Generalship:

The American War Rules
for Amer. Rev to ACW

Reviewed by A. Coughlin

by Jim Arnold

I am always wary at the sight of a set of rules that purports to cover a wide span of time. Usually they turn out to be either very general or so specific that they become unworkable. Jim Arnold, however, appears to have written a set that not only works but more importantly is both fun and reasonably accurate.

"GENERALSHIP: The American Wars" provides the beginner or the jaded veteran with a set of rules that gives the player a fast-moving, playable game, which captures the flavor of the wars that established America. To say they are historically accurate may be stretching the bounds of credibility a bit but the attempt is there and it is admirable.

The rules are divided into two major parts: the basic rules which give the procedures for all periods covered and the specific rules or modifications that apply to the four wars covered, namely the Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican, and Civil Wars.

The rules are of great value to the beginner as Mr. Arnold has illustrated the various procedures with numerous, clear examples of play. Other rules' authors would do well to be as generous.

Figure scale is given at one per fifty (50) men. Foot troops occupy a frontage of 5/8ths" per casting, one inch (1") per horse, and two inches (2") per artillery battery (one model). As this is a size common to many other sets, the newcomer to these rules can begin almost immediately. Even if one's figures are based somewhat differently, it should have little impact since the rules play well, providing the figures on both sides have common base sizes or frontages.

Firing, morale, melee, and movement, the basic functions of any rules are simple, almost too simple.

It reminds me of some of the sets I played with in the halcyon days of my early wargaming almost twenty years ago. That is perhaps the weakest point of these rules. For the experienced gamer, this could become a tedious exercise in throwing dice and trusting to luck.

What sets these apart however is a rather interesting and almost unique aspect of GENERALSHIP - command and control. The author presents certain realistic restrictions on the ability of the commander to influence the actions of his maneuver elements (ME). The commander is assigned a rating to limit what he can accomplish in a single turn. This is done by giving the maneuver element (which by the way can range from a regiment to brigade depending on the period) "game length orders "that define its actions for the duration. Should the commander wish to modify these orders he must expend a number of "command points", often more than he has available that turn. The result can be a unit finding itself between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Thus, the telepathic hero is put in a more compromising and realistic position.

In summary, I for one would be happy to recommend these rules to both the veteran and novice player alike. They give a welcome change to the ever more complex rules that seem to be generated on both sides of the Atlantic these days. If you want a nice balance between playability and realism you can hardly afford not to pick up a set of these rules. I enjoyed them and I am sure you will too. The rules are available from HISTORY I N MINIATURE, P.O. Box 58517, Philadelphia, PA 19102. The cost is $12 postpaid.

The Reviewing Stand

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