Solo Wargaming

by Donald F. Featherstone

a wargaming classic

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Featherstone (who sometimes used his middle initial and sometimes didn't) served in the Royal Armoured Corps in World War II before becoming a physiotherapist. He worked for Southampton Football Club and Hampshire County Cricket Club, writing books on sporting, dancing, and industrial injuries.

Later, he turned his attention to his childhood hobby of toy soldiers, writing dozens of books on the subject and becoming instrumental in the development of wargaming as a pasttime. He also wrote books on military history.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical read on solo wargaming. In modern times, this would be a compilation of blog posts published as a book for ease of reference as that was how reading it felt. I was hoping for something more cohesive with solid guidelines, which was my fault for not researching a book written in the 1960s (I think) a bit more. I liked some of his other books better because they were more focused.

There are typos sprinkled through the book, which I don't know if were true to source or introduced in making this new edition. The font is modern and easier to read than other reprints that kept older typefaces, making reading easier but I think is the source of the typos.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is still useful if you enjoy traditional miniatures, though I suspect that e-mails will be used instead of letters and I'm not sure if you can buy matchboxes in bulk. Since there's a fair amount of randomness when it comes to troop handling, it's a much closer approximation to reality than games written for two or more players. Featherstone's a good writer, it's a fun read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featherstone did a number of wargaming books... they were great fun at the time.

Unlike wargaming today [computer based or fantasy gaming] these were based upon model soldiers and relevant hardware to re-enact famous conflicts... Waterloo, Crecy, Hastings, El Alamein, D-Day etc.