetic or even geometric factor would need to be applied to the supply train, but for now, this works well enough.
Thanks for that idea Pat, that’s a really useful suggestion.
I don’t recall any problems about water supply during the 100 days campaign in Europe.
However for some wargamers who are playing in a dryer climate such as the Peninsula then addiquate food, water and other prerequisites such as munitions, medical supplies, doctors. Fodder & remounts and all the other minutiae of an army on the March pound be considered.
The wargamers that I know would like all that to be taken into account. As long as someone else did all the work involved.
Phil Barker said nearly 50 years ago an army marching on campaign hasn’t differed in speed for 5000 years.
Perhaps not quite true, a Zulu could march 50 miles per day. The light division force marched 20 miles in 24 hours.
Weight carried, fitness, marching in step all made the difference.
For me, I would like to see “black powder” era rules as a fictional continent with all the dutchies, principalities and kingdoms set out on a map then area maps with main roads, rivers, etc. Greater detail would not be affordable.
It’s interesting to note Frederick the great annexed Silesia in one campaign and Austria agreed an armistice. Sixy five years later Napoleon conquered Austria, but faster. The following year 1806 he did the same to Prussia and saxony faster still.
The maps used simple with only major features drawn. i.e. Road, river, bridge, ford, wood, hill, village, farm.
All good points, Mike.
My apologies, I should have specified that I was specifically looking at desert environments which make everything far more difficult.