Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Miniature Wargames

Hellfire in the City is a stand-alone solo sci-fi wargames campaign based on Hellfire rules which we have reviewed previously. Controlling the sprawling city of Velonopolis a patchwork of territories controlled by everything from petty thugs to mecha. As well as city creation and discovering what hostile forces await you, this campaign guide contains rules allowing you to build new units and covers everything from vehicle recovery to field hospitals. Hellfire and the Fall of Empire is a science fiction solo campaign, again designed to work with the Hellfire rules in 1/300 Sci Fi, but frankly you wouldn’t have to do much tweaking to fit the campaign to another rule set should you so wish. In this campaign, you are faced with the Empire falling. You are going to struggle…

This battle was part of the conflict that helped decide the war of succession among the sons of Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor of India. When Shah Jahan fell ill in 1657, his four sons: Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja‘, Aurangzeb, and Murad Bakhsh; fought amongst themselves for succession. Shuja‘, the second son had set himself up as the independent governor of Bengal but was defeated at Bahadurpur, 5 miles northeast of Benares (now Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh state. The victor was Dara’s son Sulayman Shikoh. Shikoh was later captured and executed by his uncle Aurangzeb, who in June 1658 imprisoned Shah Jahan and a month later crowned himself emperor. Aurangzeb also defeated Dara, Murad, and Shuja‘ (who became a fugitive and died in Myanmar [Burma] in 1660). Ultimately, Aurangzeb was victorious…

We reviewed the Trench Offensive rules in issue 488 and – in the last month’s issue – rules author Paul introduced himself and his gaming background. Following on from that, here’s a scenario Mr Howells has written for his game system but which could probably be fairly easily adapted to other systems. So… Dare you enter the trenches? Ed. RAID BRIEFING In the spring of 1916, Winston Churchill was in command of the 6th (service) battalion of the Royal Scot Fusiliers. Plugstreet Wood was the name the British Tommies called the area. This part of Flanders fields was a quiet area with no major offensives. However, small teams of each side would often sneak and do reconnaissance on the other. While no major or minor offensives happened in the winter 1915…

◗ Peter Hoskins◗ Helion (2023)◗ £25◗ 126 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781804513562◗ helion.co.uk As with many books on ancient or medieval warfare, the paucity of records means that the ‘battle of Castillon’ only occupies about half a dozen pages in this book. However, the strength lies in in the background commentary and analysis of the events of the preceding decade, which saw reorganised French armies effectively extinguish England’s hopes in France. Artillery played a major role, mainly in sieges but also at the battle itself. The author provides a chapter on the significant improvements in cannons and gunpowder that made this possible. Secondly, the French king’s regularisation of the recruitment, payment and equipping of French forces led to a standing army whilst also getting rid of the marauding bands of disbanded soldiery.…

◗ Bill Yenne◗ Osprey (2024)◗ £25◗ 320 pages (hardback)◗ ISBN:9781472858719◗ ospreypublishing.com Around 50,000 aircrew from the US Eighth Air Force were shot down over Occupied Europe in WWII, of whom 3,000 managed to get away, aided by local Resistance networks. This is the story of some of their escapades, based primarily on around 50 selected ‘Escape and Evasion’ official reports. These are fascinating accounts of persistence, bravery, and sometimes sheer luck. The French Resistance, in particular, could be of variable assistance: one airman found himself receiving constant excuses as to why it was untimely to escape, solely so that he could be employed as a chauffeur for a Maquis gang whose main interest was organised crime, looting the chateaux of those they had falsely declared as collaborators. On the other…

◗ Lt. Col. Major Clark edited by Vivian Clark-Adams and Wenona Clark◗ Casemate Publishers (2023)◗ £32.95◗ 252 pages (hardback)◗ ISBN:9781636242712◗ casematepublishers.co.uk Subtitled The 597th Field Artillery Battalion, 92nd Division, and the Leadership Legacy of Colonel Wendell T. Derricks, this is about an US artillery battalion. Its uniqueness was that it was manned entirely by African Americans including all the staff and command positions. This was unusual in the US army of the period where segregation in the US was commonplace, and all command and staff positions were occupied by white officers. Derricks’ ‘bridgehead’ was to use the opportunity presented by his unit to train officers for a time when the army was integrated and to dispel the myth of racial inferiority through superior combat performance. This book tells the story…

◗ Angus Konstam◗ Osprey Publishing (2023)◗ £16.99◗ 96 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781472857231◗ ospreypublishing.com This book (subtitled Cunningham’s Mediterranean Triumph: Campaign 397) is in the standard format for a campaign book with chronology, review of some of the senior commanders, the opposing plans including a discussion on limitations on Italian freedom of action by Mussolini, and the events as they unfolded. It concludes with the impact the battle had on subsequent events. The Battle of Cape Matapan saw the Royal Navy destroy three Italian heavy cruisers and some destroyers in a night action brought on by successful air attacks from the carrier HMS FORMIDABLE. These disabled one cruiser leading to a mistake by the Italian fleet Admiral in sending two other cruisers to assist it. It is supported by atmospheric artwork, photographs…

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◗ emperorofthebattlefield.com◗ £25 Just when you thought it was safe to carry on using the Napoleonic rules you may already own, this issue looks at yet another new set that you can try out. Emperor of The Battlefield written by Ian Godwin was aimed at tournament shows with its first competitive outing at BritCon 2023. Published this summer, we bumped into the author at Warfare 2023. These new Napoleonic rules utilise the same simple and easy to use Control and Morale Test mechanisms as the well proven King of the Battlefield set: Eighteenth Century wargame rules which were themselves first published in 2003 but Mr Godwin emphasises that ‘Emperor’ isn’t just a ‘retread’… Nicely produced in full colour at a little over 70 pages Emperor of the Battlefield has an…

INTRODUCTION In part 1 I looked at the background of the Russian Civil War and the forces involved in fighting it. In this part I will look at how to recreate the combat on the table top with some special rules, some sample forces and a scenario. I have written these with my own rule set, Beyond the Empire, in mind. These use ten-sided dice, D10s, for outcomes but I have also added D6 outcomes to the new rules so readers will be able to adapt these to whatever rule set they prefer. You can also use my suggested force lists as examples when building your own forces. EXTRA PERIOD RULES The following new rules are designed to add flavour to some of the more unique aspects of this conflict.…

◗ Angus Konstam◗ Osprey Publishing (2023)◗ £16.99◗ 96 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781472855671◗ ospreypublishing.com Subtitled The Battle for Malta’s Lifeline (Campaign 394), this is another great book from this prolific naval warfare author. It tells the story of how the Royal Navy fought a convoy through to Malta to resupply it in the face of overwhelming German and Italian air and naval power. It is an exciting story and is well told in this campaign series title. There is a well-known format for this series where the strategic background is explained, the commanders are examined, the forces and plans detailed, and the course of events narrated. This is done well recounting the tale in a manner which provokes admiration and inspiration for the courage and bravery of the convoy forces. It provides…

◗ Alastair Goodrum◗ Amberley Publishing (2023)◗ £10.99◗ 288 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781398119505◗ amberley-books.com Sub-titled The RAF training school that won the Battle of Britain, the focus of this book is the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire. The sub-title is totally misleading, as the School provided advanced gunnery training for both fighter pilots and bomber airgunners, and its main contribution was probably post-1940. In particular, bomber crews faced mock attacks (of a pretty hair-raising authenticity) by fighter pilots in a form of joint training, analysed through miles of cinefilm to draw out the lessons: aiming, optimum firing range, tactics, and so on. The book mainly comprises accounts by aircrew, together with records of the many accidents and crashes incurred if training is to be realistic. Technical and tactical…

◗ Gareth Glover and Robert Burnham◗ Frontline Books (2023)◗ £25.00◗ 236 pages (hardback)◗ ISBN:9781399087421◗ frontline-books.com This is the third of three volumes edited by Gareth Glover covering the regiments of the famous Light Division in the Peninsular War. The first was devoted to the 43rd Foot; the second to the 52nd Foot. Its subtitle, Previously Unpublished & Rare Accounts from the 95th Rifles 1808-14, is a fair summary of this book’s contents, but some pieces by officers who were not actually in the 95th themselves have been included, as noted below. After a short, five-page account of the service of the 95th Rifles in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, the remainder of the book is devoted to the personal accounts, most arranged by the rank of the writer, from Lieutenant…

◗ Steven Zaloga◗ Osprey (2023)◗ £12.99◗ 48 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781472853974◗ ospreypublishing.com German artillery was produced in massive numbers in WWII (105mm guns alone ran to about 18,000), supplemented by around 8,000 captured field guns – even more were available, but with insufficient reserve stocks of shells. This is a thorough evaluation of technical attributes, the production of guns (including nebelwerfers) and ammunition by type and year, and ammunition expenditure. Battery organisations and usage, including ammunition allocations and ‘units of fire’, are also covered. Throughout there are helpful photographs. A concluding chapter compares overall performance against (primarily) their Soviet counterparts. However, proofreading seems below the usual high standard. Sometimes the ‘105mm’ and ‘15cm’ annotations are transposed. A paragraph on ammunition expenditure refers to 45 million rounds fired in 1943, reflecting a…

◗ Przemyslaw Budzbon◗ Osprey Publishing (2023)◗ £12.99◗ 48 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781472857217◗ ospreypublishing.com This is an unusual book and one which might give inspiration to scratch building river craft for that Soviet army! These vessels were unique to the Soviets and were small vessels mounting tank turrets or Katyusha rocket rails; a use for those spare tank turrets some kits carry. Certainly, this would give your Soviet army that distinctive look. This is a well written book on a topic which is rarely mentioned, yet these craft fought on all the rivers from the Far East to the River Oder. Many were lost but there were still two active Ukrainian vessels on the Dnieper River in 2022! This book – subtitled The Red Army’s ‘river tanks’ from Stalingrad to Berlin (New…

◗ caliverbooks.com◗ £29.50 Caliver sent in one of their latest guide books. Warpaint is a painting guide for Plains Indians, specifically the shield and horse decoration aimed at the period I will loosely describe as ‘The Old West’. Authored and illustrated by Mike Blake, this 124 page, A4, full colour hardback is illustrated throughout and is certainly the most comprehensive guide I have ever come across though it’s worth noting that this is described as ‘Volume 1’ so… we can assume that there’s more to come! With 64 full colour plates and over 350 individual shield designs (plus 84 horse patterns) Caliver Books have done a fine job presenting the artwork and all are illustrated in Mr Blake’s comfortable, water colour style. What is covered in this tome? We have…

◗ brother-vinni.com◗ €5.50 - €8 Brother Vinnie are purveyors of fine resin castings suitable for fantasy RPGs and other skirmish gaming setups. They make other figures as well, sure: a particularly fine selection of SAGA figures are included in their 28mm range with recent releases like the Resting Byzantium Knight for €5.50 which is just a great figure in chainmail; kneeling with his sword and looking exhausted: great for a command group or similar. This having been said, however, the figure they sent in for review is a particularly fine Elf Sorceress. Cast – as usual – as a multi-part kit in grey resin, she is largely underdressed though she does have a beautiful, ‘fluted’ rear to her dress (what there is of it) and a spectacular hair-do spilling out…

◗ modiphius.net◗ £15 - £35 Modiphius Entertainment have released a new batch of SF resin models for their Fallout Range. As almost always, the models are cast as kits in high quality grey resin with individual sculpted bases and all are superbly detailed and very proportionate whilst being roughly 32mm tall. Well, except for a couple… First up we have N.I.R.A (£15). Part of the latest ‘Nuka World’ wave release (as these all are) this is an animated, cola bottle: N.I.R.A is the last (arguably) non-violent Protectron robot in Nuka-World but can be anything you want for your characters to deal with. Next in the same release wave are Raider’s: Operators Bosses. At £25 for the box of three the Operators are well organised. They are a Brother-sister team of…

◗ Edward M. Young◗ Osprey Publishing (2023)◗ £15.99◗ 80 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781472854865◗ ospreypublishing.com The Wildcat fighter fought across many theatres and for much of the war albeit in second line roles later in the war. However, this book is about the Wildcat fighter over Guadalcanal. The author considers this campaign to have been the high point of the Wildcat’s service life. Although outclassed by the Japanese Zero, it was robust, and it was superior tactics combined with its ruggedness which defeated the Zero. The book explains all this in detail complete with personal stories of those navy and marines who flew the Wildcat fighter over Guadalcanal. The design and development of the Wildcat is discussed together with the training of the pilots. The narrative uses oral interviews of pilots and…

◗ Timothy Venning◗ Amberley Publishing (2023)◗ £11.99◗ 320 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781398119499◗ amberley-books.com I tried – I honestly tried – to read this book… On the plus side, this history of the Welsh Marcher Lords and their impact on local, regional and even national matters should appeal to someone with a deep interest in the subject, replete as it is with detailed accounts of masses of individuals. On the debit side, for a mere mortal like me, the author covers far too many personalities and so it is easy to lose the drift. There is no map, which is lamentable for a ‘regional’ history. The author does not appear to like short sentences: one in the Introduction is 100 words long. Overuse of brackets and ‘asides’ means that you often have…

◗ Ashley Mantle◗ Amberley Publishing (2023)◗ £22.99◗ 317 pages (hardback)◗ ISBN:9781445696478◗ amberley-books.com This is a compendium of 25 ‘wouldbe English monarchs’, from Robert II Duke of Normandy (11th Century) to Frederick Duke of York (18th Century). Each chapter has a helpful family tree, with a delightful writing style that brings to life the characters and their times. There is also useful background on the rules of succession and the role of Parliament. Remember those wonderful tales of strife in the mythical continent of Hyboria, by Tony Bath, in which dynastic struggles played such a part? This current title is a strong reminder of how random events can have a dramatic impact, and brings out the dilemma facing the early kings – do I raise several male heirs and inflict potential…

◗ Joshua Provan◗ Helion (2023)◗ £25◗ 201 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781804513422◗ helion.co.uk After a dreadful Preface and Introduction littered with poor grammar, ambiguous phrasing, and other general aspects of poor proofreading, this settles down into a thoroughly interesting account of the Spanish assault on the British-held Pensacola in Florida, in the final stages of the American War of Independence. Two decent orders of battle provide a good wargaming framework, with around 7,500 Spanish against 2,000 British – the latter comprising a mixture of regulars, provincials, ships’ companies, and Indian warbands (so no shortage of interesting troop types!). Sixteen pages of delightful full-colour plates include some Don Troiani gems; maps too are helpful, including original prints, and there are useful modern photographs that give the lie of the land. The campaign itself…