Wargaming is unusual in that it has no unified set of rules within any given period whereas most contests and games such as chess do have the. Wargaming, as we understand it, is a newcomer and I feel that in time unified rules will come. This article examines some of the needs, objections and problems wits rules. I take the view that a wargame is a struggle between two (or more) commanders with a secondary but important aim of producing a realistic and practicable approximation of a real battle. Solo players probably have my secondary aim as their main one. Obviously, players expect to enjoy it, but remember that people have differing temperaments and enjoy different things. The rules have to provide: 1. Scope for tactical initiative and control. 2. Realistic limitations on action. 3. A framework of rules which, in action, produce a reasonably good simulation of a battle of the period. It is in this section that the problems mainly occur. With reasonable experience of writing rules, I defy anyone to produce a set of rules which are truly realistic. Claims to the contrary rarely match the facts. The difficulty over a general set of rules is two-fold. First, no set of rules is perfect, nor even near-perfect and, second the different temperamerts of rulsmakers inevitably arouse different aims in their rules. Either you can emphasize accuracy and precision or you can stress freedom from restriction (called fun wargames by their supporters, but the precision types enjoy it just as much). This second problem is the major objection to unified rules. Personally, I think, in the long run improved precision rules will triumph. Unified rules are mainly used for conventions at present although their general use would enable battle reports to be better understood and when meeting other wargamers it would not be necessary to learn new rules. However it is the conventions that need unified rules because unless one club establishes a monopoly we can expect rules to change yearly at some cost to competitors and trouble to organisers and umpires. In addition, a poor set of rules causes complaints. In some periods I think that we shall see a continuation of generally accepted rules from one Convention to the next thus establishing unified rules. However when a club which possesses and sells it's own rules wins at a Convention continuity will be lost. I should like comments on the proposition that what is really needed is an agreement by clubs competing in Conventions on a standard set of rules, subject to amendment but not replacement. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 99 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1970 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com