Paul Le Long reviews another Donald Featherstone classic, this one from 1973. (It’s also just been reprinted). The review is on the Reviews page, of course.
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Martin Smith on A River Gunboat
- Martin Smith on ‘Rome’s Enemies (5): The Desert Frontier’ Osprey Review Added
- Nangwaya on ‘Rome’s Enemies (5): The Desert Frontier’ Osprey Review Added
- JohnY on Review of Dark Alliance Fire Demons
- JohnY on The Luckiest Panzers!
Of Possible Soloist Interest
Archives
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
Categories
- Air gaming
- Battle reports
- Board games
- Computer games
- Current projects
- From the editor
- Gaming conventions
- Latest issue of LW
- Lone Warrior website
- Movies
- Naval gaming
- Other blogs, sites
- Painting
- Periods – American Civil War
- Periods – Ancient
- Periods – Colonial
- Periods – Dark Ages
- Periods – Eighteenth century
- Periods – Fantasy
- Periods – General history
- Periods – Medieval
- Periods – Modern
- Periods – Napoleonic
- Periods – Nineteenth century
- Periods – Pike and Shot
- Periods – Pulp era
- Periods – Renaissance
- Periods – Science fiction
- Periods – Twentieth century
- Periods – World War I
- Periods – World War II
- Reviews
- Role-playing games
- Solo wargaming
- Uncategorized
- Wargaming
- What's new
Meta
Paul Le Long’s splendid review of Donald Featherstone’s Battle Notes for Wargamers got me to thinking about all of the excellent reviews recently written by him, Jeff Chorney, and Jonathan Aird. I don’t know who thought of reviewing the old wargaming classics, but I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to the person or persons responsible.
As the reviews appeared I have gone to the bookshelf and become reacquainted with these old, neglected “friends.” What a joy! A couple of the books reviewed were completely new to me but the reviews made me want to read them anyway. Thank goodness most are available as used books or as new John Curry reprints on amazon.com.
These were the books that got many of us gray heads started in the hobby. Later, when new books came out with more detailed information we found ourselves rebasing figures and memorizing charts and rules. Then things began to spiral out of control. More and more figures and more complicated charts and more detailed sets of rules were needed to play a game. It was hardly possible to play without holding a rulebook in one hand for reference. When we realized that the “games” had become more work than fun we began to remember the good old days and recall the ideas of the first wargame writers. In other words, we went from simple to complex and now it seems we are returning to simple (and fun) again. (This is only a personal opinion, of course.) Thank you, gentlemen, for contributing to this process through your superb reviews of the wargaming classics.
As to how the classics review project got started — it grew out of the discussion of Jeff Chorney’s review of Featherstone’s “Advanced War Games” on this blog back in January.
I can’t get a link to Jeff’s review and the comments to work right now, but you can find it easily enough by clicking on the “Solo wargaming” category to the right. Then just scroll down until the January entry comes up and go there.
Paul, Jonathan, Jeff and Mike have all contributed to the classics reviews. But the project is open to anybody who wants to participate. Got an old favorite you’d like to write up? Send it in, there’s plenty of interest.
Thanks, George. Reading the comments in the reference you gave jogged my memory. That was a very successful idea!
((Rob Morgan submits the following comment.))
The sudden spurt of interest in reviewing the “classic” wargaming books of yesterday (and what I wonder will come to be regarded as today’s classics in the field?) reminded me of this novel, originally published in 1974, and still in print: “Spy Story” by Len Deighton. If there are any other titles of fiction in which the wargame appears, then I’m unaware of them. There was an excellent TV series in the UK about 40 years ago, called “Callan” in which many of the leading wargamers of the time were involved as “back-room” boys, but I’m not sure the scripts were ever published as books.
“Spy Story” is a rare delight, a Harry Palmer novel in which the hero plays wargames for a living at a NATO studies centre in London — naval wargames too, with an element of air warfare and a mere hint of nuclear conflict. It’s largely subs under the Arctic seas and the book is very well written, with research supported by the Institute of War Studies. A pity, but the NATO v. WARPAC wargames are not central to the plot, but they do run a powerful thread through the tale. There’s some interesting stuff here, like the possibility of two Soviet “Mallow” flying boats actually landing on the Arctic ice to use their short-range Magnetic Anomaly Detectors to hunt enemy subs.
The chapters begin with quotes from the Studies Centre “Notes for Wargamers,” most of which are useful comments. I like the Global Commitment Negative rule, and the idea that is utterly true that, “History doesn’t prove games wrong, any more than games prove history so.” But of course the classic quote is, “All time is Game time.” Yes!
A decent read, but perhaps other members know of more titles in which the wargame looms large?
There was a film spin-off of Callan which featured wargaming. As I recall (it’s well over 20 years since I’ve seen it) Callan was ordered to assasinate someone and took up his target’s hobby (wargaming) to get close to him. I have a vague memory of them fighting Solferino. There was a book/film a few years ago – called the Oxford Murders I think – starring John Hurt & Elijah Wood which featured wargaming.
Thanks to Mike for his kind words about the reviews – I’m glad you like them. I have to say I’ve really enjoyed doing them & I know Jonathan has too; we’ve already sorted out another 15 or so to do over the summer.