Voice of the Guns

Voice of the Guns is a wargames system for European Land Warfare for the period from 1850, when the muzzle-loading rifle became widely adopted, to 1916, when the tank made its appearance on the European battlefield. In that time the cavalry lost its pre-eminence on the battlefield, the artillery developed the art of indirect fire thanks to the introduction of the recoil mechanism, and the machine-gun evolved into a weapon to fear. The period runs from the Crimean War, up through the wars of Italian Unification, the Austro-Prussian and Franco Prussian Wars, the Russo-Turkish War and on to the early days of the First World War. The system may also be successfully used to re-fight the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. The system is intended for large-scale actions up to corps and army level. The basic manoeuvre units are the infantry battalion, the cav alry squadron and the artillery battery. With the possible exception of independent machine-gun companies, further subdivision of forces is not considered. The system may be used for any scale of figures from 5-6 mm through 10-12 mm and 15 mm up to 25-28 mm and is not dependent upon specific numbers of figures per unit. Morale and combat systems have been streamlined to cut down calculation as far as feasible. Where possible, outcomes are automatic. While at the same time, command and control is sophisticated and designed to present players with the sort of tactical and practical problems encountered by real-life generals.