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Sunday 12 February 2017

Game Number 3 - Donald Featherstone

Continuing the revisit of my vintage wargame books, I stumbled across a demonstration game in "Battles with Model Soldiers" by Donald Featherstone, which pitches two small forces together on a basic wargames table.

The battle is designed to demonstrate the horse and musket rules described in the book. The rules are not set out as tables, so I had to pick through the text - although that did not take long as they are very simple:

The game is played on a balanced table with a road running diagonally across it, a single wall and two woods, one on each flank:

This is my interpretation of the map with the troops set out - a gun, two regiments of infantry and one regiment of cavalry each side:


I had planned to use my Airfix ACW troops, but they are not organised as per these rules, so I dug out the box of Britains plastics. Infantry Regiments consist of 20 men, a standard bearer and an officer. I had just enough for the two the regiments needed for each side. The guns are by Timpo, with four Imex gunners. Cavalry regiments consist of nine men, one officer and a standard bearer. Some views of the troops:

Federal:

Confederate:

I will report on the battle and how the rules worked in my next post.





4 comments:

  1. I look forward to hearing more...
    Alan

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  2. Now this really brings back memories. The Brittains ACW figures were my favourites - I had the lot but remember not playing with them much as they were my "bestest" troops only for looking at!

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    1. I really like them too. I acquired most of mine when Beaties closed some of its branches and sold off the figures for a few pence.The only thing I don't like about Britains plastics are the bright lime green bases, which I always paint out.

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  3. That book largely got me going on wargaming. Taking its advice on many points probably held me and my friends back about ten years. Remarkable that such an inaccurate and badly written volume had such an effect.

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