Why is the wargaming so distracting? The simple answer is that I am a convicted rules tart. I can only see a set of rules or some review if I am drawn to them.
Moths
I’m like a moth to a candle. Nor do I think I am the only warmer to suffer from such an affliction. Many fellow hobbyists talk of large plastic boxes filled with unfinished projects or bookshelves bursting with rules, books and scenarios. A recent podcast by
Wargaming, Soldiers and Strategy, made the same point. Only one of the presenters was disciplined enough to complete one project before moving on to the next. Therefore, I think I am in the majority of wargamers.
Butterflies
The podcast gave me hope and the feeling that I am not unusual to butterfly around and try different periods and rule sets. I have a dozen projects in various stages. A quarter, on average, are keepers. I will invest time, money and immigration. Currently, there’s are; Fantastic Battles is an epic-level fantasy game that has been the subject of several posts. I am planning a campaign to continue the story that started at
Blackthorn Abbey. More about that in a future post.
Pulp Alley is a skirmish game set in the era of pulp comics, the 1930s and 1940s. I am about to start one of the authors', Phipps and Daughter, many excellent campaign expansions,
Tomb of the Serpent.
Strength and Honour, a new set of rules for the ancient period, allows me to fight the battles of the late Republic and early empire on a man-to-man scale. It has also opened my eyes to the potential of 2mm. However, more about that is below.
Despite my butterfly approach to the hobby, these games have allowed me to get a regular flow of fun to the table. Howvever, like a moth I am drawn to the light of news rules and period that suddenly appeal.
The Indian Mutiny
An advantage of the butterflying is that it gets you to read loads of stuff I would only sometimes think about. An example is the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The story, as always, starts with a set of rules,
Sharps Practice by the Two Fat Ladies. It is best described as a large skirmish game, something I do not usually get drawn to, but the rules are innovative, have the potential for some great characters and provide a solid narrative for the games. Therefore, after some initial reading, I am building a series of linked adventures around the
1st Madras Fusiliers, or Neils's Blue Caps. The young officers, the heroes of my story, would fight their way from Allahabad to Lucknow and onto Cawnpore. The Indian Mutiny is full of individual memoirs, a luxury for a medievalist that provided many sources of inspiration for designing scenarios.
The World of 2mm
As mentioned in a previous post,
Strength and Honour have opened my eyes to 2mm wargaming. Have a quick look at this
Facebook group to whet your appetite. The scale is cheap to get to the table and ideal for recreating historical battles. Also, it meets my need to try different periods at little outlay in time and money. Currently, I am putting some research together to enter the world of Horse and Musket, the sixteenth century and the Napoleonic wars. The painting side is quick but brings challenges regarding how to represent whole brigades or tercios on a base. Initially, I am looking at Napoleonic rules aimed at divisions and corp command structure. I am assessing the rules on the following criteria; basing conventions, solo play, community support, published scenarios, either official or otherwise, complexity, and finally, campaign potential. Then the plan is to narrow the list down to two or three rule sets to playtest thoroughly. The winner will be the one I enjoy the most—more of this journey to follow.
More to Follow
As any mathematician will not, this is only a handful of my projects. More will follow on my various skirmish games, my work reproducing the battles and warfare of the twelfth-century world and my fascination with the War of the Roses.
