The E.C.W. is the latest in the IRREGULAR MINIATURES RULE BOX series, covering the periods from late medieval to Marlborough. The rules also allow the Jacobite Rebellions and Clive's Adventures in India to be played.

I was involved in the play-testing for the first set in the series, the Napoleonic Rule Box. Prior to getting involved with the rules I'd been wargaming for some twenty years and had but one solitary 20mm Napoleonic figure. After my first game commanding five brigades of French infantry I discarded my inverse snobbery and now have a series of Napoleonic armies including French, British, Russian and Austrian as well as my ubiquitous Turks.

So I think this series of rules is very good, designed to be played rather than just discussed. They are the logical progression from the old "back of a postcard" set of rules - these being a series of backs of postcards. The rules are printed on one side of the card, whilst examples of the rules adjudicating situations are given on the reverse. The cards are placed in order, and when used placed at the bottom of the pile. When the move has ended the first card will be in place to start the next move.

The rules allow for fast-play using lots of figures and lots of units. They do away with time-consuming record keeping, but also allow for the fact that many of us use bases of figures and don't actually remove casualties. The idea is to use a counter or marker or a "dead" figure to mark the units condition.

For those brought up on volumes of rules, covering every possibility these may seem simple. They are, but they are not simplistic. The idea is to cover the basic situations which wargamers are likely to encounter during their games ; the outcome of esoteric and less probable circumstances are left for common sense and experience to decide. The author also offers to give advise and\or explanations during office hours.

I know that the author, Ian Kay of IRREGULAR MINIATURES uses these rules for his own games, and is always interested in tuning and perfecting them. He has even issued a free newsletter with updates, modifications and tips.

The last set of fast-play rules I saw were only fast and simple because such vital elements as morale had been discarded. These contain all the essentials for a fast but also enjoyable game, capable of being played to a reasonable conclusion.

Different gamers expect different things from a set of rules, but I think most wargamers would gain from owning, reading and playing with these. The dedicated Napoleonic gamer should of course be looking at the earlier releases and specifically the Napoleonic Box of Rules.

Well worth the money and very enjoyable.

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