Description

Subtitle: Being In The Main a Preoccupation For The Better Sort of Chap, & Making Full Use of Classic Toy Soldiers (Which The Pedants Call "54mm")

Publisher's description:

Written in part as a tribute to HG Wells ground breaking Little Wars , FLW is a much expanded and broadened modernization. There is a fascinating chapter devoted to Wells the Man and his journey with his "Little Wars" from inception to the day in 1916 when he put the game away for good. For fans of Wells' work, The Padre may surprise you with information you did not know, or could even guess.

Retaining many of Wells' original rules (such as the use of spring-loaded toy cannon), there are now additional rules for Shell Bursts, machine guns, observation balloons and aircraft, field hospitals, supply wagons and dumps, spies, military bands, unit Colors and Standards, Brigade up to Division Commands, hidden movement, skirmishers, snipers, unpredictable effects of terrain, signals, morale, and much more.

Infantry units are a standard 20 figures strong, Cavalry 12, and Artillery can appear as single Guns with crews, or as Batteries of up to three strong. From two to four such units, with a Battery, typically form a Brigade, the perfect command for each Player. Two or more Brigades form a Division, and this is the post for the Player who will act as Commanding Officer for his side.

Each Brigade and the Divisional HQ is represented by a variable number of Staff and ADC's, marching on foot, mounted on prancing steeds, or even seated in Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Renault, or other grand Staff Cars from the Golden Age of Motoring. From these HQ's must come the orders to the units on the firing line, but the traffic isn't all one way! Back to the Brigadiers and the Commanding General, come the reports of the scouts--and the desperate messages from the front lines delivered by Runners, Gallopers, and even Pigeons! There is far more skill than luck required to lead your miniature minions to victory, and the rules provide this without complicated systems. In many respects, there is far less abstraction in Funny Little Wars in the spaces of your garden than there is on the traditional table top.

While designed for yard games, the rules can be played on the floor or table top. Figures used can range from antique and modern "Collectibles," to readily available plastics. Included are detailed lists for 14 different Armies identified by their "Colors," ("Army Red," "Army Black," "Army Red/Gold," etc) with complete information on how to build your favorites. Each Army has its unique strengths and weaknesses, and a personality which will definitely suggest its historical counterpart.

Much as Wells' rules did, FLW covers the quarter century prior to WW I, when war was still romantic, the uniforms were dashing, and the Generals still waltzed. This is the very era that gave birth to the Military Pentathalon, and a player may find himself having to excel in one or more of its challenges to deliver a crucial dispatch! Padre Paul's rules reflect the late Victorian and Edwardian spirit in both the substance of the rules and the delightful style of his writing. Designed for "The Better Sort of Chap," the book contains suggestions for proper Dress during the game, etiquette on the field, and more. Nor are the Ladies and "Girls of the better sort" forgotten. The Padre's Wife, Georgina, provides a charming account of a "proper dinner" served after an especially Gentlemanly game at Dover Castle one recent Summer.

Not only are there the Basic Rules, but many Optional Rules allowing players to set their own levels of play. There are lists of providers of toy soldiers in every price range, as well as all manner of accessories, and recommendations on how to shop inexpensively on the Internet for those items you will not find so readily in the stores. Sections describe how to set up a yard, park, rockery, beach, or other site to be your Battlefield. For once, you WILL have room to perform that wide flanking maneuver! Light Cavalry and Infantry come into their own, screening your forces while trying to detect your enemy's. Once more, War Gaming is as much fun as when any of us discovered the hobby, no matter how many years--or decades!--ago.

Rules for basing figures are flexible and encourage players to work with what is best for their needs. And while comprehensive, there are no complex rules or formulae, and nothing more than traditional six-sided dice are required--besides measuring tapes and a beautiful day under the shade of the trees. Childlike, but never "Childish," FLW goes back to the Hobby's roots, and even our own as we play once more with the toy soldiers so many us first had as kids.