History

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Military History can be broken into historical periods. Each change in period sees advancement in tactics, equipment, training and organisation. Some periods are marked by the "discovery" of new continents to be colonised by Imperial European powers. The Principles of War rules breaks history into the following periods of time. This allows the changes in warfare to be reflected in the rules. However each rule se retains the same sequence of play and game mechanics. Complete lists of conflicts covered are contained in the appropriate section of the website.

Renaissance 1494 to 1660

The Pike dominates the early years. Mercenary armies are hired to swell armies. Conflicts include the Thirty Years war, The English Civil War, The Huguenot wars and various wars in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815

The French Revolution starts the next evolution in warfare. The age of the professional army is dead, the musket and the mob now dominate. Large armies are created by the introduction of conscription.

19th Century 1820-1900

Muzzle loading weapons are slowly replaced by breach loaders, and artillery continues to develop. Conflicts include many European conflicts as Nation States are created, and the various wars in North America as the US establishes it's identity.

Colonial 1820-1930

The Euopean Powers need raw resources to feed their factories. Africa and Asia are colonised by the Imperial powers. This period is dominated by professional armies fighting Irregulars.

Early 20th Century 1900-1930

This period sees the introduction of the maxim machine gun and quick fire artillery. Conflicts include Russo-Japanese War, The Balkan Wars, World War I, The Russian Civil War and The Chinese Civil War.

 The beauty of The Principles of War series of rules is that the same mechanism is used for all sets. These means that the wargamer can focus on those aspects of the period that model the practices of  warfare and not have to learn a whole new mechanism. Small subtle changes in melee, morale and firing factors have great influence but command and control, firing, morale, melee and movement follow the same format.  So why not try a new period ?

To learn more about their historical periods go to the historical periods section off the home page.

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Contact me by clicking here Richard Holling