Innehållsförteckning för September 2023 från Miniature Wargames

This issue has somewhat of an English Civil War focus but other gamers haven’t been ignored. With my ECW hat on (geddit?) we have a triumvirate from Arthur Harman (although his thoughts on Jelly Baby Casualties are only tangential), and we have a painting guide from Paul Mackay. But – in other gaming news – we have that ‘alternative’ American Civil War as a counterpoint to the English one; a colonial outing in Abyssinia; both WWI and WWII desert action plus a scratch build completion with Mr Harwood finishing off his chapel. So – as ever – there’s still a little something for everyone! So – with that in mind – as Phil Lynott sang “Now some men like the fishin’ and some men like the fowlin’ and some men…

Black Pyramid have some new releases s spanning a number of different ranges and all cast in a fine, dark grey resin. Sculpted by Martin Baker these e include the Dragon Lord (£5) who – wearing chain mail – has a separate round shield and a handsome dragon helmet (and would make a splendid Turin Turumbar for all those Tolkien fans). And – for enthusiasts of the shambling historical undead – there’s two figure pairs: Dick and Fanny, who are a Victorian couple, and Meg and Harry are a loathsome Regency pairing with ideas way above their fairly decrepit station (and no doubt demanding privacy…) They are each £9 for a matched pair. While on the subject of twin figures, The Djinn is a cutlass wielding chap that (with an alternative…

Mark Fastoso has a lot to answer for. A while ago Mrs Kinch got me his book on wargaming the Ethiopian campaigns of the 19th century and it sparked an itch that I’ve had to scratch. Before I knew it, I had ordered a ton of 20mm figures from Huw Williams, owner of The Man with the Miniature Men and dreaming dreams of the battle of Gallabat and the siege of Magdala. Of particular interest to me was the battle of Gallabat, the end of the short Abyssinian-Mahdist war, because it would allow me to use my new Abyssinians against the Mahdist forces that I had already collected for the Sudan. With this in mind, I’ve been slowly painting up forces for this. While I do intend to do the…

SENUSSI ABLAZE ◗ caliverbooks.com ◗ £35 The trouble with the Senussi war is that – when you’ve just seen two – you know there’ll be another along in a minute… With Chris Swan’s two part article on this subject in this and the previous issue of Miniature Wargames, this is obviously a more popular period than I had previously given credit. With that in mind, Caliver Books have just released a title (Senussi’s Little Miniature War 1915-1917) to accompany their previously published ruleset Setting the East Ablaze (2nd Edition). Written by Robert Giglio (not one of the original rules authors) this 190 page, A4, full colour softback is an impressive body of work. It has 15 scenarios, with accompanying maps, organisational charts etc along with chapters on wargaming the German and…

Paul sent in this ‘how to’ masterclass on ECW horsemen and armour. Ed. INTRODUCTION While the article is primarily aimed at painting ECW cavalry the methods I have used will obviously work with infantry and cavalry for not only this period but also the 30 Years War. So why have I just focused on armour and buff coats, boots, pistol holsters, powder flasks? Well if you can get a method that you like sorted you are more than half way there with these troops as basically all you will now need to paint is the trousers (or sleeves and hats if they have them) and you are done. ARMOUR I have gone for a variety of different finishes here. This even at the distance you normally view figures on the tabletop will…

Tired of trying to find period specific casualty markers: all that painting injured figures stuff or sorting out skull tokens? Mr Harman may have the answer (if your waistline can stand it…) Ed. Historical wargamers sometimes bemoan the fact that the hobby is becoming an increasingly ‘greying’ past time: that youngsters are not enlisting in sufficient numbers to reinforce their dwindling ranks, as ill-health and old age take their inevitable toll of the grizzled veterans of many a tabletop battle. My daughter Charlotte, whose culinary skill as a baker of delicious chocolate cake enabled me to realise my original, idiosyncratic idea of an edible Vauban-style fortress for party siege games in which the besiegers could devoir the ‘soil’ excavated to dig their saps and parallels, and the ‘rubble’ of walls breached by…

WE’RE DOOMED! Apocalyptic horror hunting The Doomed is a new hard back set of Osprey rules aimed at fighting unspeakable creatures. You run a small band of hunters with a bold leader seeking fame and success. This narrative skirmish game for up to eight figures a side has players competing over conflicting objectives. There’s simple rules with no measuring of distances with games lasting under an hour and in a figure agnostic environment. It promises no stacking or tracking with a focus on the miniatures on a 2’ by 3’ battlefield, rather than lists, tokens, or off-board resources. Play involves rolling one or more six-sided dice d6 and attempting to equal or beat quality scores. When it is a unit’s Turn, they can make up to three Actions selecting from…

Wargames Atlantic have a raft of new 28mm wargames gold coming soon in both hard styrene and print-yourself resin. First up are some WWI British infantry in styrene. Out by the time you read this at £25 for a box of 30 there’s a selection of hat and helmet types for all theatres and time periods from early war to the desert and with officers, and gasmask options thrown in. They are carrying Lee Enfield rifles, Webley pistols, Lewis guns, grenades, and trench clubs and the box gives you a wide range of kit to choose from. Some of them might even help out with early WWII figures. As ever, multiple boxes get a discount. For the fantasy minded, coming in the future in hard plastic will be Grognard Cavalry.…

This small, almost insignificant encounter between unequal, asymmetric forces is ideal for recreating as a tabletop wargame to familiarise oneself with either of the two sets of rules in The Portable Pike & Shot Wargame. Gently sloping, open-field farmland and meadow are easy to portray as a gridded surface, either by putting a cloth marked with a hexagonal or square grid over suitable items to create the lay of the land; using Hexon II terrain; or by placing pieces representing higher ground on top of a gridded board or cloth. A small stream, a model church and a few other buildings – even the veteran Airfix Tudor house, if you are an elderly wargamer who still possess one! – can represent the two villages of Middleton Cheney and Lower Middleton Cheney…

Each Command Decision aims to offer a series of playable options in timeless military scenarios. Command Decision is designed so you can read the situation and figure out your own command decisions if you were leading the troops on the ground. You can either work through the various options or use the mechanics to create the precise circumstances of the table top engagement. The scenarios may have particular historical themes and settings, but you can easily adapt the mechanics to suit your own preferences and collections. SITUATION REPORT The 54th Massachusetts was organized in March 1863 at Camp Meigs, Readville, Massachusetts. As one of the first African American regiments to be formally organized in the northern Union states, the 54th would be a constant source of interest to the press…

REFIGHTING THE SENUSSI INVASION As readers will have learnt from Part 1 of this article last month, this little campaign offers many opportunities for players. ◗ The initial engagements with Imperial Infantry attacking Senussi positions and hoping that their cavalry arrive. ◗ The attacks on Senussi camps both by foot and mounted units or by a force of armoured cars ◗ The motorised columns venturing into the Western Desert to attack Senussi held oases. In setting up games players will need to consider the qualities of the various combats. These can be summarised as follows: THE BRITISH IMPERIAL FORCES TYPE ABILITIES Experienced Infantry Disciplined troops who are capable of soaking up damage Inexperienced Infantry Troops who tend to become bogged down in the face of fire enemy fire Yeomanry Cavalry…

Brigade Models had some new 6mm buildings for their SF range. As anyone who has any experience of prefabricated housing can attest, this sort of thing was important in the recent past and may well be so in the immediate future (what with housing shortages) and – perhaps – even on far flung planets. Six new 6mm buildings called Agri Colony has three homesteads on raised platforms, and three assorted utility buildings of various sizes. They are £1 to £3 each but there’s also a pack with two of each homestead and one each of the utility buildings for £16. Sci-Fi trailer trash just got a upgrade. Go to brigademodels.co.uk.…

My biggest collection, at least in terms of boxes full of stuff has got to be World War II. I’ve got forces for France 1940, the Western Desert campaigns, and the Eastern Front. Unfortunately, they have not been used as often as I would have liked. This is due – as with so many things related to the hobby – to the Rules! ONE RULE TO RULE THEM ALL My early dabble with the period was using a set Richard Marsh (of Rapid Fire fame) and I, developed from the book by John Sanders An Introduction to Wargaming, published in 1975. An article by us both was published in Don Featherstone’s long defunct Wargamers Newsletter. We used these with modifications until the 1990’s. Then in a golden period for us,…

“By God, Sir, it is very fine on the paper, but there is no such thing in the field.” Lord Eythin’s reported comment upon Prince Rupert’s plan of his dispositions for Marston Moor, 1644. My review of Mike Lambo’s book issue (see the Recce section in last month’s edition. Ed.) criticised its portrayal of ECW battles but concluded “these games may inspire youngsters or novices to develop a greater understanding of Civil War battles, and to play more historical wargames – perhaps by adapting its rules and AI systems?” In this article I will offer suggestions for doing just that. SOURCES The main sources I have consulted and from which I quote are: Edgehill: The Battle Reinterpreted, Dr Eric Gruber von Arni, Christopher L. Scott & Alan Turton, Leo Cooper…