The History of Wargaming Project

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Recreational Wargaming...Other Early Wargames

Candler Miniature Wargames Cover

John Candler’s (1964) Miniature Wargames Napoleonic Wargaming du temps de Napoleon 26 Sept 2017

by John Candler
Edited by John Curry

Around the time Donald Featherstone published War Games in 1962, the book that was key in launching modern hobby wargames, others were publishing comprehensive sets of rules. This example by John Candler was published in the United States in 1964 and was one of the better known.

The original rules were published in a green ring binder, with 123 pages of detailed rules for a Napoleonic land and sea wargame. They covered all aspects necessary to play a detailed Napoleonic wargame on the tabletop. They were more complex than Featherstone’s rules, but lacked the literary charm of the former. They are published by the History of Wargaming Project in order to preserve an example of early wargaming rules from the dawn of modern wargaming. 

Sections include:

Discussion of the game Mechanics     Rules for movement of infantry, cavalry, artillery

Combat actions     Morale tables     Melee     Prisoner handling

Support services     Naval rules     Guidelines for campaigns

The rules are published by the History of Wargaming Project as part of its work to document the development of wargaming.

 The book is available from Amazon and other online retailers.

Product details:     
     Paperback:
120 pages
     Publisher:
History of Wargaming Project
     ISBN:
978-0-244-92868-1  
     Dimensions (cm):
21.59 wide x 27.94 tall

Supplimentary Materials for John Candler's Miniature Wargames:  see Duke Seifried’s a Life in Wargaming including Duke's Melee (1965) and Jim Getz's Napolonique (1971) for further background information on this game.  

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