There is no doubt that the time had to come. After many fits and starts of trying to write articles for MWAN over the past twelve years (hard to believe) I am finally going to have to call it quits. The bottom line is that I simply am not finding time to think about the hobby any more, to say nothing of not finding time or opportunity to paint figures or game with the figures I have. No doubt I will continue to manage a quick game of some sort from time to time but for a long time now there have been months between one game and the next--hardly a fertile field for reflections on the rules or witty battle reports. I do want to thank all the many people who have read my column and have contacted me over the years and hope that there have been not a few other gamers who have found their enjoyment of the hobby enhanced through some of my proposals or reflections. Some time by I mentioned that I was exploring a new version of some rules with some new figures (actually only a few Italieri were new--the rest were old odds and ends of Revell and Esci that I found lying about and antique Airfix figures given me by some friends). Steven Simpson's Eighteenth Century rules were again my basic starting point--this time for a look at the Battles of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. Let me hasten to point out that all of this anteclated the movie "The Patriot" (which I have not seen). The period and place have always appealed to me because the forces are so small and both sides deploy at least some cavalry (allowing for a more balanced force than the northern campaigns). Last year a friend visited for a weekend and on Saturday we managed to fight Camden, Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse. I had the Americans at Camden and my Continentals were not able to make much impression on the Provincials opposite them, whereas the British regulars, in fine style, routed the American militia that they faced. One assumes that General Gates escaped and that DeKalb died gallantly whilst inspiring his surrounded troops. I drew Tarleton for Cowpens but this game (unlike the first) turned out to be completely unhistorical--poor Morgan was unlucky in every single die roll and Tarleton could do no wrong and the Americans were soundly beaten (do we have to drink tea, then?)! I must say that Guilford Courthouse has always looked like a terrible match-up in theory and when placed on the table-top, but every time I have ever gamed it, it has been a real nail-biter and it was this time as well--a British victory that left hardly any British around to announce the fact (much less celebrate). Also included are versions of "Simpson derived rules" for the British against the Zulus and another for the British fighting the Boers and another (still in the development stage) that is obviously derived from "The Sword and the Flame" which has a similar feel but allows the same set of rules to be used for the British to fight both (handy for fictitious campaigns or for gamers who simply prefer the feel of rules more like TSATF). I am afraid that versions of the first two sets of rules that appeared in earlier issues of MWAN were not clearly written (as several inquiries have made apparent). I hope that these clarifications will help. A perusal of all of these sets of rules will illustrate that I value simplicity and speed of play and rapid resolution (as might be thought reasonable for someone who has little time available for the hobby). This means small numbers (set-up time is important), few charts or modifiers and a minimum of mathematical calculation (or, as I once said at a meeting of Benedictine Novice Masters, "If we are not having fun, why are we doing this?). May you have fun! Monk's Corner Calling It Quits Introduction Simpson's Revolution Rules Zulu Rules First Boer War Rules TSATF Adaption As Per Margin Recap Back to MWAN #114 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com