Growing a Wargames Library

It has been a busy week on the work front and so my somewhat insane schedule of rule writing, scratch building, converting and painting has been very muted as a result. The one thing I have been able to catch up on though has been to remedy a number of glaring omissions from my library. The Conway's and the Jane's acquisitions have already been mentioned in dispatches so now it is the turn of some genuine, honest to goodness wargames books to take centre stage.

John Curry is the editor and head honcho of the History of Wargames Project and he has an extremely tempting list of reprinted and revised old wargames books available to order.  Of course given my current nautical leanings I was particularly interested in some of the naval titles he has available and so I am now the delighted owner of the following:

Paul Dunn's Sea Battle Games
Fletcher Pratt's Naval Wargame

Donald Featherstone's Naval War Games

There is also a version of F.T. Jane's Naval Wargame rules available which will be acquired in fairly short order (I missed seeing this when ordering the others!) thus completing the collection.

The one that got away!

I cannot begin to sat how pleased and inspired I am by (at last) owning these titles - I am quite sure that a lot of new ideas and projects etc will result - as previously I had only ever seen these as as library books or quite expensive second hand versions (not the Pratt title though although I have used the rules often in the past).

There are rules, ideas for rules, complete sets of rules and how the rules were formulated; together with an historical coverage from Ancient Greece and Rome up to the end of WW2. Also, tips for scratch building and  loads of photos and diagrams etc. In short, pretty much everything you would be likely to need in order to get your feet wet in naval wargaming (dreadful choice of comment I know!).

That little lot should keep me busy for a while and no mistake!

I also acquired, purely for nostalgic reasons, a copy of Charge! by Messrs. Young and Lawford. I can safely say that this has to be one of the most entertaining and fun books on our hobby ever written, bar none.

John Curry and his project is truly deserving of the support of the wargaming fraternity so it is well worth taking a look at his list and, better still, ordering something as this will enable him to continue to keep the thing afloat and to make further titles available in the future.