A Wargamer's Guide to The Anglo-Zulu War (Paperback)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Series: A Wargamer's Guide
Pages: 113
Illustrations: 20
ISBN: 9781473848504
Published: 5th April 2017
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This is one of the first titles in an exciting new series of guides for wargamers. Taking one of the most pivotal and famous episodes in British military history, it gives a wargamers perspective of the dramatic events of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 (and the aftermath up to 1889) and offers advice on how to recreate these on the gaming table. Daniel Mersey discusses factors to consider when choosing an appropriate set of commercially available rules, or devising your own, to best suit the scale and style of battle you want and to capture the flavour of the period. The relevant ranges of figures and terrain pieces and buildings are also reviewed. Analysis of the forces involved, organization, tactics and strategies will help with building your armies and there are interesting scenarios included. Whether this is a new period for you, or you are looking to refresh your existing interest in the period, this handy guide is sure to hold much if interest for you.
Great book, especially helpful were the cool scenarios.
Amazon Customer, Sherry
For people just starting out or who are thinking about getting into the wars of Zululand, this book is ideal. I also thought it was cool that the author is a big fan of the Michael Caine movie, since that was my inspiration to start collecting figures for this era too. Gives a nice historical background of the Zulu war and also has helpful uniform and shield paint guides for both armies. I especially liked the scenarios given for setting up the different battles of this conflict. As wargamers there is a lot more to this hobby than painting figures and building terrain. You need to set up battle scenarios that are fun to play and this book really helps with that, in terms of being historical but also creating a game that will be fun for both sides.
Amazon Customer, Gary
This is a short 113 page covering the conflict. I like it. Why? It covers all the battles, including the minor ones. The second chapter is a succinct guide to information wargamers love; ORBATs, estimates of effective rifle range, Chelmsford’s overview of the Zulu army etc... I think it is a good book.
Amazon Customer, Mr. J. Curry
This is the fourth book of the wargamers guide series. Like the others it is very well researched and laid out. Its easy to read and very much sticks to the subject matter. I'm impressed by the writing skill of the author in the way he can convey information to the reader without flogging a thesaurus to death. As with the others in the series the reader is given a run down of the whole situation, then a discussion of the collecting of wargames armies, manufacturers that provide figures, and then a break down of the rules available. All these comments are, I feel, very fair and honest with regard the quality of figures and the standard of rules. I rate it highly among the four in the series because I found it even more enjoyable to read than the others, even though I do not wargame that era nor study it often.
Malcolm Wright, Australian Maritime Artist & Author
'Whether this is a new period for you, or you are looking to refresh your existing interest in the period, this handy guide is sure to hold much of interest for you'
West Sussex Gazette
As featured by
Amourer Incorporating Classic Arms and Militaria, July 2017
Given what it does contain, particularly the huge amount of wargame friendly data in the second chapter, the book is an excellent investment and time saver to boot.
Wargamer
It didn’t capture the gold, but trust me, silver isn’t bad. Highly recommended.
Read the complete review here.
This new series surely holds great promise for war gamers. Once again – highly recommended.
Stuart Asquith, Author
A Wargamer’s Guide to The Anglo-Zulu War is a soon to be released book from Daniel Mersey and to be published by Pen and Sword Books. Since the guys over at BoW HQ had a terrific game of Rorke’s Drift recently, I only thought it was appropriate to mention this book.
Beasts of War
This book will dive into this time period and the actions that surrounded this conflict. There is a discussion on the makeup of the forces and battles and how to translate them to your game. There is even information on current ranges of miniatures and terrain that is available to bring your games to life.
This book is not a set of rules for playing a game, but a resource to help you choose the right set of rules for you based on the game you would like to play big battles like Isandlwana or skirmishes.
It will serve as a great reference for anyone looking to start in the Anglo-Zulu War as well. It will be available on March 30, 2017, and is up for pre-order now at Pen and Sword.
Dan Mersey gives a wargamer's perspective of the dramatic events of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and offers advice on how to recreate these on the gaming table. He discusses factors to consider when choosing an appropriate set of commercially available rules, or devising your own, to best suit the scale and style of battle you want and to capture the flavour of the period. Relevant ranges of figures, along with painting advice, are also included. Analysis of the forces involved, organisation, tactics and strategies will help with building your armies and period specific scenarios are included. Whether this is a new period for you, or you are looking to refresh your existing interest in the period, this handy guide is sure to hold much of interest.
Wargames Illustrated, February 2017 - reviewed by Henry Hyde
About Daniel Mersey
Daniel Mersey has been a writer and editor for two decades, specializing primarily in British post-Roman and medieval military history, but with a strong interest also in British colonial warfare and the air warfare 1914-1918. His previous books include Legendary Warriors: Great Heroes in Myth and Reality (2002); Arthur King of the Britons (2004 runner-up in the History Today/Longman New Generation Prize); Myths & Legends: King Arthur (2013); and Myths & Legends: Knights of the Round Table (forthcoming). A keen wargamer himself, he has written three sets of rules (Glutter of Ravens, 1998; Song of Arthur & Merlin, 2008; and Lion Rampant, 2014) and has contributed regularly to wargaming magazines since 1996. He lives in Worthing, West Sussex.