The historical wargames scenarios published on this blog have four segments:
What happened? A historical overview of the action the scenario is based upon. I have researched it as diligently as possible, using primary sources as well as secondary literature.
Who fought? Short biographies of some of the men involved in the action, also based on sources or internet sites like fold3.com or findagrave.com. I have tried to make sure that those persons were either verifiably (e.g. mentioned in sources) present at the action or at least verifiably present in the units involed at the time in question.
Why did it matter? An interpretation of the meaning of the action in relation to the wider context of the battle, campaign or war.
The scenario. A description of the scenario in terms of game mechanics. Most of the scenarios published on this blog are designed for TooFatLardies’ Sharp Practice rules, with some ideas on how to convert them to Dan Mersey’s Rebels and Patriots. However, there is no reason why the scenarios couldn’t be played with other miniature wargames rules.
Translating a historical event into a game scenario is always a challenge. While I try to keep as close to history as possible, in the end my aim is to provide an enjoyable game. This implies balancing several parameters. For example, the numbers of figures involved are determined by the dynamics the scenario wants to achieve, not by the actual numbers of men present (this is less a problem with Sharp Practice, which has a ‘fuzzy’ approach to the figure-men-ratio). Equally, ground scale is often compressed so as to bring the challenges of the terrain unto the tabletop without necessitating an impractically large playing area.
Despite such liberties with the historical facts, I hope that the scenarios will at least rouse interest in the actions modelled and maybe even allow the players a glimpse into the challenges and decisions faced by the historical commanders.