The Complete Book of Wargames
Jon Freeman released The Complete Book of Wargames in 1980 through Simon & Schuster. The Fireside imprint carried the volume to shelves that year. A hardcover edition contained 285 pages while a paperback version offered the same text. Readers found two distinct parts within these covers. Part one introduced wargaming concepts and occupied about 25% of the total page count. Part two evaluated specific games and filled the remaining three-quarters of the book.
The first section opened with questions about whether war could be fun for players. Five chapters followed this opening inquiry to define the hobby. One chapter defined realism versus playability as core tensions. Another chapter listed components like hexfields, terrain, and Combat Resolution Tables. An introductory game named Kassala demonstrated these mechanical concepts in action. Later chapters taught victory conditions and defensive tactics on hexgrids. New players read these pages to understand how rules functioned before playing actual games.
Part two grouped capsule reviews into seven chapters by historical era. Ancient world conflicts appeared alongside Second World War battles. Separate sections covered modern warfare after 1945. Science fiction and fantasy genres received their own evaluations. Computer games also entered the list of reviewed titles. Reviewers described various board games from different publishers. The text spanned decades of conflict and imagination within its pages. Each entry provided a snapshot of available products at that moment.
Nick Schuessler wrote in October 1980 that wargaming grew too fast for any single book to track. He noted the industry would leave new publications obsolete almost immediately upon release. Tony Watson published his thoughts in February 1981 and agreed with this assessment. Watson stated the variety of games made specific evaluations outdated only months later. Jamie Adams added that much information became irrelevant just one year after publication. No mention existed of Yaquinto Publications, a major company formed after Freeman wrote the manuscript. Many reviewed games were no longer produced by the credited companies.
Jamie Adams criticized the misleading nature of the title regarding scope. The volume reviewed and described only board wargames exclusively. It ignored miniatures wargames despite their importance to the hobby. Fantasy role-playing games also appeared absent from the final count. Adams argued these categories represented significant parts of the community. The rapid growth of the hobby meant many details vanished quickly. Some games reviewed were unavailable entirely due to production changes. Despite these gaps, Adams called it the most useful guide available for both veterans and newcomers.
Common questions
When was The Complete Book of Wargames by Jon Freeman published?
Jon Freeman released The Complete Book of Wargames in 1980 through Simon & Schuster. The Fireside imprint carried the volume to shelves that year.
What are the two main parts of The Complete Book of Wargames by Jon Freeman?
Part one introduced wargaming concepts and occupied about 25% of the total page count. Part two evaluated specific games and filled the remaining three-quarters of the book.
How many pages does The Complete Book of Wargames by Jon Freeman contain?
A hardcover edition contained 285 pages while a paperback version offered the same text. Readers found these distinct parts within these covers.
Why did critics say The Complete Book of Wargames by Jon Freeman became outdated quickly?
Nick Schuessler wrote in October 1980 that wargaming grew too fast for any single book to track. Tony Watson stated the variety of games made specific evaluations outdated only months later.
Which types of games does The Complete Book of Wargames by Jon Freeman exclude from its reviews?
The volume reviewed and described only board wargames exclusively. It ignored miniatures wargames despite their importance to the hobby and fantasy role-playing games also appeared absent from the final count.