Wargames through the Ages was first published to fill a gap in literature of the hobby of wargaming. It was a one volume summary from the outbreak of the American Civil War and the concludes with the end of World War II in 1945. Between 1860 and 1945, the shape of warfare, armies, tactics and equipment underwent a wholesale change. In the same era, the map of Europe was redrawn and the machinations of world politics saw the introduction of military movements by land, sea and air on an international scale hitherto unconsidered. In 1861, the cavalry retained a still significant, if diminishing, role in the schemes of battle commanders; but by 1945 massive technological advances, culminating in the introduction of computerised planning had so altered the situation that a fundamentally new approach was necessitated as it is for the wargamer. The author has therefore considered at length the problem of formulating new rules, and the classification and assessment of armies and their conditions.

Wargames Through the Ages was first published to fill a gap in literature of the hobby of wargaming. It was a one volume summary of what was loosely called the Napoleonic period and beyond. Each chapter assesses the techniques and fighting methods of the opposing forces and indeed, the battle descriptions are often sufficiently colourful to inspire reconstruction. In discussing how this can best be simulated on a table-top battlefield the author gives comprehensive information as to contemporary styles of warfare which provides a basis for the formulation of rules. The period under review is extensive, and beginning with The French Revolutionary wars, it carries the reader through the Napoleonic Wars, then onto later conflicts with the Mexican War 1846-48, the Crimean War 1854-1855 and the Austrian/ French Wars of 1859.