Wargames Rules Modern (Post 1950): Digging up Old Rules and Dusting Them Off Continued (WRG Wargame Rules 1950-2000: Edition 1993)

Rules search update: 

It seems that the 1988 edition of the WWII rules will be far different from my 1973 version, hinted at and outlined from comments to my previous post (drat). By looking ahead at the 1950-2000 rules I acquired (which is an appropriate set for the Falklands, NATO v Warsaw Pact, Arab v Israeli, Iran v Iraq, the 1st and 2nd Gulf Wars and perhaps even Vietnam or Russians in Afghanistan) you can see that there are several new concepts which seem to follow from the Barker "troop definitions" (think DBA definitions), orders, modes, force posture, morale and combat skills, Tactical and Exigency Modes in small 1990's closely typed typescript. No evidence of the advent of the word processor home publishing revolution here. Oh for the sweet breath of fresh "comic sans" here! Looks like it will need some meticulous close scrutiny over a quiet weekend of two (see below): 

Hmm, so methinks I will need to get the 1988 WWII version of Armour and Infantry (eventually) to update my WWII part of the WRG rule set (see below, but it looks like costing me £20 via WRG)

However I do fancy a couple of nostalgic games with the 1973 WWII version first though!

The Alpha and the Omega of Phil Barker

Having quite recently finished "my first complete run through" of Phil Barker's DBMM new (2010) rule-set (I say first, as I know there will have to be many potentially painful passes before I really get to grips with it), I unexpectedly came across his original Airfix Guide to Ancient Wargaming (1975) book when I was rummaging around in my cluttered garage.

The 1975 book endorsed the WRG (4th Edition) rules. I took the slim,  purple aside over the next few nights and I found it quite informing, stimulating and refreshing, hankering back to an era of fruitful experimentation and "make-do with models and rules". The butchers knife coming out to assemble in a Frankenstein manner new troop types from various boxes of mixed Airfix figures. In reading his chapter on tactics I saw that I have the uncanny knack or is it ability ability to commit every wargame sin under the sun as per one of his diagrams "Ho hum!" (see below):

Reading through DBMM v2, the spirit of the original tome (promoting WRG 4th ed, and I must confess to have never actually played the WRG Ancients rule sets, although I seem to have picked up battered copies out of "collectors interest") still seemed in keeping with his latest. The same refreshingly (to me at least) anti-competition style gaming and more praise for the historical aka Society of he Ancients.

Good reads, both of them, I hope I can get a few more DBMM games this year.