I got my copy of Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames in the mail Thursday and decide to give it a test-drive today, solo. The rules are extremely simple, even for me, a fan of simple rules. There are rules for periods from ancient through WWII, with variations between periods. Needless to say if you like detailed rules, stay far away from these. Units may move or fire (in some periods this changes). Units may pivot in place, move straight forward and pivot again at the end of the move. This is pretty free movement though not allowing a pivot in the middle does tamp down some wilder moves. Each unit rolls a single 6-sided die when firing or in close combat, the result being the number of hits dealt out. Some units get +2 or -2 from the die score and some targets take half the number of hits if they are in cover. 15 hits routs a unit.
The armies are identical within each period. Only the uniforms differentiate the sides. He has put together 30 scenarios, many of them based on classic Grant scenarios.
Armies are usually 6 units picked by die roll, though sometimes one side has only 4 or even 3 units.
Scenario 12 has one army guarding a bridge over a deep river on their right flank, while the enemy has discovered a ford beyond the enemy left. The final objective is a hill behind the defenders' left flank. I had the Prussians attack and the Austrians defend. Oh yes, it was the Seven Years War so I used the Horse and Musket rules, minus the optional square rules for Napoleonic period.
The Prussians rolled up three line infantry units, two skirmishers and an artillery battery. Apparently the cavalry was off looting somewhere. The Austrians got 4 line infantry, 1 skirmisher and a cavalry unit.
The Prussians began scrambling across the ford while the Austrians changed front. A detachment of Prussian skirmishers took some hits as they crossed. A firefight broke out with the Austrians getting the worst of it after several turns. Out on the Prussian right, the Austrian cavalry charged the skirmishers. When cavalry fail to wipe out their foe, they recoil 6 inches facing the enemy. The cavalry gave a hard hit to the skirmishers but drew back. The skirmishers put a few hits into them and the cavalry came back and routed the skirmishers. About the same time the Austrian infantry near the river collapsed, under fire from enemy skirmishers and artillery across the river and Prussian infantry on the same side.
The Prussians pulled back to cover their right flank. The Austrians used this lull to move back behind the hill and shelter from artillery fire. The Prussians got everyone across the river and organized for the final attack on the hill. The skirmishers covered the left from the edge of the town behind the bridge (abandoned by the Austrians) and the artillery moved out on the right to fire on and behind the hill.
Austrian infantry marched out onto the hill, as the game terms say the side that controls the hill on turn 15 wins. It was getting late in the game. The cavalry rode out to threaten the artillery. They made repeated charges against the guns. Meanwhile the three remaining Austrian infantry, some pretty badly shot up, fired into the two Prussian line units while the skirmishers sniped from the edge of the town. One Austrian unit collapsed but both Prussian units ran. And then the gunners ran from the third cavalry charge.
All that remained on the field was a Prussian skirmisher detachment, untouched but who had seen some terrible sights. The Austrian had two very shot up infantry. Thier cavalry had about 8 hits.
The game took 12 turns and about 40 minutes. Was it a simulation of the Seven Years War? Not too much. But it was an exciting little game. Preparing a second attack with shot up units certainly gives you pause for thought. I played this on my DBA board, 32 inches square. The rules call for 3 feet square but I think this gave the feel. I will try this on my buddies some game evening.
The book has suggestions for picking some of the scenarios and linking them into a short campaign, playable in an evening or more. Three games should take as many hours to play. It is a complete system. I imagine you could bolt on a few national modifiers (the inevitable +1 for French and British, etc.).