The (Virtual) Armchair General's catalog of original and exclusive rules and book titles continues to grow!

Rules by Chris Ferree, Howard Whitehouse, and P. R. Wilson have been printed by means of our unique Subscription Publication Program.  Each title in its turn is offered for Subscription at a reduced price, with copies numbered, inscribed, and autographed to the Subscribers, whose names appear on the Roll of Honor printed in the work.

Now, all rules offered by TVAG are available in your choice of inexpensive CD Editions for self-printing, or high quality, professional Print Editions courtesy of Don Perrin's QualityPOD printing company. Each title is printed with full color covers, using heavy, glossy card stock for all enclosed "Cheat Sheets," Game Counters, Card Decks, and other accompanying accessories.

CD Editions represent about half the price of the printed books and come with complete rules and game components (including color covers, card stock accessories, counters, etc) in "ready to print" form, with the added advantage of full color illustrations and graphics not available in "hard copy" form.  Each CD comes numbered and inscribed personally to the buyer.

Any of these rules sets may be ordered from TVAG via the Shopping Cart buttons below, or by phone or E-mail, and paid for by check, money order, or PayPal. (See "How To Order," below.)

A Note About Overseas Pricing

Due to the sheer weight of some of our Rules Sets (the Mahdist Wars Source Book, for example, alone weighs just under a kilo, costing up to $20.00 for Overseas Postage), plus the need to use more expensive mailing envelopes that can survive Overseas Shipping, and the limitations of our Internet Shopping Cart system, it has become necessary try a new approach to pricing.

Now, some Rules Titles will have a separate Shopping Cart Button which we request our customers outside the Continental US to use.  The price indicated will be higher than the US Edition by just enough that the current Postage collected (the existing $6.00 Charge to Overseas Buyers, plus the remaining Postage charged by the Shopping Cart itself) will actually equal the true cost of Global Airmail for that particular Title. If cumbersome, this is the fairest solution for all parties and your cooperation is deeply appreciated.

The Mexican Soldier: 1837-1847
By Joseph Hefter

2008 marks the 50th Anniversary of a publishing milestone, and the 160th Anniversary of the end of the Mexican War, too.

In 1958, historian and illustrator, Joseph Hefter and colleagues, self-published one of the classics of modern military history, El Soldado Mexicano, 1837-1847.  The only, printed edition quickly became the standard reference on the appearance and organization of the Mexican Army in the period of the Texas War of Independence through the Mexican- American War of 1846-48. Hardly a book written on these events does not cite Hefter's work, yet it became scarce and the surviving copies show the effects of time on their pulp pages and covers.

As part of TVAG's researches for the coming Mexican War rules, Gone To See The Elephant , my own original copy of the book has constantly been referred to. But its physical condition, the faded (but still beautiful) color uniform plates, and the author's "stream of consciousness" layout of his text proved frustrating.

After seeking advice, I have exercised due diligence in an attempt to establish who may have the Copyright to Hefter's work since his death 30 years ago. As a result, I decided to go ahead and return this remarkable work to the gaming and historical community in a new and updated edition.

Not merely a reprint, color quality has been restored to the eight original plates, plus seven more in b&w have now been "colorized" according to the text. Four more Hefter plates from other publications round out the work. Further, three full color pages of Mexican Army Colors, Standards, Guidons, and Pennants (most never before seen in print) designed by Eric Cox add a dimension missing from the original work. A number of line drawings by Hefter have been provided by other sources for use in this new edition, as well as more photos and drawings of more uniform details and equipment.

Besides being the best single source on uniforms for the period, The Mexican Soldier details the tactics, organization, and weaponry of the Army, answering many--if not all--of the questions of what made this remarkable army function as it did. There are useful tables of OB's for the major battles of the Mexican War, sections on the Army Health Corps, information on the soldiers themselves (heights, illnesses, pay, discipline, etc). The original text followed a roughly chronological arrangement, but tended to meander-- tangentially--making it difficult to look up any particular item. This has all been addressed by a nearly total rearrangement of the text into sections and sub-sections, and then chronologically. The Spanish language text and captions are removed for this edition, but hardly a word of the English version is missing--and some new material by Hefter has been added.

Printed on high quality paper, well suited to best show off the color plates, this edition is printed in 8.5&" x 11" format,  on 44 pages, plus 22 uniform, equipment, and flag plates, 21 in full color.

The Mexican Soldier is available for $40.00, plus postage

The Mexican Soldier is also available on CD in PDF files for $25.00, plus postage

The Mahdist Wars

Source Book

With the full participation of Savage And Soldier past Editors Douglas Johnson, Milton Soong, and Richard Brooks, TVAG is proud to announce release of the Mahdist Wars Source Book.

 Destined to become a standard reference among wargamers of the Sudan, the two volume work contains seventeen pages of original photographs and plates of Mahdist uniforms, the Omdurman Battlefield, Ansar Fortifications, Weapons, and more.  

Each Volume measures 8.5" X 11" and has full color covers and comprises articles previously published over 20 years ago as the "Sudan Special." The MWSB expanded that 40 page pamphlet into some 270 pages of additional articles which first appeared in S&S over the years, plus specifically written new material.   Errors of fact, typos, and other corrections reflecting new information developed since the original edition as well. 

Large numbers of maps and tactical diagrams, detailed battle studies, and appendices providing information of every sort, make up the bulk of the book. Uniform, organizational and tactical data for the Egyptians, British, Italians, and Abyssinians are included as well as for the Ansar. Even the design of Mahdist Flags is covered, complete with full color examples by Eric Cox. 

Finally, the complete Orders of Battle for the Sudan, from Hicks Pasha at Shaykan, to the death of the Khalifa Abdullahi at Um Diwaykarat, are provided from the Andrew Preziosi Collection. Full details of units, their strength, officers, and organization are now in one place for the first time.

MWSB Volume 1 (1883-1885)
($35.00, plus postage -- U.S. Only)

MWSB Volume 2 (1885-1899)
($30.00, plus postage -- U.S. Only)

Both Volumes at Once
($60.00, plus postage, a savings of $5.00-- U.S. Only)

Due to the increased cost of Overseas Mail, and the limits of the Shopping Cart System, overseas buyers will be charged more per volume to equal the total postage required. The one time Overseas Customer Postage addition (above) must still apply.

MWSB Volume 1 (1883-1885)
($45.00 USD -- Overseas & Canada Only)

MWSB Volume 1 (1883-1885)
(40.00 USD--Overseas & Canada Only)

Both Volumes at Once
($72.00 USD--a savings of $13.00 over single Volume purchase--Overseas & Canada Only)

Both Volumes may be bought together as PDF's on one CD for $30.00, plus appropriate postage. These files are complete and identical to the Print Editions, but come with an extra file of full color photos of actual weapons and Ansar uniforms recently taken especially for this work.

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Astounding Tales!

By Howard Whitehouse

(2nd Edition)

New! Second Printing Available!

"Astounding Tales!" 2nd Edition has doubled in size to 100 pages since the 1st Edition two years ago, and is now the ultimate rules set for Pulp Era Gaming. More complete and wide ranging than ever, with new features and resources, AT2 retains the same simple, direct game mechanics. 

New features include references to airplanes and airships, Rocketmen, Nazi Science, new weapons and special Skills (including greatly expanded options for female characters), Snipers, alternate character generation systems, and more.

Extensive background on the World of Pulp Fiction, new Game Title and Scene Generators, and two ready-to-play Scenarios round out the package. Besides the new rules and materials, the original rules have been generally improved and clarified.

Now, with the Second Printing, the inevitable typos and gremlins that appeared in the first Edition have been corrected within the rule book, and improved graphics have been added to the back cover and in the text. More than ever, AT2 is the most complete and tested Pulp Fiction rules set available.

But perhaps more "Astounding" still is that the price is unchanged! The Print Edition is now available for $25.00 (both Domestic and Overseas), plus Postage, from TVAG.

AT2 is also available in a PDF Edition on CD for $15.00, plus Postage.

Astounding Adventures! Issue #1

The First Scenario Book for "Astounding Tales!" is now available. From the first Scenario writing contest conducted over the Internet, five submissions were chosen and another included by original author Howard Whitehouse.

All six Scenarios are ready to play with Character Stats and other necessary information already provided. All you do is set them up and play!

Information has been provided allowing the same Scenarios to be played using these other popular rules sets: To Be Continued...By Gaslight , Rugged Adventures , and .45 Adventure.

Presented in the form of a Magazine, the first "issue" of Astounding Adventures is illustrated with maps, classic Pulp Covers (suitably customized for each story), and period advertising (which may bear some scrutiny).

Astounding Adventures Scenario Contest!

Click Here to see how you can enter the current Scenario writing Contest. It's your chance to stretch your creative muscles and possibly have your work appear in subsequent issues of AA!

Print Edition is now available for $20.00 (both Domestic and Overseas), plus Postage, from TVAG.

AA#1 is also available in a PDF Edition on CD for $12.00, plus Postage.

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Science vs Pluck:
Or

"Too Much For The Mahdi!"

By Howard Whitehouse
3rd Edition

The 1987 Classic rules set for the Sudan Wars (1882-1899) has returned, not as a mere reprint, but a fully updated, expanded, and improved Second Edition years in the making. Now, the first printing has sold out and a new edition with new covers is available.

Mixing elements of Role Playing Games, traditional "Free Kriegspiel," and a fully developed miniatures rules system, SvP is the last word in wargaming the campaigns of Hicks, Baker, Gordon, Wolesley, and Kitchener.

Playable in variable scales, with no need to re-base existing figures, SvP can quickly be grasped and played by novices and old Sudan veterans alike.

The game comes as two volumes, an Umpire's and an Officer's Manual, with information necessary for each. There is also a color sheet of Game Counters to eliminate record keeping, as well as 4 card stock "Cheat Sheets" to speed play.

SvP is unique in that the Mahdi's Ansar are operated by the Umpire with special game tables, and the British and Egyptian forces by the Players themselves.

Rules are included for every concern, as well as Nile Steamers, Railroads, Logistics, Personal Combats, and more. A major resource of Sudan military lore, full organizational information, tactical practices, uniform information, and actual writings by the men who fought there are the backbone of the work.

If you were to own only one source for wargaming the Sudan, SvP is it!

The Print Edition is available in two volumes, complete with "Cheat Sheets" and Game Counters, and retails in the US for $35.00, plus postage.

Boilers and Breechloaders

Edited and Expanded by Patrick R. Wilson, it is the complete game for Riverine and Coastal actions between small warships in the period 1860 to 1900. Fully integrated with The Sword and The Flame, the game allows use of 25mm Gunboat models in direct conjunction with miniatures land games, and by adjusting game scales, 15mm models may be used as well.

The rules come complete with full color card stock Action Cards, Weather Vane and Wind Speed markers, Torpedo counters, 4 full page, double-sided, Ship Logs for all three basic types of Gunboat, plus one for Native Craft, and 48 pages of text with more color illustrations and graphics.

NOW available in a professionally prepared Print Edition, perfect bound with full color covers and all game accessories for $25.00 (both Domestic and Overseas), plus Postage.

For an unbiased review of B&B, visit the on line wargaming magazine, Warning Order , posted December 12, 2006.

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The Sun Never Sets

Edited & Expanded by Patrick Wilson

Third Edition

A campaign system for The Sword and The Flame, this dedicated rules set allows players to be both members of Parliament and Native Potentates. 

Originally designed for use with TSATF 20th Anniversary Edition, the Battalion size variant, 800 Fighting Englishmen is even better suited for play.

Game includes 8 full color Theater Maps measuring from 8.5" x 11" to one 22" x17", 5 full color card stock sheets of Event Cards (double sided), 4 sheets of ready-to-cut map counters, Sea Distances Table, Record Sheets and a 80-page illustrated rule book. Along with the campaign game rules, there are 30 pages of background, tactical and organizational information on the new foes, including Abyssinians, Afghans (Irregular and Regular), Ashanti, Burmese, Chinese, Maori, and Northeast Frontier Tribesmen, plus more Imperial Troop types, rules for Gunboats, Logistics, Replacements, Fortifications, Transport, and more!

TSNS is the last word in a complete Colonial Campaign System!

NOW available in it's all new, professionally printed full color, US Edition for $40.00, plus postage.

For buyers outside the Continental US, the Print Edition retails for $45.00, plus postage.

Available in PDF format on CD for $20.00, plus Postage

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John Company

By Chris Ferree & 

Patrick R. Wilson

Edition The Second

The greatly improved and expanded rules set for gaming India's colonial history, including the Mysore, Maratha, Sikh Wars, Indian Mutiny, and much more.

This massive rules set comes with 12 sheets (double sided) of full color card stock Game Decks, 4 B&W "Cheat Sheets," more color game counter sheets, and 160 pages of text. This includes the rules proper, 13 pages of Weather Tables, 4 pages of Designers' Notes, 3 of Bibliography, 4 ready-to-play Scenarios (27 pages), 6 pages listing John Company's Battles, 4 pages of figure sources, six pages of Uniform data, and 2 pages of Basing Templates.

But the greatest value are the Army Lists which detail organizational and tactical information for the Afghans, Marathas, Sikhs, British and HEIC units, with special emphasis in the latter on The Indian Mutiny. This information is not to be found in any one--or 25--books!

NOW available in its ultimate form, the US Edition is available complete for $45.00, plus postage.

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The Kris And The Flame
By Chris Ferree

2nd Edition

Chris Ferree's homage to "Rajah Brooke" and the Pirates of the South China Seas is now available in a full blown 2nd Edition exclusively from The (Virtual) Armchair General.

The Kris And The Flame is still an officially authorized dependent variant of the world famous The Sword And The Flame, 20th Anniversary Edition, and requires a copy of these rules to be played.

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