"Review of Neil Thomas' Wargaming: An Introduction" Topic

Hardly new, but I got round to reviewing Neil Thomas' first wargaming book:

link

Hopefully it may be useful to some thinking of getting it as the price is quite low – there might be a virtue in a review after a few years of playing a game, on and off!

These rules are a great way into the hobby for ny aged newcomer.

I like his rules. They give a result that does not insult your intelligence, with no blood caked on the wall.

Thanks for all the detail and the AAR. I have my eye on these.

There is the this old question of "What happens to the shot when the pike engage in melee?" This is answered in a very simple way in the ITW. Shot take hits first when a mixed unit is the target of shooting. Pike take hits first when a mixed unit is involved in melee. All stands fight where applicable though. 4 hits remove a base. However, these are general hits. So if a unit takes 3 hits from shooting and then later takes a 4th from melee, a pike stand is removed. While not perfect, it is a simple and very workable solution. Just giving a little peak into the thought process behind his rules.

The rules are very well thought out and are a lot of fun to play. I too can highly recommend Neil's rules.

Thanks for the review and AAR!

We've had some crackerjack Thirty Years War games using these rules. It might be time to trot out the pike and shot troops again.

I like the rules quite a bit but I've failed to convince my gaming group of their value so haven't managed to play them nearly as much as I'd have liked.

Great book! I was lucky enough to find it at Half Price Books for under $20 USD! Really helps give you quick play options and insight into other eras and sparked my interest in ancients and shot & pike. A few boxes of 1/72 plastics also make it affordable.