Tabletop Wargames

Author : Rick Priestley,John Lambshead
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2016-11-30
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781473890084

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Tabletop Wargames: A Designers’ and Writers’ Handbook by Rick Priestley,John Lambshead Pdf

Unlike chess or backgammon, tabletop wargames have no single, accepted set of rules. Most wargamers at some point have had a go at writing their own rules and virtually all have modified commercially available sets to better suit their idea of the ideal game or to adapt favourite rules to a different historical period or setting. But many who try soon find that writing a coherent set of rules is harder than they thought, while tweaking one part of an existing set can often have unforeseen consequences for the game as a whole. Now, at last, help is at hand. Veteran gamer and rules writer John Lambshead has teamed up with the legendary Rick Priestley, creator of Games Workshop’s phenomenally successful Warhammer system, to create this essential guide for any would-be wargame designer or tinkerer. Rick and John give excellent advice on deciding what you want from a wargame and balancing ‘realism’ (be it in a historical or a fantasy/sci-fi context) with playability. They discuss the relative merits of various mechanisms (cards, dice, tables) then discuss how to select and combine these to handle the various essential game elements of turn sequences, combat resolution, morale etc to create a rewarding and playable game that suits your tastes and requirements

Author : Neil Thomas
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2014-09-03
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781473840935

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One-Hour Wargames by Neil Thomas Pdf

A fun and practical new approach to wargaming that lets you complete a game in about an hour—includes rule sets and scenarios for most popular periods. One of the biggest problems facing wargamers is finding the time to actually play. Most commercially available games require several hours to set up and see to a conclusion; some can even take a whole day or weekend to complete. Apart from time, lack of space can also keep wargamers from enjoying their favorite pastime. In One-hour Wargames, veteran gamer and rule-writer Neil Thomas has addressed both problems. Now it is practical to play a satisfying game in around an hour on a normal dining table or living room floor. The book contains 8 all-new sets of very simple rules for various periods—from Ancient to WW2—and thirty stimulating scenarios which can be played using any of them. All the rules and scenarios are intended to be played on a 3ft x 3ft battlefield. The rules only require a small number of miniatures, so this really is an ideal way for new gamers, or veterans trying a new period, to get started with minimal investment of time and money. Also ideal for a quick game in the evening with a friend. Also included are sections on campaigns and solo games.

Author : Rick Priestley,John Lambshead
Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2016-11-30
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781473890091

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Tabletop Wargames: A Designers’ and Writers’ Handbook by Rick Priestley,John Lambshead Pdf

Unlike chess or backgammon, tabletop wargames have no single, accepted set of rules. Most wargamers at some point have had a go at writing their own rules and virtually all have modified commercially available sets to better suit their idea of the ideal game or to adapt favourite rules to a different historical period or setting. But many who try soon find that writing a coherent set of rules is harder than they thought, while tweaking one part of an existing set can often have unforeseen consequences for the game as a whole. Now, at last, help is at hand. Veteran gamer and rules writer John Lambshead has teamed up with the legendary Rick Priestley, creator of Games Workshop’s phenomenally successful Warhammer system, to create this essential guide for any would-be wargame designer or tinkerer. Rick and John give excellent advice on deciding what you want from a wargame and balancing ‘realism’ (be it in a historical or a fantasy/sci-fi context) with playability. They discuss the relative merits of various mechanisms (cards, dice, tables) then discuss how to select and combine these to handle the various essential game elements of turn sequences, combat resolution, morale etc to create a rewarding and playable game that suits your tastes and requirements

Author : John Lambshead
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 135 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2018-09-30
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781526700063

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One-hour Skirmish Wargames by John Lambshead Pdf

Many wargamers enjoy the challenge of skirmish games where, instead of the strategy of vast armies portrayed by traditional wargames, the focus is on the tactics of a small unit. However, skirmish rules are often so complex that it can take hours of rolling dice, consulting tables and recording data to recreate what would in reality be a fast and furious firefight lasting just minutes. Now these new rules make it possible to recapture the speed and intensity of these actions where every man, and every second, counts. The basic rules are supported by sections which give special rules and scenarios to capture the flavor of a range of different periods, from Napoleonic to Modern Warfare and beyond with Sci-Fi. From the 95th Rifles scouting for Wellington, Western gunfights and WWI trench raids, through WW2 parachute assaults or Special Forces strikes in Afghanistan, or even Space Marines storming a space station, Squad Firefights elegantly simple system allows you to focus on proper tactical decisions rather than rolling buckets of dice or calculating masses of modifiers.

Author : Iain Dickie
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2010-07-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781844689453

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Wargaming on a Budget by Iain Dickie Pdf

Wargaming can be a very expensive hobby, but it needn't be. Iain Dickie, one of the best-known names in the hobby shares dozens of hints and tips on how to cut the cost of your gaming and get 'more bang for your buck'. He offers sound practical advice on buying and building your armies (should you opt for metal, plastic, or even card, and in which scale?), gaming tables, terrain, buildings and even storage solutions. As well as purely financial constraints, Iain Dickie also recognizes the fact that available space is another major restriction for many gamers and tackles this issue too. Now you've got no excuse not to get wargaming!

Author : H. G. Wells
Publisher : Lindhardt og Ringhof
Page : 20 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2022-03-02
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9788726596564

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Little Wars by H. G. Wells Pdf

Despite being a pacifist, Wells masterfully explains and gathers all the prerequisites for waging a war... with toy soldiers. ‘Little Wars’ can be said to be the original instruction manual for how to run a tabletop battle. Satire and pacifist views blend in this narrative that expresses Wells' idea that wars should be waged on the dining room floor rather than among the corpse-ridden trenches of Europe. The book’s influence on modern warfare manuals and board games is indisputable, as tabletop conflicts are conducted to this day. Wells portrays the harrowing nature of war, but his humour ensures the book remains an entertaining read. The whimsical writing and stunning sketches create a book that should be read by all fans of tabletop war games. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) was a celebrated English writer, remembered mostly for his science fiction works. Often described as a futurist, H. G. Wells’ influence cannot be overstated for his works foresaw many technological innovations such as space travel, the atomic bomb, and the Internet. A four-time Nobel Prize in Literature nominee, Wells explored a wide array of themes in his works, from religion to social criticism and beyond. Some of his best works include the time-travel novel ‘The Time Machine’, the sci-fi adventure novel ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’, and the mankind-versus-aliens novel ‘The War of the Worlds’. Wells occupies one of the central seats in the canon of science-fiction literature and his writing inspired other celebrated authors such as Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick. Wells’ stories are still widely read to this day and have had numerous cinematic adaptations including ‘The Invisible Man’ starring Elisabeth Moss.

Author : Ash Barker
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 113 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2020-11-26
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781472837738

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Gamma Wolves by Ash Barker Pdf

In the blasted, radiation-scorched, wastelands of the Earth's surface, towering mecha do battle, defending the interests of one of the few remaining arcology governments, providing security for wilderness outposts, or seeking out loot and supplies as a mercenary company. With detailed rules for designing and customizing your mecha, from size and propulsion type to payload and pilot skills, and a campaign system that allows pilots to gain experience and skills as they patrol the shattered Earth, Gamma Wolves is a fast-playing game of post-apocalyptic mecha warfare.

Author : Joseph A. McCullough
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2021-11-11
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781472844866

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The Silver Bayonet by Joseph A. McCullough Pdf

As the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures – vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better... The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing through a series of interlinked adventures with their soldiers gaining experience and suffering grievous wounds, and their units triumphing... or falling in the face of the shadows. It is a game of action and adventure, where musket and sabre meet tooth and claw.

Author : Paul Davies
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2015-05-30
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN : 9781781592748

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Battlefields in Miniature by Paul Davies Pdf

Like a good general, a good wargamer should have an eye for the ground. Just as the nature of the battlefield plays a central role in real warfare, so miniature wargames are greatly enhanced by realistic terrain. Besides, when you've spent hundreds of hours collecting and painting your miniature armies, they surely deserve ground worth fighting for. Master terrain modeller Paul Davies takes the reader through the process of creating a visually appealing yet practical terrain system. First the techniques of making the basic landscape are explained, then a series of projects show how this can be adapted to suit different periods or geographic locations (eg European farmland or Sudanese desert). There are then detailed chapters on adding vegetation, buildings, roadways, trench systems etc. The clear, step-by-step instructions are clearly illustrated by numerous specially-taken photographs of the work in progress and Paul's inspirational finished pieces.

Author : Philip Hammond,Holger Pötzsch
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2019-12-12
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781501351174

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War Games by Philip Hammond,Holger Pötzsch Pdf

Many of today's most commercially successful videogames, from Call of Duty to Company of Heroes, are war-themed titles that play out in what are framed as authentic real-world settings inspired by recent news headlines or drawn from history. While such games are marketed as authentic representations of war, they often provide a selective form of realism that eschews problematic, yet salient aspects of war. In addition, changes in the way Western states wage and frame actual wars makes contemporary conflicts increasingly resemble videogames when perceived from the vantage point of Western audiences. This interdisciplinary volume brings together scholars from games studies, media and cultural studies, politics and international relations, and related fields to examine the complex relationships between military-themed videogames and real-world conflict, and to consider how videogames might deal with history, memory, and conflict in alternative ways. It asks: What is the role of videogames in the formation and negotiation of cultural memory of past wars? How do game narratives and designs position the gaming subject in relation to history, war and militarism? And how far do critical, anti-war/peace games offer an alternative or challenge to mainstream commercial titles?

Author : Nicolae Sfetcu
Publisher : Nicolae Sfetcu
Page : 825 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2014-05-04
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Game Preview by Nicolae Sfetcu Pdf

A guide for game preview and rules: history, definitions, classification, theory, video game consoles, cheating, links, etc. While many different subdivisions have been proposed, anthropologists classify games under three major headings, and have drawn some conclusions as to the social bases that each sort of game requires. They divide games broadly into, games of pure skill, such as hopscotch and target shooting; games of pure strategy, such as checkers, go, or tic-tac-toe; and games of chance, such as craps and snakes and ladders. A guide for game preview and rules: history, definitions, classification, theory, video game consoles, cheating, links, etc.

Author : Jonna Eagle
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Page : 197 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2019-11-15
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780813598918

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War Games by Jonna Eagle Pdf

"War Games surveys the contemporary terrain of simulated war experience and locates this experience within the broader history of war and media. Organized around three modes of war representation--live, screen-based, and interactive--this book provides an overview of the nature, function, and appeal of war games. The first chapter on live war games discusses activities such as chess, football, and battle re-enactments. The second chapter looks at the simulated, intense gaze via movies such as Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker, and American Sniper. The final chapter considers the role of video games and other interactive technologies, such as Doom, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, and other simulated war experiences via helmet cams and drone warfare. In approaching these conceptual categories, Jonna Eagle highlights key tensions in the relationship of media and war and allows for an emphasis on both the historical evolution of the simulated war experience and the continuity of issues and impulses across this evolution"--

Author : Donald F. Featherstone
Publisher : Frederick Warne
Page : 202 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 1973
Category : Art
ISBN : UVA:X000311522

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Solo-wargaming by Donald F. Featherstone Pdf

Author : Joseph McGuire
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2019-08-22
Category : Games & Activities
ISBN : 9781472826633

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Reality's Edge by Joseph McGuire Pdf

Hyper-reality. The area between the thriving mass of humanity known as the Sprawl and the digital refuge of Cyberspace. This is your playground. As a Showrunner, you can see and manipulate the flow of digital data through the real world – for you, reality is limitless. Welcome to Reality's Edge, a skirmish wargame set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, where players take on the roles of Showrunners – mercenary hackers who lead small teams of trusted operatives and disposable freelancers. Funded by shadow backers, the Showrunners accept jobs from faceless clients for profit, glory, and better chrome... always better chrome. Battles take place in the concrete jungle known as the Sprawl, but Showrunners must remain wary of the threat posed by Cyberspace. Hacking is pivotal to the game, with data nodes, robots, machines, and even enemy chrome presenting potential targets for a cunning Console Cowboy. In an ongoing campaign, each skirmish offers you the opportunity to earn experience and equipment, from advanced weaponry and synthetics to cyber-implants, biological enhancements, clones, and much more. This is a world obsessed with whether something can be done, not whether it should.

Author : Jon Saklofske,Alyssa Arbuckle,Jon Bath
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2019-12-10
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781000751208

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Feminist War Games? by Jon Saklofske,Alyssa Arbuckle,Jon Bath Pdf

Feminist War Games? explores the critical intersections and collisions between feminist values and perceptions of war, by asking whether feminist values can be asserted as interventional approaches to the design, play, and analysis of games that focus on armed conflict and economies of violence. Focusing on the ways that games, both digital and table-top, can function as narratives, arguments, methods, and instruments of research, the volume demonstrates the impact of computing technologies on our perceptions, ideologies, and actions. Exploring the compatibility between feminist values and systems of war through games is a unique way to pose destabilizing questions, solutions, and approaches; to prototype alternative narratives; and to challenge current idealizations and assumptions. Positing that feminist values can be asserted as a critical method of design, as an ideological design influence, and as a lens that determines how designers and players interact with and within arenas of war, the book addresses the persistence and brutality of war and issues surrounding violence in games, whilst also considering the place and purpose of video games in our cultural moment. Feminist War Games? is a timely volume that questions the often-toxic nature of online and gaming cultures. As such, the book will appeal to a broad variety of disciplinary interests, including sociology, education, psychology, literature, history, politics, game studies, digital humanities, media and cultural studies, and gender studies, as well as those interested in playing, or designing, socially engaged games.