GNW is one of the most exciting and different 'feeling' Horse & Musket periods. I cannot recommend it enough
.
The main differences from SSW/NYW type games are as follows:
1. Swedish doctrine of
Ga Pa! which effectively encouraged both infantry and cavalry closing to melee combat as soon as possible - lots of charging infantry - meleeing cavalry and a minimal focus on artillery by the Swedes and their Finnish provinical allies(who were very ferocious types)
2. Inferior size of the Swedish army in the field but it's almost unbroken stream of victories.
3. Similarities to the 'blitzkrieg principles' of the Wehrmacht of 240 years later as used by the Swedes - their enormous adventure - hundreds and hundreds of miles from home(men in the field for 20 years etc).
4. Ability to legitimately field exotic troops types such as Polish Winged Hussars, Pancerni, Cossacks, Streltsi City Militias with bearded axes and all that good stuff.
5. Tartars & Turks -Swedish and Russian adventures in the Caucasus
6. Battles in the snow
7. Sieges and river assaults
You names , GNW has got it.
I recommend Foundry's incomplete but fantastic GNW range supplemented by the more prosaic Marlburian range infantry which will do well for either Swedes, Russians, Brandenburgers or Saxons.
I have played many games with the 40mm Prince August collection of my good friend Alasdair Jamison - with 60 man battalions and huge cavalry Squadrons.
Acquire the Swedish illustrated picture book :
Karoliner for inspiration and also read
Poltava by Peter Englund.
Bacchus specialise in GNW in 6mm plus lots of supportive literature..
GA PA (which I believe roughly translates as 'Fall on!' or 'Go for it!')
B