The essentials of the Portable Wargame

[@Alexander334BC]

Hands down the best wargaming rules I've ever come across. Speed, simplicity and historical accuracy across every period. I had never been able to get into wargaming due to the complexity of every rule set I had encountered until your first Portable Wargame book, so thank you so much Bob for getting me into this hobby - although my bank balence may not agree!

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

I am very pleased that I have helped to get you into historical wargaming.

[@stonehorsegaming]

The 3 quites at the start should be the cornerstone for all wargames. Great video!

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

I used to include them in all my published rules. Perhaps I ought to do that again.

[@stonehorsegaming]

@Wargaming_Miscellany I may adopt that with the few I am currently working on. Helps to inform people of the mentally the game should be approached with.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

@@stonehorsegaming, please feel free to use them. I think that you are right about them helping the players to approach a game in the right frame of mind.

[@willcorlett7630]

Thanks Bob, it is "funny" to listen to you explain the portable rules, having enjoyed your books (and the games thereof) for a couple of years now. Look forward to seeing more from you

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

It sounds as if you enjoyed my latest video I’ve had several comments in emails that my voice is different from how people imagined it would be.

[@michaelclarke5377]

Masterful summary of the rules. The scope for tweaking is immense e.g. successful British cavalry might go haring off to destruction unless a control score is rolled, out of supply armies could have a lower exhaustion point, the death of an unpopular general might not be so impactful. As always, very inspiring. Thank you Bob.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

I am glad that you liked this summary of the game mechanisms used in PW. I have had battles where cavalry units have followed up Close Combats several times until they destroyed the enemy units they had been fighting ... and then found themselves well behind the enemy frontline and cut off. The death of an unpopular - or incompetent - General could be functioned in without too much difficulty and reducing an army's EP if it is out of supply makes a lot of sense. (It's certainly an idea I need to look at in greater detail.) Thanks for the every helpful feedback. All the best, Bob

[@jamesmcconnell4818]

Thank you so much for the framework of the PWG. And thank you for making videos to clear up any rules.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

@@jamesmcconnell4818 I am very pleased that you found this video useful and I hope that you enjoy the others that I have created.

[@legrambo]

Hello Bob. This one is an excellent video both in terms of presentation and information, I really enjoyed watching it. It's clear that these rules will work very well with my own AWI armies (single base units) and as such I'm going to put together a hexed board for it. You explain the mechanics of the PW rules very well here. Your channel is quickly growing and is doing very well which is much deserved given your contribution to the hobby over the years. Funny story from yesterday, I clicked on your latest 'short' video the full face 'hairy' shot :) I was sat down watching on the large screen TV and the KZbin application froze! I opened and closed KZbin a couple of times but still your full screen face Bob, I even turned off the sky box and back on again but you were still there in all your glory, a funny experience. I then tried a voice command which worked and finally removed you 🤣🤣. Keep up the good work and thank you for your email describing how you make your videos, again most helpful. Subscribed .... I thought I had already! Lee.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

For some reason I missed your comment when it was made, so sorry for not replying earlier. I’m pleased that you like my rules and I hope that you get lots of enjoyment from using them with your AWI armies. I am currently working on my next video, which will be about the Naval Museum in Cartagena, Spain. It’s going to be quite long but it’s the only way I can do it justice. I’m sorry that your TV ended up with my ugly mug stuck on its screen! Mind you, it probably scared the living daylights out of any small children and family pets who saw it! All the best, Bob

[@Slorm_Chaplain]

Very clear and well explained. Thanks!

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

Cheers! Thanks very much for the very positive feedback.

[@kevinsenglishschools3405]

It's THE BOB CORDERY, looking at your book now. Thanks for all your hard work for the hobby!

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

Cheers! Welcome to my KZbin channel ... and thanks for your very kind comment.

[@kevinsenglishschools3405]

@@Wargaming_Miscellany I enjoyed your book as well.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

@@kevinsenglishschools3405 I hope that you using the PW rules in all their various versions.

[@SoloBattles]

I am not familiar with your Portable Wargame, but I definitely give two thumbs up to your "Rules" in the opening chapters. My game of choice is Musket Battles (formerly Pub Battles), and as you went through your guidelines for game design, Musket Battles checks all the boxes. Over the years I have become friends with its designer, Marshall Barrington. His number one rule is it must be authentic and true to history. The player must feel like he is commanding an army, not playing a game. He also believes in "simplify and discard excess." His original goal was one page rules. Over the last ten years this has expanded to almost ten pages, but the core rules are the same, and the extra volume is merely clarifying language and adding illustrated examples. One of his Corps principles is to play by "Gentleman's rules," which I paraphrase as, "Don't be a dick!" He must be doing something right, because the military doesn't take any other commercial wargame seriously, but they actually use Musket Battles for officer training. Musket Battles uses blocks and minis style movement, and period maps with no game information on the map. When you set up a battle it looks like a military atlas. I won't include any links because this is your page and I respect that. I just wanted to give you an enthusiastic shout, because I can see that you know what makes a wargame good. I will definitely check out your Portable Wargame!

[@SoloBattles]

As I watched the rest of the video I was surprised at the amount of similarity between Musket Battles and your Portable Wargame. Other than the use of a grid, and the YM/IM mechanic (Musket Battles uses a chit draw), both systems are very close in general, although combat is less complex in Musket Battles.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

Thanks for your very interesting comments. I had heard of Pub Battles but had not realised that it had changed its name to Musket Battles. In some ways it isn’t surprising that the two systems have turned out to be similar as they are both trying to achieve similar goals. My design began life as an adaptation of Joseph Morschauser’s rules from the mid 1960s but then morphed into something different as I developed it. It was interesting to read that the military use Musket Battles as I know that the Portable Wargame has been used by the Sorbonne University, the French Ecole de Guerre, and by the wargame club at the UK’s Defense University.

[@SoloBattles]

@@Wargaming_Miscellany Good company indeed!

[@johnscarr70]

I may just have to pick up a copy. I love simplicity in my rules.

[@Wargaming_Miscellany]

You can buy a PDF copy from Wargame Vault if you don’t want a printed copy. Printed copies (in hardback, softback, and ebook) can be bought from Lulu.com and Amazon.

[@johnscarr70]

@@Wargaming_Miscellany that's what I love about this hobby. Authors, designers, makers are all just so accessible and helpful. I appreciate your advice. I've spent years going down the pdf route but recently I'm turning to books. Have a great weekend.