"'Tank Battles in Miniature' Series" Topic

Now that most of the series is re-printed:

Vol 1 (Western Desert): link

Vol 2 (Russian Front): link

Vol 3 (NW Europe): link

Vol 4 (Med): link

What do the veterans and cognoscenti think of these books considered purely as wargame rules, not as bits of wargmaing history?

Regards

I was never enamoured of the rules themselves, not even in 1978, but Vol 1 is essential reading (along with Brazen Chariots by Robert Crisp) if you want to understand what armoured warfare was like in the Western Desert. A pity that many wargames rules designers have clearly not read it.

Of the four, I rank them Vol 1, 4, 3, and 2 in terms of usefulness. I think you will be disappointed if you buy them purely for the rules.

I think you will be disappointed if you buy them purely for the rules.

This is very true since at least Vol 1 and 4 (the ones I read) really only have rules ideas and bits. Nothing in the way of complete rules. I presume the ones written by Bruce Quarrie are in similar format.

As a source I think they are quite valuable especially since Don Featherstone is a primary source on the subject serving in the 51st RTR.

I do plan on picking up the Quarrie editions soon.

John

Agrtee, goi into them as a source/overview, not as rules.

These books, and the Airfix Guide to WW2 gaming, were really where I started with wargaming. NW Europe was probably my favourite, with the Eastern Front volume coming a close second. Both had pretty good (& complete) sets of rules I seem to remember. It's been a long time since my micro-armour days, however, so I couldn't say how well they've stood the test of time. I would recommend all 4 books as good background – written by wargamers for wargamers – even if you don't use the rules.

Yeah the Bruce Quarrie volumes, 2 and 3, have complete rule sets. The Don Featherstone ones not so much. All of them are good reads. I would also recommend No 5 the Arab/Isreali one.

Woolygoose I had found a few older books in the local library,
Battle by Charles Grant being the one I kept coming back too, but the Arfix Guide was the first wargames book I bought. To a young teenager it was a fantastic insight and I never looked back.

Fatman

I loved the Quarrie book on the Russian Front, it was read over and over. I have the boardgame based on the book by Swedish Game Production (1981 called Ostkrieg tank war seriesNo.1. For me, the book would be a nostalgic blast.

I'm afraid the Quarrie editions in this series make my palms itch -- Sven Hassell really isn't as good a fiction writer to quote from as Peter Elstob or Robin Maugham to give an idea of what tank battles were like.

The Featherstone books, especially the first, were wonderfully inspiring and full of ideas, even if a lot of the rules were, as a I later found out, an unattributed rip-off of Fletcher Pratt's land rules.

All the best,

John.

I totally agree that "Vol 1 is essential reading (along with Brazen Chariots by Robert Crisp) if you want to understand what armoured warfare was like in the Western Desert" as was said above. Crisp's book was one of the first that introduced me to the topic, and in a very engaging way.

As above, the Eastern Front one is dreadful (Sven Hassell as a primary source??).

I quite liked some of the tank combat rules in the NWE one but the infantry rules were just silly.

My favourites were the Mediterranean and AiW ones.

I still use the radio netting rules from the Desert one.