Napoleonic Wargaming Paperback – August 3, 2009

Great for the beginner or experienced wargamer! Highly recommend.

What a great little book! The rules herein make a very nice (and even with a little bit of nuance) set of light-weight Napoleonic rules. For those who are interested in the period but have their own favorite ruleset, then the introduction to tactics and history for the period will be welcome reading, as well as the perspective of the Author, and why he does certain things within the rule set. In addition, the army lists will be welcome reading, even if you choose a different ruleset. Thumbs Up for Neil Thomas!

This book gives a really good introduction to wargaming the Napoleonic period for a beginner. It also suggests a simple but effective approach for the more experienced gamer. Simple does not mean less realistic, and all the mechanisms are explained with sound logical reasoning. It is a pity that the (excellent) photos did not bear more relation to the text, but they are inspiring none the less. A real bargain to get straight down to an enjoyable game without the trappings and ramblings of some other sets, which upon closer examination use many of Neil Thomas's ideas and give similar results, but with much more messing about.

I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon in U.K. and they got it to me here in the U.S. quite soon after they received their first shipment.I have read it twice, and am happy to share my thoughts.I should first put my review in context; I happen to quite enjoy the approach Neil Thomas takes to miniatures wargaming. I really like his two previous works, Wargaming: An Introduction; and, Ancient and Medieval Wargaming.If you did not like Thomas's Napeolonic section in Wargaming: An Introduction, these rules are not going to strike you any differently. The rules, and the army lists, are not wildly different from their introductory incarnations, just a bit more developed and period-specific.Thomas seems to me to go much more for a GAME, than for a SIMULATION; that appraoch happens to suit my desires quite well, but I do not begrudge anyone their desire for a more involved treatment. I am pretty sure the purists are going to rip this volume to shreds, but it really is a matter of what your gaming philosophies are.First half of the book: Thomas gives an overview of the Napoleonic wars, and some very nice notes on period strategy and tactics, presented in such a way that even someone new to the period can understand and appreciate them.Second half of the book: Rules, army lists, replay, bibliography, and resources.I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Thomas included a fair-sized section in the middle of the book, just before the actual rules, in which he explains his approaches both to gaming in general, and to specific rules in particular. Some of his rules and interpretations which hadn't sat well with me before, I now better understand and appreciate, as he took the time to share the reasons why he came to implement his decisions.As I have mentioned, I rather like Thomas's attitude and approach to miniatures gaming, so I was predisposed to like this book. Of his three, this is probably my third favorite, but that said, I would, having read it, absolutely buy it again. Would I recommend it to gaming friends? That would depend on the friends, and on their styles of gaming.The photos of miniature figures look wonderful in the book. One of my few complaints, though, about all three of Thomas's books, is that the miniatures photos used in each volume have absolutely nothing to do with his rules; they are not, for example, based as are his units, nor as any of the armies in his lists; they are not deployed as per his examples. In fact, for some, looking at the photos while interpreting rules could actually be confusing. It strikes me as silly to just include photos of pretty miniatures which have no actual relevance or bearing to the rules with which they are presented. The photos would be wonderful to include in a book on painting miniatures, but they do not belong in these rules.I can already hear one of the biggest complaints which will no doubt spring from some Napoleonic gaming veterans: How can one play a Napoleonic miniatures game with only eight units? Yes, each army, consistent with most of Thomas's other rules, has only eight units, and the Old Regime armies may optionally even use only six units. While I enjoy having to make tough decisions about which units to include from those available to each nationality, eight units may not be large enough for most Napoleonic games, and common troop types will always be left out.To summarize: I like Neil Thomas's Napoleonic Wargaming. I like his approach; I even enjoy most of the abstractions he chooses to use. I hope he continues writing rules and stays on the path he has chosen, in terms of concept.Those are my thoughts, just from reading, without having yet played this specific set from Thomas. I would enjoy and appreciate opinions from others as well.If there is any interest I am happy to post any additional thoughts after running through a few games.

A semi-interesting read about Napoleonic wargaming. 160 pages mostly filled with historical information on the Napoleonic wars and the author's philosophy about war gaming. The actual war game rules only consist of 10 pages and are overly simple IMHO. About 10 pages in middle of book pictures of miniature figures.Overall impression is this book is very underwhelming. I was hoping for a well written set of war game rules.

Recomendado. Aunque con la filosofía del autor, un wargame debe se sobre todo jugable, no puedo estar mas de acuerdo, en este caso tal vez el periodo pide por algo mas de elaboración. razón por la que no le doy cinco estrellas

Simple but no simplicistic wargame rules, offer a great way to wargaming napoleonic battles without thousands of miniatures.Great also for experienced wargamers tired of tables, bookkeeping and so on.With this book you fight a napoleonic battles in miniature not the rules themselves......think "how to" and not if "you can".

This is a gem of a book. Something to get you up and running without having to paint masses of figures.There are other books by Neil Thomas which are good also such as an introduction to War gaming.This title sets you up with some basic rulesand a list of Armies and various campaigns.Highly recommended and look forward to other titles.

Again, excellent rules and background information.

Well, to put it shortly, the book is not what it claims to be.Instead of a book on wargaming, it is a book about a simple game that the author has invented. It has not much to do with wargaming in the Napoleonic Age as it is commonly understood.There is no range for artillery. There are no formations. There is no such thing as fog of war or chain of command.You simply try to get your unit past the enemy line and move your unit beyond the enemy side of the board. Your unit disappears into nothingness and your enemy has to dissolve two units.This sort of gaming has nothing to do with battlefield tactics. You may call it a board game that abtracts some core mechanisms of battles instead of simulation a real battle.If you are a wargamer at heart, you will hate this book.