Henry Hyde - The Wargaming Compendium

Pen & Sword Books
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Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
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Published in the United Kingdom by Pen and Sword Books 2013
Design, typesetting, maps and diagrams by Henry Hyde
Illustrations in Chapter 7 by Bob Marrion
Photography by Henry Hyde except where otherwise credited

Copyright Henry Hyde 2009-2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without
the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

Henry Hyde has asserted the moral right to be identified as the author of
this work.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1848842212
EPUB ISBN: 978-1783830695
PRC ISBN: 978-1783468362

Typeset in Warnock Pro, Trajan Pro, Frutiger and ITC Officina Sans

Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd.

C ONTENTS

To my Annie, for letting me be who I am.

To my late father, Edgar, trusting he would have been proud.

To my mother, Nora, knowing that she will be.

And to my godson Edward, who I hope will remember our games with affection.

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T heres a clich which runs something along the lines of standing on the shoulders of giants and it certainly applies here. My wargaming has been inspired most of all by those early British wargame pioneers, some still with us, some now sadly passed on, who wrote with such passion and enthusiasm about the hobby they loved that they inspired a small boy to see his toys in an entirely new way. Their names and works are recorded in this book.

For their practical input into this project, I would first like to thank Phil Sidnell of Pen & Sword whose remarkable stoicism in the face of me requesting yet another extension to my deadline has been inspiring; if ever a man was owed a pint, its him.

Next, I wish to thank Arthur Harman who threw himself into combing through my first draft with enthusiasm and unerring accuracy. He also gets particular thanks for undertaking the herculean task of creating the index, an act of editorial gallantry indeed. He was joined in proofing the final draft by my dear friend Steve Gill, whose eagle eye and gentle sense of fun have been incredibly helpful. I also want to thank Mike Siggins, veteran campaigner with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the hobby, whose encouragement and approval of this work means a great deal to me.

A number of friends have been involved with play-testing my rules, including Dan Mersey, Will Townshend, Guy Hancock, Graham Knight and, heres that name again, Phil Sidnell, who was professional enough to point out every loophole just when I thought they were finished, prompting me to re-write them entirely! My heartfelt thanks also go to that group of online reprobates on the WD3 forum who gave the Shot, Steel & Stone rules a thorough workout accompanied by much laughter and good company at the 2011 and 2012 East Ayton gatherings: Paul Bright, Iain Burt, John Francis, Richard Frost, Tim Hall, Dave Hall, Phil Hope, Dave McClumpha, Ken McGarry, Andy McMaster, Mark Phillips, Peter-Mark Smith, Kerry Thomas, Simon Tonkiss and Mike Whitaker. Any errors or omissions remaining are, of course, entirely my responsibility.

Special thanks are due to Bob Marrion for sourcing a wonderful selection of his marvellous illustrations that enrich .

My magazine has enabled me to meet and engage in conversation with some of the finest minds and brightest talents in the hobby. I thank them all for the inspiration and ideas they have provided, especially Charles Grant, Rick Priestley, Richard Clarke, Nick Skinner, John Drewienkiewicz, Andrew Brentnall, Dave Ryan, Pete Berry and master podcaster Neil Shuck.

And finally, my thanks to the little army of talented miniature sculptors and casters, terrain makers, figure painters, book and magazine publishers, game designers, rules writers, authors, illustrators, show organisers, webmasters, bloggers, podcasters and retailers who make the hobby the thriving and vibrant pursuit that it is today. Truly, we live in a golden age.

A huge game restaging the Battle of Waterloo, 18th June 1815, using 15mm miniatures and played over a weekend by two teams of enthusiastic wargamers. At this point, the French, attacking from the right, have overwhelmed the defences of La Haye Sainte farmhouse and are approaching the British ridge. The game was organised by well-known wargamer Dave Brown, author of the popular General de Brigade Napoleonic wargames rules.

F OREWORD

by Brigadier (Retired) Charles S Grant OBE

O n the title page of H G Wells Little Wars it says A game for boys from twelve years of age to a hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys games and books. Well, even if the thought police today allowed H G Wells to say such things, the sentiment is dated. Wargaming today embraces the widest possible spectrum of both age and gender. So, what would the pioneer of modern wargaming find in The Wargame Compendium for this wide audience?

The Collins Dictionary defines compendium as A book containing a collection of useful hints and A selection, especially of different games in one container. Well, The Wargaming Compendium does, as they say, what it says on the tin and a great deal more. In producing the Compendium, Henry Hyde has boldly gone were no wargamer has gone before. Yes, there have been and are many books on wargaming, but this is truly a magnum opus.

The Wargaming Compendium provides a history of the hobby, a step by step beginners guide, rules and advice on the choice of periods, and an overview of wargaming today. In the latter case, it is a snapshot in time which we may look back on in years to come and compare with what has happened. However, the majority of the content is ageless and I vouch that it can truly boast that there is something for everyone.