The Straight Shooter of Savo Island – The Life of Vice Admiral Willis Lee Jr. Book Review.

"His career reflects the transitional period between the big gun battlewagons of the First World War and the rise of carrier aviation." Ray Garbee reviews Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., by Paul Stillwell. Check out why Ray finds the book to be "…a good study in leadership…", and why, while ostensibly a guns and battleships guy, Lee refused to wear blinders: "Much as [with] William Halsey recognizing the airplane as the future, Lee recognized the potential for radar to transform his profession."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 1/24/2022

Wargamer - What Tribe Are You? (PDF)

Wargamer -- What Tribe are You? A question for us all. Wouldn't life be easier if we really understood what designers, developers, raters, reviewers and potential opponents really want? The attached PDF is an attempt to sort through the various 'tribes' to which we subscribe. Please have a look and tell us: which tribe are you?

This article written and shared by Tim Smith.

Poster: Mark D.
Post Date: 1/23/2022

Falkirk Muir 1746

"Note that this battle is not to be confused with the other Battle of Falkirk 448 years earlier; the one Mel Gibson lost." Jeff Berry, in his Obscure Battles blog, takes a look at the battle of Falkirk Muir. Jeff brings us his customary tongue-in-cheek insights on the historical origins and the battle itself, to include why "It may have been 57 years since James II (Charles's grandfather) had been chased out of Britain, but like that Scot I met years ago in The Duke of Kent, they weren't going to let it go."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 1/17/2022

Documenting Black Jack Pershing’s War. Book Review

"It is an impressive achievement, and one that drives home just what a huge task General Pershing shouldered in 1917." Ray Garbee reviews Volume 1 of John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919, which details the challenges General Pershing met in preparing the U.S. Army for the European theater. Ray finds a book that delivers at the big picture level with "…a fascinating insight into leadership and management at what today would be termed the 'C' level suite…", as well as with interesting details, for example how "…British opinion suggested that the Americans would be best served by fully adopting British arms and ordnance in the spirit of simplifying the coalition's logistics."

Poster: Doug Holt
Post Date: 1/12/2022

A Close Look at a Neglected Gem

Long overdue review of Victory Games' "Central America: America's Backyard War", written by Mark D.. In depth review covering rules, game features, and scenarios (one of the highlights of the game). Editor's note: I've been playing this game again after a long, long time, so I felt this article was worth re-publishing to maybe spark interest in the game...

Falling Sky - Perfect Opening Moves - Roman (updated)

Is there such a thing as a "Perfect Opening Move" in any of GMT's COIN Series games? Mark D. shares his idea of a "perfect" opening turn for the Romans in Falling Sky. Enjoy.

Editor's note added on 5/15/2021.

Higlanders - Scenario for Vietnam: 1965-1975

Experimental scenario for Vietnam: 1965-1975 created and shared by Mark D'Agosta.

Battle for Russia - Game Turn Restrictions Summary

I'm finally getting to play this game, and am looking forward to it. There are a decent amount of "special rules" and restrictions that apply to either the Axis or Soviet player, depending on which turn it is. Rather than flipping back and forth in the rule book, I made a quick & dirty cheat sheet for myself which I have been using, and thought I'd share it. If anyone sees anything that's incorrect, please let me know via email at mark at grognard dot com. (updated 4/11/2020 to include rules for ignoring Rivers - Axis only on Turn 1; both sides on Turn 2)