Saturday 21 April 2018

A Blast From The Past ! .


The other day I had a trip to Carlisle - one of my favourite towns and I popped into the Games Workshop for the odd pot of paint , when asked the invariable question from the manager "what are you painting now?" I replied "Mexican Infantry for the 1836 Texan War of Independence" - I got a blank look ! . Then on to the Museum for a quick look round and lunch , finally I when to the second hand bookshop in Castle Street (the name of which I always forget* ) , it's a musty old fashioned place full of nooks and crannies over several floors which you can get lost in . I have never worked out the actual layout of the various categories of books and just rely on bumping into things of interest . Imagine my surprise when I found they have a modelling section and even a few war gaming books ! - sadly all of which I already have - then I came across this book ! . I have never had a copy although I was aware of Morschauser and his gridded wargame through Donald Featherstones 'Advanced Wargaming' . It is rather worn but not to bad for something published in 1962 (56 years ago !!!!)  and VERY nostalgic ! . Although contemporary with Featherstone and Young he differs with his use of multi figure bases and even simpler rules than their's . Time to sit down with a cup of tea (and biscuits) and immerse myself in the past . (*Bookcase)


An early attempt at photography interrupted by Hodge ! .


20 comments:

  1. Congratulations, very rare in this country. Way ahead of its time. There is online somewhere the ancients rules he developed next, which might just as well be called DBA because that is what they are. In fact if DBA had used a grid they would have been uch better rules IMO.

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    1. Yes don't think I could have afforded one from the USA when a youngster.

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  2. Give you joy of your good fortune! A splendid find and a jolly good read. Enjoy!
    Alan

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  3. When I first started wargaming this was the first book I found in an old used bookstore. Even if you don't use the rules I think you'll enjoy reading it. It seem Hodge isn't happy that you want to share your good fortune!

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  4. Good find.... well done. Second hand bookshops all too rare nowadays, and finds like this even more so.

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    1. Yes sadly they are nowadays , they had quite a few Ospreys - but I had them all .

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  5. Morshauser is one of my favorites and as Mr. Preece says, way ahead of of its time. Enjoy!

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    1. Looking forward to reading it - a different approach to gaming from the Featherstone/Grant/Young school .

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  6. Hodge looks as excited by the new book as you sound in your post.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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  7. The reason why I nip into any secondhand bookshop I pass is that you never know what you will find.



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    1. I was surprised they had any wargaming books at all , quite a few Osprey and 'coffee table' types .

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  8. My friend Rob introduced me to it around 2002, haven't looked back. Enjoy!

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  9. Nothing better than to visit an old well stocked second hand Bookstore- it is like a good treasure hunt- seeking out those rare now out of print delights. Sometimes it is like finding a piece of your past that may have been missing- finding that prized book.Cheers. KEV.

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    1. Yes second hand bookshops are one of my favourite things , you never know what you may find.

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