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Post by davel on Sept 4, 2016 21:43:04 GMT
I haven't heard of these rules. Could someone please explain what they are and how to go about getting them?
daveL
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rich
Lance Corporal
Posts: 18
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Post by rich on Sept 4, 2016 23:01:32 GMT
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Post by Mike Lewis on Sept 5, 2016 9:48:03 GMT
The rules are grid-based and designed, originally, to play a game in a small space of just 8 x 6 squares (Bob originally designed them to be used on a chessboard). They are a simple set of 2 page rules which provide fast-flowing but very tactical games.
Anthony and I have found that they work brilliantly for 54mm games and have played a number of games with my 19th century collection and used the Colonial version with our NWF collection.
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Post by spiritofethandune on Sept 5, 2016 10:50:15 GMT
I couldn't agree more with Mike. Bob's rules are fantastic for 54mm games. He has written variations for the Napoleonic and WW2 periods and possibly more. If Airfix Battles hadn't come out I would have used the WW2 version of the Portable Wargame. These days I prefer grid-based games more than the alternative so I was very pleased to hear that Bob is considering formally publishing his rules.
Anthony
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Post by JohnY on Sept 5, 2016 20:28:40 GMT
The WW2 versions are quite fun - and no worrying that your 54s won't look right for a big battle in a small space. The most difficult aspect of using the rules was deciding the size of the grid space (to me, it looks best if the tracks for the tanks fit entirely in the square). Initially, I used CTS's 1/38ish armor, and that required 6" squares. I've switched to 1/50 - 1/43 armor now, and so a 4" square is plenty.
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Post by spiritofethandune on Sept 10, 2016 15:16:46 GMT
John,
Interesting you have switched from the CTS 1/38 to 1/43-I did the exact opposite a couple of months ago. I hope I don't regret it as there are a greater range of tanks and vehicles available in the smaller scale. I'm just hoping that CTS will expand their range to include Cromwells and Fireflies one day.
Anthony
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Post by JohnY on Sept 12, 2016 14:37:36 GMT
Anthony, I blame Tim Gow's posts on Megablitz and More For me, it came down to my quest for a particular aesthetic and the small playing surface, I have. If I had a bigger table, I doubt I'd have made the switch. Not to mention, even factoring in the occasional Tamiya armor kit or 21st Century vehicle, the plastics are much less expensive. -John
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Post by spiritofethandune on Sept 13, 2016 18:04:25 GMT
John,
Tim Gow is responsible for my collecting a 54mm British Cold War army with 1/48 scale Dinky die-cast Chieftains and Strikers!
Cheers Anthony
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Post by zuludon on Oct 24, 2016 19:14:57 GMT
The rules are grid-based and designed, originally, to play a game in a small space of just 8 x 6 squares (Bob originally designed them to be used on a chessboard). They are a simple set of 2 page rules which provide fast-flowing but very tactical games. Anthony and I have found that they work brilliantly for 54mm games and have played a number of games with my 19th century collection and used the Colonial version with our NWF collection. Inspired by your colonial game photos and AAR's, I am about to try out a colonial version of the rules on an old 4 X 6 foot terrain cloth that I don't mind experimenting with. I noticed, comparing your TSATF game and the colonial hex game that you used six figure infantry and two figure cavalry for the hex game and ten figure infantry and five figure cavalry for the TSATF games. I didn't notice much difference in the over all visual impact of the games - they both look good. I wonder if you noticed a difference in the way you handled your forces. Am I correct in assuming that in the grid game the units are more abstract - they really could be large counters - while TSTAF games retain their large skirmish man for man feel. My first intended period to experiment with is the Indian Mutiny, just coming up on its 160th anniversary. I am basing my infantry individually on 1 1/2 inch square stands and cavalry on 2 inch stands. So I am going to go with a 6 inch grid, allowing me to field six figure infantry in two ranks and three figure cavalry in one rank. Like you, my unit sizes will be ten and five for the same units in TSATF, which I also want to try for the Mutiny. One more question: reading the Horse and Musket and colonial rules side by side, I find the colonial rules more chess-like and decisive, since whole units are either removed or pushed back by loss of melee or morale. The Horse and Musket rules, on the other hand, seem to make the units less brittle, using a point system, which, of course means keeping track on a chart of some kind. I am undecided as to which will work best for the Mutiny. For one thing, historically, the British units were able to take on and triumph over ten plus times their number. Also, this campaign was one of the few during the Victorian period when the British faced equally well drilled enemy troops with almost equal quality artillery. I think I'll have more luck tweaking the units values with the Horse and Musket rules, but I don't want to lose the simplicity and decisive feel of the colonial rules. Do you have any advice to offer, since you're now veteran grid game players? Cheers, Nick
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Post by Mike Lewis on Oct 25, 2016 8:59:54 GMT
Nick TSATF games are much more skirmish level for me where individual figures can make a difference (once played a Boxer rebellion one where a single French sailor saved the day by killing 7 boxers by himself!); The Portable Wargame is a more abstracted big battle game. I have only ever played the colonial and normal portable wargames rules from this page: www.users.dircon.co.uk/~warden/portable_wargame/downloads.htmlrather than the Big Board portable wargames rules that use the Strength Points and where units degrade by losing SPs. I much prefer the basic rules version where units either die or are pushed back- elite units are very hard to kill as normally they fall backwards. This means as a Native player you need to either surround them or force them off the board by pushing them back repeatedly - which feels historical and realistic to me. The basic game also seems faster to me than the big board one (though I haven't played the big board one) and we were able to play a 15 turn One Hour Wargames scenario to completion in a couple of hours. I agree that the visual impact of both setups is similar and I am planning on playing larger 19th Century game once I get some more figures done as I now have gridded cloths suitable for a 9' x 4' game. The Colonial set with its rules allowing natives to move twice in some circumstances adds a lot of subtle tactics and problems for the British player which means they have to think more than relying on firepower alone. Let us know how you get on.
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Post by spiritofethandune on Oct 25, 2016 12:32:26 GMT
Nick,
Mike has said all that needs to be said really, but that won't stop me from adding my two pennies worth! While I wouldn't mind trying the big battle version of Bob's rules one day I agree whole-heartedly with Mike that the basic rules are better. There's an elegant simplicity in not having to record/remove casualties and getting a decisive result at the end of each combat. The colonial rules really feel right with variable native movement done simply (no throwing multiple dice for how far they move etc). In fact the bigger the game the more likely it is that the basic rules would be best as you don't want record-keeping with large numbers of units. While I obviously enjoy TSATF too I intend to use Bob's rules for my Zulu War scenarios when I've got enough 54mm figures to do so.
Cheers Anthony
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Post by zuludon on Oct 25, 2016 20:53:49 GMT
Thanks, Mike and Anthony! Do you think a 6 inch grid will work? That will give me 8 X 12 squares. Or I could go larger to an 8 inch grid which would give me 6 X 9 squares. The Mutiny often featured attacks by the British on fortified villages, so I am thinking that more squares are better to allow for outflanking and other maneuvering.
Thanks again, Nick
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Post by spiritofethandune on Oct 25, 2016 21:29:30 GMT
Hi Nick,
12 x 8 squares is the recommended size of grid for the 'To the Strongest' ancient rules and works very well. 6 inches per square is enough to hold a unit of six infantry in two ranks on 40mm frontage per figure. If in doubt I would always go for a larger grid; as you say it allows for more manoeuvre and outflanking.
Enjoy your portable wargame!
Best wishes Anthony
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briddy
Lance Corporal
Posts: 34
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Post by briddy on Dec 26, 2016 0:56:43 GMT
Im lucky to have a 6x4 table in a dedicated wargame space. 6" squares work fine for 54mm obviously, providing both 8x8 and 8x12 grids. Some might ask how Portable that is exactly? To which I say convenience. Ah but then I am faced with an OCD nightmare. I also dabble with the scenarios in One Hour War games and readers of that book will know of the scenarios which are all based on a 3x3 postage stamp. Does anyone use these scenarios with Portable Wargames, and if so how do you go about transferring them into a grid? I apologize if I'm off topic.
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Post by spiritofethandune on Dec 26, 2016 9:03:16 GMT
Hi Briddy,
Mike and I regularly convert One Hour Wargame scenarios for use with the Portable Wargame rules. Now here's where I chicken out-Mike does all the converting! I'm sure he'll be along soon when he's recovered from Christmas pud!
Happy Christmas and New Year to all users of this forum!
Best wishes Anthony
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