Today we’ll profile several miniatures rules sets from TSR, before they were all-D&D, all the time.
These are all fairly obscure titles, perhaps the best known being Classic Warfare by Gary Gygax, his magnum opus of historical wargaming. The other titles are more topical, mostly written by less familiar names.
TSR Rules – as the company was known as as at the time, with its early Lizardman logo – published many outside miniatures manuscript submissions. This loose business model was quickly discarded when the success of Dungeons & Dragons took over, and going forward releases were more in-house and intentional.
These five booklets are just some of the releases from TSR at the time. I’ve got more listed over at my Classic RPG reference site page for TSR.
Classic Warfare
1975 … Gary Gygax … TSR Rules
We associate Gary Gygax with AD&D, but that’s not where he started of course.
Gary Gygax goes back a long way in the history of wargaming He authored, with Jeff Perren, one of the all time classic sets of rules, CHAINMAIL. With Dave Arneson, he authored the game that has probably had the most singular effect on the hobby to date, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, which introduced a whole new aspect to wargames: the individual as a character. He collaborated on DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP!, one of the best sets of naval rules extant. Many of his games bear other companies names: he did DUNKIRK, AH’s [Avalon Hill] ALEXANDER THE GREAT, and many more. His name is well known throughout the hobby as a result of the countless articles he has written for nearly every wargaming publication there is.
Timothy Kask, Introduction to Classic Warfare
Classic Warfare covers nearly 2,500 years of warfare, from Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages, centered on Europe and its periphery. It uses a basic ratio of 30 troops to 1 figure. 25mm miniatures are recommended.
Half the book covers the rules, and the other half is given over to a thorough cataloguing of civilizations, their organizations and troop types, beginning with Late Bronze Age peoples such as Egypt, Hittites, Sea Peoples, and the Assyrians. Then forward into Bblical times with the Ammorites, Israelites, Persians, and plenty more. The Greek Phalanx gets its own chapter, as does Rome and its Legions. Then the Middle Ages with the various barbarian groups and other cultures in the region.
Greg Bell art fills Classic Warfare. He illustrated much of the early TSR releases, most notably the cover of Original D&D. He’s a great artist, and his work gave the early publications gravitas.
Bell also illustrated Cavaliers & Roundheads and Warriors of Mars, and many others. See those linked posts for some selections of his work.
Fans of Gygax’s Appendix N of suggested fantasy reading will enjoy the contrast with the General Bibliography here.
Valley Forge
1976 … Dave Wesely … TSR Rules
For the last decade, the wargamers in Minnesota have used a set of rules for early gunpowder period games quite unlike those used in other parts of the wargaming world. Back in the early beginnings of wargaming in the Twin Cities area, there came to light the first official U.S. Army wargame rules devised in the 1880’s by a Lieutenant Totten. These rules were an outgrowth of the current military fad of the period known as the “Kriegspiel,” developed by the Prussian military for the use of staff officers in simulating military exercises. These Kriegspiels were used to familiarize these officers with large scale operations and allow them to test various aspects of tactics and equipment against a wide variety of enemies to see what combination of weapons, tactics and planning would work best under varying conditions. In the United States, this took on a uniquely American flavor and this was reflected in the first rules. The original Totten rules (called “Strategos”) were a rather cumbersome set of materials (345 pgs.) and required an extensive set of record keepers and judges to implement effectively as written and intended for use by Army officers. Mr. Wesely undertook a thorough review of the material in order to find the best aspects and work them into a usable form for modern-day wargamers. After a long period of time and through extensive playtesting, the rules had been worked down to the essentials, while still reflecting the reasoning of Lieutenant Totten as intended. Mr. Wesely also developed new fire tables to reflect the characteristics of most 18th and 19th Century weapons.
Dave Arneson, Foreward to Valley Forge
Dave Wesely should be known as one of the founders of the RPG hobby, alongside Gygax and Dave Arneson. From his adaptation of Kriegspiel rules, Wesely went on to develop his multi-player, multi-objective Braunstein game. Contrasting with the usual 30,000 foot view of wargames, here players had individual roles and a lot of autonomy. Braunstein was chaotic, but popular. Dave Arneson adapted this style to his Blackmoor home game, which leaned more into fantasy adventure. Dungeons & Dragons would later follow from Arneson’s collaboration with Gary Gygax.
Valley Forge emerged from Wesely’s kriegspiel work, focusing on the American Revolution. It too uses the 30 troops to one miniature ratio.
Most wargames (especially board wargames) are examples of “Rigid Kriegspiel”; all details of both orders of battle, terrain, and unit capability are set down in advance, and (usually) are known to both sides. There is less room for secrecy, variety, or inventiveness on the part of the players, and the game soon becomes static as both sides learn to exploit all its details through repetition
The addition of a REFEREE, however, changes the game to a “Free Kriegspiel” and overcomes all these objections. By providing neutral witness, secret movements and preparations become possible; by having a neutral judge and final arbiter, “clever” schemes that go beyond the written rules may be attempted without the game disintegrating into anarchy; and by having the referee provide the details of each battle, endless variety can be assured. Among the duties of the referee are included the following: Each side should be provided with a set of orders summarizing the situation (as known to it) and the mission it must carry out. The referee will draw up the battlefield in advance, and should have any details he is liable to be asked settled in his mind, if not written down. (e.g., the location of unmarked fords in rivers.) Of course, someone may come up with an unanticipated question. (“How many horses can I steal from each farm for my artillery?” “Well,” says the referee, rolling a die, “Hmm. Only one at that farm, but you can try again when you get to the next one.”) The referee, however, should avoid being too capricious; the game should not turn into a series of booby-traps laid by the referee.
Art is scant in Valley Forge, and credited to H. A. Ogden.
Air Power
1976 … Tony Adams … TSR Rules
By using the AIR POWER rules, players can have an infinite number of possible games — simply by pitting opposing types they can refight the entire gamut of possible air battles of the era, including many of the actions of more famous locales; over the embattled continent of Europe, in the skies over East Asia, or above the vast, far-reaching expanse of the Pacific. And again, the most famous planes (such as the Mustangs. Messerschmidts, Thunderbolts, Zeros, Spitfires, and Focke Wulfs) can be seen in action — this time with you in one of the cockpits! Lastly, this game is tailored especially for multi-player actions of variable size. You’ll find that these rules adapt quite easily to any number of players — just pick out some fairly well-matched planes, set up the sides, and turn everyone loose. There will be no lack of action. If you really want to get in the flavor of the thing, put a copy of the movie soundtrack from “Battle of Britain” on your stereo…
I don’t have information about Tony Adams. The Foreward was written by Mike Carr, known for Fight in the Skies and Dawn Patrol aerial wargames.
Cordite and Steel
1977 … Patrick Wilson & Eric Just & Abbott Albert … TSR Rules H 12
With the launching of the Dreadnought in 1906, the world was satisfied that the years of groping and experimentation were over, that the battleship had come of age. The resultant arms race, in which even the smallest powers enthusiastically built or bought dreadnoughts, was a major factor in causing the holocaust that started in 1914. In that war, the battleship reached the zenith of its powers and prestige and passed it all at the same time as the submarine torpedo and the airplane both came of age, themselves heralds of the new technology which would dominate the next war. It is this period that is explored by Cordite & Steel and the ship and gun module The First Encounters: Heligoland Bight to Dogger Bank. It was the time when the ultimate expression of a nation’s might, hopes and pride was still inextricably bound to the supreme fighting machine yet devised by men — The Battleship.
C&S uses multiple referees, and a whole lotta floor space. The rules recommend a 50 or 100(!)-foot tape measure. You’d need a school gym floor or the like. With ship minis and the large scale, C&S sounds like fun.
The artist is uncredited.
Modern Armor
1977 … Max A. Ray … TSR Rules H 13
“Miniatures Rules for AFV’s of the Contemporary Era” summarizes the game. Meant to be a fast and easy rule set. The rules note that 1970s tank fighting, with gun stabilization and hard-hitting munitions, has a high first-hit kill probablility.
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