The comprehensive guide to board wargaming / by Nicholas Palmer
Published by Arthur Barker. Price £6.50

Reviewed by Allan Frost

Mr Palmer has certainly put a great deal of effort into this
masterpiece, and with his vast experience has succeeded in producing a
classic work on wargame theory and practice. Every self-respecting
wargamer should acquire it - although rather on the pricey side it is
well worth purchasing, for there is no other book on the market to
compare with it, and the benefits to be obtained more than outweigh the
cost.

The book itself is a well produced, clearly illustrated, definitive 223
page tome on all aspects of board wargaming as they exist at the present
time. It begins with a short journey through the evolution of wargames
and ends with a Sample Game - The Battle of Nordlingen (which will be
familiar to many as one of the best games produced by SPI), complete
with tactical analysis and clear photographs of the state of the game
after each move.

The bulk of the book, however, deals more specifically with the
nitty-gritty aspects of strategy and tactics, supported by numerous
examples from games such as Stalingrad, Third Reich, Panzerblitz,
Dreadnought and others. Whether you are interested in pre- or post-1900
warfare, land, air or sea combat, all has been revealed - and there are
several problems for the reader to solve. (The answers are also given in
one of the Appendices, but don't cheat!). In my opinion, whatever your
status (novice or expert) the advice presented by the author can only
serve to increase your chances of winning - indeed, there are two
chapters written solely for that purpose. Although gaining victory over
the opponent is the object of all wargames, the information and advice
proffered on the strategic and tactical elements must lead to a greater
appreciation and further enjoy ment of wargaming. Readers of Games and
Puzzles No.63 (August 1977) will already have had a foretaste of the book
and cannot fail to have been impressed by its quality.

There is also a chapter consisting of short reviews of most games
currently available. In a book this size comprehensive reviews would be
an impossible task, apart from which the various magazines on the scene
(including the "Phoenix") already provide ample coverage. Nevertheless,
Mr Palmer provides sufficient information to help the reader decide
which games may suit his interests and abilities; any further details
required on games can be obtained from the names and addresses of games
and magazine publishers, and clubs in the United Kingdom which are
listed in another Appendix.

Finally - as an added bonus, at the end of the book is the SPI produced
"Introduction to Strike Force One", complete with playing counters,
which serves as an illustration to new comers to wargaming of the basic
system used

No doubt this book will be regarded as the book on wargaming; certainly
it will be a Herculean task for anyone to better it.

Can you afford to be without it?