Wargaming

Excellent introduction to the hobby. Not as detailed as his other two books on specific periods (Napoleonic Wargaming or Ancient & Medieval Wargaming), but an excellent overview, and contains a very nice set of rules (for multiple periods), included simpler versions than those mentioned in his other two books. Nice photos and plenty of inspiration for the newcomer.

As a longtime miniatures wargamer who has been involved in the hobby for 25 years, I didn't really NEED this book as I'm already quite familiar with wargaming. But I love to collect and read books on wargaming; and as a game designer, I find that there are always ideas to be gleaned from examining different approaches to gaming. Plus, there are very few books of recent vintage that give a good, general overview of the miniatures wargaming hobby. This book by Neil Thomas does just that.This is not a deep history book by any stretch of the imagination, but Thomas provides a solid overview of warfare & tactics in various periods (from ancient times to modern). The book is divided into multiple sections (Ancients, Pike & Shot, American Civil War, etc.), with rules provided for each specific period. While the game rules provided are pretty simple and have an "old school" feel to them, they're perfect for folks just getting into this wonderful hobby -- sensible, not too complex, and play in a reasonable amount of time.This is a book that newcomers should find very useful as a jumping off point into a rich, deep, fascinating hobby, and I would recommend it to that audience.For veteran wargamers, this book isn't a necessary purchase, but I do feel it has 3 uses.First, if you're looking for a simple set of rules to play at a convention, or just like to study other rule sets to gather ideas, this is a worthwhile book in that regard.Secondly, if you want to introduce new friends into the hobby, loan this book to them. It's approachable and not overwhelming, and you can fill in the missing details.Thirdly, if you're like me and enjoy collecting general books on the topic of miniature wargaming, this book is a nice addition to your collection.If you enjoy this book, you will probably also enjoy "Ancient & Medieval Wargaming" by Neil Thomas as well. It's founded upon the same basic rules system used in the intro book (with some tweaks), and provides more depth and richer army lists throughout the Ancient and Medieval periods (my preferred era of historical wargaming).

Thomas writes good simple rules for a variety of periods to introduce new gamers to wargaming. In fact, the rules are also good for more experience players who prefer streamlined rule sets. I'd recommend this book to anyone in either of those categories.

This might be the best book out there to start a miniature wargamming hobby with. I think it's a great addition to any gamer's library. Mr. Thomas packs quite a bit into this modest sized book. He breaks warfare down into chronological order. "Ancient" (3000bc-1450ad), "Pike and Shot" (1450-1650), "Napoleonic" (1789-1815), "American Civil War" (1861-1865), "Skirmish" (man to man/any era) and "World War Two".Each time period is discussed, has it's own complete rules set, and has it's own order of battle lists! For anyone familiar with wargames such as "Flames of War" or "Fields of Glory", this is a very generous offering by Mr. Thomas. This information could easily be spread out through 10 or 12 books by some publishers.This book is an introduction, but it is remarkably complete. The rules follow a pretty standard "you move, i move" pattern. The sequence for "Ancient" is 1)charge 2)move 3)shoot 4)assault 5)morale tests. What makes this book shine is that the rules are customised for each era to reflect the increase of technologies on the battlefield. Each era has it's own rules built upon the basic framework of the "ancients" era. Cool idea.This book also touches on issues of modelling (scale, painting, basing and so on) and has a center section of nice photos of the differing eras warfare and skirmish. This book is not meant to be a stand alone product i don't believe. It is one author's offering of a lifetime of experience in this hobby to newcomers. (Mr Thomas published "Ancient & Medieval Wargamming" in Feb2008, i assume it further deals with the "Ancient" era which is handled with a rather broad brush in this book)Is this a stand alone book? Maybe not. But a very good intoduction to the hobby? Definetly yes.

This book is a colorful, readable overview of figure wargaming across the range of available wargame periods, from ancient battles of Greeks or Romans to the most modern battles. There are examples of different army organizations and uniforms. The sample rules for each period are easily used, although should the reader decide to seriously pursue the hobby, he will want to find more sophisticated rules designed for his particular period. The photographs illustrate figures from the various periods and show various wargames in progress. Great for youth readers and people who are just curious about this special hobby.

This book has filled a gap which has been felt in wargaming for three decades. It provides, in one affordable volume, a comprehensive introduction for newcomers. At the same time it provides a simple, enjoyable playing mechanism for longer standing wargamers who want to escape from the complexity of most current rule sets. It can be read by someone with no idea what wargaming might be about or by somebody who knows all too much and would like to get back to wargaming as a game.The book covers concisely, but clearly, what wargaming is and where it comes from. It then takes almost recognised period of warfare, from biblical times to modern, mechanised wars and, building on the same underlying mechanisms, explains how to represent typical armies using model figures and simple terrain features on a table top and how to "fight" battles using a simple set of rules. Each period has its own unique features and so it sown variants on the rules, but all share a common approach. The rules are so simple that those for Napoleonic battles are only five pages.Many gamers seem to have taken up the rules as their preferred choice. Others have adapted them, to cover periods not included or to include additional features. Others will find the book a route into the rich world of simulated warfare. Most, including myself, will find a great deal of fun.

This is a typical Neil Thomas publication invite. It is his first in a series of books on wargaming to the best of my knowledge. Periods from ancient through awesome musket, right up to World War II and has a set of similar Mechanic-based rules for each other periods. I was surprised at the complexity of the World War II rules Given that I know his system from old.However, readers should be aware that the ancient and mediaeval rules, along with those for the Napoleonic period have been superseded in his subsequent books by those names, which are also widely available and worth a read. The ancient and mediaeval Rules book is particularly good value

Today I received 'Wargaming: An Introduction' by Neil Thomas. Don't be deceived - this is not merely an introduction; it is a veritable bible of wargame rules that should appeal to seasoned grognards as well as newcomers to the hobby. Now I have all five of Thomas's books, and they are a veritable gale of fresh air. Miniature armies which tended to languish in their drawers for want of decent rules to play by are now emerging, blinking in the light, to set upon each other in bloodless combat, commanded by family members who would have otherwise have been deterred by more complex rule sets. Between the five books, all periods from Biblical to WW2 are covered, and I can even see opportunities to incorporate our 6mm fantasy armies of Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs and Goblins, with some magic thrown in.

I initially bought a copy of this book because it was a cheap used copy and I liked the cover picture of the Donnington ECW figures (!). The book is interesting to read and the ECW rules are really fun to play. They are fast and very easily remembered. After one or two turns the book no longer needs to be referred to. The rules are well thought out and include subtleties that aid play. We had added some 'improvements' and then abandoned them again as we found Neil Thomas' initial rules were good enough on their own. These are now our rules of choice. Highly recommended.

I found the book a help, not knowing anything about the subject. My only criticism is the terminology in ancient war gaming, bows are not fired, they are loosed and the same goes for javelins etc. Weapons were not fired until the use of gunpowder and that term would not apply to that period. As a toxopholist I and many archers find use of the term fire applied to archery irritating. The command was nock draw loose, but other than that the book gave me an insight to the hobby. As regards criticism of the rules, he does state that they are the rules he uses and they are only a guide, it is up to the individual to adapt as suits. All in all, a good book for the newcomer.