| Aggie21 | 09 Jun 2013 9:37 p.m. PST |
Hello, Does anyone have any experience with WASHING THE SPEARS FOR THE ZULU WAR OF 1879 (by David Bickley? What is anyone's best recommendation for a reference for Rorke's Drift? Thank you. Tony |
| Legionaire22 | 09 Jun 2013 11:25 p.m. PST |
Tony, Without a doubt the best reference book on Rorke's Drift that I have read is "Like Wolves On The Fold, The Defense of Rorke's Drift" by Lieutenant Colonel Mike Snook. The book is full of maps, diagrams and pictures showing who was where and doing what at what time. The book is well written and easy to follow, often making you feel the terror and desperation of the defenders. It also addresses several inconsistencies and conflicting stories told by the defenders, and rather than try to convince you which one is true he gives you the facts and lets you choose. It is definitely a great book!
Osprey's book on Rorke's Drift is also a good one. The color plates alone in it make it a great help for anyone going to wargame the battle. Jim |
| dbander123 | 10 Jun 2013 8:19 a.m. PST |
I'll second Mike Snook's book. Equally valuable is his on Isandlwana, "How Can Man Die Better." |
| Rich Bliss | 10 Jun 2013 8:37 a.m. PST |
"The Washing of the Spears" will give you excellent context for the battle and is the book that got me started on Colonial Gaming. |
Nick Stern  | 10 Jun 2013 12:47 p.m. PST |
I have Bickley's Devil's Wind rules for the Indian Mutiny but have not tried them out yet. They look promising. And I've found good rules for the Indian Mutiny few and far between. I second Legionaire22's recommendation for "Like Wolves On the Fold" |
| badger22 | 10 Jun 2013 5:34 p.m. PST |
Snooks books should be required reading for anybody interested in the period. What is the scale of The washing of the spears? I have not yet found a set that I liked to game Rourkes drift. Owen |
| Nick Stern | 11 Jun 2013 9:52 a.m. PST |
badger22, my favorite rules for R'sD are Hal Thinglum's rules which were written specifically for the battle. Scale is approximately one to one for the British and five to one for the Zulus. Ideally you use 400 Zulus recycled five times. I've run the game at several conventions and it never fails to please and the outcome is never the same. Here's a link to the same discussion on this site:
TMP link |
| sjwalker38 | 12 Jun 2013 12:24 p.m. PST |
Another recommendation for the 2 books by Mike Snook on Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana. And the Thinglum rules are very good as well. Nick Stern: Bit 'off-topic' for this thread but there is a 'Sharp Practice' supplement for the Indian Mutiny in preparation – originally intended for large-scale skirmish games (60-100 figures per side) but the supplement will include rules for 'big battles' as well. I've heard some good things about 'Black Powder' for the Mutiny period. I've tried 'Devil's Wind' but found them a bit lacking in period-feel. "John Company" is another set of rules for the period – lots of background information in the book but quite laborious to play! |
| Nick Stern | 12 Jun 2013 1:35 p.m. PST |
sjwalker38, Thanks for the heads up on Sharp Practice. I own John Company but have not tried it. I was disappointed that the example scenario they have in the book for the IM is fictitious. IMO, the challenge of gaming the IM is coming up with balanced, historic scenarios. Devil's Wind seemed to offer those, but, as I said, I have yet to try them. |
| sjwalker38 | 12 Jun 2013 1:45 p.m. PST |
Hi Nick Check out the "War Without Mercy" yahoo playtest group – a small but growing band of like-minded fans of the period. Now returning the thread to the Zulu War :-) |
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