Charlie Wesencraft died earlier this year. He was a significant figure in the hobby apparently. I feel a bit sad/ashamed that I had never heard of him.
Did you know him? Have you used his rules and ideas?
It would be a shame if a good wargamer was not noted here?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charlie-Wesencrafts-Pike-Musket-Seventeenth/dp/B09Y47PR2C/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1OMF3E7V7KBIV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tVgwlekud0ojGvq4hzX1wO6pYfTdwzoRj0oLv0rB_X6MGr3YyTLF2edqgoW14rvSlAqdlCyF5Il1HAQ3M9Y4hPxuPHre-IDXd3JDnGfktETzS4RTaw5bOIVxVNPO-tW3bzcbEW3YHzfs6QMZZNo7aQ.cqu0v1Hyhc8Px0FlGt383KXFf_Y6a3mhQF7-U2ko_sE&dib_tag=se&keywords=charlie+wesencraft&qid=1756395476&sprefix=charlie+wesencraft%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-3
martin :)
I have two of his books (Practical Wargaming' and With 'Pike and Musket') which I acquired decades ago. He also contributed a few articles to magazines, one of which is still 'bookmarked' in the shed-of-doom.
He had some novel, and for his day quite progressive, ideas for gaming, which always impressed me. One I still use at times is his Weather Gauge, which allows for randomised weather at the start of a game with progressive, dice driven changes as the battle unfolds.
Sad to hear of his passing. Last I had heard he was quite old but still gaming (in the northeast, maybe?).
I think he was mainly old school type wargaming, similar to Donald Featherstone, but as Martin says a bit left field with some of his ideas. I think I saw him at one of the shows up north back in the day, probably Triples or Fiasco and talked to him briefly.
John
I had Practical Wargaming but disposed of it during a downsizing exercise.
A well written book with an engaging prose style (and a nice introduction explaining how he got started), his playing rules were interesting and well worth reading / considering but I don't think I ever used them.
Maybe heretical, but I enjoyed his books more than Don Featherstones and used his rules from Practical Wargaming for Napoleonic games 30+ years ago.
A really good read and if you can pick up Practical Wargaming or one of his other books, I'd say they're worth it for the nostalgia factor.
A good few years ago he created a diorama of the Battle of Belnhiem using 6mm figures that I believe still is on display at Blenhiem Palace.
Thanks for the input. Good to know some back story.
martin :)
More here:
https://independentwargamesgroup.blogspot.com/2025/04/charlie-wesencraft-author-wargamer-and.html
I once gamed against him at a club in Newcastle. Huge SYW game using rules I'd written. I ended up commanding the Austrian cavalry wing opposite his Prussians.
My cuirassier in the front line routed his dragoons - his brigade commanders were attached to each line, with the brigades formed in separate lines; whereas mine were between the front and rear units of the brigades formed in columns. It meant I could retain control, even if a front line unit routed, while his were lost. He complimented my deployment.
We then had to test for risk to commanders - it was low, something like 9 or 10 on a D10, increased if they were in combat which gave a bonus.
Charlie proceeded to throw about four 9s or 10s killing off almost my entire compliment of brigadiers for that wing!
I had intended to follow up my initial success but was prevented from doing so....
I remember he was a terrible name dropper - " my friend Terry, Terry Wise" ☺ he was great friends with Terry Wise and Stuart Asquith (who I also met once but that's another story ☺).
He worked for Tyne & Wear museums and built dioramas for them - siege of Newcastle 1644 - and organised wargaming events - I went to a WotR one he'd set up.
A nice man.
Neil
Sad to hear that. Coming into the hobby in 1966 he was a big influence on my early gaming, along with the likes of Don Featherstone, George Gush, Bruce Quarrie and their ilk. I very much enjoyed the old school approach, before WRG came along and spoilt wargaming for two decades, before more interesting rules started to surface again. I think the last time I played an Ancients game using WRG was around 1980. C&K is one of the post 2000 sets of rules that have eased me back into the world of ancients, but at present only Imperial Romans and Britons. So, thank goodness there were people like Charlie out there to disseminate a variety of ideas.