The History of Wargaming Project and naval wargaming

I played the Fletcher Pratt naval wargaming rules over the years and did some work on the rules. For example, I created a program to create the ship cards needed to play the game. Sometimes, when I mentioned the Pratt rules (and the fact I had modified them), I was asked for a copy. John B. and Tony Hawkins advised me to try and sell some copies of the rules. So I produced a fairly amateur version, which to my surprise sold.

Over a year or so I started to proof read the rules, improve the layout and got the rules printed and bound cheaply by a local printer. Thus started the history of wargaming library project. Rather than just reproduce the originals, I decided to try to make the rules usable for a modern audience. The Fred Jane Naval Rules had an excellent fast play version in them (which allows a novice to quickly get into a game). The book was produced casually and really needed further work, but as I thought 10 copies would sell, and I would know 6 of the purchasers, I thought it was not worth the effort. I was a little surprised to find that when the Fred Jane Naval Wargame (1906) including the Royal Navy Wargaming Rules sold 11 copies, I knew none of the buyers. It has continued to sell.

My next naval wargaming was the classic Donald Featherstone's Naval Wargame. This was the book that did more to launch modern naval wargaming than any other. Its key feature was re-introducing the Fred Jane and Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame, as well as simple naval rules by Tony Bath for ancient ship battles.

 

I realised that the version of the Fletcher Pratt game we all used was incomplete. It lacked a campaign system, examples of scenarios and rules updates that I knew existed. So over a year I set about tracing the owner of the Pratt game and she did have several boxes of previously unpublished stuff. The Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame was a new book, full of additional material. I was also surprised to find that Pratt’s loyal fan base were eager to buy the book, not to play the game, but to learn more about Pratt.

 

When I did Phil Dunn’s Sea Battles revised edition he offered me new material for a couple of chapters and then Paddy Griffith (a big fan of Dunn’s book) offered a ‘Hunt the Bismarck Game’ as an appendix. The additional material added to the book and I was amazed that the book apparently launched several hundred solo naval wargaming campaigns.

Several other books have included naval wargaming material. Innovations in wargaming included a naval kriegspiel by Paddy Griffith; Bruce Quarries Napoleonic Campaigns in Miniature had a chapter on sea battles.

One advantage of being editor is the ability to commission more naval wargaming books. The next to go to print is Phil Dunn’s Fury at Sea, which is full of ideas for large scale simple naval wargames. Also included will be the Napoleonic naval rules of the Sandhurst Wargaming Club, written by Paddy Griffith and David Chandler at this semi-legendary club.

The project will include more naval wargaming material, with at least two more books on the subject (in addition to Phil Dunn’s) over the next 12 months.

More Pratt material uncovered

Every few months I am lucky enough to get sent another collection of old wargaming material.

Today I opened a huge box full of previously unknown Fletcher Pratt naval wargaming material. This belonged to Dan Dorcy, who revived the Pratt game in the 1960-70's and was in touch with Pratt umpire, Doc Clarke.

At last I have the formula and equations used by Pratt to generate his game. They were apparently the same ones as used by the USN for their wargames.

I am now hunting a shoe box in Yorkshire and another small box in the USA, then I will almost certainly have everything that has survived from those early Pratt games. Life is certainly interesting.

Update on Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame

As a few of you might know I have been hunting down original material on the Fletcher Pratt naval wargame. Over the years, I had enough to publish a book on the subject.

I reckoned there were only three more sources of unpublished Pratt material in the world. Two collections the size of a small shoe box and a large box worth.

Well, at last after a period of tense negotiations and help from some random American wargamers who I have never met, I am now confident the large box of Pratt stuff being dispatched to me from a cellar in the US. It apparently includes an original model ship or two.

I was sent a random page by email and by chance it had the formula Pratt used for his armour penetration. It was in a letter from Doc Clarke (Pratt's umpire). This alone would be good, but I am hopeful of more. Of course, it may just be a duplicate of what I have already found.

Is it going to contain the other half of the Fletcher Pratt Napoleonic Ship game (I have half), will it have the missing optional rules for individual ships (I know they had the rules, I just do not have them)? Will it have new material I had no idea existed? I live in hopes.

One of the really nice things about the project has been ordinary wargamers from around the planet who put pen to paper and send me interesting bits which add to the project.