Instead of The Sword and the Flame (TSATF), might I suggest using Soldier's Companion (SC) rules by Games Design Workshop (GDW). These are also out of print, but IMO, and those that I have introduced to the rules at conventions over the last few years, SC is far better than TSATF. SC gives a much more realistic flavor to gaming colonial warfare (especially after reading about eyewitness accounts of the period), are simple to use, yet realistic, and do not use an outdated and extremely slow card system for movement and fire combat.

In addition, TSATF uses platoon-level units or native warbands (about 2:1 scale), whereas SC uses company style units or native warbands (10:1 scale), thus allowing one to game more historical battles, instead of glorified skirmishes.

SC is in the process of being re-editted (taking out the old Martian stuff; it was originally released as part of the Space: 1889 role-playing genre, but the rules are excellent for historical). This re-editting is being done by Keith Frye and myself. In addition, we have modified the original rules (with approval from the original author & designer, Frank Chadwick), to work even better. No release date yet on the re-issue, however. ColoniaI warfare is one of my top interests (see photos of one of my games - Isandlwana - in issue #124 of Wargames Illustrated).

...I just don't want to see anyone lose money on TSATF....It really is a bit outdated, and a very slow system due to the cards.
--Sincerely, Bob Giglio

TSATF is a *very* popular rule set. It is still in print and is in its third edition. It is available from Greenfield Hobbies. Your hobby retailer should be able to order them.

However... after playing quite a few TSATF games, I can tell you that if you play according to the rules the British will almost always lose. This should not happen. I recently discovered Principles of War and it is a much better historical game than either TSATF or The Soldier's Companion. It is available from the Victorian Military Society.

TSATF is a great game and you can have a lot of fun with it. Our club has over the years. But for a better *simulation* I would opt for PoW.

Whichever set you choose you will find that they are a lot of fun as they are all very good rule sets.

Oh, what the heck . . . Another set of rules that might be worth trying is Fields of Honor. It covers the 1830-1900 era and is designed with a "sliding" scale that enables you to refight small engagements like Rorke's Drift or Little Big Horn, or enormous battles like Gettysburg or Solferino, or anything in between.

Regarding Fields of Honor, an excellent set of rules, with a lot of room for historical tweaking if the players so desire. We had to monkey around with the artillery rules for a Mexican War extravaganza, but otherwise my group is quite happy with them. My only real criticism are the unit ratings and factors, as the historical foundation for many of them is rather shaky. Mexican units, for example, are rated about equal to U.S. regulars! Similarly, the Crimean War section overrates the Russians--most did NOT have rifled muskets, which is one reason why they fared so poorly on so many battlefields. These and similar errors are easily remedied by anyone who is the least bit literate in military history. Shane Hensley (the author) had promised a second edition, but admits he has basically shelved it in favor of Deadlands/Railwars. :-( The only way to bring the rules back to life is to let him know there is an appreciative audience out there.

--Chris Johnson

TSATF rocks!! It's one of the finest and MOST FUN games available. No fuss, no muss, just lots of fightin'!!
Don't roll a '6' for stragglers...that's all I care to say...

--Clay, owner of French Foriegn Legion and Boer War armies, and player of countless Zulu, Mahdist, and Afganistan battles...
PS - The French & Indian War supplement sucks. I have armies for that as well, but the rules don't work.

Science versus Pluck by Howard Whitehouse is a good set for putting Colonials against Zulus and Mahdists (Sudan). The game allows for the commanders of the different factions role-play their parts, but role-playing isn't required to enjoy the game.

If you would like a copy of these rules or would like to know more about the game mechanics, email me privately and we will discuss it further.

--Gary

I have been learing to play Savage Wars of Peace - good mechanics which seem cumbersome at first, but an initiative system which works very well and simulates the flow of movement between natives and British troops.

My scenarios usually involve an Anglo-Indian Brigade of 1/Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Sikhs, 15th Bombay Infantry, 3rd Bengal Cavalry (Lancers), and a Mountain Battery (84 figures in all, plus 3 guns), fighting two battalions of Afghan regular troops with a Krupp battery and a couple tribes of natives (about Afghan 40 infantry with 4 guns, and 96 native infantry and 12 native cavalry). The Afghans usually deploy in the open behind cover, with the natives hidden. British objective is to push past the Afghans with minimal loss.

There are many nice scenarios in the Savage Wars of Peace rule book. I recommend them.

I picked this ruleset (Fire and Steel ) last year at Historicon and finally got around to running an French & Indian War scenario a few weeks ago. It seemed to have a nice feel to it, was quick-playing (players got the hang of the rules by turn 3 and I could sit back and just adjudicate specifics) and didn't require a lot of figs - my main reason for choosing it initially.

We had 8 players running 11 groups of 5/6 figs (7 Indian bands of 6 figs and 4 "Settler" groups of 5 figs) and got through enough turns to come to a conclusion in a bit over 2 1/2 hours. Everyone seemed to enjoy the rules and a couple even asked our local shop to order them for purchase.

Next I'm going to try an Indian Mutiny scenario and see how that goes.

As for cost, I think I paid $11 US at Historicon from the Mainly Miniatures booth. They are published by "The Keep" so should also be available from Johnston Hood at Wargames,Inc.

If you seek a game to play colonials at 1:1 scale, you can use the rule Duel Moderne of Michel Gauthey. This is a French rule to play skirmish combat from Colonial Period to Modern Period (even Sci-Fi lists exist).

I play colonials battles with the rules Soldiers of the Queen from Tabletop. This is an old rule set, but I like it.

For a simple and fun set, try "The Sand of the Desert" by Ted Brown. It can be found in Colonial Conquest #9 "The Expedition to Save Gordon." An expanded version covering the whole colonial period -- not just the Sudan -- was published in Miniature Wargames #19. There is a lot of room for additions and tinkering, but I found the rules to be straighforward and fun. The rules are designed for use with 6 to 25mm figures. Just double all distances for the 25s. The scale is 1 to 5 up to 1 to 20.

The rules are easy to learn and the play is fast.

I was going to write a set of British vs Natives colonial rules called : SHIRTS VS SKINS !

But I came to my senses ...

--Sensible Stan

dimchelsn@aol.com wrote:> Ah, yes! I did forget to mention that the British are over-educated, sophisticated (snobbish), men that like to play
>simple rules that are written in a flowing narrative style -- mostly involving
>bashing some poor colonials, natives, or French (all three if possible).

Umm...where can I get this game?

--David

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