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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

WRG Armies of Macedonian and Punic Wars

Look what arrived into my mailbox!  One pristine copy of WRG's Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars 359 BC to 146 BC (AMPW) by Duncan Head and Ian Heath.  As a bonus, this is the hardback edition.  Hardback!  Yes, the bottom spline is a bit bunged but otherwise, the book is perfect.  I have never seen the hardback before.  The copies I have are all of the softcover variety.  This hard cover edition with be able to hold up much better than the softcover editions I have seen and own.
Although published more than 30 years ago in 1982, AMPW is likely still considered the Bible as an ancients wargaming reference.  I only discovered this work relatively recently but have enjoyed it greatly. AMPW is loaded with information on organization, tactics, weaponry, and clothing for most of the armies involved in the conflicts during this time period.  I especially enjoy the numerous drawings by Ian Heath.  "Especially enjoy" is an understatement.  The drawings are fantastic and well worth the price of the book alone.  This is a work that belongs in every ancients wargamer's library.     

19 comments:

  1. We're going to have to call you Lucky Man.

    I have a softback copy right next to my PC, thanks to a fellow dumping his historical collection this spring. It is FABULOUS!

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    1. Lucky, perhaps but good timing, for sure. It is a terrific resource, isn't it?

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  2. I have some of the WRG stuff in .pdf format, but no hardcopies, alas!

    Quite a find, Jonathan, well done!

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  3. A 188 illustrations on the Punic War all baked into a book tailored for wargamers - I'm in! Off to Ebay...

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    1. The softcover book does appear on eBay quite regularly.

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  4. Nice reference, Jonathan. I must admit I've never had the chance to view/read it.

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    1. Hi Dean! I would be happy to send out a loaner copy if you are interested.

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  5. Still have my soft cover copy - didn't even know there was a hard cover edition. Hmm, my vintage Macedonians really could use an expansion, or better yet completely redo them as a Siuccessor army with modern figures (my small Macedonian army was done with mostly Minifigs back when I was in Medical school - that's what most of the (excessive) time off to study for the board exams was (much more productively) used for!

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    1. Seeing that you passed your Med Boards, painting figures was a good use of your extra time! I would enjoy seeing Successor army from your painting stable.

      As for hardcopy of this book, I didn't know it existed either (until recently, that is).

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    2. The less I stuidied, the better I did, so yes it was. To me, trying to study for such a huge body of material learned over a year or more is relatively pointless. Anything that wasn't placed into LT memory the first time is likley to be forfotten again several weeks later (by the time the exam comes around). Of course, I'm blessed with an unusually strong memory, and my gaming background makes me view test as in part an excercise in strategy!

      My existing macedonians are realtively crude, so they won't likely see the pages of the blog any time soon unless they come to the table for a game! Any new units are another matter! :-)

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  6. It's a fantastic book Jonathan, I have the softback version to.

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    1. Paul, that does seem to be the consensus, doesn't it?

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  7. Found one a few years ago, and have since wondered how I ever painted without it. Enjoy!

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    1. Did you find the hardback edition? This is the only HB I have seen.

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