What are you currently reading ?

[Westmarcher]

My desire to explore the Franco-Prussian War (see separate thread) has been slightly derailed by some $5 purchases I made when recently in the USA. I've just finished one of them, "Through Blood & Fire at Gettysburg" by General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. 

This 60 page booklet is an account of the 20th Maine's stand at Little Round Top which was first published by Hearst's Magazine in 1913. My only previous 'exposure' to this action before reading this was a small mention in a chapter of "Battles of the American Civil War," the movie, "Gettysburg" and a personal visit to Little Round Top a couple of years back, so it was interesting to read the account of the action by the man himself. Language was slightly 'flowery' at times but I suppose that reflects the background of the man (he was a college professor) and the times. 

One issue that differed from my previous (albeit limited) knowledge of the action is his confrontation with a Rebel officer. Accounts say the Reb's pistol mis-fired (as per the movie) whereas Chamberlain says he "fires one barrel almost in my face."
The booklet also includes a sketch map of the Round Tops and a copy of Chamberlain's hand written AAR. One thing that I didn't quite appreciate (and wasn't quite clear in my mind about) was that the 20th Maine's advance after its charge actually ended up much further forward than I previously thought - and alongside the 83rd Pennsylvania (?) (the sketch map shows both regiments on the summit of "Round Top" - which I presume is 'Big Round Top" because "Little Round Top" is also highlighted on the same sketch map).   It also has to be borne in mind that his account was published 50 years after the battle so his memory of the action might not have been as accurate as we would wish. Nevertheless, a fascinating read. For a "broader' account of the action, see the link below.

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/gettysburg/gettysburg-history-articles/defense-of-little-round-top.html

Next one is "If this Valley is Lost, Virginia is Lost!" - an account of Stonewall Jackson's 1862 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.

[kustenjaeger]

After some random fiction and a dive into German KStN documents I am rereading Kenneth Macksey's "First Clash" - WW3 c 1984 with the Canadians - written for the Canadian Army to illustrate the then training manuals.  good stuff even if the maps are weirdly oriented?

Now I know why Pendraken make a Lynx!

Edward

[FierceKitty]

The new Salman Rushdie.

[Leman]

Presumably this one's called 'Krishna, you're a prat.'

[Westmarcher]

 

[DaveH]

Just finishing The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers by Richard Moe, next up is Gettysburg by Stephen W Sears.

No theme there at all.....

[bigjackmac]

I'm not much of a naval interest guy, but I recently picked up "Neptune's Inferno" (Hornfischer) as I was wanting to read more about the Solomon's campaign.  The book deals strictly with the naval side of things, but I've got to tell you that it was one of the most riveting books I've ever read, I couldn't put it down.

V/R,
Jack

[paulr]

I'm not much of a naval interest guy, but I recently picked up "Neptune's Inferno" (Hornfischer) as I was wanting to read more about the Solomon's campaign.  The book deals strictly with the naval side of things, but I've got to tell you that it was one of the most riveting books I've ever read, I couldn't put it down.

V/R,
Jack

Thanks Jack, I will try and track it down. We have played the naval side of the Solomon's campaign once and will hopefully do it again soonish

[bigjackmac]

Paul,

Yeah man, if you're into Naval gaming, particularly the Solomons, I can't envision a scenario in which you wouldn't love this book.  He gives lots of great background material to set up the fights, but where the book really shines are the fights themselves.

He gives blow-by-bloody blow accounts of all the major surface actions, with personal stories and insights into the tactical decision making.  I was laughing at myself because I'd stay up to the middle of the night just to finish the chapter on a battle, even though I already knew how it finished!  Any book that can keep you up, flipping pages, when you already knows how it ends, gets high marks from me

I need to find a set of naval rules; the problem is, I'm kind of weird with regards to my tastes, and so I'm not sure the rules I'm looking for exist.  I need:

1) Some form of friction in the command process so that I don't know what is coming next, but it can't involve pre-plotted movement (because I'm a solo player and pre-plotting movement just doesn't work for me).  Maybe card activation.

2) No rivet counting as I'd like to fight from 6-12 ships per side.  I'm not interested in primary/secondary/tertiary batteries, simply combat capability (with differentiation for guns and torpedoes in DDs, DEs, and CLs) and target selection (with limitations for night fighting).

3) An offshoot of #2: simplified combat, with effects-based results.  So again, combat capability, target selection, then results.  I.e., firing ship's guns to this quarter gets 'x' number of dice at 'y' range vs target ship (I've got no problem with charts for that), roll the dice, the result is (a few examples):
-long, no effect
-short, ship takes evasive turn left/right (check by die), doesn't move next turn but may fire.
-straddled, target can't fire next turn but may move.
-armament hit: fire half dice to targeted quarter for rest of game (i.e., if hit from the bow, fire half dice forward for rest of game).
-engine/boiler damage, half speed for rest of game.
-dead in water, no move or shoot.
-ship going down.

So, I'm not at all interested in a roster where I'm checking off main battery, secondary battery, crew, and hull boxes.  I'm looking at, basically (with only a slight bit more granularity) the ship is good to go, the ship is in the fight but got some problems, the ship is hurting and leaving, the ship is hurt and needs help, the ship is going down.

4) I also want 'morale'-type issues,, though I'm not sure if that's the right term.  For example:
-A trigger to have a ship's Captain test to disengage (leave the fight).
-A trigger to have sister ships disengage and 'heave to' to aid a friendly stricken vessel.

5) Other issues based on tests triggered somehow:
-a ship getting hit rolling to see if fires out of control, at which point 1) Captain may order crew to abandon, 2) ship can't fire or maneuver next turn, simply move straight ahead, as entire crew is involved in damage control, or 3) Captain orders ship to retire.
-test for collision in certain circumstances (i.e., a ship forced into evasive maneuver by enemy fire)
-test to see if ships will maintain formation (i.e., the second ship in column is forced into evasive maneuver by enemy fire, does the third/fourth/fifth ship in column follow the 1st ship or the 2nd ship?
-other weirdness: random stuff, like running aground, engine failure, firing main batteries which knocks out own radar/electrical systems, etc...

6) Also an offshoot of #2, very simple movement mechanics.  I'm not particularly interested in different turning radii for different ships, nor the fact that 'x' class cruisers had a top speed of 28 knots while 'y' class was 24 knots.  I will admit that I've even thought about using D6-based random movement, i.e., roll a D6 and add 2, and that's how many inches your ship moves this turn, which could force ships to turn out of formation in order to avoid collision.

I'm sure there's more, but in the overall scheme of things, I'm looking to fight the ships, at ship level, not looking to make decisions about 'the forward battery engages 'x' while the port secondary batteries engage 'y', and the damage control parties are being devoted to the engine rooms vice main forward battery, and the radio shack has been destroyed.  I hope this makes sense, and I hope such a thing exists.  I'll probably post this on other forums as well; I really need to find something.

Hope you're able to get your hands on the book, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

V/R,
Jack

[FierceKitty]

Inspired by the last one, about to revisit The Moor's Last Sigh.

[paulr]

Jack, we use the old General Quarters I & II They have a simple combat system that might come close to meeting your requirements
You would have to graft a command and control system on 

[Westmarcher]

I've just finished reading, "Humpty Dumpty" and I'm a bit perplexed.

At no point did it say he was an egg. Or that he was male. And what medical expertise did they think the horses might have?

[Techno]

Listening to "The Mayan Secrets", at the mo'.
Quite fun !
Cheers - Phil

[paulr]

Listening to "The Mayan Secrets", at the mo'.
Quite fun !
Cheers - Phil

Careful, you'll get FK all excited

Yes, I know Aztec were much later

[FierceKitty]

I've just finished reading, "Humpty Dumpty" and I'm a bit perplexed.

At no point did it say he was an egg. Or that he was male. And what medical expertise did they think the horses might have?

He may well have been a gun. Basically phallic, that. The horses would have been a political sneer at the Cavaliers, in that case.