I was round at Ronnie’s this week and this book came up in conversation. It appears we both used it quite a bit in our youth. In many ways its influence was greater on my gaming beginnings than the Grant 18th C book or the Brigadier’s one. My copy was published in 1972 and I recall buying it at James Thin, booksellers in Edinburgh. As you will see my copy is annotated and has additions stuck in -
If anyone fancies buying one for themselves there is a fine copy going for £6 in the Oxfam bookshop in Stirling.
This was my first wargaming book as a young lad. I used to marvel at all the photographs of Airfix figures and simple scratch build terrain ideas. So inspirational at the time.
ReplyDeleteI owned three wargaming books and this was one of them. As you say, a wonderful book and very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteSadly I don't recall seeing this or reading this from a branch library as a young gamer (probably always on loan) but would have liked and related to the use of Airfix figures that I had. Interesting to see the attached handwritten stuck in notes and reference charts.
ReplyDeleteOne of the early Wargaming books I borrowed from the library - Terry Wise was using exactly the same figures as me (only he had rather a lot more of them)! Great memories.
ReplyDeleteMy go to book for wargaming nostalgia, I was living in Ipswich as a 13 year old when I saw this book in the library. kept borrowing every 3 weeks for over a year.
ReplyDeleteWillz.
Another excellent book that still stands up today. Like yourself, a book that probably had more influence on me than Charles Grant. Certainly 10 figure ACW units could be achieved more easily than Grant's 50 plus figure units.
ReplyDeleteI must look again at the WW2/modern rules. I'd wager they'd still match well against any modern glossy rules. I must also find and read Grant's Battle rules too.
Thanks for the reminder,
Tom
I didn't see this when I started but do now own it (and most of the other classic books). CharlieWesencraft's Practical Wargaming was my first "proper" wargaming book - after Little Wars.
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