I wrote the second entry for this blog on 19th September 2008, and its topic was the recent re-publication of Donald Featherstone's WAR GAMES by John Curry. It spurred me to write a set of wargame rules entitled RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED, and most of the blog entries I wrote during that September were about the rules and the play-tests that I ran to test them.
Donald Featherstone's death has made me look back at those rules ... and doing that has helped me to realise how much I enjoyed using them. I know that quite a few wargamers are planning to fight battles using Don's rules as a tribute to him. I have decided that my tribute will be to fight a battle using my RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED wargames rules.
It may be some days before I can set up my battle, so in the meantime here are some of the photographs I used to illustrate the blog entries I wrote about the RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED play-tests.
Play-test 1
Play-test 2
Play-test 3
Play-test 4
Play-test 5
Looking at these photographs has reminded me of how much fun I had play-testing the rules ... and I hope that my tribute wargame will be just as good. If it is, it will serve as a great personal memorial to everything Donald Featherstone did for my development as a wargamer.
Donald Featherstone's death has made me look back at those rules ... and doing that has helped me to realise how much I enjoyed using them. I know that quite a few wargamers are planning to fight battles using Don's rules as a tribute to him. I have decided that my tribute will be to fight a battle using my RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED wargames rules.
It may be some days before I can set up my battle, so in the meantime here are some of the photographs I used to illustrate the blog entries I wrote about the RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED play-tests.
Play-test 1
Play-test 2
Play-test 3
Play-test 4
Play-test 5
Looking at these photographs has reminded me of how much fun I had play-testing the rules ... and I hope that my tribute wargame will be just as good. If it is, it will serve as a great personal memorial to everything Donald Featherstone did for my development as a wargamer.
Glorious pics, sir! While I never had the honor of meeting Mr. Featherstone, I have one or two of his later books around here. I am sure he is most pleased at your exertions, from his perch at the Wargame Central (where one plays against the real characters from history).
ReplyDeleteThe stone walls and barbed wire, praytell from they come?
From whence they come, it should say.
ReplyDeleteJustin Penwith,
ReplyDeleteI understand that Donald Featherstone told John Curry that he liked what I had done with the rules ... and I must admit that it felt like it was a tremendous accolade, coming as it did from such a great man.
All the best,
Bob
Justin Penwith,
ReplyDeleteThe barbed wire came from Games Workshop and the walls are from Hovels.
All the best,
Bob
Played the Lionel Tarr rules for many years and still consider them a classic.
ReplyDeleteWill McNally,
ReplyDeleteI have also used the rules, and they are excellent.
It was photographs of Lionel Tarr's Russian campaign battles that first interested me in wargaming the Great Patriotic War/Eastern Front.
All the best,
Bob
Great idea to replay the rules in honor of Donald Featherstone.
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDeleteIt seemed appropriate in the circumstances.
All the best,
Bob
A great way to memorialize Don, Bob!
ReplyDeleteThe Dancing Cake Tin,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am looking forward to fighting this memorial battle sometime over the next few days.
All the best,
Bob