What are you currently reading ?

[Roy]

Something dirty. 

[shireman]

Shireman, which rules are you using. I have recently downloaded the Lardie Special which has the ITLSU amendments for East Africa. It is also given a lot of attention in PP's Squarebashing.

ITLSU with the amendments from the special. I prefer them to the PP rules which I use for Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20. They have given some good games with a real flavour of the actual fighting.

[Leman]

I am currently working on ITLSU Belgium 1914, but at some time will have a look at East Africa. Do you happen to know if the German colonial troops in the Middle East range are also suitable for East Africa?

[FierceKitty]

I am currently working on ITLSU Belgium 1914, but at some time will have a look at East Africa. Do you happen to know if the German colonial troops in the Middle East range are also suitable for East Africa?

"Ve Chermans must get used to all climates, from Russia to the Sahara...."

[shireman]

I am currently working on ITLSU Belgium 1914, but at some time will have a look at East Africa. Do you happen to know if the German colonial troops in the Middle East range are also suitable for East Africa?

The white German troops were colonists who volunteered, many of them ex-officers and reservists. I use British dismounted infantry in slouch hats with one brim turned up( from the Boer War range) as they resemble the E Africa Germans more closely as far as I can tell from contemporary photographs.

[Westmarcher]

Recently finished reading Osprey's Philadelphia 1777. Not only does it cover Brandywine and Germantown but also Paoli and the naval and land ops. against the Delaware Forts on the river approaches to Philly.  As some of you may know, I am only just back from Philadelphia. Although I managed to read most of it while I was on my way to Philly, I feel I didn't absorb enough to fully enjoy my visit to the nearby Brandywine battlefield (also, the battlefield covers a vast area, much of which is overgrown by trees in places which were not so overgrown at the time of the battle - e.g., Washington's HQ at the Benjamin Ring House).

The battlefield covers a vast area and needs a lot more time than I was able to devote. However I enjoyed what I did see and was also fortunate that my visit coincided with the actual anniversary of Paoli (20/21 Sept. - Brandywine was on '9/11') so was able to get an excellent idea of the type of weather conditions and the colour of the landscape that the troops experienced on campaign at the time. As usual, the book is well illustrated including some details from some of Della Gatta's paintings, one of which illustrates British troops holding their muskets "at the trail" (I asked the forum some time back what this meant).  Interestingly, the American author also explodes the myth of the "Paoli Massacre" - apparently, when the British bayonet attack went in, the Continentals were alerted and drawn up in column of march ready to withdraw and not bayoneted in their beds as Rebel propaganda previously led us to believe. Although necessarily only an overview, I found this an enjoyable read and inspiring enough to resolve to dig out more in-depth books on the subject.

[paulr]

I am currently working on ITLSU Belgium 1914, but at some time will have a look at East Africa. Do you happen to know if the German colonial troops in the Middle East range are also suitable for East Africa?

Those German colonial figures aren't Pendraken's best, I suspect they were done quiet some time ago

[Leman]

Thanks for the info on the colonial Germans folks.

[fsn]

I feel I didn't absorb enough to fully enjoy my visit to the nearby Brandywine battlefield

Photos?

[Westmarcher]

Apologies. I'm rubbish at posting photos with my Mac. But I can send you some, if you wish.   

[wurrukatte]

Go strong into the Desert by Mike Snook

W

[kipt]

Finished "A Field Guide to Gettysburg" by Carol Reardon and Tom Vossler.

I have other battlefield guides, including Gettysburg, but this is the best so far.  A map for every stop and with pictures.  And of course, driving directions.

Each stop is set up with 6 questions.
1. What happened here?
2. Who fought here?
3. Who commanded here?
4. Who fell here?
5.Who lived here?
6. What did they say about it later?

Very good.

[Leman]

 Tabletop Wargames - A Designers and Writers Handbook by Rick Priestly and John Lambshead

Rick Priestly is without doubt an important force in wargaming. It is also evident from his writings that he is not that willing to look beyond his own ideas of what wargaming is all about. After all this is the man who dismissed the Franco-Austrian and Austro-Prussian Wars as of little interest to wargamers, and this in a rulebook written for that period (although the First Carlist War gets an entire chapter, but then he is mates with the Perrys).

What is my impression of the above title. Well, I read on to page 72 before hurling it aside in frustration. The first  chapter was quite generalised. The second was devoted to scale, and went into a great deal of tedious detail but without really making anything clear. Chapter three was on the language of wargaming. He made a great deal about grit (never come across that expression before, until I realised he was talking about friction in wargaming, a concept I have come across in numerous articles). Again this chapter left me feeling that he was saying a lot but the substance was quite limited. Chapter four was on dice rolling and again went into even more tedious, mathematical detail about probability and bell curves etc, but can be summed up thus - D6 great, everything else is rubbish. He even stated that he could not think of any set of rules which now use the Average Dice (ITLSU, HOW, Piquet) because it had been discredited. I did not get to the end of chapter four. Two pages into chapter five I flung the book (and I am renowned for treating books with a great deal of respect). The book unashamedly tells the reader what a marvellous set of rules Warhammer is, plus lots of other rules he's had a hand in (and some, like Warmaster and Black Powder are good) but it is far too self congratulatory. There are also numerous photos of wargames figures: all 28mm in absolutely superb and non-wargameable scenery, even though he states quite early on that the war-games table should not be unduly cluttered. Most of the photos had little relevance to the text.

In conclusion this book would not enable me to write a set of rules. It is far too Warhammer-centric. It does not do what it says on the tin. Verdict 2/10. 

[Bodvoc]

I also enjoy several sets of Priestly's rules but boy the man can waffle. His recent articles in the wargames magazines he writes for have been so dull and a waste of print space that they put me off even looking at his book.

[fsn]

Here's a nice little bedtime read for Pendraken fans:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/when-jimmy-saint-recommended-this-as.html