Voros
Doomed Investigator
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The History of Wargaming Project have published an expanded version of Fletcher Pratt's naval war game rules, in hardcopy and Kindle.
I consider Pratt one of the finest fantasy writers of the first half of the 20th century (The Blue Star, The Well of the Unicorn and the comedic novellas he wrote with De Camp for Unknown) and he was an important figure in early wargaming as well. Jon Peterson writes about Pratt in Playing at the World and about his involvement with the first known women wargamers on his blog.
And amazingly the game and Pratt was written about in a 1963 article in Sports Illustrated of all places.
There is a scathing review of the POD on here but my Kindle edition is fine, the photos are clearly reproduced and the penetration chart is legible, haven't read enough yet to confirm there are no typos but so far nothing is jumping out at me.
The Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame was one of the most successful naval wargames of the 20th century. The straightforward rules, based on the innovation of estimating the range in order to hit, have an enduring fascination as a simulation of the ‘big gun era’ 1900-1945.
As a result of extensive research, this book brings together previously unpublished material into a comprehensive guide to these classic rules, including:
The full rules, with previously unpublished amendments by Fletcher Pratt.
Optional rules as agreed by Fletcher Pratt.
The previously unpublished strategic game.
Solo wargaming rules.
Guidance on how to play the game.
Updates for the rules as suggested by Donald Featherstone.
The sample scenario, The Action off Murmansk, illustrates how hidden setup, limited visibility and fog banks were included to make the game more realistic.
An in-depth evaluation of the rules versus naval reality featuring contributions from experts such as James Dunnigan, Commander Bothwell, Fletcher Pratt and Phil Barker.
I consider Pratt one of the finest fantasy writers of the first half of the 20th century (The Blue Star, The Well of the Unicorn and the comedic novellas he wrote with De Camp for Unknown) and he was an important figure in early wargaming as well. Jon Peterson writes about Pratt in Playing at the World and about his involvement with the first known women wargamers on his blog.
And amazingly the game and Pratt was written about in a 1963 article in Sports Illustrated of all places.
There is a scathing review of the POD on here but my Kindle edition is fine, the photos are clearly reproduced and the penetration chart is legible, haven't read enough yet to confirm there are no typos but so far nothing is jumping out at me.
The Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame was one of the most successful naval wargames of the 20th century. The straightforward rules, based on the innovation of estimating the range in order to hit, have an enduring fascination as a simulation of the ‘big gun era’ 1900-1945.
As a result of extensive research, this book brings together previously unpublished material into a comprehensive guide to these classic rules, including:
The full rules, with previously unpublished amendments by Fletcher Pratt.
Optional rules as agreed by Fletcher Pratt.
The previously unpublished strategic game.
Solo wargaming rules.
Guidance on how to play the game.
Updates for the rules as suggested by Donald Featherstone.
The sample scenario, The Action off Murmansk, illustrates how hidden setup, limited visibility and fog banks were included to make the game more realistic.
An in-depth evaluation of the rules versus naval reality featuring contributions from experts such as James Dunnigan, Commander Bothwell, Fletcher Pratt and Phil Barker.
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