Toy Soldiers

[Rob Weaver]

I game in Rev War, Civil War, Ancient and Medieval, WW2 and some of that dreaded sci-fi and fantasy. I like the rules sets produced by the Antwerp Fusiliers several years ago. They ran with Richard Berg's Command and Colors concept and ginned up several sets of rules that are fast playing and have attractive graphics. I use their Napoleonics for Rev War, 182 and the occasional Napoleonic game. I use "World at war" for WW2. I like card management as the way of handling the imponderables and fog of war issues. I'm also a VERY old school gamer, and I love pulling out my old PanzerBlitz game for an afternoon. I'm extremely fond of Herscape as a skirmish system, and have customized it for historical games. You might gather that I'm a fast-play gamer. I used to be one of those detailed rules junkies. You know "How is the sun shining in this hour of the battle?" I'd consult 3 tables and roll the dice 4 times and go "I think I hit it." Then on a whim I bought a game in Toys R US called "BattleMasters" (also known as "Warhammer Lite). Changed my philosophy; play a game in an hour and a half!?! Since then, I tend to gravitate toward games I can set up at 7pm and put away at 9. I'm also cheap. I just can't see laying out the price of a new musket for a box of little figures. I surf freewargamerules.uk and juniorgeneral for rules inspiration. Frequently, I already have the figures somewhere, I just need the inspiration to get them on the field. My son is old enough that he can game with me (and beat me), so we have a weekly game night. Last night was one of those sci-fi nights where he was mowing down my Dark Legion with his Dommtroopers, but I can just as easily get him to play BattleCry or Memoir 44 with me.

[rcleary171]

I game in Rev War, Civil War, Ancient and Medieval, WW2 and some of that dreaded sci-fi and fantasy... - but I can just as easily get him to play BattleCry or Memoir 44 with me.

Rob,

Very impressive! Now I know who to consult when I am looking for a wargame to play.

Bob

[Rob Weaver]

Rob,

Very impressive! Now I know who to consult when I am looking for a wargame to play.

Bob

I'm kind of a generalist as a gamer. I'm reluctant to part with figures or terrain, and I'm always on the lookout for useful new stuff. I've got such a large collection of stuff that when I take an interest in something, it may only take me a few hours to round up the stuff I want to game with. They say "work expands to fill the time allotted for it." I say "wargames expand to fill the space allotted for them." My gaming and reenacting tend to inform each other. I visit battlefields, make notes and sketches, and go home and write a scenario. (I'm particularly partial to the Ball's Bluff scenario I wrote after reconning the actual ground.) At the same time, research and experience lead me in interpreting rules. ("No. It doesn't take half a move for a unit to change front.") 10 years ago, after attending the 140th Antietam event, I played the Antietam BattleCry scenario on September 17, 2002. McClellan won a convincing victory. It shocked me to think that if history had turned out that way, the war would have been pretty much over. It made me reflect on my recent reenacting experiences, and on the horrific experiences of those who were involved when the bullets were real. I honestly sat over the board and wept for those whose lives were lost because of lost opportunities.