A Most Dangerous Time

For 2025, I made a conscious decision to pare down my (some would say "massive") hex-and-counter wargame collection.  I managed to make an almost noticeable dent in the collection by moving off more than 40 games.  Since many of these games have been long out of print, I actually showed a profit on some!  Of course, some of these 40 games shifted were offset by additional game purchases but I am still in the black for the year; and by a large margin.  That success is even counting that the November and December bargain season showed its head.

Many wargame companies offer a seemingly steady stream of sales from early November through the end of the year.  This year is no exception with plenty of bargains to be had.  Not only are the manufacturers offering up great deals but ebay bargains are popping up with regular and increasing frequency.  Now, is this plethora of bargains seasonal or a gauge of the state of the economy?  I will not dive into that topic... 

What I do know is that this approach to year-end is a most dangerous time for the shopper and especially me.  

What caught my eye so far in this run up to year-end bargain hunting?

Starting with MMP Games' Veteran's Day Sale, I picked up

From ebay, I snatched up

The selection of ebay-sourced games is an interesting lot.  In each case, the offering either had a very low minimum bid requirement or a Make Offer option.  I won all four by either a having a low opening bid or a ridiculously low offer.  All games are in new condition.

I suppose that I really only effectively managed to swap some inventory in the game closet.  Fortunately, many more games departed than arrived in 2025.

Also, an inexpensive snag on ebay were three more of Brad Butkovich's useful ACW scenario books. Great to be able to add three more titles to my collection.

Cannot overlook this week's Helion Flash Sale of

Of course, this does not account for the year-end sales that many of the figure manufacturers hold.  19th Century Miniatures and Lancashire Games have their year-end sales underway, and Eureka's annual December sale is only about one week away.  Luckily, I only "need" to pick up a few things this year.  Well, let's see how long I can resist.

What's In A Name?

After seeing the above book mentioned on Peter's blog (see A New Book...) and listening to the authors' podcasts, I placed an order.  Book arrived quickly and was read just as quickly.  I won't repeat the contents of the book since Peter did that and Table of Contents can be seen on Amazon.

What I do want to discuss is the authors' wrestling with the renaming of the gaming aspect of the hobby that we enjoy.  Many of us likely refer to this hobby as miniatures wargaming or playing a miniatures game.  Really, I lump all facets of the hobby simply into the catch-all, wargaming. 

The authors' take a different tack, however.  They state their rationale for first dismissing the use of tabletop games, then dismissing miniatures games, then dismissing miniatures wargames, before settling onto the term of non-discrete miniatures games. 

The name, non-discrete miniatures game is chosen since the authors argue that,

• Games are not necessarily about war.
• Spatial relationships between miniatures and terrain are crucial.
• Any physical object can be introduced into the game and have meaning in game terms (non-discrete components).
• Movement and positioning are not limited to fixed increments or grid spaces (non-discrete positioning).

Non-discrete is an interesting term to choose and returns me to the days of studying mathematics.  Typically, one sees a bifurcation between discrete and continuous but not between discrete and non-discrete.  I suppose if the term, continuous was utilized as in continuous miniatures game, readers might conclude that we game non-stop!      

Moving on, the authors define these games by their unique spatial characteristics in that,

• Precise physical positioning matters.  That is, movement and placement are analog (and continuous) and not grid-based.
• Players can bring any object to the game table and game systems must accommodate an infinite variability of components.

One example given of discrete movement and figure (marker) placement is the game of Monopoly.  A playing piece can only be in one of the grid spaces on the playing board at any one time and not between two spaces.  In a non-discrete game, movement is governed by a measuring device with a miniature able to move anywhere along that vector and stop anywhere short of the maximum move distance allowed.  This non-discrete movement criterion seems to not only explicitly exclude grid-based games from inclusion into non-discrete miniatures game by definition but implicitly as well with the continuous nature of measured movement along a vector. 

In later chapters, the authors relax the condition for non-griddedness.  Games having gridded movement or zoned movement may fit into the structure of building a non-discrete miniatures game as long as the focus on the design remains on the spatial relationships within the game and the infinite variety of components.  Given that discrete positioning and movement criteria are later relaxed, the grid vs non-grid distinction should be dropped from the definition altogether.

With the argument for excluding gridded games jettisoned, what remains the focus of non-discrete miniatures gaming?  What remains constant is the reliance upon the external components brought into the game system.

What distinguishes many boxed miniatures games from the non-discrete miniatures games that the authors describe?  The difference is that the former is self-contained with the rules and all of the components necessary for play while the latter is similar to a toolkit with a programmed game engine requiring any number of external inputs provided by the player(s).  These external inputs could include figures, terrain, army lists, dice, measuring devices, etc.

       

Is the classification still between discrete vs non-discrete miniatures games or is a better fitting distinction between endogenous vs exogenous miniatures games?  I suggest that the latter terminology may be a better fit if one agrees with the authors that the deciding attribute is bringing external inputs into the system.  Still, it is all wargaming to me.

There is much more to be pulled from this book of interest to wargamers and wargame designers whether focusing on non-discrete miniatures gaming or not.  I have only brought up the main thesis of Chapter 1!  With so much to consider, I may non-discretely dip back into this text on occasion.

More Sumerians and a Bit of Shopping

Close upon the heels of last week's Sumerian reinforcements (see Sumerian Reinforcements), a similarly sized batch of Sumerian javelinmen departs from the painting desk.  This dozen light infantry is split between a four-figure stand of skirmishers and an eight-figure stand of light infantry.  Figures are, again, from Newline Designs.

While attention at the painting desk has turned toward projects not Sumerian, I did dig out a pack of two dozen Akkadian spearmen to prep for pushing into the painting queue.  First, though, more FPW Prussians are on deck as is a return to the SYW/WAS project.  Time at the workbench has actually increased over the last two weeks and progress is being made on the painting front.  I may reach 900 figures painted by year-end.  We will see.

While figure purchases have remained very much at a minimum this year, recent sales on books and games have dented the wallet slighty.

Helion recently offered a Black Friday sale with 25% discounts and free shipping to the USA.  An offer I could not refuse!  The two books shown above are part of the order.

In similar sales and preorder releases, the following games dropped into my mailbox of late:

I know, these annual holiday sales can be so difficult to resist.  While 19th Century Miniatures always holds a Christmas sale on 15mm Old Glory figures, I am resisting in order to keep my 2024 Figures Purchased tally in check.  Since the sale runs through 04 January, I can place an order in the New Year after the counter resets.

On the gaming front, one more First Battle of Azukizaka is on deck for a Tuesday game.

Review: Thomas' Wargaming 19th Century Europe - Redux

 Neil Thomas' WARGAMING NINETEENTH CENTURY EUROPE 1815-1878

Given David's recent musings on contemplating embarking upon a Risorgimento project in 6mm and Neil Thomas' Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878 (see Imperfect Painting), my thoughts returned to this classic work and the rules, themselves.  Tossed into this inspirational mix is Keith's move to resurrect or recycle old posts (see An "Almost" Anniversary Post).  Seems that the pair of posts from David and Keith converged to nudge me in a similar direction.  Call it serendipity.

With their inspirations, I resurrect a post from the very early days of Palouse Wargaming Journal.  Reproduced below is the 29 OCT 2012 post on my overview of Thomas' book.  Hard to believe this review was published a dozen years ago.  At the time, my review garnered a grand total of one comment.

Thomas' Wargaming 19th Century Europe book remains one of my Top 10 all-time wargaming books.  I might even push it into my Top 5.  Even with the passage of a dozen years, my appreciation for this book is unwavering.  While I do not use these rules for my own Risorgimento wargaming, perhaps I should give it a try?  Typically, my adaptation to Fields of Honor is my "go to" choice for gaming the period.  In fact, I tend to use Fields of Honor for many horse and musket periods.

What might be interesting is to offer a side-by side comparison of both rulesets to investigate any similarities and differences.  Will a comparison between the two cause a change in perception of Thomas?  For now, below is the republication of my review of Thomas' book from 2012 (see original post at Review: Thomas' Wargaming 19th Century Europe).

Hope you enjoy this look back down memory lane.  I did.

--- Original Post from 29 OCT 2012 ---    

Having an interest in 19th Century warfare in general and the Second Italian War of Independence in particular, I recently bought Thomas' book.  Wargaming 19th Century Europe is my first Thomas wargaming book so I didn't know what to expect.  Existing reviews are lacking the detail needed to make an informed decision but I plunged ahead anyway on the road to discovery.

Although the book covers a wide span of history (some might argue too large since weapons and tactics evolved throughout this period), Thomas justifies his position by reminding the reader that the mindset of commanders during this period remained practically unchanged.  That is, commanders continued employing Napoleonic tactics over this 60-year span.  This same argument could be made for the American Civil War as well.  

Thomas provides a comprehensive examination from a wargaming perspective.  Thomas breaks the book into a number of manageable chunks.  These components include sections on:

• Historical background
• Design notes
• Wargame rules
• Generic scenarios
• Army lists
• Historical scenarios
• Appendices listing bibliography, scales and figure discussion, and wargame related vendors

The rules, themselves, only take up eight pages and cover,

• Units and Formations
• Basing
• Sequence of Play
• Changes of Formation
• The Charge Sequence
• Movement
• Firing
• Hand-to-Hand Combat
• Morale

The rules' mechanisms lean decidedly towards the simple end of the wargame complexity scale and Thomas defends this approach throughout his design notes chapter (entitled, Nineteenth-Century Wargaming).  Thomas emphasizes the "simple" rules' design approach to allow players to focus on the game rather than the rules.  The rules have no specified time or figure scale. 

All units of the same type are the same size regardless of historical doctrine.  Unit size is,

• Infantry - four bases
• Skirmishers - two bases
• Cavalry and Dragoons - four bases
• Artillery - one base

Basing guidelines are provided but any basing scheme should work as long as both combatants are based similarly.  

One interesting step in the Sequence of Play is that formation change is a separate step and that infantry may not move in line.  The result is that infantry may only charge to contact while in column.  Only infantry and artillery may change formation.

In the Charge Sequence, Thomas provides a matrix for easily determining whether a charging unit may contact a defending unit.  Conditional charges are allowed provided that the charging unit outnumbers the target.  If attacked frontally, defenders may fire at the attacker before hand-to-hand combat is resolved.  

In the Fire Phase, firing units throw a number of dice per stand dependent upon unit type (rate of fire).  Ranges are singular per weapon type with the exception that smoothbore guns have both a short and long range, and skirmishers add 8cm to weapons' range.  Hits are cross-referenced with respect to firing unit and target.  For example, an infantry unit firing in line against an infantry in close order line needs 4-6 on each D6 to score one hit.  Each base may take four hits before removing one base.  Saving throws are allowed for provided the target unit is either in cover (woods or towns) or armed with breechloading weapons.  The rationale for the breechloading saving throw is to model the tendency for breechloading armed troops to "go to ground" when under heavy fire.     

In Hand-to-Hand Combat Phase, each unit totals the number of dice it throws against its opponent with each stand receiving a set number of dice dependent upon the attacking and defending unit types.  Like fire, saving throws are allowed for units in woods or towns.  The side taking the largest number of hits retreats after Hand-to-Hand. 

During the Morale Phase, only three conditions trigger a morale test.  These conditions are:

• Losing a base through fire combat
• Charging cavalry takes fire from defending target
• Losing Hand-to-Hand combat

Notice that in the case of a cavalry charge, the defender does not necessarily have to cause casualties to trigger this morale test.  Thomas argues that the process of taking fire during a cavalry charge was often enough to cause 'extreme' disorder within the charging cavalry's ranks.  Units are rated in five distinct morale classifications.  These are, 

• Fanatic
• Elite
• Average
• Levy
• Rabble

with each classification given a set range of values on 1D6 for passing the morale test.  Fanatics fail only a on a roll of '1' while Rabble fail on any roll other than a '6'.

To me, the most interesting portion of Thomas' book is contained in his design notes in chapter 2.  This chapter allows the reader insight into Thomas' rationale for designing the rules as written.  Some thought provoking ideas are surfaced within and prompts me to consider some of my own gaming designs.  Thomas' rules definitely possess the flavor of classic, Old School wargames as handed down from the pioneers of Featherstone, Grant, Wesencraft, and Morschauser.

Gaming Face-to-Face?

The panorama photo above was taken at the end of May on an afternoon downtown stroll.  The Spokane River was still high with a torrent of water spilling down the lower falls.  Three weeks later and the flow has reduced dramatically.

Gaming face-to-face (F2F), me?  Yep.  Although most of my gaming seems to revolve around the remote variety via zoom, I got in a F2F game yesterday.  Yeah, an unexpected surprise to me too.

The battle fought was a scenario from one of Michael Hopper's many Napoleonic scenario books.  This time, the battle selected came from Eagles Over Bavaria and the 1809 Reinhausen scenario.  Notice that I am listed as a playtester in this volume.  

The battle was a two-player affair in which I took command of the Austrian brigade facing an equally sized (but more flexible) French brigade.  Terry (the Assisted by fellow on the book cover) umpired.  The French were defending town sections on both sides of the Regen River.  Austrian task was to take the two town sections situated on the east bank of the river. 

Anyway, in less than two hours of play, my Austrians managed to quite handily demolish their French adversaries having destroyed six of their nine infantry battalions and an artillery battery.  Austrian losses?  Hmm. None! 

On the Stuff Recently Acquired front, this week saw a resupply of hexes from my favorite purveyor of wooden bits.  The box is more than two feet tall and stacked with hexes to expand both my four inch and five inch playing surfaces.

I also snagged a HUGE castle and keep from Vol at A Miniatures Hobby Room.  Vol even hand delivered the castle in two heavy boxes.  When Nancy saw the castle and I told her that Vol was downsizing his wargaming collection, she asked when do I plan to downsize.  I know.  Very funny question. 

Anyway, I imagine this behemoth may feature in either Reconquista or WotR games in the future.  As an added bonus, Vol is interested in gaming.  With his massive collection of warships from a variety of periods, I would not be surprised to see the gaming table transformed to open seas at some point.

Finally, this weekend features the annual three-on-three basketball tournament in my fair city.  Billed as the largest 3-on-3 tournament on earth with 6,000 teams on 450 courts, downtown will be packed with players and spectators throughout the weekend.  For this weekend, my cycling will need to divert around the downtown area as it will be virtually impassible.  A few photos taken before the storm.

Piedmont Guards and Grenadiers

On the path toward fielding a Piedmontese army for the War of Austrian Succession, more Piedmontese march out from the painting desk.  This time rather than run-of-the-mill infantry, guards and grenadiers make an appearance.

In my earlier refight of Bassignana, both a regiment of Guard and a battalion of grenadiers were present on the day of battle.  Unfortunately, ersatz guard and grenadiers were needed to fill these slots.  Next time, the proper units will be present and available for duty.

Figures are Old Glory infantry led by a Eureka mounted colonel for the Guard.  Flag is from Not By Appointment.

Piedmont Grenadiers

Piedmont Guard

Piedmont Guard

Made it back from a weeklong exploration of several ACW battlefields on Tuesday.  It may take a bit of rest to recover.  A number of miles put into the legs tramping over battlefields.  No time to rest, though, Peter is hosting a continuation of his long running WWI Campaign in Palestine later today.  We see the first appearance of the Arab Rebellion.  I may be playing the role of Lawrence.

In a nod to serendipity, I have had my eye on a recently released book on the Battle of Assietta 1747 set during the WAS.

Fortune smiled upon me in a browse through a small bookshop in Gettysburg.  There I found the book!  A few other books made the trip back to Washington State with me as well.  My travel-buddy ended up shipping a box of books back to his home.

I leave you with a sunset taken from the observation tower at Pitzer's Woods looking west at Gettysburg.

French Regiments Aquitaine and Limousin

Wargaming activities of late seem to be ensconced in the SYW.  

This week witnessed three gaming sessions refighting the Battle of Mollwitz with two different opponents, a little painting, and a book order arrival.

On the painting front, two more French regiments of infantry muster out to join their brethren in the growing French army.  Out from the painting desk are Regiments Limousin and Aquitaine.  Figures are 15mm Old Glory with Eureka mounted officers and flags from Not By Appointment.  These latest additions bring the French army up to a strength of 18 infantry regiments.  I really need to turn attention to fielding some guns and horse.  Both are seeing progression through the painting queue.

Regiment Aquitaine

Regiment Limousin

On the gaming front, two Battles of Mollwitz are in the Battle Logbook. The anniversary game on Sunday has been chronicled (see Mollwitz, A Battle Report). Game #2 finished up on Friday afternoon. Once I gather all of the artifacts, expect a battle report on this action as well.

Finally, the library sees three new arrivals all on the SYW. Helion recently offered up a 3-for-2 sale and I nibbled. The books in this order are:

They all look to be handy reference books.  Let us hope they are!

Not on the SYW theme, this week also saw a remote game recreating the Hundred Years War Battle of Cravant.

Battle of Cravant

I would like to draft a Battle Report from this interesting action but with games coming fast and furious, I often fall behind.  Sometimes, way behind.

Sumerian Serendipity

While work has begun on a Sumerian project inspired by Graham Evan's To Ur is Human rules (see my First Impressions here), many questions remain unclear as I dive into a new, and unfamiliar period.

Imagine my relief when an advert for the above book recently popped into my Inbox.  This looks promising!  Well, little surprise that I quickly ordered a copy of this Soldiershop book from Amazon.  Being available in Kindle format, I received near instant gratification after having pressed the "Buy" button.

The author, Chris Flaherty, has produced a very interesting primer on the period.

The book is divided into the following thirteen chapters:

• Chapter 1: Selecting Soldiers
• Chapter 2: Role, Organization, and Maneuver of Armies
• Chapter 3: Battle
• Chapter 4: Kings and Military Leaders
• Chapter 5: Priests and God Idols
• Chapter 6: Hunters and Herder-Warriors
• Chapter 7: Shield-Bearers and Spearmen
• Chapter 8: Storage Pots, Water and Land Transport
• Chapter 9: Fortifications and Siege Craft
• Chapter 10: The Sumerian War Cart
• Chapter 11: War Cart's Battle Use
• Chapter 12: King Sargon's Standing Army 
• Chapter 13: Amorite, Elamite, and Lullabi Warriors

A quick reading of this 218 page book has clarified a number of questions I had and given me as many questions to ponder.  Some of these chapters are directly applicable to wargamers whether painting and organizing armies or gaming.  I will be re-examining Graham's wargame rules in a new light.

Very useful addition to a wargamer's library on an often overlooked period. 

First Impressions: IGaBC

Hot on the heals of Graham Evans’ To Ur is Human, a second set of rules emerges from his rules’ backlog.  Sticking to the road less traveled, Graham turns his attention to the New World and the 1879-1884 South American conflict know as the War in the Pacific.

The author has a penchant for tackling obscure conflicts and the War in the Pacific is no different.  How does one develop an interest in such an obscure theater of warfare?  Well, like me, travel can be the catalyst for a new project.  For Evans, a trip to Peru was that igniter for inspiration.  I came away from my Peruvian adventure with thoughts of modeling various conflicts too but, for me, those thoughts passed.  Not for Graham.  The result of that spark of motivation led to his It’s Getting a Bit Chile (IGaBC).

While IGaBC states that it is a set of Tabletop Wargame Rules for the Land Conflict in the War of the Pacific 1879-1884, it really is much more than that.  IGaBC is almost a complete package in the tradition of a wargamer’s guide.  At 76 pages in length, this represents an impressive work.  Rules comprise the bulk of the book but typeface is large and easy to read.  In addition to the core rules, topics include, a brief history and chronology of the conflict, figure availability, painting guide, and a useful bibliography. Really, IGaBC provides enough information to get going on a new project straight away.

On to the rules.  IGaBC is an Igo-Ugo system played on a grid.  Options are available and described for non-grid play.  Basic Maneuver Unit (BMU) is the infantry battalion, cavalry squadron, and artillery battery.  Ground scale is 250 yards per square.  An infantry BMU consists of four bases with cavalry and artillery BMUs comprising two stands.  There is no figure/base removal for casualties except in unusual circumstances.  Entire units are either on table or removed from play when ineffective.  This is how I like it.  I prefer figures and units to remain on table as long as possible.  It takes effort to build a collection.  No reason to have the figures put out on the table and then put back into storage boxes almost immediately upon receiving the first casualties.

The Turn Sequence is typical of many Igo-Ugo wargame rules.  The sequence is,

• Charge Declaration
• Movement
• Rally
• Firing
• Hand-to-Hand Combat

What is interesting in the sequence here is that Rally follows the Movement Phase.  Units attempting to remove Disorder markers do so during the Rally Phase.  Rally attempts count as movement so units later firing do so with the Firers Moved penalty.  Units may attempt to rally off each Disorder a unit has accrued having a one in six chance to do so.  Leaders may aid in recovering disorder as well as offering customizable traits.  A unit must choose which method to rally (self-rally or leader-aided).  Troop quality does not affect the ability to rally.  Poor units rally with the same probability as good troops.  More about disorder later.

What is the essence of the gaming engine for IGaBC? If I strip away all but the essential elements, the rules can be distilled down to three important concepts.  Those are Formation, Support, and Disorder (FSD for short).  Since only infantry may have support, I will focus on the infantry aspects of FSD.

Infantry can be in one of seven formation stances within a square.  Well diagrammed within the rules, each has its own attributes for deployment, density, support, advantages and disadvantages.  Each unique, diagrammed stance shows, at a glance, the attributes of the BMU.  This is a clever visual concept and reminds me somewhat of Weigle’s 1870 series of rules.  What can be gleaned from a BMU’s stance are facing, the number of firing stands, the number of support stands, unit density, and target type.

Besides unit formation, the two key components of a BMU’s attributes are Support and Disorder. Disorder represents a unit’s loss of combat effectiveness as it sustains punishment from fire or close combat.  Disorder is incremental.  As a unit takes punishment, disorder may accrue if not rallied off.  With no Disorder markers, a unit fights with 1D8.  With one Disorder marker, a unit fights using 1D6.  With two Disorder markers, a unit fights using 1D4.  When a unit accrues three Disorders, it may not fire but fights with 1D4 in hand-to-hand.  Any more and the unit either retires, retreats, or routs. This method of disorder accrual reminds me of Santa Anna Rules and its method of modeling the effects of straggling.  Perhaps, rather than having absorbed Disorder markers placed under the support base, IGaBC could take a page out of Santa Anna Rules and rotate a support base to the rear to denote an absorbed Disorder Marker thus eliminating a need to place Disorder markers under a support base? Once rallied off, the support base would return to its normal attitude.

Supporting bases may mitigate disorder.  Some infantry formations offer support; others do not.  Support represents a unit’s ability to absorb friction from combat.  Absorption of disorder by a supporting base is temporary.  Changing formation from a more dense to less dense stance allows a unit to ignore disorder too. That is another interesting twist.

What about combat in IGaBC?  Depending upon the number of participating stands, level of disorder (remember throwing either 1D8, 1D6, or 1D4 per stand), Target Type, and a handful of column shift modifiers, an attacker sums all of the attack dice and scores one disorder for each multiple of the target’s To Hit Multiple.  If a target’s To Hit Multiple is ‘8’ and the attacker’s attack dice total is ‘10’ then the defenders receives one Disorder Marker.  Fractions are ignored.

While the Chilean Army fielded the better quality troops carrying better weapons than her adversaries, Evans’ warns against playing the ratings too literally.  Top Quality troops with New rifles will likely easily overwhelm Poor Quality troops with Old rifles.  As he says, “It may be realistic but it might not be much of a game...”

Does this combat engine model the situation on the ground?  I cannot say but it offers a number of interesting twists to a typical combat engine.  Having multiple, different sided dice (D8,D6,D4) are not something I enjoy.  I understand the rationale for its inclusion but it seems too fiddly to me and ripe for error.  All in all, it looks like it would work despite my personal reservations.

Production quality is good.  While a few typos and errors crept into the final copy, these did not distract from the work.  The rules are well diagrammed to illustrate a number of the key concepts.  Examples of play are numerous too.  One of the inclusions that I appreciated in To Ur is Human and continued here is a comprehensive QRS printed onto the back cover.  This should be a standard practice unless QRS’ are printed separately, detachable, and included in the rules.

Alan Curtis’ painting guide to the war is a very useful addition to IGaBC.  My only complaint is that while the Chileans are listed as having adopted French style uniforms, no mention of the uniform cut for either Bolivia or Peru.  When I ordered IGaBC, I also ordered Esposito and Pinto’s The War of the Pacific.  While not listed in the bibliography, this is an excellent book covering the war, the armies, and uniforms.  Filled with a number of color uniform plates, I wonder how this 170 page work compares with Esposito’s Osprey?

Has this tempted me into a new period?  The jury is still out on that one.  Armies tend to be small and colorful.  Graham has mentioned that FPW French and ACW figures could be pressed into service to field most of the combatants.  This could be an interesting research project to find alternative figures outside of the figures produced by Outpost Wargames Services in 15mm.  That might be worth the effort in and of itself. This work has piqued my interest.

In conclusion, IGaBC is comprehensive piece of work for a little gamed period.  Keep in mind, my First Impressions are just that; first impressions of the rules, themselves. I have yet to try the game in practice.

Well done and thank you, Graham, for opening my eyes to a new frontier!

The Battle of Edgcote 1469

Finally found several, uninterrupted hours on a flight back from Montreal this past weekend to tackle Graham Evans' (of Wargaming for Grown-ups blog) recent book, The Battle of Edgcote 1469 Re-evaluating the Evidence.  More on the trip to Montreal in another post but, for now, on to Graham's 1469.

First, my knowledge of the War of the Roses and this period in British history would likely take up little space on a hard drive.  In fact, my background in this conflict is nearly non-existent.  Given that preamble, I undertake this reading with no historical bias or agenda.  My goals are to gain an understanding of the conflict, in general, Edgcote in particular, and to support a fellow blogger.  Perhaps, this book will spark interest in a new period of study for me?

First off, Graham shatters my weak knowledge of the WotR by stating upfront that Edgcote may not even fit into the classification of the broader conflict.  If the larger WotR pitted the Yorkists against the Lancastrians, where were the Lancastrians at Edgcote?  Perhaps better to classify Edgcote as part of the Yorkist Civil War or the Warwick Rebellion.  Already I am confused!  

In 1469, Evans presents a forensic detective puzzle in which he sifts through the evidence (much of it conflicting or sparse) to build a plausible approach to answering the questions addressed in the book.  This book is indeed a re-evaluation of the battle evidence.  As historians tend to build upon past works to compose their prose narrative of the historical event, many introduce their own historical biases and agendas while often times propagating errors of those going before.  Evans attempts to identify and cull these biases, agendas, and misinterpretations present in the historical record.  He points out that previous battle chroniclers have either overlooked (intentionally or not) or dismissed the evidence at hand.  These choices of the historian may lead to propagation of fictional battle accounts.  Evans uses conjecture too but within an evidence-based, scientific approach.

Each of the first seven chapters tackles one particular facet of this puzzle.  One after one, each question is presented, evidence laid out, and a conclusion drawn.  Well, not all questions proposed have answers.  The question of the identity of Robin of Redesdale is left ambiguous with several possibilities.  Even the day Edgcote was fought is open for scrutiny and debate.  Evans provides a fine example of deductive reasoning, comparison by analogy, common sense, application of military science and the scientific method in action.

While I found the comparison of the various battle returns used in estimating the number of combatants involved sometimes tedious and confusing, I appreciate the process employed.  A scatter plot showing the various estimates and upper/lower bounds on these disparate estimates may have provided clarity and a useful visual illustration as the iterative estimation process converged to the most likely force compositions. 

Bringing all of this analysis together, the author presents a plausible battle narrative in broad strokes based upon the evidence and conclusions drawn.  Evans' battle narrative asserts that the Welsh army broke when a Rebel force appeared upon its flank.  The sudden appearance of a reinforced enemy to fore and a new threat on flank panicked Pembroke's army and casualties soared when the routing army reached the choke point of Trafford Bridge.  There, the Welshmen were cut down trying to make good their escape over the narrow bridge. 

Is this battle narrative conclusive?  Reading the hypothesized narrative and following along closely using the accompanying battle diagrams, another alternative, battle progression came to mind.  With little in the way of battlefield archaeological evidence found and with the data provided, perhaps, an alternative narrative is equally plausible?

If interested in how the battle might appear on the wargaming table, again, visit Graham's battle reports at:

• http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/2019/07/edgcote-ing-even-closer.html
• http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.com/2019/07/conference-of-wargamers-2019-saturday_11.html

In summary, this is an enjoyable read and a thought-provoking piece of battle forensics.  A comprehensive list of sources is included in the Appendix.  Given the evidence Evans provides, put your detective hat on and draw your own conclusions.  You may learn a little Welsh too.

Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-1870 (1)

Advertised as the first of a two-part series covering the three Italian Wars of Unification, I awaited the release of Osprey's MAA's 512 Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (1) with anticipation.  While my interest is primarily focused on the second unification war of 1859-1860, the first and third wars would hold interest as well.  What topics and uniforms would be included in Volume 1?  I enjoy Giuseppe Rava's artwork so there was much for which to look forward.  Over several months leading up to its release, several versions of the cover artwork were shown.  Which illustrations would make the cover?  

Upon announcement of the book's release, I quickly ordered a copy.  With quick Amazon shipping, the book arrived in two days.

While Rava's illustrations are colorful and first rate works of art, the textual content is a disappointment.  The text consists almost entirely of describing organization and weapons.  For a proper uniform guide, I expect some historical background and army organization, no doubt, but details on uniforms worn are paramount.  "Details" in the sense of providing enough information to make the book a valuable addition to the body of uniformology.  Ideally, the book should offer a uniform guide first and foremost.

Some uniform details are present.  However, uniform specifics are tucked away in the back of the book in the Plate Commentaries as well as in captions accompanying black & white illustrations.  Having uniform details accompanying period black & white illustrations is an odd choice.    Still not enough information from which to paint the Piedmont, Neapolitan, and Sicilian armies.  With a wealth of uniform information readily available on the internet, gathering these sources and incorporating into a booklet could provide a foundation for a uniform guide.

For a few, useful uniform guides on the Risorgimento, see my earlier post on Risorgimento Uniform Guides.

While this is not the book I would have written, all is not lost.  Looking at the B&W illustrations and Rava's full color uniform plates, the 1848 Neapolitan uniforms have a striking similarity in style to uniforms worn by the Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War.  That is a useful bit of information!  If fielding a Neapolitan army for the 1848-1849 conflict is troublesome with respect to figures, Mexican regulars (including Grenadier Guards of the Supreme Power) could stand in for Neapolitans with only minimal differences especially in 15mm.  Well, that may be my approach if I work in that direction. 

Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914

Having recently been motivated to give the early years of WWI some study with the purchase of GMT's 1914: Serbien Muss Sterbien,

I ordered James Lyon's 2015 book on the heretofore little covered 1914 Serbian campaign to help provide historical context to the boardgame.  Did Lyon's book provide the historical context I sought towards enhancing my understanding of the situation and campaign?  Did reading Lyon increase my anticipation of cracking open the game?  Yes, on both counts !  James weaves a well-told story providing background leading up to the campaign, its prosecution, and eventual outcome.

From the back page of the book, a summary of the work is provided hinting to the importance of the campaign in the grand scheme of WWI.

Winner of the 2015 Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. Book Prize

Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914 is the first history of the Great War to address in-depth the crucial events of 1914 as they played out on the Balkan Front. James Lyon demonstrates how blame for the war's outbreak can be placed squarely on Austria-Hungary's expansionist plans and internal political tensions, Serbian nationalism, South Slav aspirations, the unresolved Eastern Question, and a political assassination sponsored by renegade elements within Serbia's security services. In doing so, he portrays the background and events of the Sarajevo Assassination and the subsequent military campaigns and diplomacy on the Balkan Front during 1914.

The book details the first battle of the First World War, the first Allied victory and the massive military humiliations Austria-Hungary suffered at the hands of tiny Serbia, while discussing the oversized strategic role Serbia played for the Allies during 1914. Lyon challenges existing historiography that contends the Habsburg Army was ill-prepared for war and shows that the Dual Monarchy was in fact superior in manpower and technology to the Serbian Army, thus laying blame on Austria-Hungary's military leadership rather than on its state of readiness.

Based on archival sources from Belgrade, Sarajevo and Vienna and using never-before-seen material to discuss secret negotiations between Turkey and Belgrade to carve up Albania, Serbia's desertion epidemic, its near-surrender to Austria-Hungary in November 1914, and how Serbia became the first belligerent to openly proclaim its war aims, Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914 enriches our understanding of the outbreak of the war and Serbia's role in modern Europe. It is of great importance to students and scholars of the history of the First World War as well as military, diplomatic and modern European history.

What I did not realize before reading Lyon was just how important this campaign was for providing the Triple Entente its first victories of the war and for drawing needed Austrian resources away from the Eastern Front. 

Lyon begins by laying the historical foundation for the cause of the conflict's eruption in the Balkans in 1914.  In many respects, 1914 was a continuation of previous Balkan Wars as prior conflicts had not released existing pressures in the region.  From the assassinations of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie in Sarajevo in 1914 through the conclusion of the Balkan 1914 campaign, Lyon recounts important events during the early stages of WWI.

Lyon smoothly moves from the strategic to the operational to the tactical level of the Serbian conflict providing details on the thinking and decision making at all levels of command.  Fascinating study of the motivating factors from both sides of the conflict.

This is really a story of David (Serbia) vs Goliath (the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary) and how Serbia overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat the powerful Dual Monarchy.  Time and time again, the under supplied Serbian Army came back from near defeat against unfavorable odds to stop the aggressions of the mighty A-H Empire.  Without proper food, clothing, weapons, and ammunition, the Serbian Armies struck back to thwart Austrian attacks time after time.  

How could this result happen?  Lyon presents a number of arguments for Austria-Hungary's defeat.  Poor strategic planning coupled with poor A-H generalship allowed the Serbs to hang on and then turn the tables on the Dual Monarchy.  On a tactical level, the Dual Monarchy failed as well.  Its artillery advantage was rarely fully employed and infantry attacks repeatedly went in without proper artillery support.  Artillery was seldom concerted and A-H infantry often used massed formations on the attack.  In an age of machine guns, this tactic was a recipe for mass casualties for little gain.  Finally, when the Dual Monarchy was successful on the battlefield and had wrong-footed the Serbian forces, the Dual Monarchy was slow to pursue.

To counter these Dual Monarchy shortcomings, the Serbs relied on battle tested commanders and troops motivated by the cause to defend their homelands.  Throughout the campaign the Serbs exhibited terrific initiative  and staying power that the Dual Monarchy troops could not match.  While the Serbian Army might suffer demoralization due to losses or lack of supplies, as soon as supplies began to flow to the front line troops, over to the offensive they went.  Hardy souls, no doubt.       

Not being that familiar with Balkan geography, I found myself flipping back to find the few maps included to pinpoint the villages, towns, and geographic features described in the text.  More maps would have aided my understanding and enjoyment of the well-written battle accounts.  Overall, I highly recommend Lyon's work on this often overlooked start to the First World War conflict.