"GWSH or Square Bashing?" Topic
10 Posts
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
In order to respect possible copyright issues, when quoting from a book or article, please quote no more than three paragraphs.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the Early 20th Century Product Reviews Message Board Back to the Early 20th Century Discussion Message Board
Areas of InterestWorld War One
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Link
Featured Showcase ArticleYou can pick up a toy blimp in the local toy department for less than a dollar.
|
Please sign in to your membership account, or, if you are not yet a member, please sign up for your free membership account.
Jake R | 12 Aug 2014 7:21 a.m. PST |
So, I've begun to build my French and German armies from Pendraken's 10mm line, since I am looking to field more figures and have larger scale battles. I've read up on and actually really like the sound of both; however, from someone who has played one or the other rulesets, would you recommend Great War: Spearhead or Peter Pig's Square Bashing? Thanks, Jake |
Bashytubits | 12 Aug 2014 9:30 a.m. PST |
I am a fan of GWSH personally. I have the second edition. |
GatorDave | 12 Aug 2014 9:36 a.m. PST |
I enjoy GWSH. I have not played Square Bashing. |
Vimy Ridge | 12 Aug 2014 9:54 a.m. PST |
Jake, I am the author of GWSH II, but I will try and give you my take. I have both sets, I find SB to be a fun set that is closer to beer and pretzels (I dont mean that as a derogatory) style where it is a bit lighter. GWSH II is more involved and takes a bit more planning. GWSH is also aimed at a slightly higher level – division to Corps. Each have three own merits for sure. But I am biased in the end and would recommend you buy GWSH II before you buy Square Bashing :) Shawn |
fred12df | 12 Aug 2014 11:38 a.m. PST |
We have played GWSH with 10mm – and it works fine. The standard 6mm basing works for 10mm, and personally I think looks a bit better as you get the base a bit more filled with figures. It also has basing and distances for bigger scales too. |
Mallen | 12 Aug 2014 12:28 p.m. PST |
I bought a .pdf GWSH set online about 10 minutes ago and have given up even pretending to work. It looks to be very well thought out and set out, a good core set of rules, many examples of play, and tables of information. Now if I can keep from drooling on the paper I should be all set. |
rsutton | 13 Aug 2014 2:12 a.m. PST |
I play GWSH in both 6mm and 20mm. Works fine for both. The only problem with 20mm is base sizes for guns and vehicles have to be larger than desirable wrt ground scale. Shouldn't be a problem with 10mm???? wargaming.org.nz Kind regards Robin |
martin goddard | 13 Aug 2014 3:02 a.m. PST |
Hello Jake Difficult to advise on what rules would suit your games. Firstly see if there is a set that your regular opponents use. Embarking on a new set needs a bit of support from your opponent(s). A couple of thoughts about Square Bashing(SB) that might help inform your thoughts. SB is very elegant indeed. It has many very innovative systems to get the game moving along. There is no measuring because the table is split into a grid of 6" squares. The squares make it very clear whom is supporting whom and delineating areas of barrage. The table is nice and small. 4 feet by 3 feet. A typical game lasts 2 hours from deployment to victory conditions. SB covers boxer rebellion up to Chaco war, with the bulk or armies being for WW1 and RCW. Battalions are 4 bases. Artillery is a single base. Typical army has 14 battalions, 6 MG companies and 6 field batteries. It would be unfair to comment on other rules without being biased, so will leave it others. WW1 is certainly popular this year. Hope it lasts after 2018. all the best martin |
monk2002uk | 13 Aug 2014 4:41 a.m. PST |
Martin, Thanks for posting the description. Here is something similar for GWSH. Before that, it is worth noting that the basing requirements are the same for GWSH and SB. As a result many players do not see SB – GWSH as an either/or dilemma. GWSH is typically played on tables of 4 feet by 6 feet. The recent Battle of the Marne recreation used five tables of 4 x 8 feet. The rules scale perfectly well to cover this sort of mega-game. There is a lot of emphasis on planning ahead of the game play starting. This doesn't take long, though you can flesh this aspect out for the likes of campaigns and mega-games. The main thing is that you commit ahead of time to how your forces will deploy and move or be activated if in reserve. It is possible to change plans in flight but, like the real thing, this is not easy. I love this aspect as it helps to gain a deeper understanding of the constraints faced by commanders at the time. You get to consider the regiment/brigade level, as well as division and corps levels of command and control. Many games are based on historical scenarios, with emphasis placed on historical accuracy. There are lots of scenarios to support this, with more on the way. In addition there is a great scenario generator for non-historical but balanced games. The scenario generator is available via Robin's web site (see the URL in his post above). A game will typically take 2-4 hours, depending on the size of the forces involved (corps level games will be at the 4 hours end of the spectrum). The main emphasis is WW1 but RJW, RCW, Balkans and Russo-Polish wars work in GWSH too. The game mechanics are good, with minimal reliance on 'accounting'. Target priority and proximity rules make for more historical considerations: tanks are a magnet for small arms and artillery fire; and MGs can't be selectively targeted for example. Robert |
|