Mark Shearwood

Waking the Bear

The Great Northern War (GNW) has seen a resurgence in recent years within the wargames community, however, there has not been a general (non-rules specific) guide to the conflict until know. This book gives the reader a general understanding of the historical background to the conflict and to the main combatants. In addition to Russia and Sweden, the armies of Denmark, Hanover& Holstein, Ottoman Empire, Saxony, Poland, Prussia are covered, as well as the involvement of the Cossack nations. The book looks at naval landings, siege warfare as well as the more traditional battles, with this focus on lesser known battles instead of the more traditional battles of Narva and Poltava. Battle reports primarily are focused on small evening games utilising a small number of units and therefore achievable by the majority of wargamers. Options are included to turn a number of these into larger multi-player games. While the majority of the GNW occurred in and around the Baltic states, the book also covers events on Russia’s southern borders with the Ottoman Empire and there are gaming suggestions for the continuation of the conflict on Russia’s eastern border with China. Utilising almost 100 unit and individual figure photographs from several renowned collections, the book contains a large amount of detail readily accessible to the reader, while incorporating the latest research into the period from international renowned academics, historians, and wargamers.