My name is Tim Simmons. I have been a fan of toy soldiers since Primary school in the 1960s.. I collected Swoppit knights and Timpo cowboys before discovering Airfix HO-OO figures. My cousin and I made up rules to fight battles between British Grenadiers and Washington's Army, rolling marbles to kill the enemy. In 1970 my Dad bought me Rules for Wargames by Arthur Taylor, my first real wargames set. From then until now most of my leisure time has been dedicated to one aspect or another of military history and wargaming.
Over the years, my main interests have been the Napoleonic Wars, the War of Spanish Succession, Hellenistic warfare, Renaissance Warfare in Eastern Europe, the American Civil War and World War 2. I have played against Many opponents but my most constant enemy and dear friend since 1982 is Keith, a military historian who to my mind combines the three qualities of interest in the history, desire for a good game and fondness for fine beer and food. I genuinely don't mind losing to him, which is just as well because he has a killer instinct on the wargames table.
In the late 1990s my sons and I discovered Games Workshop. For several years we collected and played with lots of Warhammer and 40K armies, as well as Epic, Necromunda, Blood Bowl and Mordheim. One son became an ace player and the other got steadily more interested in the modelling. We don't collect the figures any more but we still run our armies out occasionally and always have a good game.
I will play just about any game that my wargaming group arranges, but i most enjoy games set in periods that I have read something about. I especially enjoy researching and writing scenarios and have written several, including for the Leipzig campaign of 1813; Gettysburg 1863; First Bull Run 1862; Ukraine 1660; and Ramillies 1706.
I keep dabbling with rules writing, mainly for the Renaissance and Marlborough's Wars as I have yet to find a convincing commercial set for either period.
Rules I have played over the years, in order of discovery, include:
Arthur Taylor, Rules for Wargames
Bruce Quarrie, Airfix Napoleonic rules followed by his set published by Patrick Stephens Limited.
Donald Featherstone, Battles with Model Soldiers
WRG, 6th edition and DBA*
Tabletop Games, Shock of Impact
WRG, 1925-1950
Hoplite Warfare and Hellenistic Warfare, author alas forgotten
Dodo Publications' Rules for the ECW
The Courier, On to Richmond*
Avalon Hill, Napoleon's Battles*
Frank Chadwick, Volley & Bayonet
Warhammer* (several editions but not the Sigmar version)
Warhammer 40k* (several editions)
Sam Mustafa, Grande Armee
Honour, Lasalle*
Warhammer Historical, Kampfgruppe Normandy*
Honour, Maurice*
Dead Man's Hand*
Warlord Games, Pike & Shotte
Polkovnik publications, Sword and Spear*
Honour, Longstreet*
Honour, Blucher*
Warlord, Bolt Action*
Simon Miller, To the Strongest*
Tercios*
Battlegroup*
Simon Miller and Andrew Bentall, For King and Parliament*
Chain of Command, Too Fat Lardies*
What a Tanker, Too Fat Lardies*
* still playing the rules
Figures collected, in order of discovery (* still playing with them)
Airfix plastic 20mm Napoleonics*
Minitanks
Heroics & Ros 6mm Napoleonics*
Heroics & Ros 1/300 WWII
Minifigs 25mm Ancient Greeks and Macedonians*
Minifigs 15mm Carthaginians*
Lancashire Games 15mm Renaissance Poles and Muscovites*
Minifigs 15mm ACW
Games Workshop Warhammer and 40k*
Various makers, 20mm plastic Napoleonics*
Combat miniatures, PSC and Armourfast, 20mm WWII British and Germans*