One-hour Skirmish Wargames: Fast-play Dice-less Rules for Small-unit Actions from Napoleonics to Sci-Fi

Even if this book had nothing but one star reviews I would probably buy it because the topic interests me so much. But, having read it, last night, in about half an hour, I had to wonder who on earth it was aimed at. You could find a better and more detailed set of rules in an article in any wargames magazine in any given year. Anyone who owns enough figures and terrain to stage one of these skirmish games must already own at least a dozen sets of rules that are either more realistic or more fun. The book doesn't cover the pre-musket era. This is sheer laziness. The book is only 95 pages and the writing, such as it is, takes up hardly any room on the page. Quite a few pages are blank. There are only five or six scenarios. The author acknowledges that scenarios are the heart and soul of skirmish games and then completely neglects them. He pays tribute to One Hour Wargames by Neil Thomas and tries to explain what made that book so good but he completely misses the point. What made that book so good is that it had at least thirty highly charged scenarios that were playable in any era; and very compact but appropriate rules for every era from ancient to the modern day. That book is the distillation of years of experience and you can tell. This 'sequel', in contrast, reads like it was dashed off in an afternoon by someone who had better things to do. I don't doubt the author's pedigree but the book is simply too casual and too thoughtless. I could explain my reservations about the rules but my review is already longer than the book's introduction, which was going in an interesting direction and then just stopped.

Although it comes from the same 'stable' as One Hour Wargames by Neil Thomas this is a very different style of book. The rules are simple and play very fast and there is the possibility of expanding them. I found the mechanics of using playing cards instead of dice interesting and enjoyable so I would recommend these rules to anyone who wants to be able to set up a game quickly and play to a conclusion in a reasonable amount of time!The rules cover the period from the Napoleonic Wars until today and there is an interesting selection of scenarios; Spain 1810, Zululand 1879, Riga 1919, France 1944, Afghanistan 1987 and Pulp Sci-Fi.Contrary to what has been said elsewhere the book is 101 pages long plus an introduction of 4 1/2 pages and a forward of 1 page.

These are a very 'playable setoff rules. By 'playable' I mean you don't spend half an hour calculating what happened in what was supposed to be 3-5 seconds on the table top or with masses of record keeping on who has a scratch etc. I remember loving 'Skirmish Line' in my Dad's copies if Wargamer's Newsletter, the pictures, the scenarios and then was chuffed to bits when I got a copy of 'Skirmish Wargaming' for my thirteenth birthday - only to be very disappointed when I tried to actually have a game with how slow and dull it was. This book sets that right it is fast paced and in real time (almost - or as near as you can get it), no writing orders, no keeping records. The rules themselves are novel and well thought out.For small skirmish games at individual level I've not come across a better set of rules.

A wargame without dice! That’s going to put a lot of people off, BUT the system using playing cards to generate a means of controlling movement and fire is brilliantly simple. The games are very fast moving, full of action very very entertaining and enjoyable. I have resisted skirmish games for years on the basis of detailed actions and micro management, but this book prompted a rethink and as the author clearly sets out in his design brief it all makes perfect sense. Well worth a try.

These rules are quick to learn and they do give a fast and easy game as intended. However, playing still brings up the occasional "how should I do this?" - easy enough to make up something but annoying omissions as the rules are so brief. Although a lot of periods are covered, there's a lack of depth to the rules which make them feel very similar. Scenarios obviously help to add variety, but only a few are included (none generic) and no mechanisms to create more (plenty of empty pages for this ....) These rules would be excellent for short participation games at shows or for introducing new/young players into the hobby. Unfortunately, they do feel a bit bland after a couple of games, with a quite a heavy random element and little depth - probably not suited to heavy use by experienced gamers.

If like me you like to dabble in 101 different skirmish era's then this is the book for you. I must admit I was a bit disappointed after reading the core mechanics as they seemed just too simplistic and without dice. However I then tried a little game and saw how it all comes together into a full skirmish game, with the slickest system possible. The scenario and era specific rules show the versatility possible and yet everything plays super fast with minimal preparation. Highly recommended!

Ideal system for small scale skirmishes. I have modelled the scenarios in 15mm and just halve all distances and use a 24” DBA game board.Lots to think about in this book.

This is, in my opinion, one of the better skirmish wargaming books and sets of rules out there. Totally thematic, dispenses with over complication, and very easy to read and play. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.