A Colonial Diversion

Let me explain how this latest diversion came about. I blame Dan Mersey and Bob Cordery.

Dan Mersey is the author of the Osprey rules set The Men Who Would Be Kings. I picked it up recently and now have an itch for some colonial battles. The rules are geared more for larger, individually based figures so I don't think I'll be using them,but they have rekindled my interest in the theme. That's why I decided to do a colonial campaign as one of the games in the 6 x 6 challenge.

Bob Cordery is the other culprit. I am intrigued by his boxed portable wargame and want to make my own. I even ordered a couple of Tuff boxes to start putting one together. I still want to use minis and plan to get some small-scale blocks for use. The plan is to place 2 blocks on a stand and call it a unit, with armies consisting of 4-6 units.

What rules? I want something quick-playing (Bob Cordery mentioned a "sudden death" rule will be in his The Portable Wargame book. That's kind of what I have in mind). Then I had a flash of inspiration. Using a small board, the player army starts on one end and has to march to the other. The terrain, determined randomly, won't be revealed until a unit has the space in line of sight and range. Enemies will also appear randomly. I jotted down some rules and recently tried a game with a single unit. Thus, Captain Manwaring's expedition was born.

I am a bit concerned that this will divert me from the 6 x 6 challenge (I don't plan to count my non-miniature experiments). Alas, such is the trials of GADD (gamer's attention deficit disorder).