What rules I use for my games

      War game rules are a very personal thing.  There are numerous sets of rules out there.  Which rules we use with our miniature figures are a deeply personal thing and reflex a lot about us and how we view our games.  It is also something I feel that is great about this hobby of ours.  There is something for everyone.  Find a set of rules that appeal to you and how you would like the game to play.  Stick to them, learn them and enjoy the game. 

      I will state right off I am a big fan of  certain types of rules.  Here is what I look for in a rules set.

       I like simple rules, but with a twist. Mechanisms which create challenges.  You do not need complex rules to do this.  I am thinking of the one brain cells types.  The Disorganization Points (DP) in "Loose Files and American Files" represent a variety of problems to a battalion. They effect fire power and morale much better then complex math formulas.  A simple move first and fire second or fire first and move second also makes for numerous command problems for a player.

       I like regiments to look like regiments.  They should have a good number of figures arrayed in two ranks with regimental colors in the center of the battalion.  A most noble sight!   It is important to me that that a group of colorful miniature soldiers represents such and such a regiment.  The history of that regiment, and what it did in real life means something to me. There is often a reason why I paint the regiments I paint.  After all its why we read and research our chosen periods of time.  Otherwise we could spray paint our figures and he done with it.  And I like to command regiments and brigade.  I enjoy that of game rather then higher command. The rules Volley and Bayonet are a wonderful set and are a fantastic game.  But I cannot relate to the units on the table. It is too abstract for me.  I am happy to play them, but I will not be investing my time and energy bin creating armies for them.  My happy place in miniature wargames is a lower level of command.  Find your level or type of game.

        I want a game I can play in a evening and gives a period "feel" for the time period played. For my Crimean War Rules I want the British to act like British and Russians to be Russians.  I want to have fun, throw lots of dice and occasionally have battalions collapse and run away.  I would like the game to come to a conclusion in a reasonable amount of time.

      In addition, I view my miniature games through the experience of my days in the reenactment community.  My miniatures are dressed alike in as correct uniforms as I can research. But they, like many reenactment regiments are more uniformed and parade ground then in reality.  Regiments advanced across fields and had to stop to dress ranks and restore order.  Men tripped over branches or small holes, got hung up going over fences or fell out when winded. Weapons misfired and needed to be cleared.   Regiments needed to be halted and ranks dressed before advancing again. These are things I think about when moving my battalions.   Do the game mechanics on my table top rules reflex this?  I have read and studied the period manuals and use these.  But the experience of being in a 100 plus man "regiments" also effects my thinking.  Far too often regiments can do things in the table top they could not do in real life.

      I find that individuals who have been in reenactment units view the game and rules in a slightly different vain then pure gamers. They get into what the regiments on the table are doing far more then playing a set of rules.   They get into the spirit of the game if it is historically correct.  Send the Light Brigade down the valley against the Russian guns?  Well if That is my orders, here goes the last of the Brudenells old boy.

      Groups like HMGS talk about recruiting for the hobby of historical wargaming.  my understanding it was created to do so after historical wargamers were marginalized at some conventions.  Many members of this organization feel this should be done by converting fantasy gamers.  Hence the increased number of fantasy games at a historical wargamer convention.  I have always felt there is a bond between reenactors and miniature wargamers.  Something that HMGS has not explored enough to their benefit.  What to I mean? In August 1976 at the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Long Island two wargamers showed up and sold copies of their rule set "1776".  A bunch of us participating at that reenactment bought those rules.  A number of us are still playing miniature wargamers today.  For myself I had long been interested in miniature wargames, I had bought figures But was at a loss how to play.  These were the first serious rules I bought and we played them for a very long time.

        So here are The rules I use for my games. I will described why I liked them and how they play.  If they sound interesting please do try them.  I would enjoy to hear how you found them.  If you already play any of them I would enjoy hearing how you play them and modifications or house rules.

Armistice Day

TIME LIFE PICTURES/US ARMY SIGNAL CORPS/THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

   My grandfather, Edward McNamara from Lexington Massachusetts served with the 101st Regiment (Medical company), 26th Yankee Division in the first world war.  He seldom talked about it, and when he did it was a terrible memory which haunted him.  It was only later that I found out  he was mentioned in the division's orders and was decorated for heroism.  He never mentioned this to me.  I found out later through my own research.  But  I will always remember his smile when he told me how at 11:00 A.M. on 11th November the guns stopped and he and his friends knew they would live, knew they had survived.

   And as this date is now called Veterans Day I say thank you to my father in law, Aldrich Stevens  who served in the  3rd Ranger Battalion (Darby's Rangers) in the Second World War.  He saw service with them at North Africa, Sicily and Italy.  Seriously wounded he did not make the Anzio landing and thus missed the action at Cisterna . like my grandfather he too was haunted by the memories of what he saw, experienced and especialy those he lost. 

I remember their sacrifices and hope both have found peace.

Stuart Asquith

  Sad to hear Stuart Asquith has passed on.  While I have never met Stuart I have many of his books and followed his magazines for many years.  His Practical Wargamer magazine was a great influence in my gaming life.  In a time were there was a push for ever more complex rules and terrain his was a voice for simpler rules and more fun.  I truly enjoyed his spirt of enjoyment with this hobby of ours.  He will be sadly missed.  Thank you for all you have done and shared with us.

Update:  I have removed the image that appeared.  I did not credit the site where I used the image from.  For this I apology.

Getting away

   We took a mini vacation to get away from it all this week.  Up in the lakes and hills of New Hampshire.  Peaceful and relaxing before returning to work and the upturn in work.

Artillery Bases

  Traditionally artillery are on large rectangular bases.  This is how everyone else I know has always mounted their artillery stands.  It is just the way it was done.  A gun, and three to five figures and that is a artillery stand.  Add a limber and you are done.

But, on the Fife and Drum miniatures blog  I noticed that one player mounted his artillery on a round base.  I cannot tell you why, but it looked great.  Better then great, I really liked it a lot.  So much so that I mounted my War of 1812 artillery on round bases.

  Now I am redoing my American Revolution collection.  Not a really big deal.  Just time consuming.  Stay tuned for more pictures when done.

Hessian Colors Captured at Trenton. Where Are They?

 Rereading Richardson's Standards and Colors of the American Revolution this morning.  What happened to the Hessian colors captured at Trenton?  They were displayed in the halls of Congress for a short time. On 31 December 1776 William Ellery writes the Governor of Rhode Island a description of the flags which are on display in the room where Congress meets in Baltimore.The six colors captured at Trenton are depicted in good detail in Charles Wilson Peale's painting of Washington victorious after Trenton and Princeton. Other colors captured have survived.  There are four Anspach-Beyreuth colors captured at Yorktown still in existence and in good condition. Two are at West Point, one at the Smithsonian and the fourth one at Yorktown. Davis (Regimental colors in the War of the Revolution) said there were no know (to him) Colors in Germany when he did his research during the 1900's.  The colors of the 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment are at West Point.

   Here is some information about what happened to them. Davis describes the existing colors when he examined them in 1907 in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and photographed the two flags and the remains of a third which had a black field. These were in the Clymer papers. These two colors and the fragments disappeared sometime between when Davis saw them in 1900-1907 and the mid 1970's when they were found to be missing. It is possible, based on a " cryptic" entry on a accession card that they were loaned out and never returned; possibly during the Sesquicentennial of 1926.

   William Buehler wrote Admiral Preble on 18 November 1881 "two flags out of six captured ...At Trenton are in the department on the hill at Harrisburg." This appears to have been the William Penn museum at Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Richardson is quoted as saying staff members " have no knowledge as to the whereabouts of any surviving remnants there. "

   Lastly there are fragments of another Hessian flag captured at Trenton in the First City Troop Museum in Philadelphia. The fragments are about " twenty by seven inches and are black brocade will seamed to a narrow strip of White are are decorated with a small elements of brown and yellow painted designs. "

Richardson, Edward W. Standards and Colors of the American Revolution.
1982.

Davis, Gherardi.  Regimental Colors in the War of The Revolution.
1907.

For a copy of the book online see:
https://archive.org/details/regimentalcolors00davi/page/n12

New Saratoga Book

  A great new book about the Saratoga campaign.  My friend George just loaned me this.  We have a mural fascination with the campaign and have followed the path of Burgoyne's army and walked the battlefields countless times together.   He bought it as soon as it came out and dropped it off for me to read after a recent game.

  This is a big coffee table book.  Don Troiani needs no introduction.  The book is filled with both his individual soldier studies and a number of battle paintings.  in addition numerous pictures of artifacts (many from his collection) grace the book. You can lose yourself flipping the pages and admiring the art work.

 But to me the heart and soul and reason to buy this book is the narrative by Eric Schnitzer.  This is first rate and very well done.  Saratoga NHP has produced a long line of superb historians of the campaign and battle and Eric is the most recent.  His writing reflex an individual who has long studied the campaign;  not just the primary sources but has walked the terrain.  He is extremely knowledgeable about 18th century military culture and  tactics.  In addition he has uncovered and used a number of primary accounts I have not seen other authors use.  This background has produced one of the very best short accounts of the campaign.  My only complaint is I wish for a much longer and more detailed retelling of the campaign and battles.  One can only hope this will arrive someday.

I highly recommend this book!  I know when I was reading it the other night Janine stole a place at it and saus, "I think I know what to get you for Christmas.". One can only hope .