And a Good Time
Was Had By All

UK Wargaming: Introduction

Review by Wally Simon

In mid-October, General Simon and son visited Tom Elsworth in England for 3 weeks. World Airways flew the world travelers to Gatwick Airport, and, after the usual delays, they met Tom and were wafted to his new house in Eynsham (pronounced "ayne shim"), some 5 miles from Oxford.

Tom's 'new' house was built in the mid 1700's with stone walls some 3 feet thick, permitting the building to act as a heat reservoir in summer and a refrigerator in winter. Indeed, it stored the October cold most efficiently, with the coldest part of the house being what I termed the 'Privy room'.

Bathroom facilities are divided, in good 18th century fashion, in two: the 'privy room', containing only a toilet, and the 'bath' room, containing, most appropriately, a bath and sink.

The prevailing temperature of the 'privy room' (the dimensions of which, incidentally, will just about accommodate a 15mm figure) seemed about minus 20, and when one sat down to perform a natural function, the last 3 feet of one's intestine froze solid, making the affair a most painful one. When one emerged from the privy room, one dared not to sit down, lest one's bottom, now blue and frozen, would shatter and do irreparable damage to the furniture.

But Tom and his wife Gilly have hearts of gold, and the warmth of their personalities more than made up for the Eyn-sham arctic air.

And as for gaming... lots of gaming. We started off with Simon's home brew Napoleonics; 2 scenarios using Tom's 30mm figures, mounted primarily for use with Column, Line & Square rules. The Simon rules were developed for use with single mounted figures and, happily, proved quite adaptable with stands of multiple mounted castings.

More And a Good Time Was Had By All

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