The reviews are starting to roll in for Secrets of Wargame Design...
From Lone Warrior
"I think you are going to appreciate the wit and wisdom, especially if you are the sort of wargamer who tweaks rules or invents your own rules. This is worth reading and reflecting. Thank you, Russ Lockwood, for getting these essays out to a wider audience!! "
From Wargaming Recon (Podcast Episode 76)
"I just recorded my new episode in which I spent 20 minutes extolling the virtues of the book."
"Many of the chapters contain a "Notes" section -- it's clear they want to use and interact with the book, to mark it up, and even to change Wally rules. I made use of those and made notes...In fact, I made notations throughout...The layout is nice, flows well, and the articles are interesting...This book is fantastic. I really enjoyed it..." "Big Picture Siege was interesting. I thought it was really cool with the ping-pong table serving as the battlefield and the variable time idea...Revolutionary Morale creates some really interesting rules on how morale affects games...Ancient Country Fight is really interesting to read and how it played out." "Do you really want to spend money on it? Yes, you want to spend money on it. The book covers a wide array of areas...I really hope a lot of people will purchase it because I think it is a great value. This book is fantastic! I really enjoyed it."
From Prof. Johnny Wilson
"I use Walter Simon's work as required reading in three of the four classes he regularly teaches: Introduction to Game Design, History of Games, and History of Video Games...Understanding Simon's rules suggestions will help them write better algorithms as well as gain a greater appreciation for the state of the art in both video and wargame design."
From designer P. Viverito
"Looked and read great! Russ has done his typically superb job as he covers Wally Simon's ideas and ideals about gaming rules. If you are interested in creating your own rules or modifying rules, using this publication would be of great help. It covers ancients to panzers with ideas on morale, movement, time, and styles (cards or dice)."
From R.P.
"Congratulations! Nicely done. I didn't always agree with Wally's design philosophy, but he often had something intelligent to say, and it's well presented here."
From J.G.
"Just would like to thank you for editing and publishing Secrets of Wargame Design. Not only is it a very valuable contribution to the hobby's literature but it was also just great fun to read and a real trip down memory lane as they say! Wally was not only an insightful and creative thinker about wargame design, but an enjoyable writer to read. I think I read every one of his articles that you had archived in MagWeb at least twice. The old copies of PW were one of the big reasons I subscribed to MagWeb.
Since the book is emblazoned with "Volume #1" I do truly hope there will be more; you can count on me as a customer for sure.
PS - I should also thank you for keeping the price very reasonable - in fact, shockingly reasonable in this day of $50 rule set!
From M.E:
"I picked this up at Historicon and it was a fun read. Is there a volume 2 coming?"
Yes, Volume 2 is just about ready and will be published by end of 2012. --RL
Secrets of Wargame Design Sample Chapters and More...
Wally Simon's
Edited by Russ Lockwood
Item: 198831
Cost: $19
(Published 2012)
To Purchase:
Go to: OMM Home Page at www.onmilitarymatters.com
Type in 198831 in the search box (underneath logo)
Click on "Search" button
When listing appears: click on "Add to Cart" (you may have to scroll down) link on far right.
If you are in UK and Europe, Caliver Books (in UK) carries Secrets of Wargame Design.