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Little Wars – a game by H.G. Wells
- Zarathust 9y agoIs this a precursor to Warhammer?
- morelikeborelax 9y agoYeah, but there was a lot in the middle that more directly inspired the creators and all sorts of stuff around at the time. Warhammer was much more tied to RPGs with it's first editio and there was all sortsd of overlaps from GW and D&D/Chainmail Here is an interview with one of the creators that discusses the origins: https://juegosydados.com/2016/08/26/interview-with-rick-priestley/ https://juegosydados.com/2016/08/26/interview-with-rick-prie... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainmail_(game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainmail_(game)
- Xophmeister 9y agoA Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books Uhm...OK. Good luck with that title!
- dang 9y agoThe document is over 100 years old. I'd say the HN rule of not posting dumb comments (https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html) extends to ahistorical internet dismissals.
- junke 9y agoThis is worth a whole article: https://lewislitjournal.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/bibliophilia-h-g-wells-doesnt-play-nice/ https://lewislitjournal.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/bibliophili... OTOH, he wrote Ann Veronica: https://bookriot.com/2015/02/08/h-g-wells-feminist-author/ https://bookriot.com/2015/02/08/h-g-wells-feminist-author/
- mcguire 9y ago""Primitive attempts to realise [sic] the dream ... when Wells writes “We then began to humanise [sic]"" Somebody doesn't like British spelling.
- nickelcitymario 9y agoFrom the intro: "It can be played by boys of every age [...] by girls of the better sort, and by a few rare and gifted women." Never gonna read beyond that intro.
- fortythirteen 9y agoSo almost every piece of classical literature is worthless, because it came from a more patriarchal time?
- lou1306 9y agoSo I suppose you have never/will never read Tom Sawyer, due to Injun Joe? People in the past had (what we now consider) backward mentality, and we have to deal with it somehow. I did mutter "wtf, man?!" upon reaching that paragraph, nevertheless I kept reading.
- panglott 9y agoThis is a game that is of interest mostly as a historical artifact, anyway, rather than a a game that people should be playing for its own sake.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- mikeash 9y agoSeems pretty progressive for something published more than a century ago. When it first came out, American women were still not allowed to vote.
- bitwize 9y agoI would say that the sort of girl who is drawn enough to something to pursue it, even though it wasn't labeled "for them" (and it being the early 20th century, gender lines were a lot more sharply drawn), is the more intelligent sort.
- megaman22 9y agoI remember reading this a long time ago. I want to think it was influenced by the Prussian General Staff Kriegsspiel training exercises https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsspiel_(wargame) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsspiel_(wargame)
- axus 9y agoThe title page: Little Wars (A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books) With an Appendix on Kriegspiel
- nacs 9y agoThere's a simplified how-to with photos of what it would look like: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-play-Little-Wars-by-HG-Wells/ http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-play-Little-Wars-by-H...
- zeveb 9y agoPublished in 1913; one wonders how many of the boys who played wargames perished in the civilisational catastrophe which was the Great War.
- walshemj 9y agoWW2 more likely given the time scale Keith Douglass Sums it up well I think The noble horse with courage in his eye, clean in the bone, looks up at a shellburst: away fly the images of the shires but he puts the pipe back in his mouth. Peter was unfortunately killed by an 88; it took his leg away, he died in the ambulance. I saw him crawling on the sand, he said It's most unfair, they've shot my foot off. How can I live among this gentle obsolescent breed of heroes, and not weep? Unicorns, almost, for they are fading into two legends in which their stupidity and chivalry are celebrated. Each, fool and hero, will be an immortal. These plains were their cricket pitch and in the mountains the tremendous drop fences brought down some of the runners. Here then under the stones and earth they dispose themselves, I think with their famous unconcern. It is not gunfire I hear, but a hunting horn.
- germinalphrase 9y agoCan anyone offer any recommendations on any accessible war games - other than Risk. I've looked around previously and it seems that most are incredibly complex and/or require a tremendous amount of time to play.
- ashark 9y agoMemoir '44 and other games under the same system (there's an Ancient Rome themed one, for instance) are fairly accessible and (depending on scenario) play quite a bit faster than most Risk games. They're (mainly) 2-player, though. They're also at the battlefield level, rather than worldwide strategy or anything like that. Diplomacy's either a much better or much worse alternative to Risk. Depends who you ask. Not directly comparable but scratches the same itch, possibly better (see: depends who you ask). The Board Game Geek site probably has some lists for semi-casual or otherwise less-hardcore wargames. That'd be the place to look. Then see whether Shut Up & Sit Down has done a video review of any that look interesting to you, before buying (they have for Memoir '44, IIRC).
- kpatrick 9y agoI second M44.
- hotsauceror 9y agoHow accessible? "I Ain't Been Shot, Mum" by Too Fat Lardies and "ColdWar Commander" are fun, quickish, and just a step above beer & pretzel rules. The TFL guys in general are big fans of the original Kriegspiel style. There's also a whole series called "Two Hour Wargames".
- germinalphrase 9y agoI don't mind some complexity, but I would like to learn the game well enough in 30-60 minutes. I have definitely lost patience with new board games where some friends and I spend our entire evening just learning to play rather than playing.
- JoeDaDude 9y agoA boardgamegeek [1] user named Pete Belli has been creating and playing scenarios that use Little Wars rules. He has posted reports (with photos) showing how the plays went. [2]. [1]. https://www.boardgamegeek.com/ https://www.boardgamegeek.com/ [2]. https://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/154344/1913-2013-centennial-little-wars-hg-wells https://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/154344/1913-2013-cent...
- cweiss 9y agoFor some great context around this, I highly recommend "Playing at the world" by Jon Peterson (https://www.amazon.com/Playing-at-World-Jon-Peterson/dp/0615642047 https://www.amazon.com/Playing-at-World-Jon-Peterson/dp/0615...). It's a fairly detailed history of paper and pencil games with quite a bit of focus on Little Wars, Kreigspiel, and D&D. If you're a gamer, I highly recommend it.