Some Classic ACW Wargaming

[Golgotha]

So I decided to have a blast from the past and dust off the old Airfix ACW rules and minis.

The Union commander before battle



A peek through the woods



the victorious Union commander



..and they road South to victory



the doomed Confederate cavalry throw the day away



after seeing off the rebel cavalry the Union mounted slam into the flank of the Confederate artillery



Confederate infantry now left to their fate



Overview of the table



A short and virtualy bloodless battle which as the Confederate I lost - odd given it was a solo game.
There really is something magical about old rules and minis - I am not sure why? It must be all the fond memories... It also feels somehow more historical...
 

[Harry Faversham]

I've got Airfix/Atlantic/Spencer Smith figures that are over forty years old and still march over my wargames table on a regular basis... Veterans in every sense.

[Colonel Tubby]

I remember checking that book out of our local library in the '80s - a few months later when I went looking for them again they had gone 'missing'!

How do they stand up in playability against more modern rules?

[johnl5555]

Very cool! I also have Airfix, Atlantic and Imex troopers in my armies as well as Revell, Italeri and 20mm metal. Field of Battle are my rules of choice. Love the period and my plastics.Some are 40years old.

Thanks,

John

[Harry Faversham]

Veterans in every sense...

[Golgotha]

Very veteran Harry - great to see a river crossing - the river itself looks interesting too - how did you do it?

Hey John some of my veterans are in reality green new recruits given that they are likewise more recent renditions...

Col. Tubby in terms of rules it seems to me that the more that changes the more that stays the same, there are only so many ways to deal with the mechanics of movement and fire etc. so the majority of wargame rules have a certain commonality. These rules however do seem to feel more historical as they go into detail with regards to scale and range as well as time so tad more detailed indeed much of the book is dedicated to this sort of thing. I guess the rules are thus less obscure then many newer sets when it comes to recreating scale and time. While my game here was quick they will generally not play out as quickly or for that matter as smoothly as more modern rule sets. I realise this hardly answers your question but I would suggest to all wargamers young and old alike to revisit older sets of rules like this. I am growing increasingly annoyed with how seasonal and or fashionable rules are becoming you just paint up some figures for one set and a few games later everyone is playing something else...

[Harry Faversham]

Very veteran Harry - great to see a river crossing - the river itself looks interesting too - how did you do it?

My Wargame Emporium operates on the KISS principle! No fancy road and river sections cluttering the place up. The rivers and roads are model railway flock, sucked up after the game with one of them little vacuum cleaner thingys, that way it's re-usable...

[Harry Faversham]

Oops sorry... same piccy twice!