THE WARGAME PORTABLE PIKE & SHOT
◗ Bob Cordery (ed.) ◗ Eglinton Books (2020) ◗ £14.99 ◗ 118 pages (softback) ◗ ISBN:9798567708903 ◗ available via Amazon
(Reviewer’s Note: This is a book of wargame rules, which I have read but only indirectly playtested via a couple of games using the author’s earlier Portable Napoleonic Rules. The core concepts are very similar).
I think this might best be described as ‘Donald Featherstone Plus’: a good oldfashioned non-glossy compendium of rules that are clearly written and contain many nuggets, but don’t always seem logical (anyone remember the guardsmen in the delightful Featherstone‘wargames’ book, with their ability to kill five men from a four-man volley?). However, the great strength of this latest offering from Bob Cordery is the contributions from various authors in terms of‘variations on a theme’, showing how an initial core set of rules can be adapted or even improved. This makes a very pleasant change for those wanting to pick ideas and see an honest exchange of views, respectfully put.
The major contributor is in fact MW’S own Arthur Harman, with other contributions by Bob plus Antoine Bourguilleau (who cheerfully states he has the highest wargames defeats ratio that side of the Channel – at last
I’ve found a fellow wargamer .... ) and Alan Saunders. There is an introductory chapter on the period – useful for beginners in highlighting the key differences of troop types, equipments, tactics, and even siege warfare. The next few chapters offer several variations on the core rules, including a Sengoku (Samurai) version. More chapters describe specific aspects – siege warfare, pre-battle systems, a card-driven unit activation system, and a way of recording losses through unit flags. There is an amusing tongue-in-cheek adaptation to allow a ‘wargame’ model recreation of a Reenactment Societies’ field event, complete with personality descriptions and rivalries. Finally, there is a scenario for the battle of Sedgemoor (1685), plus an appendix listing the major wars of the period, and a bibliography. There are a few colour photos of figures plus some handy sketch maps of terrain layouts.
I’d say the rules are clear, in part because they are simple (D-6 or D-average; plus and minus factors; simple gridded movement, etc). I have to confess that – on the basis of only a couple of playtests of the Napoleonic version – they are not exactly my cup of tea. For example, the varied rulesets often take no account of losses, so units fight at the same effectiveness even when they’ve lost 3 out of 4 Strength Points; morale only impinges at Army Exhaustion Level. Zones of control are limited, allowing units to nip in and out of contact perhaps a little too easily? Alan’s chapter, which presents his ruleset to reflect his own caveats on the core rules, is a welcome reminder that rules are best used for guidance, and a tribute to Bob’s self-effacing style of allowing open comment.
These matters notwithstanding, I would recommend this book particularly for its breadth of coverage. As it happens, three of your reviewers (Arthur, Martin and I) live within a few miles of each other and – Covid permitting! – play friendly, informed and challenging games across many periods. Bob’s rule concepts have played a major part in developing our own two-page rulesets, as indeed have Dave Tuck’s articles in MW. Hopefully you too may gain inspiration from reading, and possibly adapting, this latest addition.
Chris Jarvis