Napoleonic, WSS & ECW wargaming, with a load of old Hooptedoodle on this & that
Friday 14 August 2020
Featherstonia: Tony Bath's Rules for 1750 Period Wargames
With many thanks, yet again, to Albannach, the Keeper of the Scrolls, here is another of the rules publications of Wargamer's Newsletter, from another century. Please handle them carefully, and enjoy the read!
Memories, memories. A friend and I played the battles of an AWI campaign over many years using these rules hardly unaltered. For us they captured the spirit of the period and were easily remembered.
Very similar in some respects to Charles Grant's and the Young & Lawford rule sets. The saving throw thing seems to be 'pure Featherstone'.
Personally I dislike 'saving throws'. The problem as I see it is the soul destroying effect of seeing a good volley rendered nugatory by lucky saving rolls. I much preferred Charles Grant's 'rounding off' of the raw shooting skills, or, better yet, my own similar, but different, method.
Interesting stuff, thanks for posting, Tony. Once again i am struck by the very long musket ranges, especially as compared to artillery. They are written in a no-nonsense, reference style, which is why they probably aren't as motivating to put on the table as some others cited.
I thought these were a very interesting read. I'm not sure I would rush to play them nowadays, with my ageing brain and lack of patience, but I like the way the rules are explained in terms of the real events they depict. It is refreshing to go back to these old texts, but it's difficult to forget what's been done since, and what we've read subsequently. As the old song goes, "How we gonna keep them down on the farm, now that they've seen Paree?" - well, if not Paree, certainly Weston super Mare.
I might also mention that Peter Gouldesbrough, whom I knew in Edinburgh when he really was getting on a bit, who knew all the UK wargaming pioneers and was always very polite about everyone, as a matter of course, spoke very highly of Tony Bath. In fact he reckoned that many of Don Featherstone's published wargames ideas originated with Mr Bath. I have Tony's "Setting Up a Wargames Campaign", which is entertaingly written, so I don't know why he didn't write more. Some years ago I joined a Yahoo Group which was dedicated to rediscovering and discussing the rules and the ideas of Tony Bath, but after a few months I abandoned it, since (like a lot of these groups) many of the members just wanted to talk about themselves, and I wasn't necessarily looking for a self-help forum.
Memories, memories. A friend and I played the battles of an AWI campaign over many years using these rules hardly unaltered. For us they captured the spirit of the period and were easily remembered.
ReplyDeleteVery similar in some respects to Charles Grant's and the Young & Lawford rule sets. The saving throw thing seems to be 'pure Featherstone'.
ReplyDeletePersonally I dislike 'saving throws'. The problem as I see it is the soul destroying effect of seeing a good volley rendered nugatory by lucky saving rolls. I much preferred Charles Grant's 'rounding off' of the raw shooting skills, or, better yet, my own similar, but different, method.
I actually picked up a copy of these on Ebay a few years ago for a very reasonable price. I've always meant to give 'em a try on the table.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Most interesting, thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if it’s the way that they’re written, but to me, unlike Grant and Young/Lawford, these don’t scream ‘play these rules!’.
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff, thanks for posting, Tony. Once again i am struck by the very long musket ranges, especially as compared to artillery. They are written in a no-nonsense, reference style, which is why they probably aren't as motivating to put on the table as some others cited.
ReplyDeleteI thought these were a very interesting read. I'm not sure I would rush to play them nowadays, with my ageing brain and lack of patience, but I like the way the rules are explained in terms of the real events they depict. It is refreshing to go back to these old texts, but it's difficult to forget what's been done since, and what we've read subsequently. As the old song goes, "How we gonna keep them down on the farm, now that they've seen Paree?" - well, if not Paree, certainly Weston super Mare.
ReplyDeleteI might also mention that Peter Gouldesbrough, whom I knew in Edinburgh when he really was getting on a bit, who knew all the UK wargaming pioneers and was always very polite about everyone, as a matter of course, spoke very highly of Tony Bath. In fact he reckoned that many of Don Featherstone's published wargames ideas originated with Mr Bath. I have Tony's "Setting Up a Wargames Campaign", which is entertaingly written, so I don't know why he didn't write more. Some years ago I joined a Yahoo Group which was dedicated to rediscovering and discussing the rules and the ideas of Tony Bath, but after a few months I abandoned it, since (like a lot of these groups) many of the members just wanted to talk about themselves, and I wasn't necessarily looking for a self-help forum.
ReplyDeleteJust saying.
I added a link to this blogpost on my Tony bath webpage: http://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/tony-baths-hyboria.html
ReplyDelete