Castle Cracker is a set of free wargames rules for backyard games in the ancient and medieval eras.
The Miniature Wargaming Editor
Legends of Old Mars LotR LotOW Variant
Legends of Old Mars is a Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom variant of Games Workshop’s Lord of the Rings / Legends of the Old West game. I think that system is perfect for playing games involving John Carter, Tars Tarkas and the other denizens of Burrough’s Barsoom.
A History of Warfare By John Keegan
It’s an ambitious title, but military historian John Keegan is up to the task. In A History of Warfare, Keegan analyzes the role of warfare in society, and the progression of war through four “ages” which he characterizes as “stone, flesh, iron and fire.” Most interesting is that Keegan refutes von Clausewitz’s contention in “On War” that war is simply an extension of national policy. While this is not a book about any particular war or battle, the thoughtful wargamer will find this interesting for the ideas and questions it poses.
Making Town Scatter Terrain
Here’s a nice video on making a bulletin board feature for your fantasy town settings. It’s nice because it blocks line of sight in skirmish games across a fairly wide swath. The techniques used here can be applied to other pieces.
Stillwell and the American Experience In China by Barbara Tuchman
Historian Barbara Tuchman won her second Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for Stillwell and The American Experience In China My copy is a first edition hardback, but this great book fortunately is still available in paperback. Using “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell as the catalyst, Tuchman examines thirty years of US policy in China: from the end fo the Manchu Dynasty to Mao Tse-Tung. The book offers insight to a number of military operations, from the Chinese Warlords of the 1920s to the Pacific War of the 1940s. If the movie “The Sand Pebbles” has ever caught your imagination, this book is sure to do the same.
