New and Old School

The original book - I seem to recall loaning this from my local library dozens of times!

The latest version - with additional material and guess what? It is now on my 'to get' list!

In common with many gamers 'of a certain age' I cut my wargaming teeth on the works of Messrs. Grant, Young and Lawford, Wise and Featherstone. I could not put them into any order of preference and have probably used ideas from any or all of them over the years. Certainly Charge has featured in much of my recent thinking - especially the organisational side - but now, and for a variety of reasons, Charles Grant's Battle - Practical Wargaming is taking centre stage.

Many years ago I used to game WW2 using these rules and had some really good fights using Airfix kits and figures. The rules are simple and very effective and have probably inspired many other sets over the years. Inevitably though, more complex rules came to the fore and so Battle was pushed further and further back into the recesses of various cupboards.

Memoir '44 really reawakened my interest in WW2 land gaming as a viable project - coupled with an overwhelming desire to make some tank kits! - as the rules are simple, effective and have a great feel to them. My recent purchase of Bolt Action, published by Osprey is very much an extra dimension as it focuses on games at a lower level - platoon level really - but the rules appear to be both simple and subtle with some very slick mechanics  - and so here is the basis of my cunning plan.

Building up a platoon of infantry of around 40 to 50 infantry - individually based - with support weapons to taste and a smattering of vehicles will enable me to use Memoir '44, the Portable Wargame or even Memoir of Battle and then the Bolt Action level will round off the number of options available.

Nowadays the variety of plastic 20mm figures available is enormous so the very tempting possibility of going all 'old school' in terms of material is appealing in a whimsical kind of way.

Much to ponder methinks.....;-)