Morschauser’s Wargame Rules

 “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

— Henry David Thoreau

I’ve enjoyed many of John Curry’s volumes in his History of Wargames Project, from republication of early wargame rules and historical wargames used for training and analysis to treatises on matrix games and other serious wargaming. I recently acquired one that had previously eluded me, Joseph Morschauser’s How to Play War Games in Miniature: A Forgotten Wargaming Pioneer: Early Wargames Vol. 3. I was initially lured to it by the claim it included an introduction of a gridded play surface into miniature wargaming, but I pleasantly found it filled with intuitive, concise rules, options for basing, and overall solid advice for miniature wargaming newcomers just as relevant and inspiring as when it was first published more than 50 years ago. It was a refreshing affirmation of many miniature wargaming elements I’ve come to enjoy over the years: concise simplicity; based units; flexibility between open battlefield and gridded surface; flexibility between eliminating units or keeping a roster for a multiple hit system; and an overall informative and welcoming approach to hobby.

Curry edited the volume with wargaming luminary Bob Cordery back in 2010. Cordery is a mainstay of the British wargaming scene, publishing his activities and observations on his Wargaming Miscellany blog and participating in the Wargame Developments Conference of Wargamers (COW), both their meetings and publications. Cordery designed numerous rules sets in his Portable Wargame series incorporating and further developing notable elements in Morschauser’s rules. I’ve quite enjoyed many of those books, each delving into different periods and adding more nuanced bits and fresh ideas to fighting period battles. I’ve used the original The Portable Wargame volume to refight various historical battles (though I’m also particularly fond of Cordery’s Gridded Naval Wargames).

I originally sought Morschauser’s book for its insights into gridded miniature wargames...and was pleasantly surprised to find it contained far more insights into the hobby. From the very beginning I found the book an easygoing introduction to basic wargame concepts suitable for keen newcomers; though I’ll admit with any such volume having some experience with a learned friend and ready access to numerous toys helps one more easily comprehend the rules through first hand play. The first several brief chapters introduce the reader to basic wargaming concepts: an explanation and overview of recreational wargames; the importance of selecting a historical period to model; the kinds of toy soldiers one might find (back in the 1960s); and ideas on crafting one’s own battlefield terrain. His style remains approachable all these years later, speaking directly to the reader clearly and concisely to convey core concepts and nurture an interest in the hobby. Several appendices list resources for purchasing soldiers, magazines and books, and even board wargames (essentially Avalon Hill at that time); while these are hopelessly out of date, they provide a nostalgic impression of how niche the hobby was in that time in America as well as the many retailers and publishers lost to the march of time.

Morschauser designates three principle historical eras based on wargaming tactics: the “Shock Period” covers ancient and medieval times in which melee combat figures prominently. The “Musket Period” focuses on the emergence of ranged firearms combat in both infantry and artillery while still allowing for close combat shock-style assaults. The “Modern Period” covers 20th century advancements incorporating new firearms as well as armored fighting vehicles with far less reliance on close combat. His subsequent rules cover each period using a simple core system with variations reflecting the nuances of each period.

The rules depend on forces represented by bases of multiple figures, though he offers the option of single figures on bases as a more economical alternative given the scarcity and expense of toy soldiers. Each period’s rules outline the kinds of units deployed along with a recommendation of how many units (consisting of one base eaach) the opposing armies should field. I will admit the rules, especially for the ancient/medieval shock period, requires a ton of bases: 35 on each side; the musket period requires armies of 28 units, while the modern period (in which one uses points to assemble a varied force) might include between 25 and 39 units (as shown in his example of two 500-point forces). While I might balk at the sheer numbers of bases deployed (and hence having to prepare in some manner), such large forces on the suggested 6 x 8-foot playing field offer ripe opportunities for maneuvering and strategy.

The core rules rely on some very basic yet intuitive concepts Morschauser presents in his clear format. Players take turns moving and attacking with units, with the usual limitations on movement and missile range. Close combat relies on rolling at or below a unit’s melee power rating: if both “make the point” both are eliminated; if one fails to make the point against a successful opponent, that unit is removed. Ranged fire hits depend on rolling certain numbers (usually even) based on the target type (for the shock period) and more often the nature of the attacker, with variations for infantry and artillery. Hits remove one unit. Given the lethal nature of this “one hit per base) system — what Cordery would call the “sudden death” option in his Portable Wargame rules — the large number of bases in an army makes perfect sense.

As in response to this, Morschauser included guidelines for a roster system giving each unit the ability to sustain multiple hits with a reduction in combat power as a result. Rather than keeping track of a unit’s remaining strength with markers on the board, he suggests creating a roster for one’s units (each sporting a unit label, as he outlines earlier when discussing how to base units). This also has the effect of concealing a unit’s condition from the opponent, except when engaging in combat; even then, given the number of units expected on the field, one would be hard pressed to keep track of every bloodied enemy unit.

I was glad to see a chapter on “Your Own Rules,” encouraging readers to modify his own rules with additions, options, and other adjustments. He suggests ideas about incorporating morale, chance cards, and night moves into play; though is overall attitude remains positive in hoping players make the game their own with revisions catering to their tastes. This continues his overall style trend of reminding readers to adapt his rules to their own situations. Morschauser remains sensitive to practical concerns, notably the expense of fielding armies with numerous figures (hence he often recommends putting only one figure on a base when most gamers would pack it with ranks of infantry and cavalry) as well as solid advice for quickly resolving conflicts arising in the middle of a game. In each of his rules he suggests resolving rules arguments by a high die roll-off, with the winner deciding how to handle the immediate situational discrepancy.

I’ll admit I was somewhat surprised to find Morschauser focusing most of his rules on open deployment, relying on measurements for movement and range, rather than gridded spaces (which he’d explore later). Despite my slight disappointment, I was quite enamored of the concise, intuitive rules for action ranging across a non-gridded battlefield. Finally, toward the end of this volume, I found several brief pieces on gridded wargames reprinted from wargame newsletter articles. These included Morschauser’s “frontier” rules for grid-based games, which I’d discovered earlier online (and which convinced me to obtain How to Play Wargames in Miniature) and tried in a non-frontier mode.

How to Play Wargames in Miniature did not disappoint, despite my mistaken impression I’d find more ideas for gridded wargames. I certainly did...but the friendly tone and concise rules spoke to my own gaming tastes along those lines. I quite enjoyed exploring Morschauser’s ideas for fighting wargames with miniatures. For its time and subject it was extremely approachable and welcoming, an encouraging exploration of historical wargaming practices of the time that remain relevant today.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

— Marcel Proust