What are you currently reading ?

Started by goat major, 03 November 2012, 06:40:05 PM

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Ithoriel

Hitler, my part in his downfall, perhaps?
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

Terry37

Having finished Hell Divers IV, and what a brilliant ride it was too - can't wait for the final volume coming next spring!!! However, a new book arrived today "St Ruth's Fatal Gamble" about the battle of Aughrim, so am starting that and still holding Watership Down at hand. Although I find some disappointing uniform data in this book, and understand that he just carried forward previous known and so often repeated errors about the Danish troops, I am hoping his account of the battle is more accurate. But a big fan of the LOA so can't be all bad!!!

Terry
"My heart has joined the thousand for a friend stopped running today." Mr. Richard Adams

Womble67

The Rzhev Slaughterhouse: The Red Army's Forgotten 15-month Campaign against Army Group Center, 1942-1943 by Svetlana Gerasimova

Take care

Andy
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KTravlos

Finished reading the edited volume "Eleftherios Venizelos: The Trials of Statesmanship" edited by Paschalis M.Kitromilides and published by Edinburgh University Press.

While it does not make up for the lack of a modern and honest holisitc political biography of Venizelos in English it is the best you can get in english. Chapters cover multiple aspects of his life and political career, including early life, domestic politics, foreign policy, church-state relations, education policy, civil military relations, constitutional theory, and finally his work on translating Thucydides into modern Greek.

All in all gives a lot of information but lacks a central narrative, and misses a lot of material available in Greek.

Still if you need a modern one volume source on Venizelos, this is ok.

Steve J

Oliver Wiswell by Kenneth Roberts. A historical novel set during the American Revolution, looking at things from the Tory/Loyalist side. Very interesting read so far.

Leman

Wainwright's Lake District Tour, Whitsuntide 1931 - the great man's second only visit to the Lakes. Lots of colour photos and Wainwright's original penned ink maps and drawings. Very pleasant break from military history.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

kipt

Finished "The Last Throw Of The Dice: Bourbaki and Werder In Eastern France 1870-71" by Quintin Barry.

I like his books on the FPW.  Good detail and color.  I didn't like the maps in this volume; too many places named that are not on the maps.  Plus, not enough of the fights are illustrated for me.

But, good narrative and well researched.

Chris Pringle

Quote from: kipt on 30 November 2018, 04:58:54 AM
I didn't like the maps in this volume; too many places named that are not on the maps.

That's something that always bugs me too. Consequently I was determined not to make the same mistake in my own book, "Napoleon's 1796 Italian campaign".
https://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-1796-Italian-Campaign-Clausewitz/dp/070062676X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537000807&sr=1-2&keywords=murray+pringle
However, when Nick and I came to do the maps - of which there are plenty - we just found it impossible to fit in every little village and hamlet that was mentioned in the text. I therefore now have more sympathy for other authors who've found the same.

Chris

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fsn

I'm reading Stephen Fry's "Mythos" retelling the tales of Greek Gods and Titans.

Being Stephen Fry, it's a suavely written tome; erudite but accessible. As I read, I can hear him narrate.




I have a question for my fellow historical gamers. If I game Ancient Greek myths - with harpies, and centaurs and a cyclops ... all used in their proper mythical context ... is it Fantasy gaming?
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

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FierceKitty

Stephen Fry for Emperor (and Richard Dawkins for Pope)!

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FierceKitty

Quote from: fsn on 30 November 2018, 08:46:16 AM


I have a question for my fellow historical gamers. If I game Ancient Greek myths - with harpies, and centaurs and a cyclops ... all used in their proper mythical context ... is it Fantasy gaming?

Certainly. What's annoying in LAF, in fact, is their way of treating such things as ancients.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Techno

Quote from: fsn on 30 November 2018, 08:46:16 AM
I have a question for my fellow historical gamers. If I game Ancient Greek myths - with harpies, and centaurs and a cyclops ... all used in their proper mythical context ... is it Fantasy gaming?

Damn good question, Nobby.

I'd agree with Kitty....In that yes...it is fantasy gaming....Though in some respects I'd almost be tempted to call it 'Mythical gaming'.

Cheers - Phil

Chris Pringle

Quote from: fsn on 30 November 2018, 08:46:16 AM
I have a question for my fellow historical gamers. If I game Ancient Greek myths - with harpies, and centaurs and a cyclops ... all used in their proper mythical context ... is it Fantasy gaming?

In our club there is something of a divide between the 'historical' end of the hall and the tournament gamers. Although I certainly don't wish to sneer at anyone's hobby, occasionally the historicals have been known to make sceptical remarks about tournament games that seem to portray little-known conflicts such as Vikings vs Aztecs or the Afrika Korps civil war, or querying the inclusion of T-34/57s (total production run ~10?) in a standard tournament army list. After one snide comment too many, one of the tournament gamers retaliated with "it's all fantasy anyway".

So perhaps a question for my fellow gamers of whatever ilk: does it all become Fantasy gaming, even my most rigorously researched scenario to recreate the Second Battle of Komarom, as soon as the first dice are rolled and the action diverges from history?

Chris

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Ithoriel

I occasionally throw Humbaba into my Sumerian games - I still consider them historical.

But then I'd contend that all of our games that allow for a non-historical outcome are fantasy to a greater or lesser degree.
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

KTravlos

All games are models. All models are simplification of reality. Thus I would say there is variation in what our games capture from reality. Fantasy games simply reduce that to the bare minimum.