Rules

As much as I'd like to, the amount of space we have is not really sufficient for a full blown "little war" a la Wells. However, I don't care much for modern kriegspiel either; the element of play simply is not there, and at times it seems too much like you're a general miles away from the front. While the more modern military wargames using 22mm to 28mm soldiers are popular (indeed, I have a number of 1/76-1/72 scale tanks), the sense of "playing with toy soldiers" is lost.

That said, these are my modifications to Wells' rules, pertaining to my favorite pieces in battle, artillery -

1. All guns will have the ability to fire a small projectile. If they are incapable of firing rounds, a gun simulator will be used, itself being a small portable device that can fire.

2. Rounds will be color coded as to caliber and type, as per the following, (with effective blast radii) -

Red - 3 inch/75 - 77mm/15-18 pounder (3 inch/75mm)

Orange - 4 inch/100 - 105mm/25 pounder (4 inch/100mm)

Yellow - 4.5-4.7 inch/115 - 120mm (5 inch/125mm)

Green - 5 inch/125 - 130mm (6 inch/150mm)

Blue - 6 inch/150 - 170mm (7 inch/175mm)

Black - 8 - 9 inch/200 - 210mm (also covers 40 to 65 pounders) (9 inch/225mm)

3. Each player will be provided with "blast disks" for the appropriate weapons used.

4. Any personnel within the blast radius is considered a casualty

5. Blast disks will be labeled with concentric areas in thirds - Mortal (center), Severe (middle), Stunned (outer).

The rest of the rules pertaining to movement and firing are as per Wells. All rounds will be assumed to be HE; schrapnel/anti-personnel rounds are rather unsportsmanlike. While that may seem ironic, yea even naive (we are, after all, talking war), it is the only way to ensure that the game is kept on somewhat a level playing field.

Which, in and of itself, is also ironic...