Dyson’s Dodecahedron Quest for Fun! CRRPG Addict Fantasy Cafe Sitrep Hex and Violence Desperation Morale Banzai!! Dungeon Fantastic Let’s GURPS The Collaborative GamerAs a crusading force moving into hostile lands, castles were essential for the Teutonic Order’s survival in Prussia. Undeveloped and swampy, there was only a limited amount of stone available, which all went to building foundations. Naturally, early castles were[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Thucydides’ classic account of the Peloponnesian War(s) hits one of its dramatic moments (of many) with the siege of Sphacteria. It gets a lot of attention in his history, and William Shepherd spends a lot of time quoting it in[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I accidentally bought this from Osprey in the ePub format, and confirmed my suspicion that that is a poor choice for the heavily illustrated Osprey books. If you want electronic format, for them I recommend PDF so that the formatting[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
In 1988, Osprey did a four-part series on the Nineteenth Century British Army by Michael Barthorp. I’ve only read part three, but I can say that it does stand well on its own. This volume covers from after the Crimean[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
This is an older Osprey Men at Arms book, and has a few characteristics related to a 1977 release. First, it is something of a light guide to the history of the Mutiny. This would be better in an Essential[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The Battle of Waterloo is a much-discussed bit of military history for many reasons, so it was a logical choice for Ospery’s Campaign series. Really, the surprise is that it didn’t appear until book number 15. It is much less[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
This is a bit surprising as an ‘Elite’ book in Osprey’s line, but it is certainly worth the extra pages over a regular Men-At-Arms book. I am also happy to see post-Roman Gaul and Britain considered together, especially as this[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Osprey’s book on Castile and Aragon is really more about Trastamara rule, with Enrique II taking the throne of Castile in 1369 and the Hapsburg Charles II taking over Spain in 1516. The beginning of this tale is familiar to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Much like the first book, this is a solid but unspectacular Men-At-Arms volume. The Angus McBride art is better this time, with one two-page spread battle scene (shown in part on the cover). There’s a couple where the backgrounds aren’t[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Osprey’s various medieval armies Men-At-Arms books are generally solid, and this one does not disappoint. It’s not spectacular, either. The main thrust of the text is that Scandinavia lagged behind West European fashion/technology. Denmark of course, had lots of influence[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…