An event that had a profound effect on my life was the discovery of a copy of H.G.Wells 'Little Wars' in a library in Arlington, Virginia, in 1970. I had played around with Airfix soldiers before then but had no inkling that one could do much with them. Wells opened my eyes. Donald Featherstone soon followed, who introduced me to the name and concepts of Joseph Morschauser. My first painted figures - Napoleonic Highlanders matched against American War of Independence British Grenadiers painted so as to resemble French Guard Grenadiers! - were mounted on bases as shown in the pictures of Morschauser's battles. I never got Morschauser's books - now there's an idea for a New Year resolution? - and never got to fight any battles with his system as the exigencies of life as a child of a military family swept up those early armies.
 |
| Morschauser : an early pioneer of gridded wargames tables |
One thing that has always stayed with me from H.G Wells' book was his final short chapter in which he ruminated on the folly of big wars, hoping that the experience of little wars would deter men from the horrors of the real thing.
Yet war came, sweeping away the world in which Wells grew up. That 'Great War for Civilization' provided stories that were a quietly spoken of background to my childhood. More war followed. In 1939 my Father was evacuated from his home, put on a ship and sent to New Zealand to escape the expected destruction of cities. The ship next to his in the convoy was sunk by a U-boat, taking down many other children with it. My Mother's brother found a grave in Sicily in 1943 before he reached the age of 20. In the USA in the late 60s and early 70s my Father knew men who had served or were serving in Vietnam. And that has not been the end of it. Despite the best efforts of those who have used 'Peacegames' to try to work out how best to preserve peace in the face of tensions it seems that the age old propensity to give war a chance seems to find its head.
Thankfully big war has not found me thus far, though the thought of it cannot be escaped. I suspect this colours my thinking about little wars, putting me in the quick to paint and slow to fight camp.
On that front, I have finished 2023 with a spurt of painting that has seen the completion (bar basing) of a first regiment of cuirassiers for the Thirty Years War project.
 |
| Thirty Years War Cuirassier Regiment. Troopers are all Newline figures, the command group from Pendraken. The flag is a quick invention of my own pending an order for more flags. |
I have also spent a bit more time with the Twilight of Divine Right rules, to work out what are the morale modifiers that apply to any particular type, size and quality of unit so that these can all be put onto the unit record card and then be removed from the general crib sheet. The result can be seen in the following photograph which puts the command group from the Regiment above as supporters to a record card appropriate to a Cuirassier regiment.
The effect is that the list of 36 morale modifiers and 1 explanatory footnote in the QR sheet issued with the rules can be reduced to 15 modifiers and 2 footnotes in my latest draft...
An interesting look back. If the history of wargaming is of interest, I recommend picking up Morschauser's book. Playing on a grid and fielding armies on multi-figure bases are a couple of his innovations. Morschauser and Featherstone were contemporaries but on opposite sides of the Pond.
ReplyDeleteYour approach to creating a QRS to play is essential in my book. Good luck with your TYW project in 2024!
I have ordered Morschauser's book, even though it might eat into valuable painting time!
Delete