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Post by Mike Lewis on Aug 30, 2016 14:19:14 GMT
How many people have actually played the Little Wars rules as written?
When I started wargaming in 1974 after seeing a piece on television about it, I went to the library to ask if they had any books on wargaming. The only thing they had was the 1974 reprint edition of Little Wars and so I read it (several times from cover to cover) bought 4 boxes of Airfix 54mm Napoleonics and two firing guns and played a game in a friend's lounge the next week...
We played Little Wars for the next two years until I discovered Practical Wargaming by Charles Wesencraft and discovered that you could use dice!
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Post by 45thdiv on Aug 30, 2016 15:13:15 GMT
I have not even read the rules. I came to miniatures via avalon hill board games. My first games were sword and the flame, chain mail and knights and magic. I took a break for many years and started back into historical miniatures in 1990. Went to 54mm gaming around 2006.
Matthew
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Post by Mike Lewis on Aug 30, 2016 15:16:23 GMT
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Post by kugelfang on Aug 30, 2016 15:32:44 GMT
Agreed. Wells' 'Little Wars' should be on everyone's reading list. I read through them every couple of years just because it's nice to read rules well written.
I've not actually played them, though. The closest I could get is Morschauser's 'How to Play War Games in Miniature'. Great Fun!
--jeff
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Post by marctpf on Aug 30, 2016 15:37:10 GMT
I have never been able to find suitable matchstick firing guns, so it remains a dormant project. I do have the book (the 1974 version I believe - I know it is old and hardback). The style is delightfully whimsical, so I enjoy it just for the writing.
But if I could ever find (or make - now that would be an interesting magazine article) an effective firing canon then I could be tempted. But my main interest remains Napoleonics, so the general "thrust" of LW is outside my main interests.
Marc
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Post by Mike Lewis on Aug 30, 2016 15:45:10 GMT
I have never been able to find suitable matchstick firing guns, so it remains a dormant project. I do have the book (the 1974 version I believe - I know it is old and hardback). The style is delightfully whimsical, so I enjoy it just for the writing. But if I could ever find (or make - now that would be an interesting magazine article) an effective firing canon then I could be tempted. But my main interest remains Napoleonics, so the general "thrust" of LW is outside my main interests. Marc One of my next projects is to produce a matchstick firing gun. I have a 3D printer now and have been using it for small parts for kits (GS wagon, etc) but have been playing with a simple firing gun using a rubber band as the "spring mechanism" for firing matchsticks... |
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Post by 45thdiv on Aug 30, 2016 16:45:22 GMT
Thanks for the link to the rules Mike. I'll check them out soon.
Matthew
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Post by thegianttribble on Aug 30, 2016 19:55:00 GMT
Back in the 80's when I was a teenager, I read and played Little Wars, however I too was struggling for firing guns, so I used artillery rules from IRC Donald Featherstones Solo Wargaming. Life was simpler back then.
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Post by chrisj on Aug 31, 2016 0:07:20 GMT
I've read them a number of times, but not played them. My rules of choice are All the Kings Men by Ken Cliffe, available for free from Wargame Vault. I also play various rules sets written by 45th Div whenever he can scrape enough money together to bribe me.
I can be bought,
Chris Johnson
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Post by 45thdiv on Aug 31, 2016 1:03:06 GMT
All The King's Men are a very good set of rules. Nice figures too. Here is a link to the free rules from the Home page to All The King's Men. www.allthekingsmentoysoldiers.comThey are in a link along the side bar. And I have yet to win a game against Chris using All The King's Men. One day though. |
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Post by 4thsublegion on Aug 31, 2016 3:02:56 GMT
I played it once at an HMGS convention. He used old Britains men and guns. I think he actually did the Hook's Farm battle from the book. The game organizer used something like a Q-tip on a wooden stick fired from the guns. It didn't knock figures over, but any figures hit and touched by it were removed. As I remembered, it was enjoyable.
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Post by howardwhitehouse on Aug 31, 2016 4:00:03 GMT
In the late 1980s Duke Seifried made a photocopy of his own copy of Little Wars and Floor Games, and bound them into a volume as a gift for me. Very nice of him.
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Post by rossmac on Aug 31, 2016 18:22:02 GMT
I played Little Wars, the back of a box version, once in my teens when a friend was given a set of Britain's, probably plastic Eyes Right figures, with a summary on the back of the box. Featherstone's Battles with Model Soldiers was my first wargaming book but Charge! and the 1970 hardcover facisimle edition of Little Wars came together as my 2nd and 3rd books in '73. Was sorry to miss Bob Bard's Little Wars game but I made it to his 2005 Morschauser game using original Britain's. I have refought Hook's Farm a couple of times. A quick, small version yesterday actually but my favourite so far was this one gameofmonth.blogspot.ca/2011/03/morschauser-attacks-hooks-farm.htmlRoss |
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Post by spiritofethandune on Sept 1, 2016 7:51:56 GMT
I had never heard of Little Wars when I started wargaming back in 1972. I started off with Quarrie's Napoleonic rules (I wouldn't go near them now) and went on from there. It wasn't until I met Paul Wright and discovered his updated version 'Funny Little Wars' that I decided to find a copy of Well's original rules and read them, although I still haven't played them. Paul together with Mike got me into 54mm gaming which I had never really considered before. Now I find myself wanting to do every period that interests me in 54mm!
Anthony
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Post by Mike Lewis on Sept 1, 2016 9:06:39 GMT
I played Little Wars, the back of a box version, once in my teens when a friend was given a set of Britain's, probably plastic Eyes Right figures, with a summary on the back of the box. Featherstone's Battles with Model Soldiers was my first wargaming book but Charge! and the 1970 hardcover facisimle edition of Little Wars came together as my 2nd and 3rd books in '73. Was sorry to miss Bob Bard's Little Wars game but I made it to his 2005 Morschauser game using original Britain's. I have refought Hook's Farm a couple of times. A quick, small version yesterday actually but my favourite so far was this one gameofmonth.blogspot.ca/2011/03/morschauser-attacks-hooks-farm.htmlRoss Love the Hook's Farm refight - looks very close to Wells' original... |
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