Hello There! While I continue to make terrain and further storage in the wargames cabin, I have been considering playing some solo wargaming. This is alongside visiting the New Buckenham Historical Wargaming Club, (when health permits), and putting on games with my wargaming friend, Adrian.
Adrian recommended this publication as he uses some of the ideas in it to run a imaginations campaign. His progress is on his blog here.
This 'Practitioners Guide' has the following chapters:
Chapter 1 Why solo wargaming, advantages, disadvantages, inspiration, guidelines, dice, cards, rest of book.
Chapter 2 Battles, setting up, types of battles, types of games, determining terrain, choosing force, generalship.
Chapter 3 Campaigns, choice, period, scale, setting up, campaign in a day, map moving, hidden movement, reconnaissance, communications.
Chapter 4 Personalities, logistics, randomisation.
Chapter 5 Siege, naval, air wargames.
Chapter 6 Advancing and further developments.
This is the first book I have read about solo wargaming and I found it very helpful, informative and thought provoking.
It was clearly and logically set out and did not flood the text with illustrations of well painted figures, which do not support the text or lend anything to the narrative.
While this is not a rule set, it provided ideas, guidance and inspiration for many different aspects of the hobby. Some of which could even be used for multiplayer games and campaigns too.
The prime problem of solo wargaming, impartiality, with the ability to take informed decisions for both sides, is handled early in this book. This has always been a question of mine, as to how to remain neutral in controlling both sides without subconsciously favouring one of the sides.
The usual recommendations of start small and once familiar with the systems that you are using, then add further conditions.
Another helpful feature is that there are references to suggestions in the text, at the bottom of the same page, so you do not have to flick through the book to find that reference.
Publications by Donald Featherstone and Henry Hyde are in the vanguard or recommended further reading but there are a few less well known books as well.
Part of the text refers to 'near wargames', battles from history that for various reasons did not happen, or to use them to help make your decisions in your own games, based on actual incidents.
Overall I found this book very helpful and made me realise that I may have become a bit lazy when it comes to doing some of the background work in the games I have put on.
I will be looking to purchase some of the bibliography from this book, in the future.
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