Note to Self: Need to try out "Bloody Big Battle" sometime (Franco Prussian War)

https://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=296&cat=140&page=1

Possibly for use in a Franco-Prussian 15mm Campaign I always said I would do! 

Note to Self: Stonk - Brigade Level Rules (WW2) by Jim Wallman

Reference Point for Jim Wallman's WWII set of Brigade Level Rules:

https://www.jimwallman.org.uk/stonk/

Thoughts on Urban Operations - Board Game

Is this "the one" for Urban Operations - could be, as the pedigree of  Sebastion de Peyret is first class (see below, does it not look good and sexy, but how do you play it?): 

Nuts - Game Publisher Web-Site (currently waiting for a Version 2 printing in 2024, I have the original version 1): 

• https://www.nutspublishing.com/eshop/urban-operations-en

Board Game Geek reference (what do the other folks say about it?):

• https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/179251/urban-operations

The box is a collection of magic tricks to me. Excellent reference material, historical and hypothetical (Cold War gone Hot Style), innovative game play, fog of war and realistic decision based (without the benefit of being a 10,000 foot tall general). The pain is sitting down and learning the mechanisms well enough for quick play.

Learning Videos: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vymjMXayZE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3zVbjLjvSI

Links to other resources, would be much appreciated!

Additional Link (27/08/2023):

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtlKZ6haJsQ

Good Blogger to follow: Shaun's Wargaming with Miniatures

Now this is an interesting recommendation from a friend (Game We Play). Something for the Ancient and WWII enthusiast: 

http://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/

WWII  3x4 Advancing Companies Rule Set:

http://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/search/label/advancing%20companies

Some time shall be spent investigating here!

Command Decision IV - Test of Battle (To Be or Not To Be the ONE? That is the question!). First looking back at CD1.

For some thirty years I have been searching the hobby game stores for THE WWII "land war rule set" that will be the saviour, or rather my excuse for, buying my 20mm (and 1/200) wargaming collections (now 15mm, 10mm and 6mm need also to be included). Like a little lost soul seeking love and attention I yearn for the "perfect enough" set of rules to make me happy. In this quest "Command Decision I, II, III and finally IV (Test of Battle)" have been acquired - as has been the likes of Spearhead and Crossfire. Alas the bonfire does not burn as well as I expected - although I always thought Command Decision was almost right and crossing the Rubicon (its morale and its orders for command decisions, hence the name). Nevertheless the 20mm collection grows steadily bigger with each passing year, but few games have really been played on the sacred table top (see below, what the collective from Board Game Geek thought of CD1):  

Piquing my interest in WW2 land war recently were these posts: 

• https://sgtsteiner.blogspot.com/2023/04/test-of-battle-lindern-1944-scenario.html
• https://sgtsteiner.blogspot.com/2023/04/test-of-battle-test-game.html

Has Sgt Steiner succeeded where I have failed for all these years? In fairness teh games get rated better with each edition (see below, V2, V3 and V4 ratings - so Frank Chadwick must have been onto something I think): 

For my own consumption I revisited the large stack of Command Decision boxes I have, containing therein the sacred rules and decided to do a play-test, actually going back to CD 1 (fondly remembering the day I discovered it lurking on the shelves of the Aberdeen Virgin Store, in the Games Section alongside boxes of Computer Games, thinking "now this looks interesting", as I thought then and still think so now).  

So I took CD1 out for a stroll, to show two of my wargaming allies some 1941 Barbarossa action near Kiev. I chose a 3:1 odds battle of a Veteran German Motorised Battalion from a Panzer Division versus a Green Soviet Infantry Battalion defending a couple of hills in front of a town, a real slap in the face job, but "only" using the organic German and Russian battalion weaponry. A full strength German Panzer Grenadier Battalion is easy 3:1 in advantage over a weakened Soviet Infantry Battalion. I thought he morale extremes should make it a relatively quick battle, just to learn the rules again (I expected the Russian force to melt, as it did). Rather than player versus player, as it was a very static Russian defence (one command order) and an active German (our command orders) there was much more discussion about what the Germans could and could not do.

Most of the issues on the day really stemmed from the difference between reading the rules and getting the gist, then playing a game and finding the reference to the right rule quickly when simultaneously explaining it to two other wargamers (there were too many pauses but my friends were patient). The game (IMHO) played well though, the order system was very representative of the capabilities of WWII forces although it played slower than the accepted 1:1 timeline [game time v real battlefield time] in the Designers Notes (something which I always though should be quicker in CD .. later versions simplified mechanics and tried to streamline .. maybe just a case of familiarity). I think I still need to convince my compatriots though, one a die-hard convicted "Avalon Hill Panzer Blitz rules in miniatures is the way forward", the other likes to see a few examples before making his mind up. Which is all fair enough.

I smile though as I thought it worked and I will tell you why, because the German plan was worked through the CD1 Order System, not as an after thought. No such thing exists in Panzer Blitz and many other rule sets. Two dismounted (that is from trucks) German infantry companies went forward supported by their own "company organic but dropped off" MG Platoons and the well-sited MGs/Mtr of the Weapons Company which punished the Russian defenders. The armoured half-track company was kept in reserve. For simplicity I had the defender's positions already spotted (assuming the Panzer Recon and Veteran Infantry Patrol had doe their job well the night before). A quick full advance and a cautious cautious advance allowed the Germans to fire in the General Phase. This melted away the Russian defenders on the two hills, causing as expected an adverse morale effect for the third Russian company, in the town with battalion commander and a infantry weapon stand (they hunkered down - pinned). One German company however stalled with a bad morale roll (in fairness it took the brunt of the Russian fire). The German reserve was released by their battalion commander while the battered German company regrouped. With over whelming effective fire power the Germans reduced the defenders and their morale broke on turn four, the only survivor - the Russian indirect mortar platoon - decided discretion was the better part of valour and legged it. To me it had an authentic feel to it. Like anything after playing the rules once (especially after so many years) re-reading the rules again ironed out a few queries. Introducing spotting is the next key, as bumping into stuff you have not spotted and dropping indirect on stuff you have spotted is another tactical feature of the CD system I liked! 

PS1: Apologies for forgetting to take pictures of the battle!

PS2: Most significant features I had forgotten about was extreme range for infantry was double normal effective range - which makes life  little more dangerous. 

DAK Attack - Rules from "Offensive Miniatures"

Shiny Alert! I am on a Western Desert LRDP and SAS theme at the moment (see below, I saw this mentioned between wargaming friends online, looks appealing): 

https://www.offensiveminiatures.com/product-page/dak-attack-lrdg-rule-set

But I know "nothing" of it (other than it looks appealing).

Can anybody answer this strange Troop Type/OrBat Question from Command Decision?

I have recently been 'reinvigorating' my interest in my loft bound 20mm WWII collection, dwelling on the shame of knowing that I have a lot of 20mm kit without without a corresponding large number of battles under my belt. Wargaming "shame". This is something I need to address. Perhaps it is my choice of rules that is at the heart of the problem. I started my collection long before my Chain of Command skirmish interest when Command Decision was my bible (in the early 1990's it was CD I and CD II fresh off the press, post 2000, I picked up CD III with good intentions to do something with it, then quite recently, ahem as in couple of years [pre-Covid] I got a copy of CD IV 'Test of Battle' - for shall we say completeness sake). One of the troubles in getting tabletop is the [relative] 'considerable' amount of kit required for Regiment and Battalion OrBats in 20mm (let along thinking of doing a spectaular Divisional Battle - for which I would now opt for 1:200 [early war] and 1:300 [later war] figures, but then Spearhead is also an alternative rule contender). It is the wargaming butterfly syndrome in me and slow meticulous painter (rather than a ruthless "good enough for a tabletop game" finisher), combined with the terrible "lofty goals" and "ambition" (Arnhem - really?)). The paradox: I am both happy and unhappy at always being an "unfinished WIP". Life is somebody else's problem, it is the journey not the destination that counts.

So, the good news. I have been making progress and creating "battalion boxes" of 20mm formations. Starting with early WWII Eastern Front (1941-42) organisations. The basic idea is to get a German  armoured battalion and motorised infantry battalion together, then field it with some support companies to play against a (depleted) static Russian infantry regiment [three battalions and RHQ], with perhaps some scraped together support assets. It is also a way of avoiding "bundles of tanks and figures" rolling around in shoe and foolscap boxes in the loft, with the inevitable series of broken and missing plastic parts (see below, a German 1941 Motorised Infantry Battalion from a Panzer Division; multiple manufacturers [old and new] and various 'true' scales but all around 20mm [20mm, 1/72, 1/76, HO/OO] which is good enough for me - in this Amazon age we seem to be blessed with lots of suitably sized boxes):   

Now came a bit of a puzzle, a conundrum so to speak. As well as attaching in companies (such as armoured cars, motorcycles and tanks) from other battalions I wanted to also attach down stand to attach from higher level command levels, such as Regiment and Brigade. As it should be. That allows attachment of things such as the dreaded 15cm Infantry Guns and "the like". "The like" being an issue, as all manner of odds and sods exist in the Command Decision multi-verse (from USMC Raiders, Porter Stands, to Japanese National Service Militia Stands), which is great because they are mentioned in the rules as 'specials', or at least appear in Equipment Data Charts under Personnel, showing a "movement" or in the "Small Arms Fire" table with a combat value. To this end when I consulted the Frank Chadwick, Armies of World War II, Volume 1 (note, there never was a volume II) for early those Barbarossa units I was after, I was happy until I reached the German 1941-42 Motorised Infantry Regiments "level" in the Panzer and Motorised Infantry Divisions. 1941-1942. It appears there was a magical musical moment in the German Army in 1941-42? Not before, (1939-1940) and not after (1943-45), does this mystical "band stand" (get it?) appear (see below, perhaps it was a Germanic marching meme of the time? In total there are "three bands" in this Panzer Division OrBat, one playing for the panzers and two playing for the infantry - highlighted purple on the page. Quite a social itinery): 

So what is this "band" stand (that joke is wearing thin after the telling)? It comes along with a light truck as transport so its "motorised". I am puzzled, as I cannot "see it" in the rules. Without any additional mention that I can find, I am going to put it down as a simple "Veteran Infantry Stand" that is RHQ close protection (as it is not in italics which denotes rear echelon elements, so it is a 'fighting' element). If anybody has any other thoughts please let me know, otherwise I may have sleepless nights! I did consider a formation morale point loss if it was eliminated, but as it stands it can just beef up element count by one! 

Note: I have found references to the German Band in CD I, CD II, CD III (and I am still looking in CD IV).

Further Update: These musical Germans were also found in ..

• German Infantry Division (1941-42)
• German Jager Division (1943-45) 
• German Mountain Troop Division (1941-45)

Back to my Tiger Tanks now!

10mm Vietnam Game: Take That Village Playtest

Something in the pipeline, play tested once with a friend and it was good, then lots of other interesting things got in the way, but it is about to be picked up again (see below, the jungles of Vietnam created on Kallistra terrain): 

A Vietnam game without a Huey? Never! (see below, which a chemistry see through paperweight, hurriedly pressed into (very effective) service as a flying stand): 

The wide expanse of the "jungle table" means that the figures seem lost in its midst. which feels about right (see below, it it only possible to spot the troops, because of the camouflage, with teh aid of counters - which again seems about right): 

The Pendrakon 10mm figures although small are beautifully sculped (see below, US Blue - NVA/VC Red, naturally): 

Looking forwards to play testing this home-brew rule set of a friend ;) 

Random Things That Appeared In An Amazon Shopping Trolley Over The Past Months

Why? Because .. it looked good and was at a discounted price .. and my powers of resistance were low .. (see below, a "shiny" Sci-Fi adventure game for £20 .. after all I have to do something with all those Space Marines and other various Sci-Fi figures): 

Although a Chain of Command buff, I have heard too many good reports from people playing the alternative too .. so again I was victim of a discounted price (see below, although it is safe to say I was a happy victim, another £20 .. could be expensive if I get all the supplements):  

Third and final was Rangers of Shadow deep, a Fantasy (relatively light .. in comparison to 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons) adventure game .. yes again discounted .. please note this was not one mad single Amazon shopping trip, but rather multiple over months (see below, this one was also a Kindle edition whereas the other two were physical): 

The latter (Rangers) was with a selection of LOTR miniatures I have yet to paint in mind. Game on (after reading the rules that is)!

Don't Miss Out on Warlord Games FREE Rules (PDF) Giveaway (Hail Caesar, Pike and Shotte and Black Powder)

FREE PDFs (usually £20 each)

Hail Caesar
Pike and Shotte
Black Powder

https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/rules-books

Also check out:

Blood Red Skies
Test of Honour (usually £5)
Terminator

Command Decision "Test of Battle" CD4 (or rather CD4.1)

I knew it existed but I had never bumped into it at a show or wargames show and by the time I tried to buy it on-line it seemed to have 'long gone'. So I kind of snapped it up when I saw it advertised on eBay. Reading the bumf I see that it is officially termed Command Decision 4.1 (dated as 2012) because it is a re-edit of the first production run. Good enough for me (see below):

Glimpsing through it says there is lots of extra stuff to download from the web-site (stats charts and scenarios). A few of the core mechanisms I was happily reading about in CD3 seem to have been surreptitiously dropped. In no particular order. Turn time seems to have gone from 15 to 30 minutes. Rather than number of hits to kill it seems better troops are harder to kill. Spotting goes deterministic. Artillery suppression rather than casualties is a "new" concept.

All I want to make sure I "play some games with it" rather than just add to my collection of  wargame rules ;)

Wargames Rules Modern (Post 1950): Digging up Old Rules and Dusting Them Off Continued (WRG Wargame Rules 1950-2000: Edition 1993)

Rules search update: 

It seems that the 1988 edition of the WWII rules will be far different from my 1973 version, hinted at and outlined from comments to my previous post (drat). By looking ahead at the 1950-2000 rules I acquired (which is an appropriate set for the Falklands, NATO v Warsaw Pact, Arab v Israeli, Iran v Iraq, the 1st and 2nd Gulf Wars and perhaps even Vietnam or Russians in Afghanistan) you can see that there are several new concepts which seem to follow from the Barker "troop definitions" (think DBA definitions), orders, modes, force posture, morale and combat skills, Tactical and Exigency Modes in small 1990's closely typed typescript. No evidence of the advent of the word processor home publishing revolution here. Oh for the sweet breath of fresh "comic sans" here! Looks like it will need some meticulous close scrutiny over a quiet weekend of two (see below): 

Hmm, so methinks I will need to get the 1988 WWII version of Armour and Infantry (eventually) to update my WWII part of the WRG rule set (see below, but it looks like costing me £20 via WRG)

However I do fancy a couple of nostalgic games with the 1973 WWII version first though!

Wargames Rules WWII: Digging up Old Rules and Dusting Them Off (WRG Armour and Infantry 1973)

Now here is a blast from the past, circa 1973 (apparently updated in 1988, but I am under the assumption that it was padded out with Army Lists as opposed to dramatic additions to the rules). The figures are 1:1 so anything bigger than a company looks a challenge but I am "needling" my way through reading them and intend to give them a play test (see below)

I would love to hear from anyone who previously played them, particularly the 1988 version! The only comments so far was from Renko with respect to long ago at the local Hartlepool club, where he remembered several "good" games using them. Then along came Firefly and Korp Commander and hoards of 1/300 tanks.

The temptation I have is to put a small infantry battle together, a platoon attacking a defensive position defended by a reinforced Squad in hasty defensive cover.

Bob's Book: Portable Wargame

A nice little read, Mr Bob Cordery's "The Portable Wargame" and I am glad I've bought it. Why? Two reasons:

• It goes to the heart of the matter of KIS KIT "Keep It Simple but Keep It True". A bit like Formal Methods in Computer Science - "Less is actually a lot More" particularly when simple rules can develop into [unexpected] complex phenomenon ;)
• For a small investment in material new periods can be investigated (I never thought I would consider "Colonial" but here's me thinking 15mm or 6mm Zulu War! Not since DBA have I seen such a good ROI (Return On Investment) with figures and the potential to play numerous games with minimal effort.

That T-34 immediately begs a few WWII wargames to my mind, not too dissimilar to Phil Sabin's games (FireMove comes to mind) from his Simulating War (see below):  

Watch this space for an After Action Report in the near future hopefully!

As a footnote, this little book was a lifesaver on a very long, work-related, train journey from hell. Thankfully this little book was slipped into my laptop bag inconspicuously and helped pass teh time and entertained my through a solo lunch in the hotel ;)

PS I see Bob has another volume out exctending his rules system, heading back into the Ancients period!

Wargame Rules: Blood and Guts

Following along the Amazon trend of "go on you always wanted to get this wargaming book at some point, so why not get it now" while shopping on Amzon to make it past the £10 free delivery level, and originally known courtesy of the informative The History of Wargaming Project by John Curry, I decided to get "Blood and Guts". Why? Well yes another set of home grown (over twenty years) wargaming rules making it to the publishable level (hell knows I have so many already, particularly WWII) but this one is coming from a former army officer (US Marines) who had always wargamed. Thus there is a meld between hobby and profession that enthused my interest (see below):

I am still in the process of reading it but I can definitely say am glad I made the purchase because it has already "made me think" long and hard. He wants a playable game, that is not chess or checkers but feels right. His rules are not definitive (he encourages discussion) and pitched at the squad element, platoon organisation and company or sub-company game scale. Lots familiar but with some twists, consider the familiar concepts of: 

• Rate of Fire 
• Platoon Strength

A simple mechanism reduces the former as the latter declines. Interesting enough for me to see others (as in respected rule sets) don't show that relationship. I would say Chain of Command does, but there are lots of dice! (Note: Not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but not in the place of tactics.) I stand to be corrected but Spearhead, Crossfire and Command Decision didn't observe this (albeit not necessarily aimed at the same battle scale) relationship. I am not saying that I agreed with some of his national squad ratings but his mechanism provides interesting effects.

Early days, much more reading to do,

Caught with my hand in the Rule Book(s): Osprey Wargaming titles

It is an easy online thing to 'accidentally' do .. that is, without overtly noticing it yourself (blame the subconscious or was it the Freudian "Id"), ahem until the "Wife" one day stops you at the door and points out that "another package" has arrived! (Caught with the hand in the proverbial "cookie jar").I blame it on the click-ability 'ease' of Amazon "Osprey" online book shopping, see all the pictures below, soI seem to have picked up er, eight somehow.

"The defence case M'lord":

While I am in the process of building up to an Impetus sized army ("long time process of 'figure loving' for me circa 60+ figures per side") I have (or rather) will be using the following rules with warbands of circa 12 .. 40 figures aside instead in skirmish mode (see below):

• Lion Rampant (Medievil)
• The Pikeman's Lament (English Civil War)

Science Fiction (flying a space ship) and Ultra Modern Special Ops, with even less figures (aka working with squads) ranging from the Sci-Fi medley of various GW "things" with miscellaneous robot types from other sources, to the ubiquitous deniable Black Ops (Modern, post 1945 to 2045+) being aimed at reusing the more human looking Sci-Fi or modern 20mm plastics [though there could be the excuse to purchase some (as in mere handful) of ultra modern in the sexy 28mm] (see below):

• Rogue Stars .. Lazer guns are us
• Black Ops .. "I cannot confirm or deny that this operation took place!"

"Odd balls" miscellania, a catch all at the end, Roman Fantasy (something else to do with that Early Imperial 28mm plastic Warlord Games and some existing D&D Fantasy monster figure types) and a Samurai Rule Set ... because I know I will not be able to resist getting the lasted Warlord Games "Test of Honour" game but may want to "go my own way" and not be hauled into getting their OoB (see below):

• Broken Legions .. Fun with a Gladius! 
• Ronin .. "Hei"

Nearing the end. At least the naval section is in the normal wargaming "active" category. For my 1/1200 Navwar ancient triremes and 1/1200 Navwar Napoleonic "Ships of the Line" I have started evaluating these along with other commercial rule sets (see below):

• Poseidon's Warriors (Triremes)
• Fighting Sail (Napoleonic)

Summary: In general, shopping with the Amazon bug gets each of the above for 'under a tenner' (aka below Osprey RRP). They are more of the "introductory level" of basic rules (good for stuff not in my usual period: aka WWII), a standard slightly beyond the "local club house rules" [at least better play tested and Osprey production quality] but below the £25+ level of "in depth" full production "niche period" [hurting your wallet] extravaganza of charts and tables.

I expect to play and tinker with all the above. In fact I have really collected them to be able to "jump start" into periods I have (or almost have) figures for but lack real "deep" background knowledge. I will try and avoid the "buy them all" (though others are interesting) syndrome, but in the end if they get 'one game on the table' with a friend they have served their wargaming purpose! I plan to play Shart Practice II for Napoleonics but as of yet I have not been tempted into playing Steam Punk ;)

Ancient Rule Sets

Well, what rules to use, what rules to avoid?

They range from something as simple as DBA (ten infamous pages of simple rules later clarified with a unofficial guide of only seventy four pages [yes that is sarcasm], or even BBDBA), then to as "mind boggling" a set of rules as DBM (for more, ahem, er competition orientated gamers), to what I consider as a cry for sanity and call for good gaming in DBMM (played in good spirit but still suffering from the rules lawyer issue, and its DBMM100, DBM200 variants - there is hope here) or to the still serious but strangely fun rules of Impetus to the novel simulation orientated rules of Strategos II (aka Lost Battles) and a few more in between (such as Armati) I could have mentioned.

I guess it all depends who is going to play them. For me my next task is to entertain an intelligent set of jovial beginners who want to play in a competitive but historically realistic fashion, win or lose. So ,,, Strategos II/Lost Battles gets the call (see below):

A grid based system that avoids most of the common or cunning wargaming wibbles. It is from the academic stable of Prof Phil Sabin from King's College and has playability and historical simulation at its core. Should be fun ;)

The battle I intend to play is The First Battle of Mantinea (418BC) in the Peloponnesian War.

Thoughts on an AWI Project: Part I

Source of Inspiration:

Recently caught the last hour of Mel Gibson's "The Patriot" on television and was impressed with the look of the 'brown coated' militia and the blue-coated American militia in the battle scenes. That "twitchy painty" feeling started tingling in my bones. What to do? What to do? Wait and see if it passes? I can at least gather my thoughts ... and ask for advice from fellow bloggers.

Potential Rules: 
http://legio-wargames.com/#/loose-files-awi/4537113783
http://www.caliverbooks.com/Partizan%20Press/partizan_BG.shtml

28mm Figure Ranges: 
Perry's AWI Hard Plastics

Reference Material: 
Mark Urban's: Fusilier (reading at present)

References for other introductory books appreciated?

DBMM: The Die is cast

Following my recent DBMM AAR postings, with clear head and happy heart I can make the following announcement (to myself) ...

After countless sleepless nights lost in deep, deep thought (or should I say months/years stemming back to my first encounter with DBA in 1994) about the "DBx family of rules" I have come to a monumental, nay strategic decision. Well monumental for me at least and strategic because it means no rebasing but still allowing maximum enjoyment in the ancient period of the Wargaming hobby ;)

DBMM (version 2) is  now my official poison of choice. (With the caveat that the figures based for these rules can still be used "with the aid of sabots" for Impetus)

So DBM is dead for me but in all honesty has been for some time (the phrase cutting my losses seems apt here). It was only ever a competition orientated system (IMHO) and evolved slowly into a Byzantine geometry form of participation art rather than a vehicle for historical gaming.

DBA was and still is a seductive alternative (or rather was) but the pragmatics of both learning two 'similar but different' rule systems and remembering the rule differences when playing is just self-defeating. It also has the famous "rule of twelve" that artificially gives battles of "even sized" armies. The smaller DBMM 100, DBMM 200 allows an army to slowly grow in size :)

Please note the above is just a personal choice ;)

Reunited with "For God, King and Country" ECW Rules

After a long separation, I can happily report that the "For God, King and Country" ECW rule set are back in the bosom of  my rule cabinet (see below):

They have returned undamaged (and unread) from their travels. To recap these rules are the source of my ECW inspiration, north and south of the border (with Scotland). I plan to assemble a Warlord Games 28mm series of ECW armies based on the scenarios from this booklet, this means:

• Parliamentarian
• Royalist
• Covenanter
• Montrose Royalist

The trick is to spot a nice "budding small wargaming force" that has the potential to build upon. Due to the limited size and scope of the northern conflict (the Montrose Campaign) their armies are far smaller than their English brethren which is great. The English battles though tend to be larger affairs and therefore typically require three to four times as many troops. Start with the Scottish you say, the trouble is I am already ahead in the game of English (albeit) unpainted troops at the moment.

My cunning compromise is to concentrate just on a particular "wing" of a larger battle (Naseby, Marston Moor and Edgehill) and perhaps do a bit of light research to try and find smaller ECW small brigade skirmishes. Any research references appreciated.