Innehållsförteckning för December 2025 från Miniature Wargames

I went to see previous MW editor Henry Hyde for some piratical gaming recently (report to come) and took a weekend trip to Newark for the Late Partizan show, both of which were very nice. But – other than my gaming and my struggling with ‘Typos’ in the magazine – mostly I’ve been trying to get this current issue together for you so: what do we have? Plastics from Mantic on the cover with a full painting guide inside; a trip back to Grijo for part two of the Peninsular War; the Battle of Aliwal in the Anglo Sikh Wars; a Varian Disaster in the Teutoburg; the Iraq War, the conclusion of Treachery in the Tetons (including scenarios), plus building a Thorn Fence! As for encouraging gaming, Dick Valentine (of…

North Star has been supporting Osprey’s Gaslands rules with 20mm figures (suitable for Matchbox and Hotwheels type automobiles). Aside from scenery and play aids North Star have a range of figures (drivers and whatnot) sculpted by Mark Copplestone. However their latest release is a new set of models by Mace Face miniatures that fit in with the style perfectly. Two packs of Scavengers, are now accompanied by a pack of Scavenger Drivers and Passengers (full seated bodies holding steering wheels plus throwing a Molotov or a half body for gun mount), and Winter Zombies: gnarly looking chaps in sensible clothing and armed with a variety of improvised weapons. Detail on all of them is excellent and they’ll paint up easily. £7 for a five figure pack from northstarfigures.com…

Part 2: Commands & Colours “Extract of a Dispatch from Sir A. Wellesley, dated Oporto, 12 May 1809. ‘On the 11 th, the advanced guard and cavalry continued to move on the high road towards Oporto, with Major-General Hill’s division on a parallel road which leads from Ovar to Oporto. On the arrival of the advanced guard at Vanda Novas, between Santo Rinado and Grigo, they fell in with the outposts of the enemy’s advanced guard, consisting of about 4,000 infantry and some squadrons of cavalry, strongly posted on the heights above Grigo, their front being covered by woods and broken ground. The enemy’s left flank was turned by a movement well executed by Major-General Murray, with Brigadier-General Langworth’s brigade of the Hanoverian legion; while the 16th Portuguese regiment attacked…

From David… Our path to wargaming is split by more than two decades, but since one derived from the other, the journey has been very similar. Being the more senior (in years only!) member of our little team, I’ll start by saying that my own path to wargaming was very common to many others, and although not spectacular in any way, playing with Airfix toy soldiers as a boy was an absolute joy, as was discovering fantasy wargaming in its many forms. That joy has stayed with me for more than fifty years, and is long past the point of any thoughts of decline. Then, just under thirty years on, and along came the first of the new recruits: Daniel. We have, and certainly always will be a wargaming/hobby centric…

Mantic Games has announced their Kings of War Fourth Edition, the next evolution of their well known mass-battle fantasy wargame. Fifteen years after the launch of the original system, Kings of War returns with refreshed rules, expanded lore, and new ways for players to experience the epic conflicts of Pannithor. Designed by Alessio Cavatore Kings of War 4th delivers a modernised and streamlined ruleset which it says is aimed at “clarity, balance, and fast-paced gameplay.” As well as rules and a large number of army lists to get players started, the new rulebook also offers a fresh look into the ever-expanding background on Pannithor, featuring new stories, fresh artwork, and insights into the ongoing wars that shape its lands. A number of special release bundles are available for tabletop gamers to…

A pair of actions for two different sized game and rule sets. Ed. A DEATH IN THE FAMILY After the death of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab, an internal plot was hatched to manoeuvre the Sikh army (Khalsa) into a war with the British that the plotters hoped they would not win. The Khalsa was a huge drain on the economy and it was considered too powerful and dominant. The Khalsa even crossed the Sutlej River and entered British India. It was a bloody war that ended in Sikh defeat and the British occupation of the Sikh capital Lahore. The Khalsa was disbanded and a new, smaller force was created. At the head of some 45,000 men, Lal and Tej Singh bore down on the British…

This is a scenario using Hail Caesar, To The Strongest and/or Command & Colours to play the Roman Massacre in Teutoburg Forest in 9AD. BAD PRESS Roman senator, soldier and historian, Velleius Paterculus described Publius Quinctilius Varus as being as “slow in mind as he was in body and more accustomed to the leisure of the camp than to actual service in war.” That is a really unfair assessment; he had performed well in two previous overseas posts. In 8BC as Governor of Africa he had handled the Berber threat with skill. Two years later, now Governor of Syria, he dealt with a revolt in Jerusalem with just two legions and four cavalry squadrons. Varus became Governor of Germany in 6AD with the remit of securing the province and enforcing…

I saw a French Indian Wars game at Colours by a father and son team called “The Leggetts”. It was a nice looking game and I asked them what rules they were using and they said “our own” and presented me with a preproduction copy of the set that they are producing via Kickstarter: “We are currently in the final stages of setting a website up (Rule Breakers Games), where people will be able to buy the ruleset… They’ll be sold for £8 through the website, and we are also currently exploring a digital version.” The full colour book has 30 pages of rules plus scenarios and is well worth a look. Search for them on Facebook until they get everything sorted!…

I took a trip to the ‘Other’ Partizan held in the Newark showground, being the third – and last – wargames show of the year held at the same venue. Now that the ‘big shed’ is extended with a tented ‘vestibule’ (for want of a better term) the organisers make great use of the space with 28 party games, eight societies, 45 trader stands (plus a ‘tabletop sale’) and 40 demonstration games (as well as three specific ‘Lardy Zone’ games). So: seventy odd games with not a scrappy one amongst them (which I’ll presently get on to). But what it was is bigger than last year. If we ignore shows with competitions and we discount Salute, this has to be the biggest show in the country. GAMES I can only…

Earlier this year the Editor put forward a number of suggestions for pieces of terrain I should build for this magazine. One of the suggestions was linear barriers – walls, fences and hedges – but as I had previously modelled similar pieces of terrain for books or ‘other’ publications I declined these projects. However, after watching a short animated film called Death and the Winemaker I saw some thorny fences or spiky hedges that I felt were different enough from the models I had previously built and written about to be worth modelling. In the past, my walls, fences and hedges had been built in short sections which allowed for a variety of different uses and layouts. I produced these Thorn Fences using the same sectional process. In addition, I…