THIS ISSUE: England
thrown into turmoil during the war with no enemy ISSUE 87
S R E H S I L B U P Y A R A S N A W R A K / / M O C . E N I Z A G A M S S W . W W W
ALBION TORN
DEC / JAN 2017 €5,95
US/CN $8.99 7
ASUNDER
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THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
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Theme
Specials
• Refighting Newbury and Cheriton
• The last Welsh warrior princess
• The Swedish influence on the Battle of Newburn
• Armoured action action in the autumn of 1944
• Small-scale skirmishes for the ECW
• Let’s play Swordpoint
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T he E gl n glish Civ iviil W ar
A V ERY Y EENGLIS ISH H C CIV IV IL W IL W AR
This w waar without an enemy EAPONS F 32 W EAP FOR OR TH THEE R REEBELS
The S Sw wedis ish h influence o on n the Battle of f N Newburn Publisher: Rolof van Hövell tot Westerier Managing director: Jasper Oorthuys Editor: Guy Bowers Copy editor: Duncan B. Campbell Layout, Layou t, design: Christianne C. Beall Maps: Rocío Espin ©2015 Karwansaray Publishers
A Y EAR A AP PART - W INC IN CHEST ER A AN ND R RO OM SEY
Small scale scenari rio os fo forr th thee ECW 4 2 2
SOLD LDII ER ERLLY AC A CTI TIO ONS IN IN A AN N U UN N HAPPY W W AR
The Batt ttle less o of f Ne Newbury and Cherit ito on 4 8
FOR FO R G GO OD, K ING IN G, AND PARLIA IAM MENT
Collecting E EC CW a arrmies
Contributors: Mark Backhouse, Tony Barton, Ian Beal, Steve Beckett, Piers Brand, Rob Broom, Richard Clarke, David Davies, Tony Harwood, David Imrie, Eoghan Kelly, Michael Leck, Dan Mersey, Chris Payne, Rick Priestley, Nicholas Stock, Ruben Torregrosa, Torregrosa, Rossco Watkins
EFO ORE D DIS ISH HO NO UR 52 DEATH BEF
Illustrations: Georgie Harman www.redfoxillustrations.com
FEATURES
Creati tin ng t th he cover diora ram ma
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BANG! YOU'RE DEAD
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GWENLLIAN OF THE GREAT REVOLT
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AN AUTUMN STORM
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GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE
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NOSTALGIA IN TIN
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A wild west shootout with a difference The last Welsh warrior princess Armour action in Belgium Rediscovering your wargames mojo A sculptor's first inspiration
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Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is published every Wargames, two months by Karwansaray BV, Zutphen, the Netherlands. PO Box 4082, 7200 BB Zutphen, the Netherlands.
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THE DOVE HOUSE
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WHITE DEATH
Building a timber framed dovecote Painting snow camouflage for Kharkov
E dit orial “No more blind bullets, fire, nor bloody sword / Dissentions end, but let just law accord / Brute bankerupt Ruffians, and Blas phemers are / All chief e rejoycers, when true Christians jarred / That they may plunder, pillage, drink, and whore / And mourne when mischief they can doe no more.” — John Barford: a Prayer to God, King and Country The English Civil War is a fascinating period of history which divides opinions and loyalties even today. It was the last real war fought solely on British soil with battles in almost every part of the Three Kingdoms (of England, Scotland and Ireland). A little local research will throw up some surprising facts and many forgotten engagements. I live in the West Country, and near me there are several battlefields and a number of notable sieges. I have visited these sites and even replayed some of the battles on the table top (such as the Bitesize Battle of Braddock Down which appeared in WS&S 67). The great thing about the period (apart from the interchangeable nature of the units) is the variety of engagements, from skirmishes to full scale battles and sieges. Whatever your scale or preferred size of play, the English Civil War has something to offer you. The concept of a ‘Civil War’ still catches gamers’ imaginations. Take the popularity of Very British Civil War or the Winter of ‘79, both rulesets that offer alternative timelines where England goes to war with itself again. But however odd these alternates may be, the history of the actual English Civil War is much stranger still. According to Michael Leck, it’s Sweden’s fault! To learn more, read on… In our next issue, we'll be looking at the Winter Wars and the challenges of fighting in the winter season. Guy Bowers
[email protected]
i e m ebs t w e h t n o w N o
The Battle of Brentford Recreate Prince Rupert's ride to victory against the Parliamentarians in this 1642 battle. (http://www.wssmagazine.com/wss87_extra)
I n t he next issu e
&
Time to chill out In the next WS&S , we'll be looking at the challenges of cold weather actions during World War II. From Russia to Finland, this should be one cool issue.
W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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MINIATURE REVIEWS Stoessi’s Heroes Company: Stoessi’s Heroes Size: 30mm ‘foot to eye’ or 33mm tall Era: World War II Price: €5.90 per model toessi.blogspot.co.uk Thomas “Stoessi” Stoesser started Stoessi’s Heroes to give World War II gamers a selection of character figures to paint and liven up their games. This range is fully focused on 28mm WW2 and offers a mix of interesting personalities. Currently there are seven characters. The ones shown (left to right) are US Donny Drumpf (who ‘knows’ more than generals), SS Officer Hans (bad guy in an overcoat), British Para Roy (very Urquhart), Harold the Canadian Sniper and Lyudmilla, the Soviet sniper. Each is well cast and realistically posed. The detail is high quality. Most are one part castings apart from Roy whose arm is separate. The models come on a metal tab, but this can be filed down and removed for basing (I prefer flat bases). Size wise, these are on the larger side of 28mm, but then again character models are supposed to stand out. These are ideal for the WW2 gamer looking for a model with great character to lead their armies.
Paranormal Exterminators Company: Crooked Dice Games Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 31mm tall Era: Modern Price: £3.50 each or £15.00 for the set www.crooked-dice.co.uk Who you gonna call? These Paranormal Exterminators catch them all. The third and latest set of ‘exterminator’ miniatures from Crooked Dice pay homage to a recent film with an all-girl Paranormal busting team. There is also the one guy – the ‘wannabe’ exterminator - but he can hardly answer the phone, never mind fight ghosts… Who gave him a uniform and a neutron pack? The girls are armed with a selection of specialist ghost fighting weapons (which specialists of this genre will recognise). As we’ve come to expect from Crooked Dice, these are great ‘lookalike’ character models with excellent sculpting and casting. The detail is very good and the characters easily recognisable. Each model is supplied with its own ‘slotta’ bases as standard. If dipping your toes into pulp gaming and fighting the supernatural (with an unlicensed nuclear accelerator strapped to your back) is your thing, then you’ll love these. Now all they need is a car and a fire house…
Land Rover Technical Company: Skirmish Sangin Size: 28mm Era: Post War Price: £20 each or three vehicles for £55 www.skirmishsangin.com It is common practice in Africa and the Middle East to take a commercial vehicle body and mount a heavy weapon on it. This Land Rover has a recoilless rifle mounted on it. Skirmish Sangin has released a new book called Skirmish Africa which encourages players to choose from fourteen ‘imagi-nations’ and fight make-believe wars. They have also released HUMVEEs (armed with M2s or Mark 19s) and a Land Rover technical. There is even a range of African buildings to support these games. The vehicle kits are a combination of a resin body and metal wheels and crew. The technical comes mounted with either a heavy machine-gun or a recoilless rifle (shown). A gunner, loader and driver are supplied as standard. The building is made of a lightweight foam but is very durable – almost as light as MDF. All the models are well cast, fit together well and the finished technical looks impressive. This is the start of a very impressive range from Skirmish Sangin which will have many modern players salivating.
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Churchill and Grizzly Company: Warlord Games Size: 28mm (1/56) Era: World War II and Weird War II Price: £20.00 (Churchill), £25.00 (Grizzly) www.warlordgames.com The Churchill tank was the ubiquitous British heavy tank of World War II. Warlord have released a plastic kit which allows seven variants of this classic British tank, from the Mark III, Mark IV and Mark V including AVRE, Close Support and 75mm variants. Contrasting the Churchill is the Grizzly Combat Walker for Konflikt 47. In this alternate timeline, super science has led to the development of fantastic machines, like the Grizzly. The detail on both kits is excellent. The Grizzly is cast in plastic resin and is very easy to construct, with only a few minor parts needing filing down (vent ports from the casting). Being a kit, the Churchill takes a little longer but everything fits together very well and I think it took me more time to decide which variant to build than to construct the actual model itself.
TYW Cossacks Company: Totentanz Size: 17mm ‘foot to eye’ or 19mm tall Era: 17th century (Thirty Years’ War) Price: € 4.25 for eight infantry www.totentanz-miniatures.com The Cossacks were a fierce and independent people who fought as mercenaries and for their own glory. They earned a bloody reputation in the Thirty Years’ War, fighting against the Turks, and for their rebellion against the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. Totentanz Miniatures has released a range of seven packs of Cossacks covering both cavalry and dismounted infantry. Shown is a mixture of the infantry, either ready to hold spears (not included) or ready with muskets, plus two command models. The miniatures are very well detailed and could be mistaken in a photograph for being a larger size – these are nice figures! The casting is good, with no mould lines visible. This useful range adds to Totentanz’s existing extensive Thirty Years War range. These are scaled at 18mm, so should fit with similar 15mm/18mm scales and will be a must for those playing the Thirty Years’ War in this scale.
Europe in Revolution Infantry Company: Steve Barber Models Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or 29mm tall Era: 19th Century Price: £5.00 for 4 models www.stevebarbermodels.com The wars of revolution in Europe during the 1830s and ’40s are definitely a neglected area of gaming. During this period there was the Polish Uprising of 1831 and several revolutions in 1848, the most successful of which was the Hungarian Revolution, which saw Hungary for a brief time become an independent state. Now Steve Barber Models has produced 28mm miniatures for this period. There are currently nine packs in this range, which include Polish Revolutionaries, Hungarians and Russian troops. The models are well cast with little flash. The poses are currently limited to advancing or standing, but this is a new range and more are sure to follow as its popularity grows. This is admittedly a neglected period in wargaming, probably because there were so few models to game it with without a lot of conversion. To quote the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” More European Revolution models including Austrian troops are promised soon. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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‘Gothic City’ Street Furniture Company: 4Ground Size: 28mm Era: Modern Price: £5.00 to £6.00 a kit www.4ground.co.uk Holey moley, Gnatman! 4Ground has released several sets of street furniture for modern and pulp gaming to go alongside their buildings. These include the smaller items shown, such as street lights, telephone kiosks, waste disposal skips, dumpsters and barricades. Larger items are also available, such as shipping containers, subway entrances and fire escapes for buildings. Assembly is very easy, taking only a few minutes from flat pack to complete item. No painting is required as the MDF is ready-painted, although gamers can always add their own highlights. I’d be tempted to ‘dirty’ up some of the bases. For the smaller items, such as the kiosks and lights, three are provided per kit. Ten barricades are provided in that pack. The skip and dumpster are double layered so are extra sturdy. These are great and inexpensive little kits which can really help bring the modern gaming surface to life. These are going to be useful whether you’re into modern warfare, superheroes or zombie gaming.
Dread Pirates Company: Antediluvian Miniatures Size: 29mm ‘foot to eye’ or 32mm tall; the giant stands 39mm tall Era: Fantasy Price: £16 for four pirate adventurers antediluvianminiatures.wordpress.com “Inconceivable!” I hear you cry… Antediluvian Miniatures has released a strange bunch of ragtag pirates which look like they are fresh from the pages of a story book. Left to right, you have the swordsman sworn to avenge the death of his father, the hero ‘dread’ pirate captain seeking his lost flower, the pragmatic giant and the Machiavellian Sicilian, who isn’t half as bright as he thinks he is… The models are brimming with character – if you do not know the inspiration for these models, I highly recommend a little video research. The casting is very good, with no mould lines, and each model comes with a ‘slotta’ base. While these models are based on fantasy fiction, they would certainly fit into any renaissance or pirate crew (the vengeful swordsman would make a good Dread Pirate Roberts). Hopefully, a second set will follow with a bride princess, a cowardly prince of Guilder and a six fingered man…
Myths of Albion Company: Conquest Games Size: The giants are 60mm tall; Herne is a mere 41mm tall Era: Dark Age Fantasy Price: £13.00 for each giant; Herne and three barghests £12.50 www.conquest-games.co.uk Conquest Games has taken a diversion from its historical lines to bring out a range of mythic creatures for ancient Britain. The two giants are Gog and Magog – while referenced in the Bible and the Quran, there are also many references in Welsh, English and Irish folklore to the giants. It is said that Gog and Magog led the giants of Albion to oppose the landing of Brutus the Trojan. The other magnificent model is Herne of the wild hunt, leading his three barghests (or ‘black dogs’) which can possibly be linked to the Celtic Cernunnos, the horned god. It is said the appearance of the wild hunt is a portent of forthcoming disaster or catastrophic war. All the models are exceptionally clean, are well cast and have good detailing. These are great character models for fantasy or for a more unusual dark ages scenario; after all, the denizens of those ages believed in giants and vengeful hunting gods.
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Plastic Macedonians Company: Victrix Limited Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 31mm tall Era: Ancients Price: £19.95 for 27 models www.victrixlimited.com It is said that Alexander of Macedon’s father Philip developed the phalangite, an infantryman with the sarissa pike. With the combination of cavalry, hypaspists light infantry on the flanks and a core of phalangites, Alexander conquered all of Persia. Victrix’s plastic phalangites come on sprues of three, with a separate command sprue. The figures are all well detailed with an excellent selection of different heads. The detail on the sarissa pike is spot on, with butt spike, and very good. Assembly is straightforward – just stick on the head, shield, and pike arm. The poses are not quite as animated as previous sets – restricted to the standing position – but as a gamer I’m more than happy with this. It’s by far the best pose to rank up practical wargaming units. Three sets are available: Macedonians, Successors and Hypaspists (the Successors sprues come with the option of wearing trousers). Coming soon from Victrix is a plastic elephant set, suitable for Carthage, Rome, Numidia and the Successors.
25pdr and Morris Quad Company: The Plastic Soldier Company Size: 15mm (1/100) Era: World War II Price: £21.50 for four guns and tows with crew theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk The Ordnance Quick Firing 25pdr was the standard British artillery piece of World War II and served into the 1960s. It was pulled by the almost equally famous Morris Quad tractor. There is not just a single gun on the sprue but several build options. For early war, there’s the 18/25pdr (using 18pdr ammunition as Britain had so much stockpiled from the Great War), the Pheasant (a 17pdr antitank gun on a 25pdr chassis, used in Tunisia), early 25pdr and late 25pdr (with muzzle flash shield). A full set crew for the desert war and late war are provided as standard. This selection of parts gives enough for eight complete guns (at the cost of using the wheels off the limber). As usual, the design work, moulding, and detail are excellent on the vehicle. Everything fits together well apart from the wheels on the gun, which are a little stiff. The price is very attractive too.
Bear & Viking Ladies Company: Bad Squiddo Games Size: 26mm ‘foot to eye’ or 29mm tall; the Bear is 30mm at the shoulder Era: Dark Ages Price: £4.00 for Thorrun, £10.00 for Jarl Letty and £6.00 for the Bear thedicebaglady.net Annie at Bad Squiddo Games has released a range of animals and more historical female characters, this time for the Dark Ages. Jarl Letty, the "Little Lady Warmonger", comes as set with mounted and dismounted versions. She may be little (27mm tall), but even berserkers turn away from her frown and she would be a great character for SAGA or fantasy… Thorrun is a fierce Viking shield maiden – I’m reliably informed that similarities with a certain TV series about Vikings is entirely circumstantial. The ladies are cast well in metal. The bear is cast in a flexible plastic resin and has a great pose, like he is sniffing the ground for food. Detailing is very good on all the models. These will be a useful addition to Dark Age and fantasy games, with the bear also being useful for many periods, from the Stone Age to the French and Indian Wars. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Congo boxed sets Company: Wargames Foundry Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 31mm tall Era: Darkest Africa (19th century) Price: £36.00 for 24 miniatures www.wargamesfoundry.com Wargames Foundry has released a selection of its Darkest Africa range in boxed sets to support Congo, the latest game from Studio Tomahawk (reviewed this issue). Each set provides all the player needs for a 70 point force for one particular faction. There are five boxed sets in total: White Explorers, Zanzibar Slavers, Forest Tribes, African Kingdoms and an adventure set with fierce animals and characters to play the scenarios from the book. The casting is very good with no mould lines visible. The models themselves are full of character and very well detailed. There are no repeats in a boxed set, all the models are different. While the model range isn’t new per se, it is useful to see them available as ‘army deals’ for the game without the need to buy several packs. They are a good price too. These great sets are ideal for someone wishing to dip their toes into Congo or perhaps wanting to build their forces for The Men Who Would Be Kings.
Cold War British & Humber Pig Company: Sgt’s Mess Size: 21mm ‘foot to eye’ or 24mm tall Era: Cold War Price: £3.00 for 4 infantry, £6.90 for the Humber Pig www.sgtsmess.co.uk Supporting their range of British Cold War vehicles in 20mm, Sgt’s Mess has released British Infantry. The current release includes six packs in firing and advancing poses with SLRs, plus support weapons (GPMG, 81mm and 50mm mortar). These will be suitable for 1970s and early to mid 1980s. The models are well cast and detailed, with a little flash. Sgt’s Mess has also expanded its vehicle range to include the CVR(T) series (Scorpion, Scimitar, Samaritan and Sultan) and the Humber Pig armoured car (shown) – available with or without ‘wings’ (riot screens which can be extended from the vehicle). The model is made of a sturdy but lightweight resin with metal wheels and ‘wings’. These are ideal additions to anyone’s British 20mm Cold War arsenal or for the ‘Winter of ’79’ campaign setting.
Napoleonic Light Infantry Company: Gringo 40’s Size: 29mm ‘foot to eye’ or 35mm tall in shako Era: Napoleonic Price: £1.50 per model www.gringo40s.com The one side everyone needs in the Napoleonic Wars is the French. Napoleon’s light infantry had an excellent reputation for their field craft and esprit de corps. Gringo 40’s has released a range of Napoleonic light infantry suitable for 1808-14 (according to regulations, but they’ll do fine for 1815 too). These join Gringo’s existing French Napoleonic infantry releases – the Engineers of the Imperial Guard and the Marines of the Imperial Guard. The models are sculpted in light kit and some wear greatcoats. These infantry do not have backpacks, which is correct – they are skirmishing troops so only carry the bare essential kit. The casting is good, with only a little flash on the bases, and the poses are very animated. You have advancing, firing and marching poses plus the officer and one dead figure. Size-wise, they will be compatible with most mid- and larger ranges and will be a must-have for French Napoleonic generals.
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Napoleonic Prussians Company: Front Rank Size: 29mm ‘foot to eye’ or 35mm tall to top of shako Era: Napoleonic Price: £7.50 per pack of six miniatures www.frontrank.com It was once said that Front Rank did everything you need for Napoleonics – everything except Prussians. They didn’t do them… that is until now! Front rank has decided to start its Prussian range (covering the 1808 to 1815 period) by releasing musketeers and fusiliers. There are seven packs of line infantry currently. The musketeers have marching and advancing poses plus command. The fusiliers have marching, advancing and skirmishing poses plus command. The casting is very good, with no mould lines or flash visible. Likewise, the detail is very good and the models are historically accurate. Size-wise, these are slightly on the heroic side but nevertheless should fit in neatly with most existing ranges. Coming next from Front Rank are five packs of Prussian Reservists in shako and cap. These will be a boon to any Prussian Napoleonic player.
Mongol Victory Feast Company: Gripping Beast Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 34mm tall to plume top Era: Medieval Price: £10.00 for the vignette www.grippingbeast.co.uk I was at first tempted to call this review ‘A Mongol Tea Party’, but given the nature of this nice but quite brutal vignette, I decided differently. Being the ‘nice’ people they were, Mongol Generals used to feast after a battle by piling up their enemies, putting planks on them and feasting on the dying, who were slowly crushed. This vignette shows this horrific but historically accurate practice. What you get is a resin base, complete with squashed victims and four Mongols. Three are sitting and one is standing guard (or would perhaps make a good standard bearer). There is even a selection of pots and food containers to place on the vignette. The casting is good and despite its quite grim nature, this would make an excellent general vignette for games, including Swordpoint . Then again, the Mongols were more horse lovers than ‘people’ people. A Mongol Victory Feast? Every Mongol player should have one!
MDF Saracen & LWB Land Rover Company: Warbases Size: 1/56 Scale (28mm) Era: World War II Price: £9.00 for the Saracen, £7.00 for the Land Rover www.war-bases.co.uk It is simply amazing what you can make in MDF nowadays. These kits cross the border between MDF and high detail paper models. Warbases has released a range of post war British army vehicles. Each comes as a flat pack kit, which is assembled with instructions on the Warbases website. This does take a little time (I estimated 20 minutes a kit) but the results are very satisfying. While some details are obviously simplified, the finished kits do look remarkably like their real life counterparts and could be detailed further by the modeller. The current range includes the Series 1 Land Rover (Short Wheelbase and Long Wheelbase), the Saladin Armoured Car (shown), the Saracen APC, a turretless Ferret and the Humber Pig. Apart from their obvious use by the British, these vehicles were widely sold around the world, making these very useful for small wars around the globe or for the Winter of ’79 campaign setting. The Kuwaiti Army for example used the Saladin. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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N M U L O C
By Rick Priestley n a m r a H e i g r o e G ©
THIS GAMING LIFE
GOING DIGITAL There’s a quiet revolution going on in the worlds of fantasy and science-fiction model design. Behind the scenes, bleary-eyed chaps are staring intently at computer screens and jabbing thoughtfully at keyboards.
D
esks that were once a glorious cacophony of scalpels, dental tools, putty and tin-dollies, littered with glittering metal and green models in diverse states of abandonment – concealing any number of stained coffee cups and half-eaten Mars bars – are now pristine clean and devoid of the dust and detritus of creativity. Yes – these days it seems everyone is going digital! Even experienced sculptors, long-established craftsmen skilled in the art of putty-pushing and polishing, are abandoning the hard-won experience of a lifetime in favour of 3-D design packages. I say ‘everyone’ and I’m sure the eagle-eyed reader will spot the hyperbole, immediately reeling off a list of sculptors and manufacturers rooted in the fine traditions of model making that have stood the wargames and collectors hobby in good stead for decades. But things are changing. The change really started twenty years ago, but it is not until recently that developments have enabled sculptors and manufacturers to realise the potential of the technology. The promise of the ‘Star Trek’ style ‘replicator’, where new models could be endlessly produced at the mere touch of a button, was something that caught the imaginations of accountants – if not sculptors – even back then. In the 1990s, the design studio I was running at that time was approached by a local company keen to offer its brand new state-of-the-art scanning technology as part of a CAD/ CAM solution for making plastic injection tools. That company was manufacturing moulds for things like plugs, sockets and small electrical components: products that were relatively simple in form. They were obviously looking to exploit the new technology for tool making generally. We gave them a piece to trial, deciding upon a sculpted wing. This was a metal casting, probably a piece that had been made for a giant eagle or some other beastie of that kind. As such, it was essentially flat but detailed with feathers. We felt it would be a good test of their ability to capture detail. The results pretty much summed up the difference between the promise and the reality. To start with the technology struggled to even establish a datum – the base point from
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which a three dimensional design is created. Even though we had used what was to us a flat piece of metal, to a scanner the curves, dips and bumps made it almost impossible to know where to start. We had a bit more success scanning the textured surface, but here the problem was simply the limitations of the technology at that time. The amount of data yielded by just a few centimetres of wing surface was almost impossible to process, taking what seemed an impossibly long age just to give us the tiniest of samples. It wasn’t long before the company decided that they really couldn’t give us what we needed, and that was that. Even so, it was the first glimpse of what was to come. As computers grew more powerful, and CAD/CAM packages more sophisticated, it became possible to integrate the 3-D sculpting with the tool making. However, the process would not become routine until well into the 2000s. Scanning technology went through several iterations. I recall seeing the first GOM scanners, hugely expensive pieces of kit that looked as if they’d been knocked up out of Meccano by a crazed optician. I remember thinking it didn’t look much for the price of a Ferrari! Scanning allowed for the transition in technology, taking a physical object – in this case our sculpted original model – and converting it into digital format that could be modified on a computer. The initial motive behind the development of 3-D image manipulation wasn’t really sculpting at all, but tool making, where the traditional pattern making and pantography were severe limitations. These old-fashioned hands-on craft processes were expensive. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say they were a dying art, practised by tool-makers schooled way back in the days when Lesney (Matchbox) and Airfix were going strong. Again, one reason why the new technology was taken up so enthusiastically was that it was perceived as being cheaper. The thinking was, going digital would cut out one of the most expensive parts of the tool making process – the pattern making. This was – of course – hopelessly optimistic. Even without a mechanical pattern, it was still necessary to translate the digital data into a file format suitable for engineering and then marry the digitised ‘pattern’ to the tool engineering. This turned out to be a process every bit as skilled, time-consuming and expensive as the old ‘hands on’ approach. However,
there was an obvious advantage in adopting a new and developing technology that was only going to improve over time, as well as tapping into a young, technically literate workforce that was only going to expand too. When we started with 3-D sculpting, the only reason to generate a digital model was because it was easier to translate into a CAD/CAM process and therefore to use for automated plastic tooling. At any rate, it was easier than scanning a physical model and then ‘cleaning up’ the scanned data, a frustrating compromise that can potentially take longer than creating a new digital model from scratch. That’s why the program first developed for 3-D sculpting was designed for working with injection moulding tools: Geomagic’s Freeform. Freeform remains the premier design tool for 3-D sculpting, primarily because it allows the sculptor to work out split lines, identify and correct undercuts, apply suitable draft angles, and – crucially – it can be used to create an industry standard file to run an automated milling machine. This is generally an STL file – although I claim no expertise – and anyone interested in the technical specs can read about the capabilities of Freeform on Geomagic’s own website. None of that matters, of course, if you don’t want to make a plastic injection tool. And here’s where the wargames industry has recently been blessed with a new generation of eager 3-D sculptors. Their inspiration and technical abilities lie closer to the world of video game design and more general types of digital design than to traditional wargames figure modelling. It’s a skill and a kind of art that bears no relation to the model makers of years ago. These newcomers are more like artists or graphic designers, who just happen to be working with 3-D images rather than a flat 2-D picture. Nor would the efforts of these new digital sculptors be of much use were it not for their ability to output designs in a physical form. It is the ‘coming of age’ of 3-D printers that has made this possible. Now, rather than sculpt a model out of wire and putty, it is possible to build a 3-D model on a computer and ‘print’ it. The result in both cases is the same: a master model that can be used to make a mould. So, we are a ways away from the ‘Star Trek’ replicator, but it’s a step closer for sure! Relatively cheap and accessible 3-D drawing programs, like Pixologic’s ZBrush, enable sculptors to render digital images without the cost or full capabilities of Freeform, but which are still suitable for 3-D printing. Although good quality 3-D printers remain expensive, it’s now top-of-the-range Ford expensive rather than Ferrari expensive like those GOM scanners we had all those years ago. Today, we see many fantasy and science fiction models that are entirely designed on a computer screen and the ‘original’ is outputted via a 3-D printer. It’s true of historical subjects too – but fantasy and similarly fanciful subjects abound. The entire Konflikt 47 Weird World War Two range was created in this way, for example. Similarly, the models for the Dark Souls game that caused such a sensation on Kickstarter re-
cently (raising a million dollars in 24 hours and going on to raise 5.4 million) were all designed digitally. What I find especially interesting about this new generation of sculptors is that now, for the most part, they are not rooted in the old aesthetic of the ‘toy soldier’ as iterated over many decades. Judging from the results, many of them are inspired by comic art: the proportions and posing of their models bear more resemblance to the work of comic book artists than anything else. Others are plainly influenced by video games: the Dark Souls models are derived from an established video game franchise, for example. There’s obviously a lot of overlap between these two media. It’s only to be expected that anyone undertaking a digital design course at college today will be steeped in the aesthetics of the latest comics, video games, and contemporary animation. This is all a world away from the traditional aesthetic of the ‘wargames figure’ that has developed in conjunction with wargamers’ preferences for deeply rendered detail (which is easier to paint), over-scaled weapons (which don’t break in the hand), and horizontally exaggerated human proportions (which manage to ‘look right’ on a wargames table). These things may be practical considerations, but they also help form our tastes and expectations, or at least they do if we started with the hobby in those halcyon pre-digital and pre-internet days of yore. If the future belongs to the young (which I fear it does, barring discoveries in the field of time-travel of which I remain hopeful), then one wonders if the traditional processes of sculpting and model making are going the way of those pattern-makers and pantographers: skilled craftsmen who turned out all those Airfix and Matchbox kits in the 60s and 70s, and who have long since been replaced by computers and keyboards. If so, would I be the only one to miss those essential ‘craft’ qualities that mark out a traditionally made model from the digital perfection of a 3-D render? I suspect not, but I also imagine that my claims of ‘charm’ and ‘character’ would come across as mere nostalgia to anyone steeped in the aesthetics of the comic book and video game. Whether our computer generated armies of the future - perhaps even delivered directly into our homes by mean of that ‘Star Trek’ style replicator – will develop a look and character that is radically different from today’s hand-sculpted models I don’t know. There is certainly a potential for tastes to swing that way. Tomorrow’s wargamers may prefer models that reflect video game imagery and computer generated graphics that feel more familiar to them. Inevitably, tastes in such things will change as one generation shuffles aside for the next, but who can say how? One thing is for sure: new technologies bring new skills and new ways of looking at things, and ultimately change our perceptions and our sensibilities. Come what may though, you can bet that sometime, somewhere, somebody will be hunched over a keyboard, painstakingly rendering goblins and space men for wargamers as yet unborn. WS&S W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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E R U T A E F
By Dan Mersey
A WILD WEST SHOOTOUT WITH A DIFFERENCE
BANG! YOU’RE DEAD A small collection of Old West models is perhaps the most cost-effective ‘army’ a war gamer can own. Terrain and scenery is interchangeable – basically, once you have your cowboys painted and based, you’re good to go with any rules that hits the market.
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cenario-wise, there’s plenty of choice in the best rulebooks, but you need look no further than any 24-hour movie channel to find yourself engrossed in a whole slew of woodenlyacted black and white Westerns with scenario ideas bubbling up in between the advertisement breaks. But recently, I wanted to try something a bit different thanks to the Wild West card game ‘Bang!’ . Designed by Emilano Sciarra, the aim of the game is to play cards to eliminate your opponents and help your friends to survive. The only problem is, with the exception of the Sheriff, you don’t know whose side the other players are on, so you have to make some rapid deductions while the bullets fly. With a little bit of work, the concealed role aspect of Bang! works superbly well on the tabletop.
ROLES Each player takes a role in the game; the real fun – and the real ‘game’ element – comes when you try to work out who is on your side and you should therefore be helping… and who is not. The only player whose role is known to everyone at the beginning of the scenario is the Sheriff. Make as many role cards as you have players, written out as follows: • • • •
4 players: 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 2 Outlaws 5 players: 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 2 Outlaws, 1 Deputy 6 players: 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 3 Outlaws, 1 Deputy 7 players: 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 3 Outlaws, 2 Deputies
Shuffle the cards and give one, face down, to each player. The Sheriff reveals himself or herself by turning his or her card face up. All other players look at their roles but keep them secret until they are out of the game. Remember: Don’t show anyone the card with your role on it! The aims of each player are as follows:
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• Sheriff: You must
eliminate all the Outlaw and Renegade posses. • Outlaws: You want to kill the Sheriff and his posse, and have no scruples about eliminating other Outlaw posses to gain rewards! • Deputies: You must help and protect the Sheriff’s posse, and share his or her goal. • Renegade: You want to be the new Sheriff (or at least in charge of the town…); your goal is to be the last posse remaining in play. There’s nothing to stop players telling everyone else what their role is – whether telling the truth or lying about it – but actions speak louder than words, so you can try to work out who is on your side and who is not by closely watching what they do. When your posse is out of the game, reveal your card to help the remaining players deduce who is who. Depending on which roles are still in the game, the scenario may well suddenly end with the elimination of a posse, keeping everyone on their toes.
WINNING The game ends if one of the following conditions is met: • The Sheriff is killed. If the Renegade is the only
posse still in play, then he or she wins. Otherwise, the Outlaws win. If only one Outlaw remains in play, he or she is the overall winner; if more than one Outlaw posse is in play, they all share the win. • All the Outlaws and the Renegade are eliminated. In this case, the Sheriff and his Deputies win (whether the Deputies are still in play or not).
There’s a storm comin’ boys…
Ain’t no lawdogs welcome here.
If the Outlaws are eliminated but the Renegade and Sheriff remain in play, keep playing. If the Sheriff ‘s posse and all of the Outlaws are eliminated, but at least one Deputy and the Renegade are still in play, the Outlaws still win, despite losing their lives.
– I recommend that other than the sheriff (who must field a lawmen p osse), each other player may field a posse type of their own choosing, rather than sticking to the best match for their role in the scenario. Otherwise it would be far too simple to work out who is on who’s side. There are plenty of backstories to write, explaining why the Apaches have taken on the role of Deputy, or the US Cavalry are playing as Renegades, for example. Go crazy with your storyline – this is Hollywood’s Wild West!
POSSES You could allocate each player a set number of points to build their own posses from, which is catered for by most rule sets for the Old West, but given the nature of this scenario, it’s perfectly acceptable for everyone other than the Sheriff to start out with equal forces consisting of, for example: • 1 Veteran gunslinger (leader) • 2 Experienced hands • 2 Greenhorns
The Sheriff gets one extra Experienced hand, given that he’s going to be a target (or enough extra points to add another model to his or her posse). Weapons-wise, again if you’re not playing with points, give each model a pistol, and then divide up one shotgun, one rifle or a second shotgun, and one extra pistol between your models. Everyone carries a knife or similar hand weapon, too. In various rule sets, these posses translate as shown in the table below. If your chosen rules break down posses by type – lawmen, outlaws, cowboys, desperadoes, and so on
SETTING UP The beauty of this scenario is that winning and losing is based on semi-concealed roles, rather than achieving a defined objective on the tabletop. This means that your tabletop can be as empty or full as you wish – the gunfight could happen in the centre of a one-horse town, at a ranch, in the wilderness, or even at a corral (whether it is the OK or otherwise). Depending on the number of players you have, I recommend the Sheriff’s posse deploying at the centre of the table, and the other players deploying at equal distances around the table’s edge (or just beyond rifle shot range, depending on your table size). Randomly determine who starts where. The Sheriff – being in the centre of the table and therefore most vulnerable – holds the initiative in the first turn of the game. WS&S
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E R U T A E F
By Rob Broom
THE LAST WELSH WARRIOR PRINCESS
GWENLLIAN OF
THE GREAT REVOLT It is generally assumed that, with the victory at Hastings, the conquered lands rolled over and embraced Norman rule. This was not the case. For many years, opposition to Norman rule was ferocious. Wales, in particular, was a hotbed of both resistance and localized infighting between different factions. One Welshwoman, the princess Gwenllian, donned her armour and sword and, together with her sons, led an army to battle in 1136 against the Norman invader. This is her story.
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ales at this time was divided into a number of kingdoms. These kingdoms spent as much time fighting one another as they did resisting the Normans (and earlier invaders). In 1136, with the Normans temporarily weakened, prince Gruffudd ap Rhys of Deheubarth seized his opportunity. He rode north for the kingdom of Gwynedd to ask for assistance from his father-in-law, Gruffudd ap Cynan. With his help Gruffudd ap Rhys would have a real chance of reclaiming part of his kingdom. The Normans were not sitting by idly however. Expecting reinforcements, they were preparing to launch a campaign against the rebels. They may have been told by spies of the Welsh prince's plans.
THE WARRIOR PRINCESS The awaited reinforcements landed somewhere on the coast of Glamorgan and commenced their march to a rendezvous with the Norman lord Maurice de Londres. We can assume they took the opportunity to loot and pillage along the way. As the Normans were already raiding into Deheubarth from the direction of Kidwelly Castle, once the news of this new threat reached Gwenllian, she had to take action. She called her warriors and local population to muster ready for battle. Donning her armour, she rode out with two of her sons to attack the invader. Gwenllian led her small army towards Kidwelly, halting at the foot of Mynydd y Garreg (the ‘mountain of the stone’) with the River Gwendraeth running nearby, at a site approximately 2 miles from Kidwelly Castle. Learning that
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A map of the battlefield. the Norman reinforcements had not yet arrived, she sent a force to intercept them while she waited. She did so either to await the Norman response, or to cut the Norman raiding parties off from Kidwelly Castle. Unfortunately, her plans went tragically wrong. The reinforcements, led by a Welsh traitor, had avoided contact with Gwenllian’s intercepting force and manoeuvred themselves in secret to the heights of Mynydd y Garreg. Two days after Gwenllian had taken position by the banks of the river, Maurice rode out from Kidwelly Castle, and before Gwenllian had a chance to respond, the reinforcements attacked from the top of the hill. Gwenllian and her small force were trapped. Legend has it that Gwenllian fought gloriously, sword in hand, inspiring her men to fight against overwhelming numbers, but to no avail. The survivors were rounded up,
Normans spread terror by raiding a Welsh village. Models by Gripping Beast. including a wounded Gwenllian. Maurice de Londres showed no mercy. He ordered the immediate beheading of Gwenllian upon the field of battle. Gwenllian’s husband Gruffudd ap Rhys and her brothers Owain and Cadwaladr bought retribution upon the Normans. In the battles that followed, the war cry “Revenge for Gwenllian” was taken up and no doubt sent a shiver down many a Norman spine, as they faced the enraged Welsh foe. Later in 1136, having mustered a large army, the Welsh brought the Normans to battle at Crug Mawr (the ‘great barrow’) . There is little information, but the rout of the combined Norman, Flemish, and English army was total. Around 3,000 were killed, and those taken prisoner were reportedly guarded by Welsh women, while the Welshmen continued the pursuit.
The scenario is written with War & Conquest in mind, but can be used with most other ancient and medieval wargames rules. Roll a die to determine which scenario option you will fight, or try all three, adding up the results to determine who had the best chance overall. The table should be set as indicated on the map. The Mynydd y Garreg hill is classed as Uneven terrain (or, depending on your rules set, somewhat easier to move through than ‘Difficult’ terrain). The woods should be Difficult terrain, except the large wood by the Welsh intercepting force’s position, which should be Uneven terrain. The rivers should be Difficult terrain, but not too wide; 2” or 3” should be sufficient, and fording places or bridges should be placed where the road crosses them.
The Forces Following this victory, the Welsh were able to reclaim much of their lands, and many tales of heroism and violence were carved into Welsh history books. Gwenllian’s courage has earned the last warrior princess a place in Welsh history.
SCENARIO – GWENLLIAN, LAST WARRIOR PRINCESS Wargamers usually like a reasonably balanced game, and refighting the battle as it happened historically would be a very one-sided affair. Our scenario is inspired by the events of the battle and the possible outcomes, had Gwenllian’s intercepting force been more successful. There are three possible options, but you should feel free to come up with more or to amend them as you see fit.
Using War & Conquest select 2000 points of troops for the Welsh and 2200 for the Normans (adapt with similar ratio for other rules). Both these forces will be split into two factions. As army general, Gwenllian should be included in a smaller Welsh force of no greater than 900 points, leaving the remainder in the intercepting force, which should be commanded by a minor Welsh personality. It is likely that Gwenllian’s force was hastily pulled together and would have consisted of mainly men from the fields; so if taking the Teulu option from the free online Welsh list, these should be the smallest unit, or better still, combine them with regular warriors if your rules allow it (for War & Conquest , use the Combined formation rule for Thegns and Ceorls from the Saxon army list). W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Vicious fight at a ford. Don’t let the Norman invaders pass! Gwenllian should not be allowed to use Strategy Intervention Points to win Strategic Advantage, although she can use them for other dice rolls as normal. For other game systems, let the Normans take the first turn. History shows they certainly had the initiative.
Gwenllian’s Last Stand (3 or 4)
One of the Norman forces should be no greater than 800 points, and this should be commanded by Maurice using a Dux or Lord profile. The other force should be commanded by a minor Norman personality, but he should have influence on the troops under his command.
Having failed to intercept the Norman reinforcements, the Welsh intercepting force moves onto the table at Point B from the start of the first Welsh turn. If there is insufficient room, they will have to await their turn.
Scenario Options (roll a D6)
Welsh Victory. The death of both Norman commanders or the destruction or rout of 60 per cent of the Norman forces.
Gwenllian’s deployment position is fixed throughout and her force may move from the start of the first Welsh turn. If both complete their victory conditions, the game is a draw.
Ambush (1 or 2) The Welsh intercepting force is deployed as on the map, ready to launch its ambush. Any Welsh skirmishers in this force may be placed up to 6” further forward in the wood. The Norman reinforcements are deployed in column or other disadvantaged formation, and stretch from Point C toward Point B (and off the table, if required; they may enter when there is space). As they are hurrying to meet Maurice, they should also be considered Disordered until they pass a Command test. Maurice and the Norman force from the castle enter from Point A on either or both roads at the start of the second Norman turn. Welsh Major Victory: Kill both Norman commanders or the destroy or rout of 70 per cent of the Norman forces. 60 Percent destruction or rout gains a Minor Victory. Norman Victory. The death of Gwenllian or the destruction or rout of 70 per cent of the Welsh forces. Alternatively, get at least 50 per cent of both Norman forces off the table at Point A.
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Maurice and the Norman force from the castle are deployed up to 12” onto the table from Point A. The Norman reinforcements move onto the table from within 6” of Point D at the start of the first Norman turn.
Norman Victory. The death of Gwenllian and the destruction of 80 per cent of the Welsh force with her.
Full Engagement (5 or 6) Maurice and the Norman force from the castle move onto the table from Point A on either or both roads at the start of the first Norman turn. One unit from the Norman reinforcements should be placed on the road at Point B and the remainder move onto the table from Point B at the start of the first Norman turn. The Welsh intercepting force should be moved back from the position marked on the map and are deployed up to 6” onto the table from Point D to the top right-hand corner. Welsh Victory. The death of both Norman commanders or the destruction or rout of 70 per cent of the Norman forces. If 80 per cent of the Norman force from the castle is routed or destroyed, the Welsh gain a minor victory. Norman Victory. The death of Gwenllian or the destruction or rout of 75 per cent of the Welsh forces. WS&S
E R U T A E F
By Piers Brand
ARMOUR ACTION IN BELGIUM
AN AUTUMN STORM By the end of August 1944 the campaign in Western Europe was finally achieving what it had set out to do. After wearing down the German Army in Normandy, the following German collapse and Allied advance had been so rapid that it seemed incredible to some. By early September 1944 the British War Cabinet began to look at 31 December 1944 as a possible date for the end of the war against Hitler’s Germany.
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owever it was not to be. Over September and then into October and November 1944, the German resistance increased and the Allied advances slowed. Instead of a quick victory, far more hard fighting would be the order of the day. While Operation Market-Garden steals the limelight in the period between Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, there are a wealth of hard-fought actions and campaigns that offer the wargamer much inspiration to refight on the tabletop. From the esoteric mix of thrown-together German Kampfgruppen consisting of odd obsolete vehicles, to more standard ‘big cats’, the fighting in this period has something that should appeal to many. The period is also relatively overlooked among the more popular periods of the war, and yet it offers much, and not just full-scale airborne operations: from desperate rearguard actions to armoured encounters. The fighting in Belgium and Holland during the autumn and winter of 1944 and then into 1945 offers a great deal for the WW2 gamer who wants a more historical focus to their games. This article aims to look at two actions during this period, and offer historical scenarios for the Battlegroup rules in order to refight them; along with the previous article on the Liberation of Arnhem, it will hopefully offer a window onto a period of the war that is not as popular or as well-known as it perhaps should be. The stats are given in terms of the Battlegroup series of games; however the Orders of Battle are universal and should be adaptable to any WW2 games system.
against Kampfgruppe Dreyer, a force composed of units from 85th Infanterie Division and Grenadier-Regiment 723. The fighting carried on for several days, and despite ferocious resistance, the British attack gained the upper hand and pushed into Geel. In response to the British gains, the Germans committed 1st Company Panzerjäger Abteilung 559 to a counter-attack aimed at containing the British advance, as preventing the capture of Geel seemed unlikely at this point. The company fielded seven Jagdpanthers, and over the course of a day and night, they engaged the British forces in a series of small skirmishes, operating in pairs to hunt British tanks. The first casualties were three Shermans from C Squadron of the Sherwood Rangers, engaged by the Jagdpanthers from positions near St. Dimpna’s church on the outskirts of Geel. Other Jagdpanthers attacked further south of Geel at Winkelholm, but were driven off by the artillery fire of the complete 74th Field Regiment. In the evening of the 10th of September, all seven Jagdpanthers joined with Kampfgruppe Dreyer in an attack to eliminate the British positions. In this attack the Jagdpanthers were used as tanks, and suffered as a result. By the end of the fighting, only two Jag-
HUNTING IN PAIRS – GEEL, 10 SEPTEMBER 1944 During early September the British crossed the Albert Canal and pushed to take Geel from the Germans. Over several days a protracted fight was fought by the Durham Light Infantry and Green Howards of 69th Brigade from the 50th Northumbrian Division, supported by platoons from the 2nd Cheshires and their machine guns, along with tanks from the Sherwood Rangers,
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Map for Geel scenario.
A Jadgpanther advances - they are great tank killers but don’t make for great tanks. dpanthers were still operational, and one of those was in need of repair. But the British had taken heavy losses during the German counter-attacks. 50th Division had suffered severe losses and eleven Shermans of the Sherwood Rangers had been knocked out, with two more damaged, plus 15 British carriers were also knocked out. The first scenario recreates the fighting at the Doornboom Crossroads between two of the Jagdpanthers and their supporting infantry and the 6th Green Howards and the Sherwood Rangers. The short battle during the night led to the loss of two Shermans and several carriers as a platoon from the Green Howards were shot up as they tried to advance. During the confused night fighting, Brigadier Gordon and his staff were almost overrun and Leutnant Kossack commanding the attack had his Jagdpanther knocked out. It was a night battle that was confusing to all in the extreme.
result is decided solely on Battle Rating. Due to the small size of this engagement, both sides should track ammunition used as normal but when a unit reaches ‘zero’ ammunition, roll 1D6. On a result of 3+ the unit still has rounds left and may fire as normal. Roll again the next time the unit wishes to fire.
The battlefield should consist of the crossroads and lanes that crisscross the area plus plenty of trees and bushes that line the roads and allow for easy concealment. The two houses near the crossroads are of brick construction and offer hard cover for any troops in them. The battle is fought at night and all troops have their spotting range reduced to 20”, and a further -1 to hit all targets.
German Forces – Battle Rating 20
All British forces must deploy first to the west of the crossroads and 1d3 units may start on Ambush Fire. The German player may deploy all his forces up to 10” from his table edge. There are no objectives on the table, the
The Germans made great use of parachute flares during the battle. To simulate this, the German player may fire Parachute Flares in his turn, up to three times during the game. During the turn the flares are fired, all spotting tests and to hit rolls are made at normal ranges and values with no penalties. The flares last only for the German turn and play reverts back to the nighttime rules in the following British turn. However, any British troops on ‘Ambush Fire’ may of course benefit from the flares if firing during the German turn.
FHQ – Jagdpanther of Leutnant Gerhard Kossack (Senior Officer, Regular) Jagdpanther (Regular) German Infantry Platoon (Regular): • Platoon HQ – Five Men • 3 x Rifle Teams – Five men and Panzerfaust • 3 x LMG Teams – Three men and MG42
British Forces – Battle Rating 29 FHQ - Brigadier Gordon and two staff in jeep (Senior Officer, Artillery Spotter, Regular) W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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The British cautiously advance – Jadgpanthers on the defence are still dangerous. Infantry Section (Regular – Close Protection for Brigadier) – 8 men with Bren in truck Sherman Tank Squadron, Sherwood Rangers (Regular) – 3 x Sherman (1 x Officer), 1 x Firefly Two Carrier Sections (Regular): • 1 x Carrier with three men and Bren • 1 x Carrier with three men and 2” Mortar • 1 x Carrier with three men and PIAT
JOE’S BRIDGE? GORING’S RAILWAY – KARRESTRATERHEIDE, SEPTEMBER 10TH 1944 While scouting for a route over the Maas-Scheldt Canal and finding the now famous ‘Joe’s Bridge’ intact, another reconnaissance group fought a short but fierce battle at the Karrestraterheide crossroads outside Neerpelt. As British troops advanced up the road from Hechtel, it reached a railway crossing just
before a main crossroads. Around this area a battle sprung up, reinforced by the British with infantry and tanks from No. 3 squadron Grenadier Guards, while on the German side, the fierce resistance was mainly conducted by Kampfgruppe Schulz comprised of the II./Fallschirm Panzer Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Regiment Hermann Goring , a unit equipped with obsolete vehicles for training use, and some flak guns from Flak-abteilung 602 plus three Sturmgeschutze from 2./559 Panzerjager Abteilung . The battle raged from the afternoon and into the evening around the railway crossing and over the crossroads. The ensuing short but intense battle saw four German tanks knocked out, plus seven of their guns. Those who fought in the engagement commented on the evening being lit up like “Guy Fawkes night gone mad” due to the burning vehicles and ammunition cooking off from the vehicles engulfed in flames. This scenario starts with only the British recce armoured cars on table on Turn 1 and then 1D6 units arriving from Turn 3. All British recce units may deploy up to 10” from the British table edge. The Germans start with all initial defenders placed within the centre third of the table. Their reinforcements arrive from Turn 5 at the rate of 1D6 units per turn. Both the level crossing and the crossroads count as objectives for both sides, though neither side may claim an ‘all objectives secured’ victory - the enemy must be cleared from the field of battle to secure the road network.
The dreaded 88, still deadly in 1944.
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The terrain should be lightly scattered with trees and low hedges around the roads. A small farm complex should
be placed as shown on the map. This should be one or two buildings with a high brick wall around them.
German Forces – Battle Rating 32 Initial Defenders Panzer III Ausf. M (Inexperienced) Panzer I Ausf. B (Inexperienced) StuG III Ausf C (Inexperienced) 2 x Rifle Teams – 5 men with Panzerfaust (Regular) 2 x MG Teams – 3 men with MG42 (Regular) 2 x sMG42 Teams – 3 men with sMG42 on tripod (Regular) 1 x 88mm Flak 36 and tow 1 x Pak 40 AT gun and tow Reinforcements Platoon HQ – 5 men (Officer, Regular) 2 x Rifle Teams – 5 men with Panzerfaust (Regular) 2 x MG Teams – 3 men with MG42 (Regular) 2 x StuG III Ausf. G (Regular)
British Forces – Battle Rating 40 Recce Group 2 x Daimler Armoured Cars (Regulars, Scout) 1 x Daimler Armoured Car (Regular, Officer, Scout, Mortar Spotter) Carrier Section (Regular): • 1 x Carrier with three men and Bren • 1 x Carrier with three men and 2” Mortar • 1 x Carrier with three men and PIAT Reinforcements Forward HQ – Three men and Dingo Scout Car (Regular, Senior Officer, Artillery Spotter) M5 Radio Half-track (Communications)
Map for Göring’s Railway scenario. British Motor Infantry Platoon (Regular) • Platoon HQ – 4 men with 2” Mortar (Officer, Mortar Spotter, Regular) in M5 Halftrack • PIAT Team – 2 men with PIAT (Regular) in PHQ M5 Halftrack • 3 x Rifle Section – 8 men with Bren in M5 Halftrack Sherman Tank Squadron, Grenadier Guards (Regular) – 3 x Sherman (1 x Officer, Mortar Spotter), 1 x Firefly Carrier Section (Regular): • 1 x Carrier with three men and Bren • 1 x Carrier with three men and 2” Mortar • 1 x Carrier with three men and PIAT Off-Table Battery of 3” Mortars – Usable from Turn 1 WS&S Panzer 1’s in Belgium in 1944? You heard correct. Also, Jadgpanthers make poor tanks.
Kampfgruppe Schultz The situation the German Army found itself in during the Autumn of 1944 is typified by the ad-hoc nature of the formations they had to use, and the utilisation of all manner of equipment. For wargamers who love their ‘Big Cats’, this isn’t the period for you, but for the gamer looking for a more esoteric unit to model their forces after, units such as Fallschirm Panzer Ersatz und Ausbildungs-Regiment Hermann Goring offer some real opportunities to model and use some unusual models during the late war setting in your games. The unit also acts as a nice example of the desperate nature of the period, and shows how training units and similar forces were thrown into combat as the crisis grew. On the 1st of September 1944 the unit had in its possession the following vehicles and guns: RGt. Reserve. Reconnaissance unit. 3x 2cm Flak towed by truck 1x Sd.Kfz.231 (8 rad)
2x four wheeled armoured car. Sd.Kfz.221 or 222 2x SPW Sd.Kfz.250 1x SPW Sd.Kfz.250 with AT gun RGt. Reserve. Panzer Company 2x Pz. I 3x Pz. III Ausf. M 2x Pz. III Ausf. N 2x Pz. IV Ausf. D/E 4x StuG. III Ausf. C/D 3x Panzerjager II with Soviet 7,62 gun (Marder II / Sd.Kfz.132) Other Equipment 2x Hummel 1x 2cm Flakvierling towed by truck. 9x 2cm Flak towed by truck. 2x light artillery guns towed by truck. 5x medium artillery guns towed by truck. 1x heavy artillery gun towed by truck.
W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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N O I S S U C S I D
By Mark Backhouse
REDISCOVERING YOUR WARGAMES MOJO
GETTING BACK IN
THE SADDLE The wargaming blues seems to be something that many gamers suffer with from time to time. A lack of motivation to paint or to game and a waning interest in the hobby in general is something I read regularly on gaming blogs. For years I had always been a real enthusiast. I gamed once a week at the club every Thursday and tried to squeeze in a few more games here and there on weekends and holidays. I had a good-sized group of close gaming friends and every year there would be a new drive to game a particular period or rule set. We would all get enthusiastic about it and read and watch everything available on that topic, paint boxes of figures and game regularly. I used to shake my head at the lack of commitment from other gamers in my club and think what they were missing out on. I was committed to gaming…
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hen things changed in the space of a year. Home life changed. Work became harder and harder. I found it tricky to get to the club regularly. Work then took up a month of Thursday evenings and therefore I got no games in. My games started to drop off. At about the same time some of my regular opponents started to drop away too. Illness and new jobs suddenly changed my gaming circle and those fanatical acolytes suddenly were not around for regular games. When I turned up to the club I found I didn’t have games; when I missed a few weeks because of other commitments, I arrived to find I’d missed the boat on new projects, or people had booked up the next few weeks ahead. When I found I had less games I started turning up less often. The impact became cyclical – the more I stayed away the less bothered I became about turning up. The result was a six month dry spell.
bits of painting, I ran the odd game (quite possibly a lot more gaming than some of our readers do who still class themselves as committed gamers). I can’t say that I’m fully back into the hobby again but there are a few things which have helped me to reignite that spark.
Time has passed and work continues to be hard. The yearning to paint and game never completely disappeared but faded as a priority to a secondary concern. Many people leave it for much longer, years or decades in fact, before they return to the hobby. I kept up a few
I also managed to get a set of Tusk rules to play with my boys. Tusk is a prehistoric hunting game that is very simple and good fun. It needs a dozen or so hunters and some mammoths or other prey. It can be set up in ten minutes and requires half an hour
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ACHIEVABLE PROJECTS I’ve gone back to some projects that might not be classed as proper wargaming by some people. These are small on numbers of figures and allow for quicker, simpler games with minimal effort. I hadn’t brought or painted a fantasy figure in years but somehow painting a Blood Bowl team or ten seemed to be a good solution. Twelve or so figures seemed eminently manageable. Colourful and detailed, I was no longer having to push my way through several hundred figures to get an army completed. Crucially I got to play with them quickly as well.
Go real small! 2mm ECW in play.
Go skirmish! TUSK being played.
to play. Even I can manage to squeeze that in to my busier schedule. I suspect the growth in other smaller style skirmish games like this is a result of the shortage of space, money and painting time many of us feel. Both of these games have fun rules that don’t require a huge amount of looking up. They are also light enough that other wavering gaming friends might just give them a go even if it isn’t their ‘usual thing’.
large forces in 1:1 scale and get a sense of completion in a short period of time. While some people might say ‘ I can’t see them!’, they have allowed me to game grand sized battles in smaller spaces with less investment of time. I’d defy anyone to look at my Siege of Portsmouth game and say it didn’t look visually impressive. I think as long as the rules are good, the terrain has had time spent on it and the models have been well painted, wargaming is fantastic in any scale. The next project might well be 28 legions slogging it out at Philippi… a dream of mine that cannot easily be done even in 6mm!
SHARING THE ENTHUSIASM Sharing with other people what I’ve been doing has also been useful. I had a Twitter account that was so inactive I might as well have closed it down. However, recently I’ve found it really helpful for sharing good ideas and linking up with other gamers from further afield who have the same rather specialised interests. Not many people are into 17th Century 2mm games, but my chats with Sidney Roundwood have, I hope, stirred up both of our enthusiasm in the same way as regular club meetings might have done. As I posted up pictures it produced feedback and encouragement. I’d like to claim that I’m not vain enough to find this important. It’s just not true. Every piece of encouragement helped. It gave me a buzz. It made me want to paint more. In six weeks I had got the Siege of Portsmouth game ready. Communicating regularly with club members is also important. Its too easy to miss out on games because you have not been able to make it to the club. Planning ahead and being pro-active will help. This links in with the next point, which is that I also went small.
GO SMALL I’ve already waxed lyrical about the benefits of smaller scale figures, especially 6mm figures. Some of my ideas were simply too big in the larger scales. The fiscal limitations were there, but the time issue was even more inhibiting. 2mm figures might be far too small for many. I’m not suggesting they are the holy grail for gamers, but they allowed me to paint
THE INTERNET – GOOD AND BAD The internet can be a great thing in terms of communication with other gamers but I’ve also found it to be a massive drain on time. Over the next year I’ve promised myself to spend less time flicking through blogs and more time actually doing the things I like best which are painting, modelling, researching and gaming. This will be a tricky one. I’m addicted to checking the wargaming forums several times a day, most often as a lurker. From the regular appearances of various wargaming personalities I see that I am not alone in this. Other gamers suffering from wargaming blues might have other distractions and priorities that prevent them from investing the time they need to gaming. I find the more you put in, the more you get out of it. I’m not claiming to be fully back in the saddle again with wargaming. I’m not a trained psychologist or self-help expert. You’ll probably get an inkling of my enthusiasm for the hobby over the next year or two by the number of articles I send to Guy at WSS. I wonder if I can keep my renaissance of the hobby going following these ideas? WS&S Lack of inspiration - something we all struggle with from time to time. For more ideas, check out this video on the WS&S YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2d9luei W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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E R U T A E F
By Tony Barton
A SCULPTOR’S FIRST INSPIRATION
NOSTALGIA IN TIN As a teenager in the sixties, I met Les Higgins of Phoenix Miniatures, whoshowed me how he worked: he carved his figures from blobs of solder formed on wire loops (since at that time epoxy putties were unavaila ble). I thereafter became obsessed with making my own figures.
I
didn’t get the chance until I was at university in 1970, where a lecturer asked me to make some biological models. He supplied me with Vinagel polymer clay. I had to buy a Baby Belling cooker to cure it - if overheated it smoked abominably, and if under-heated broke on handling. Practice made perfect. I used the spare Vinagel to start sculpting small figures for myself, learning to cast them, first in plaster (hopeless), then in silicone rubber (encouraging!). Around the same time, I became obsessed with the English Civil War, both in re-enacting and wargaming. Before long, I had a table in the attic and set out to do a little ECW war-gaming. I started with Higgins figures, but before long I made my own 20mm figures to supply the poses I really wanted. Real life intervened and I never went commercial with the idea of figure sculpting until later in my life. Recently, I had a clear out and rediscovered my ECW figures. Unhappy to see them binned, I have resurrected them. I have remoulded and recast some of the original castings. I shall try to finish them as the 1:1 company I started making 40 years ago. It will nice to add it to my reference collection of one of everything I have ever made. In the 1960s, making model soldiers was not easy. Although the centrifuge with vulcanised rubber mould had long been in use, any pattern figure had to be strong enough to stand the vulcanising process. The usual method was to create solder masters, like Higgins did. An al-
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ternative was to make the masters in Plasticene, harden them with cellulose dope, then carefully mould them in plaster to get a metal copy. This could then be pressed in the Vulcaniser. In the later 1970s, epoxy clays became available, which transformed the whole figure making world. I stuck with the Polymer Clay, which by the 1980s was a muchimproved product called Fimo, sold in toyshops. This was actually a very sophisticated modelling material which I used mostly for making one-off figures for the archaeological models that were my living at the time. So, I was well practised using it once I started modelling wargame figures professionally in 1985. I model without an armature. The best technique was to make them flat, on a small tile, as if they were in full relief. Once you have done the torso and legs cook, remove from tile and add the back, cook that, and so on. So long as it’s not overcooked, you can alter and add to a Polymer Clay figure almost indefinitely. Then make a mould in silicone rubber, and cast as many as you want from that. This is the same technique I have used ever since and it’s served me very well for forty years. Now I really must finish those little chaps and make a base for them and get a permanent case made .... WS&S
E M E H T
By Eoghan Kelly
THIS WAR WITHOUT AN ENEMY
A VERY ENGLISH CIVIL WAR While much of Europe had torn itself apart in the Thirty Years War, England sat quietly to one side and had precious little involvement in mainland affairs, apart from a few expeditions in the 1620s to support the Protestant sides. However, a slow burning fuse was lit in England which would ignite a powder keg that would herald the bloodiest war in English history. It was almost exclusively fought in England and Scotland. By the time the wars ended, it is estimated that close to 10% of the entire population was dead.
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s soon as Charles I of the House of Stuart was crowned in 1625, he immediately attempted to govern without the support of Parliament. He believed in the divine right of Kings - there was no room for negotiation on this. Charles dabbled in support for various sides in the Thirty Years War but ultimately, starved of revenue to raise armies, he was unable to act in any significant manner. As his reign progressed, he attempted to reform and remodel aspects of his Kingdoms (for Charles was the Monarch of the Three Kingdoms – Ireland, England and Scotland). He attempted to enforce Anglicanism as the religion of Scotland, which prompted the outbreak of the Bishops’ Wars in 1639 and 1640. Both ended in defeat and Charles had to recall Parliament to allow him to raise revenues to pay indemnities to the Scots. Parliament was eager to exact a cost from Charles and impeached Charles’ two principle supporters, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford and William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury. Parliament refused to be quieted and in a singular act of revenge the two were both subsequently executed, although Laud not until 1645. Wentworth’s death was an attempt to appease Parliament, but in fact it hastened the outbreak of armed conflict. The outbreak of rebellion in Ireland in October 1641 – primarily caused by fear of Parliament’s actions in defiance of the King – saw rifts occurring throughout England as friends and families split. One side backed the King, claiming he was being hindered and betrayed by Parliament, while the other side supported Parliament, claiming the King wished to rule as a tyrant without any checks on his power. In January 1642, Charles attempted to enter Parliament to arrest five representatives and this failed completely. The outcry in London was enormous and Charles fled to the North of England. Following a period of manoeuvre and speeches decrying Parliament, he finally, and rather dramatically, hoisted his standard in Nottingham in August. Parliament had not been idle during this period and so August merely defined what both sides had been doing – raising armies.
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All through this, north of the border, the Scots themselves had split, with the army of the Solemn League and Covenant allying with Parliament in England and a pro-Royalist army lead by Montrose supporting the King (Charles was of a Scottish royal house after all). There was a series of battles with Montrose fighting an heroic campaign against overwhelming odds, but his reversals in 1644 allowed the Scots to march on York in time to bring a significant number of troops to the field of Marston Moor, thereby defeating Prince Rupert and losing Yorkshire for the King once and for all. By 1649 the mood had changed – the execution of the King by the English Parliament lead many Scots to support Charles II as the legitimate ruler of the land – and Cromwell punished them for it…
A VERY ENGLISH CIVIL WAR England (and Scotland) had very few military leaders with any real experience apart from those who had served as mercenaries or were part of the few English expeditions in the European wars. It showed during the opening campaigns of the war. Far worse was the deplorable state of equipment, with obsolete weapons being dumped into England by the European powers. The matchlock musket slowly gave way to the firelock or flintlock. Dragoons were making their slow evolution – in this period they were infantry mounted on poor horses to be able to march and deploy faster, never intended to fight as cavalry. Sieges saw the development of petards, delivered by hand to blow gates open or to bring down walls, and even the hand grenade. Some armourers developed ‘bullet proof armour’ which was sold to unsuspecting officers. Hitting a breastplate with a hammer and claiming it was where a bullet was shot at it presented many a business opportunity without risk of complaint... Tactics were well written about and adopted, but the only real testing ground was in the heat of battle. This lead to two very inexperienced armies clashing in the
s e r u t a i n i M y r r e P ©
Pike, shotte and horse - ready for battle. opening engagement at Edgehill, a battle that could have ended the wars there and then, but a failure by both sides saw the war drawn out into nine years of on-off conflict.
GAMING THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR What makes this war such a fascinating period for gamers is the limited size and sheer diversity of the armies, troop types, and personalities involved. Moreover the conflict is exceptionally well documented and so it is very easy to study the wars in detail, to see the armies involved, how they deployed and the tactics used. There’s a good variety of units. For cavalry you have fully armoured cavalry, trotters, lancers, and gallopers. Infantry used the pike and shot system, with armoured and unarmoured pikemen. Some pikemen deliberately shortened their pikes, with disastrous consequences. There were even some units of longbow-equipped archers. Volunteer units were raised by the boroughs of London to defend Parliament and tribal armies fought for Cornwall. Neither cared much for any other part of the realm. Artillery was seen in full effect for the first time on English soil, and at the end came the birth of the famous red-coated army that England and Britain would deploy across the globe over the coming centuries. The armies themselves were small by any standards and this lends itself to tabletop gaming in a very convenient manner. The New Model Army, if fielded by a gamer in its entirety with a 1:20 ratio, would have roughly 770 infantry, 330 cavalry, 50 dragoons and two guns! This would have been the biggest army fielded in the course of the war and was, in fact, never seen in its entirety. Aside from the principle ‘big battles’, there were a multitude of smaller battles, strategic campaigns fought by limited forces and many, many sieges. The leaders that rose and fell were colourful, frightening (to their own troops as often as not), skilled and inept. The Earl of Man-
chester went on campaign with a hearse carrying his coffin, just in case! The Earl of Essex had a completely mediocre military career in the 1620s before rising to hold high command; Cromwell himself narrowly escaped death at Marston Moor when one of his own troopers accidentally shot him in the neck; and Prince Rupert always brought his pet poodle on campaign with him. In order to build your armies you need to look at what you want to game: for the bigger battles the smaller scales will give you a better feel for the scales involved. A few (many?) years ago at Salute there was a display of the Battle of Naseby, in 6mm and in 1:1 scales – the game board was six metres wide!! There are a whole host of figure manufacturers out there from 3mm to 54mm. Rules wise, there are many sets, some old tried and tested ones such as WRG Second Edition, DBR, DBM/DBMM, Forlorn Hope, Once Upon a Time in the West Country , and the old Foundry set 1644. Recently there have been a lot of newer rules such as Victory Without Quarter by Clarence Harrison, The Kingdom is Ours by James Daniels, and Ironsides by Howard Whitehouse. I am sure there are many more sets available, often free to download online. The Civil Wars (for there were really three, one after the other) were brutal, savage wars, as civil wars normally are, with little quarter asked for or given, and the civilian population suffered enormous privations too – but for all that, this is a fascinating period, one which has had a lasting impact on the future United Kingdom, one which saw Parliament ultimately execute the King, establish the Commonwealth, crush both the Scots and the Irish and also launch the New Model Army into European Wars as well as conquests in the New World. There are colour, variety, huge battles, epic sieges, some mad characters and some brilliant campaigns to be fought, so what are you waiting for – for God, for England, for Parliament and for the King! WS&S W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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E M E H T
By Michael Leck
THE SWEDISH INFLUENCE ON THE BATTLE OF NEWBURN
WEAPONS FOR THE REBELS ‘Is he for real?’ you must think. ‘Does he really mean that the Swedes were involved in the prelude to the English Civil War?’ Finding a Swedish connection was hard but eventually I managed to find some interesting information regarding how Sweden influenced the start of the English Civil War.
I
t all started back in 1637. King Charles I and Archbishop Laud endeavoured to force on Scotland the religious services of the Church of England. They created new Scottish bishops, but when the Dean of St Giles, at Edinburgh, began to read the new liturgy, such a riot ensued that he and the bishop fled in fear. The King ordered the enforcement of the new prayers with the aid of troops if necessary. However the stubborn Scots signed a document in every parish church, called the ‘National Covenant’, by which they bound themselves to keep their kingdom free from religious interference. After this, Scots were known as ‘Covenanters’ by the English. King Charles I marched north in 1639 with an army, but at the ‘Pacification of Berwick’, both sides declared peace. Charles wasn’t ready and was short of money. Everyone knew that war would come sooner or later, and both sides openly prepared for conflict. The Scots began their preparations and rapidly collected stores, arms, and horses. They called upon Sir Alexander Leslie, who fought as Field Marshal under Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. He mustered what was the first professional army to campaign in Britain since Roman times. On his departure from Sweden, he had negotiated with the Swedish Riksråd (State Council) to have 300 Scottish officers decommissioned from the Swedish army as well as more than a thousand hardened soldiers. As compensation for arrears of pay, the Swedes supplied the departing Scots with batteries of cannon and many muskets. Not only was the army of the Covenant well led, it was well trained and well equipped by the Swedish army. In comparison, the forces of King Charles I were still based on the medieval levy and would be no match for the Scots. In late August 1640, Leslie led his men into England where they quickly reached the strategically vital crossing of the River Tyne at Newburn. With the exception of the bridge at Newcastle (in Royalist hands), it was the lowest crossing point before the sea and there was a bridge as well as a ford. Newburn was vital in the coal trade – collier ships made their way down the Tyne to supply London with fuel. If the Scots crossed at New-
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burn and attacked the walled city of Newcastle from the south, they would gain a great advantage. The Royalists knew that too but did not have sufficient forces to counter Leslie’s advance. With only 3,500 men, the Royalist army was vastly outnumbered by the 20,000 Scots. Leslie’s gunners set up their Swedish artillery on the higher ground north of the Tyne and in the tower of the church of St Michael and, after a barrage rained down shot on the men led by Lord Conway, the Scots crossed the ford and smashed through the earth-work defences. The Royalist soldiers scattered. The Army of the Covenant quickly swung eastwards along the southern bank of the river to Gateshead, opposite Newcastle. As the cannon were once more deployed, the city wisely surrendered. Newburn was the first true action in the English Civil War. In reality, the conflict between Charles I and his subjects caught fire in all of his three kingdoms – so to call it purely ‘English’ is a mistake. The defeat on the Tyne would eventually force the king to recall the English Parliament, with further disastrous consequences, and lead to Charles’ execution and the founding of a British republic – all with some help from Swedish training and guns…
A Scottish column marching south.
Outnumbered but confident, Charles' men wait...
Here come the Covenanters!
BATTLE OF NEWBURN, 28TH AUGUST 16 40
GENERAL BACKGROUND
Inspired by this event I have put together a small scenario revolving around the Scottish crossing of the Tyne at Newburn for the upcoming Osprey Rules The Pikeman´s Lament . As the rules are to be released in January 2017, I also have included an Order of Battle to use with Warlord games Pike and Shot rules in brackets if you want to get started.
An English regiment had initially been stationed at Newburn for some time to guard the ford, but on the approach of the Scots, it fell back across the river. A few days before this, Astley had sent out Lloyd, his chief engineer, to make outer defence works.
I have divided the battle into several smaller parts as a mini campaign; the player with the most accumulated Honour after all the missions will be the victor. If you are using The Pikeman´s Lament , the player may use the same Officer as commander in each of them and accumulate Honour as per the rules. They may also add additional troops to the next scenario of a value equal to the Honour they have gained in the Mission just played. For example, the Scottish player gains 4 points of Honour in Scenario 1, so in Scenario 2 he may add 4 points of troops of his choice. In scenario 2 the Scottish player manages to accumulate an additional 6 points of Honour and may therefore add 6 points of troops to his Company in scenario 3 in addition to the ones already stated in the Scenario set-up. For Pike and Shotte rules, count each Honour point as 10 points to spend on extra troops from the Royalist and Covenanter army lists. The river can be crossed at the Ford without any reduction to the move. It can be crossed at other places but will then be counted as an Obstacle and the unit may lose troops as it crosses. For each unit crossing, roll for an Attack in rough terrain against it, Hits on 5+ and count the unit’s Stamina as 2. A good way of getting your cavalry killed without a battle…
Late on the 27th August, Conway drew out forces from the garrison of Newcastle. The cavalry, 1,500 strong, and 3,000 infantry marched to Stella, leaving on the way a covering party of foot who encamped in the fields below Whickham Church. This party was to guard against any retreat of the army to Newcastle. On his arrival, Lord Conway established his headquarters in Stella Hall, while the rest of the army soon completed the two redoubts on the Haugh. Each redoubt was garrisoned by four guns and four hundred musketeers. The English troops were not impressed by their defences, for to quote a gloomy soldier’s letter: Their army appeared marching on the hills above the ford when we were drawing into our miserable works in the valley, where we lay so exposed.
During the night, the Scots under Leslie had not been idle. His troops were moved to their battle positions, the musketeers being scattered throughout the cottages and hedges of Newburn, while the wooded slopes above the village enabled him to position his batteries without being seen. One battery of heavy guns was situated in front of the church, and another upon the sentinel hill of the village at the east end of Newburn where the sand quarry is now. Scattered among the rushes on the riverbank were dozens of lighter guns, and some were even hoisted to the top of the church tower. These lighter Swedish pieces were made of a tin bore, with leather hides strapped around them, and W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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being very light they were easily transportable. They were only good for ten or twelve discharges, but using grape-shot they were murderous at short range. The Scottish baggage train was left under the guard of one regiment at Heddon. All through the morning of the 28th, the two armies had watched each other in silence across the river. Just after midday, when the tide was beginning to ebb, Leslie sent a trumpeter across to Conway to assure him that he came without hostile intent, desirous only to approach the King with a petition. He therefore requested that he might pass. Conway replied that he would allow a few to come over with their petition, but he was not empowered to let the whole army across. With this answer the trumpeter returned to Newburn accompanied by the jeers and ribald remarks of the English troops.
SCENARIO 1 - AT 13:00 HOURS At one o’clock in the afternoon, a mounted Scottish officer wearing a black feather in his hat rode his horse
into the river. An English sentry shot him down with a single musket shot. It was either a tremendous fluke or a jolly good shot by this unknown marksman, considering the inaccuracy of the old smooth bore muskets, but it was the first shot fired in the battle. The water was beginning to get lower and Leslie called up a body of three hundred Scottish horse and ordered them to cross the river. The English gunners were really on their mettle, and they opened a devastating fire from the redoubts.
Order of Battle English 1 Officer (Commander @ 40 points) 2 Raw Shot @ 3 points each (2x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 2 Field Guns @ 6 points each (2x Heavy Guns @ 25 points each) Scottish 1 Officer (Commander @ 40 points) 4 Veteran Dragoons @ 6 points each (4x Dragoons @ 35 points each)
Set-up Play this out on map sections AB1 and AB2; each square is 60x60cm giving you a 120x120cm table. The English Defender has his Company equally divided between the two hastily built redoubts. The Scottish Attacker sets up in the Northern Zone.
Special rules The following special rules apply to this scenario: The redoubt and the Defender’s main defences increase the target unit’s Stamina by 2 points against Shooting rather than the usual 1 point. (For Pike And Shotte make their morale 3+ instead of 4+).
Ending the Mission Play until the Attacker has no troops left on the table as they have either made it across, retreated off board or fallen as casualties.
Victory Conditions The Attacker gains 2 Honour points for each Cavalry unit that makes it off the table on the opposite south side. The Defender gains 1 Honour point for each enemy cavalry unit that hasn’t made it across by the end of the game; if none of the Attacker’s units makes it across, the Defender gains another 2 Honour points. Both players gain/lose Honour for Special Orders.
SCENARIO 2 - AT 14:00 HOURS
Maps for the five scenarios (numbered).
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After the initial Scottish cavalry attack, Leslie unmasked his batteries and returned fire into the English redoubts. According to one source, the whole riverbank seemed
The Scots charge the ford. Models by the author. to be ablaze. For some time the artillery duel was maintained. The English gunners were striving to put out of action the Scottish guns firing from Newburn Church Tower. The Scots’ fire badly damaged the larger of the two English redoubts, the shots plunging into the low-lying position. Colonel Lunsford was in command of this redoubt. He restrained his men with great difficulty and kept them at their posts – these were raw troops not used to being under fire. A shot fell, killing about twenty men, some of them officers. Lunsford held them in check until a second shot dropped into the redoubt, completely demoralizing them. They deserted the work en masse, abandoning the cannon and blowing up the powder in the redoubt.
Order of Battle English 1 Officer(Commander @ 40 points) 2 Raw Shot @ 3 points each (2 x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 2 Field Guns @ 6 points each (2x Heavy Guns @ 25 points each) Scottish 1 Officer (Commander @ 40 points) 2 Shot @ 4 points each (2x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 1 Commanded Shot @ 2 points (1x Commanded Shotte @ 34 points) 2 Regimental Guns @ 4 points each (2x Light Guns @ 17 points each) 1 Field Gun @ 6 points (1x Heavy Gun @ 25 points)
Set-up Play this out on map sections AB1 and AB2; each square is 60x60cm giving you a 120x120cm table. The English
Defender has his Company divided between the two hastily built redoubts. The Scottish Attacker sets up in the North Zone.
Special rules As scenario 1 for the redoubt.
Victory Conditions Play until one side has lost more than 50% of its Company points. Both the Scottish Attacker and the English Defender gain Honour points for each enemy gun they manage to destroy: 2 Honour points for each Field Gun and 1 point for each Regimental Gun. Both players gain/lose Honour for Special Orders.
SCENARIO 3 - AT 15:00 HOURS The gunners’ flight opened up the ford to the Scots. Leslie sent a small body of cavalry to reconnoitre the remaining works. At this point, the English cavalry came into action, who had remained out of gunshot on Stella Haugh. They were the cream of the English army led by Lord Wilmot, a very capable cavalry commander, whose day was to come in the Civil Wars. In no way discouraged by the flight of their musketeers, they made a sortie to recover the cannon and arms which the infantry had abandoned. The approach of the Scottish horse, however, diverted them from that duty. With a flourish of trumpets they charged the enemy with such fury that the Scots were forced to retire. Meanwhile at the east end of the position, the remaining earthwork had been knocked out of action. After the fall of the larger earthwork, Leslie had moved his heavy guns to reinforce the battery on the hill to the east of Newburn. They rapidly completed the demolition of the redoubt and removed the last resistance of the English artillery. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Order of Battle English 1 Officer (1 Commander @ 40 points) 4 Aggressive Elite Gallopers @ 6 points each (4x Gallopers @ 41 points each) Scottish 1 Officer (1 Commander @ 40 points) 2 Veteran Dragoons @ 6 points each (2x Dragoons @ 35 points each) 2 Shot @ 4 points each (2x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 1 Pike @ 4 points (1x Pikeman @ 34 points)
Set-up Play this out on map sections AB2 and AB3; each square is 60x60cm giving you a 120x120cm table. The English Attacker sets up all his Company in the South Zone. The Scottish Defender sets up his Cavalry in the Central Zone and all other troops in the North Zone.
Victory Conditions Play until one side has lost more than 50% of its Company points. The English Attacker gains 5 Honour points if there are no Scottish troops left on the south side of the river by the end of the game. The Scottish Defender gains 5 Honour points if there are Scottish troops left on the south side of the river by the end of the game. Wavering units do not count even if they are on the South side. Both players gain/lose Honour for Special Orders.
SCENARIO 4 - AT 16:00 HOURS At low tide (4pm), Leslie ordered a general advance. He sent over two regiments consisting altogether of fifteen hundred men. Wilmot set himself to oppose them: clos s e r u t a i n i M y r r e P ©
Ready those guns men!
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ing up in twelve squadrons in a narrow place between two thick hedges they made a furious charge upon the Scottish Life Guards. Despite all their valour, the troopers began to recoil on each other. Being pressed forward by the rear files, they were forced back to the front and a dreadful struggle with sword and pistol ensued. All being gentlemen, no one would yield an inch. Wilmot cut down one or two of the enemy. Sir Henry Vane had his horse wounded under him, drew off with but six or seven of his troop, and was taken, and the bearer, Cornet Porter, was killed by a pistol shot, while many Scots were shot, run through, or trodden down beneath the heaving mass of horsemen. By now ten thousand Scottish infantry were beginning to wade across the Tyne. Most of the English foot now fled without supporting the horse that gave way retreating.
Order of Battle English 1 Officer (1 Commander @ 40 points) 4 Aggressive Elite Gallopers @ 6 points each (4x Gallopers @ 41 points each) Scottish 1 Officer (1 Commander @ 40 points) 4 Shot @ 4 points each (4x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 2 Pike @ 4 points each (2x Pikemen @ 34 points)
Set-up Play this out on map sections AB2 and AB3; each square is 60x60cm giving you a 120x120cm table. The English Defender sets up in the South Zone. The Scottish Attacker sets up in the North Zone.
Surprise attack from the rear.
Covenanter reinforcements secure victory at the ford.
Victory Conditions
Order of Battle
Play until one side has lost more than 50% of its Company points. Both Attacker and Defender add up the point values of enemy units routed or wiped out before the game ends; damaged units still in play are not counted. The player with the higher score wins 5 Honour (+/- Special Orders). Players tied for first place gain 3 Honour each (+/- Special Orders).
English 1 Officer (Commander @ 40 points) 2 Raw Shot @ 3 points each (2x Small Musketeers @ 19 points each) 4 Trotters @ 4 points each (4x Trotters Cavalry @ 41 points each)
SCENARIO 5 - AT 17:00 HOURS
Scottish 1 Officer (Commander @ 40 points) 2 Veteran Dragoons @ 6 points each (2x Dragoons @ 35 points each) 2 Shot @ 4 points each (2x Musketeers @ 27 points each) 1 Commanded Shot @ 2 points each (1x Commanded Shotte @ 34 points)
On receiving flank fire from a thousand musketeers, the English horse gave way, but instead of retreating along the river Haugh on the heels of their infantry, they continued along to the west of the haugh where Wilmot rallied his men together with some infantry stragglers on some wooded high ground. An ambush was laid for the pursuing Scots, but was spoilt by the rashness of some musketeers. There was a short sharp fight in which Wilmot, Sir John Digby and various other officers were taken prisoner. In Sir John’s life story it was said that he was captured through the death of his gallant horse ‘Sylverside’, who had carried him all day safely through battle. All of the prisoners were well treated by their captors and later released. Had Leslie desired, the disorganized rout could be been cut to pieces. Stringent orders, however, had been issued to capture, but not to kill the fugitives. So towards nightfall, the broken remnants of the foot, with two rescued guns, reached Newcastle. The horse routed and, in disorder, galloped to Durham. That night the whole Scottish army camped in the fields and cottages of Ryton and after giving thanks for their victory they stood to their arms all night. At midnight after the battle Lord Conway decided to retreat from Newcastle to Durham, the retirement taking place at five o’clock in the morning of Saturday 29th August, 1640. The Scots immediately occupied the undefended town of Newcastle.
Set-up Play this out on map sections AB3 and AB4; each square is 60x60cm giving you a 120x120cm table. The English Attacker sets up his Infantry in the South Zone and his Cavalry in the NW Zone. The Scottish Defender sets up in the Central Zone.
Victory Conditions Play until one side has lost more than 50% of its Company points. Both Attacker and Defender add up the point value of enemy units routed or wiped out before the game ends; damaged units still in play are not counted. The player with the higher score wins 5 Honour (+/- Special Orders). Players tied for first place gain 3 Honour each (+/- Special Orders). WS&S You can find more info regarding The Pikeman´s Lament at my and Dan Mersey’s blogs: www.dalauppror. blogspot.com and www.merseybooks.blogspot.co.uk.
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E M E H T
By Mark Backhouse
SMALL SCALE SCENARIOS FOR THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
A YEAR APART – WINCHESTER AND ROMSEY The English Civil War is loaded with small battles that have largely gone unrecorded in the major histories. I’m fortunate to live in Hampshire, one of the counties in which a number of major battles took place. Along with Cheriton and Basing House, there are some slightly less well known major battles such as Alton and the Siege of Portsmouth. But once you delve deeper, the number of large skirmishes and small battles is pretty astonishing, many of which could provide the basis for immersive wargames.
H
ampshire has been well documented, and I notice many other English counties have also been researched very comprehensively. Pen and Sword has just released a detailed study of the Civil War in Shropshire for instance. Many smaller engagements have been covered in Stephen Maggs’ excellent series of campaign books for Caliver Books, which are a fantastic off the shelf resource for Civil War battles. What follows is a handful of quick scenarios that you can pick up and play based on my own research in Hampshire. The engagement at Romsey would probably best be gamed using large scale skirmish rules such as Donnybrook or Pikeman’s Lament , while the size of the battle at Winchester might favour bigger battle sets of rules such as 1644, Forlorn Hope, FOG Renaissance, Regiment of Foote, Warhammer English Civil War , or Pike and Shotte. The forces are of such a size that they can be represented at a reasonable ratio, which means most gamers or clubs can cover the forces involved.
WINCHESTER, 12TH DECEMBER 1642 A large skirmish took place just outside of Winchester. Lord Grandison, a Royalist commander, had marched south towards Winchester from Marlborough with the aim of then moving to the relief of the Royalist garrison at Basing House. He was hotly pursued by William Waller with a much larger force. Winchester, although encircled by town walls and having a castle for defence, was not provisioned for a long siege, and therefore Grandison believed it better to engage Waller’s men on the approach to the city.
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The city is ours! The fighting started about five miles north west of the city, very close to Andover near the village of Wherwell. Andover was Waller’s own constituency so it is likely that he knew the ground fairly well. The main crossing point at Wherwell was a reasonable position to hold and allowed the Royalists a strong defensive position that would be hard to flank. Lord Grandison’s forces were comprised of a brigade of horse, probably composed of three regiments of horse about 600 strong in total, and another regiment of 200 dragoons. They were further supported by two regiments of foot (purported in one source to be from the King’s Lifeguard, although this doesn’t seem to tally
Parliamentarians push into the outskirts of Winchester. Models from the collection of Simon Tift. with other sources – maybe they had redcoats similar to this regiment?) numbering another 1000 men. Waller’s force was slightly larger with four regiments of horse and two regiments of dragoons. Behind this, there were probably several thousand foot. The engagement started with cavalry charges from both sides and ferocious hand-to-hand fighting. After half an hour of desperate melee the Royalists were forced back towards the city. The Royalist foot sallied out to try to cover the retreating Royalist horse but went too far from the safety of the walls and, along with a large group of cavalry, were cut off. The Royalist stragglers were protected by a small clump of brave Cavaliers including Sir John Smith – the man who had recaptured the King’s standard at Edgehill two months earlier. Barely twenty horsemen managed to hold off three successive Parliamentary cavalry charges before being overwhelmed. Grandison himself, along with a large body of the Royalist forces, was captured. The Parliamentarians attacked the city walls immediately, taking advantage of the confusion and led by Colonel Browne’s regiment of dragoons. They managed to break through a section of the city walls and the ragged and exhausted Royalists fell back to the castle. The next day the castle surrendered after the Parliamentary soldiers threatened to burn the main gates down with fire and barrels of pitch. The rest of the city was heavily plundered. Winchester was recaptured by the King’s forces the following year and continued to be a Royalist stronghold in Hampshire until Cromwell captured it for the final time later in the war.
SUGGESTED FORCES These are given as guidance. I’ve tried to guess some of the regiments where I can, using the scraps of information available such as the list of prisoners recorded by rank, and who might conceivably be raised and operating in the region. Exact numbers are disputed between the different sources so I have tried to go with the figures that would make for the most balanced game. Feel free to amend or tweak them to your models. The sizes of the cavalry regiments, especially on the Parliamentary side, are pure speculation! I've organised this into regiments at a ratio of 1:20 for you; if this seems like too many figures then divide them by a third for a 1:30 ratio! Depending on your rule set you might need to tweak these into a number of bases, or large and small units. Royalists led by Lord Grandison, a veteran commander (1 command figure) Deployed in the area around Wherwell defending the river crossings: • Lord Grandison’s horse – 300 brave and confident veteran cavalry (15 cavalry figures) • Major Willis’ horse – 150 veteran cavalry (8 cavalry figures) • Sir John Smith’s horse – 150 experienced cavalry (8 cavalry figures) • Major Hayborne’s dragoons – 200 raw dragoons (10 dragoon figures) Deployed from the Winchester board edge: W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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• Royalist foot (King’s Lifeguard?) – 1000 foot organ-
ised into two regiments of 500 men (Two units of 25 pike and shot infantry; suggested ratio 1:2) Royalist total = 800 horse and 1000 foot (42 cavalry and 50 foot figures) Parliament led by William Waller, a veteran commander (1 command figure) Deployed from the Andover board edge in columns heading towards Wherwell and Winchester: • Sir William Waller’s regiment of horse – 300 confident veterans (15 cavalry figures) • Colonel Arthur Goodwin’s regiment of horse – 300 veteran cavalry (15 cavalry figures) • Two other regiments of Parliamentary horse – 300 experienced cavalry each (15 cavalry figures x2) • Colonel John Browne’s regiment of dragoons – 400 experienced dragoons (20 dragoon figures) • Another regiment of Parliamentary dragoons – 400 strong (20 dragoon figures)
If Parliament can reach Winchester with a unit of a reasonable strength (i.e at least 80% strength) within 10 moves (or a suitable number to represent one day in your rule set) then they can claim victory. If the Royalists can prevent this happening then they should be able to claim a victory.
ROMSEY, 12TH DECEMBER 1643 By 1643 the Royalist position had stabilized in Hampshire. They had regained Winchester and held on to Basing House. Sir Ralph Hopton had been sent by the king to command the Royalist forces and had consolidated their position by marching and capturing Arundel in West Sussex. As winter was approaching, Hopton had a problem of controlling quite a large area and trying to support his men with warm billets and provisions. He spread out his forces into Romsey, Winchester, Alton and Petersfield. Each garrison was vulnerable to attack and Waller’s master-stroke was to take advantage of this wide distribution of enemy forces and concentrate his men to attack Alton on the 12th of December.
Parliament total = 2,000 horse (91 cavalry figures)
Terrain I would suggest playing lengthways on your board. A road should go down the centre of the board from one end to the other. The River Test should cross the table intersecting the road. Place a couple of buildings on the Andover side of the river representing Wherwell. The Test is fordable within a foot in either direction of Wherwell and also has a single bridge. The terrain around the river is made up of water meadows and flood plains that are difficult going for anyone moving in the area off the roads. The area between the bridge and Winchester should be made up of gentle rolling hills, fields, hedgerows and smaller country lanes. The walls of Winchester do not need to be represented but can safely be assumed to be off table.
Objectives and victory Both sides should be aiming to break the other. I would suggest any force that takes more than 30% losses from morale or casualties would be deemed broken. s e r u t a i n i M y r r e P ©
Dragoons lead the march.
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On the same day, another Colonel, Norton, the Governor of Southampton, led a surprise attack on Romsey. Norton’s force was surprisingly small, barely mustering over two hundred men. The garrison of Romsey was made up of around 300 foot from Courtney’s regiment of foot, and Colonel Bennet’s regiment of horse of around 130 men. The Royalists were further hampered because Bennet had been called away to Winchester so that he could carry out his duties as the High Sheriff of Hampshire. Courtney was also absent in Winchester complaining about the indiscipline of his troops! The Roundheads attacked an hour after daybreak, crossing a bridge over a small tributary of the River Test. They routed the sentries guarding a small earthwork covering the crossing. Norton’s men then fought their way into the town, defeating the main town guard, and forced the rest of the Royalists to flee in panic. They managed to capture around 40 men and over 200 horses. After a quick plundering of the town the jubilant Parliamentary troops retired
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Pike storms across a defended bridge. to the safety of Southampton with their booty before the Royalists could organise a counter attack from Winchester. Unlike the previous battle at Winchester this could be played out at a lower ratio of men to figures. While those with an extensive collection might manage it as a mega skirmish, I would propose a ratio of 1:5 to get a decent number of figures on the table.
SUGGESTED FORCES Parliament • Colonel Richard Norton – veteran commander (1 figure) • Forlorn hope – 30 veteran musketeers (6 figures) • Major Murford’s company –100 veteran pike and shot, 1:2 ratio (20 figures) • Captain Bowen’s company – organised into two groups of 48 veteran pike and shot each, 1:2 ratio (10 figures x2) Total = 230 men (47 figures) Royalists Starting at the earthwork guarding the bridge: • Sentries – 20 raw musketeers (4 figures) Starting in the town: • Colonel Bennet’s horse – 130 experienced cavalry; I would suggest organising these into two troops of 65 men (13 figures x2) • Colonel Courtney’s regiment of foot –280 raw pike and shot, 1:2 ratio. I would suggest organising these into three companies of 90, 90 and 100 men respectively (18, 18, and 20 figures) Total = 300 foot and 130 horse (60 foot and 26 cavalry)
Special rules All of the troops in the town are unprepared and will take several turns to be ready for a fight. I would
suggest that they can only be activated on a successful D6 roll of a '6' each turn for each company of soldiers. The cavalry should also start dismounted unless they can access their horses which should be located in the enclosures around the town, and several turns need to be spent grabbing their horses and mounting up once they are activated. All of the Royalist troops are lacking their main commanding officers. Units should therefore suffer an additional -1 to all leadership and ordering rolls to simulate their confusion and lack of initiative.
Terrain This is a small game that can be played out on a smaller than normal table such as a 4' X 4'. On one side of the table should be Romsey. This would have been a small town and can be represented by half a dozen buildings, surrounded by small enclosures. On the approach to the town should be a small river which is fordable all along the length of it. A road leads from one side of the table to Romsey over a single bridge. Guarding the bridge should be a small traverse earthwork, enough to provide cover for a handful of men.
Objectives Play the game until one side has broken the other. Whoever breaks first loses! WS&S For those of you lucky enough to live in the United Kingdom I would thoroughly encourage you to find out about the Civil War in your local area and uncover some hidden gems. Make sure you write an article on them for WS&S if they are good! For those of you far from the British Isles, start finding out about your local history and battles, be it in your own civil wars or more conventional conflicts. You will find the events immersive and rewarding.
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E M E H T
By Nicholas Stock
THE BATTLES OF NEWBURY, 1643 AND CHERITON, 1644
SOLDIERLY ACTIONS IN AN
UNHAPPY WAR No less a person than Oliver Cromwell described Parliament’s soldiers as “old decayed serving men and tapsters”. He no doubt knew what he was talking about, but the oft maligned Roundheads could hold their own going toe to toe against the Royalists. This article provides scenarios for the Battles of Newbury, 1643, and Cheriton, 1644, where they did just that. Both were fought and won (just about!) by Parliament, and re-fought in recent times at the friendly Little Wars convention
B
oth were significant battles which work well as participation games. They feature balanced armies moving quickly into action, and unique elements which give a special character to each game. One rather pragmatic advantage of the English Civil War is the interchangeability of figures. “Red” or “Blue” regiments on both sides would have appeared similar, and the horse were largely indistinguishable. Figures can be used for either army as needed. In practice this led to the use of colored sashes, paper or sprigs of foliage (Parliament wore gorse and broom at Newbury). A small card label on the back of each unit base mimics this so players can see what side they belong to!
Dragoons – march as cavalry in open, foot on difficult ground. May march with horse or foot formations. Melee value 3. May not charge.
For rules I use Maurice by Sam Mustafa. Though written for the 18th century, with minor adaptions they work well for the English Civil War. I’ve played Cheriton successfully with Pike and Shotte from Warlord Games and you should have no difficulties adapting the scenarios to your own set of rules. Assume all units are standard size.
Difficult terrain – infantry and dragoons take a disruption for moving across difficult terrain if they have none,
Cuirassiers – Best handled by upgrading a horse unit to veteran. Artillery – no change, but limit numbers of guns. Rallying – all units rally only on a 5 or 6. After the first shuffle units cannot rally away their last disruption marker, and after the second shuffle cannot rally their last two disruption markers. This reflects the difficulty of reforming the mostly amateur armies of the ECW and progressive friction during battle.
ADAPTING MAURICE FOR THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR Pike and Shot regiments – use the existing advanced rules (page 85, +2 if attacked by cavalry, +1 when charging infantry), generally equipped with matchlocks – see below. No benefit for using pikes in woods or if attacking across an obstacle. Matchlock muskets – hit on a 5 or 6. Firelocks, musket only regiments and dragoons – as matchlocks, but in the first volley a 4 also hits. Pistols – Horse may fire a single die if formed in “massed” formation with a range of 2BW. Hit on a 5 or 6.
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A massed cavalry charge in Baccus 6mm.
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Advancing through the farm lands. cavalry if they have two or less. This makes it easier for foot to come to grips with each other in difficult terrain – important in both these battles. Players and Action Cards – If playing with two or more players per side use a double deck of action cards. Before starting play, remove one of each of the “remove after use” cards or you may find these come up a bit too often! Players may place their general per the normal rules, or with a unit, in which case he moves when the unit does and is subject to a hazard test if the unit is destroyed. Units with generals accompanying them gain +1 in melee.
THE FIRST BATTLE OF NEWBURY , 20 SEPTEMBER 1643
made the advance slow, musketeers fighting hedgerow to hedgerow. Rupert’s cavalry were successful on Wash Common, but the King’s men were hurled back down the hill by combined artillery and musket fire. Parliamentarian infantry, particularly London’s Trained Bands, aggressively plugged gaps on the Common and the Hill. Coordination of horse and foot on the Royalist side was not so successful, and by dusk, the Royalists fell back. Concerned about powder supplies the King retreated north the next day. Essex returned in triumph to London. If your game repeats this you have a Parliamentarian Marginal Victory! An interesting 'what if' would be to allow the Royalists to renew the battle with limited powder on day 2.
On September 5, 1643, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, relieved Gloucester, Parliament’s sole remaining stronghold in the West. Reaching Gloucester had been hard; getting back to London in one piece would prove even more challenging. His opponent, King Charles, was presented with a fleeting golden opportunity to destroy Parliament’s main army and end the rebellion. Essex successfully dodged the Royalists until the armies bumped into each other in a bruising skirmish with Royalist horse under Prince Rupert at Aldbourne Chase. This action allowed the King’s main army to reach Newbury, cutting the road to London and forcing battle on a reluctant Essex.
The Newbury map reflects Little Wars set table sizes of 8’ x 4’. Adjust for your table, making sure you have plenty of room to move on Wash Common. Round Hill should be a prominent, though not hugely elevated, feature, large enough to hold a couple of batteries of guns and two regiments of foot. A flat topped step hill works well. The northern half of the battlefield should be liberally covered with fields, enclosures and hedges. Wash Common to the south is largely open, with a few smaller woods and the odd farm away from the center of the field. Apart from Newbury, any buildings are purely for visual appeal – they cannot be defended as strongpoints.
To cheers of “Hey for Old Robin”, Essex’s men moved forward early, seizing the important Round Hill in the center of the battlefield and pushing horse onto Wash Common. The King’s army was slower to deploy, perhaps after a more comfortable night billeted around the town! However, the Royalists soon attacked. To the north, enclosed ground
Deployment and Forces Both armies were around 14,000 strong. The Royalists had an edge in cavalry (8,000) while Parliament had stronger infantry (also 8,000). The table below shows the armies scaled down from the actual battle (where both sides fielded roughly 20 regiments of infantry) based on the figures W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Deployment at the Battle of Newbury (the green dots represent hedges). I have, but this did not seem to detract from the game! Please feel free to adjust as you see fit. Depending on your rules, players could also pick equal points values, with the caveat that the Royalists must spend at least half their points on horse, and Parliament at least half on foot. For Little Wars, to save time, I set up before the start of the game. However, you could deploy commands alternately, one at a time in the appropriate area, starting with Parliament. Unless otherwise noted, foot regiments have matchlock musket and pike, and horse sword and pistols. If you are using Maurice, each player starts with a hand of 5 action cards. s e r u t a i n i M y r r e P ©
Special rules During the battle, the Royalists cut down hedges to facilitate their advance. Accordingly, a foot regiment, activated to move, may instead remain in place and remove hedges covering its front, allowing troops to later move without disruption and eliminating any cover benefit. The ditch/embankment at the bottom of Round Hill cannot be removed and provides no cover from fire.
Victory The Royalists win a decisive victory if they can break Essex’s army’s morale. It’s likely they will march on London in triumph and bring the war to an end. Failing that, they earn a marginal victory if they have a unit on Round Hill by nightfall and Essex does not. Essex wins a decisive victory if he can break the Royalist’s army’s morale, and a marginal victory if he holds or contests Round Hill. His army has survived and Parliament will fight on.
CHERITON , 29 MARCH 1644
Ironsides.
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Early 1644 saw two old friends, Lord Ralph Hopton, for the King, and Sir William Waller, for Parliament, commanding in wintry weather around Winchester, south west of London. Sieges, raids and skirmishes followed as both sparred for advantage. Hopton had been reinforced by Lord Forth, an apparently sprightly octogenarian, who assumed nominal command. Posted in a strong position near Cheriton Woods on the night of 28 March, Hopton’s scouts reported Waller’s baggage moving away. Their report was accurate, but not the whole story. Waller had done his own reconnaissance and decided to attack at dawn!
Waller opened the battle by sending the London Trained Bands to seize Cheriton Woods, while the remainder of his men occupied the South Ridge. Hopton responded by sending musketeers into the woods, and this position changed hands several times over the next few hours. In the meantime, Hopton stood in a strong position along the northern ridge. At some point, one of the Royalist regiments (possibly Bard’s but accounts differ) attacked on its own initiative and a more general engagement followed as both sides fed reinforcements into the action. Some of the Royalists were trapped in a steep sided lane where they were outflanked and taken. In the confused action that followed, Parliamentarian numbers began to tell. The elderly Lord Forth, professional to the end, organized a rearguard and covered the Royalist retreat. Waller had secured a significant victory which required both sides to rethink their plans for 1644. This game plays well on an 8’x4’ table, or slightly wider. The battlefield features two low ridges which meet at a “V” at a large wooded plateau – Cheriton Woods. The western part of the battlefield is lower and
more open, and you may represent the small village of Cheriton and the River Itchen to the west of the battlefield. A few hedges and enclosures should break up otherwise open ground between the ridges. The ridges themselves offer the normal benefits to a defender of being uphill, but are gentle slopes.
Deployment The tables show the armies used at Little Wars. If you select armies to a points value, Parliament receives 10% extra. Waller should not field more than 2 veteran or equivalent units, while the Royalists can chose up to 4 veteran cavalry units. For Little Wars all figures were on the table at the start. If you have more time, set up the Royalists first, then Parliament. To represent the thick mist, if Lisle withdraws, Parliament may deploy just commander figures. These move as infantry until the end of move 3 (when the mist clears) or come within 15” of an enemy unit when their entire command must be deployed both within 12” of the general figure and no closer than 8” to the enemy.
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Deplyoment at the Battle of Cheriton ( the green dots represent hedges).
Special rules Place objective markers in the center of Cheriton Woods, the North Ridge, and the valley between the South and North Ridges. Objective markers do not move and are controlled by the last not-broken unit to move over them. Lisle’s outpost. Hopton has an immediate decision to make: Withdraw – Lisle’s troops are immediately moved to Hopton or Smith’s deployment area and Parliament may advance each of its commands by up to 12+D6 inches and unlimber artillery. Parliament then takes the first turn. Hold – The battle commences with a Royalist turn, in which only Lisle’s troops may take an action. •
•
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Place an additional commander to represent Lisle. Lisle uses Hopton’s action cards until removed. Lisle is removed if both his units are destroyed, or when Hopton wishes. After the special Lisle only turn, Parliament takes its turn. Cheriton Woods were used by both sides to outflank and surprise their enemies. To allow for this, in addition to your normal rules for woods, the following applies: If there are no enemies in the woods, a unit of foot marching through them may move at full speed and then make a second move on a D6 roll of 4,5 or 6 – perhaps they found an unguarded path. Artillery may bombard in range enemy units anywhere in the woods. The target receives the usual benefits of cover. If there are any friends in the woods at the time of this bombardment, however, you hit your friends instead on a “to hit” die-roll of a 1! “Lane of Disaster” – During the battle, Royalist horse charged repeatedly down a narrow hedged lane to their doom. For some reason, it is surprisingly difficult to force players to repeat this tactic! The following takes an indirect approach:
Dismounted dragoons skirmish with the enemy.
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Place a few hedges in the area between the ridges. This hinders formations moving across the table and creates opportunities for enfilade without bogging down the action too much. Once during the game, at the start of a Parliamentarian turn, Waller may nominate a Royalist unit to make an uncontrolled attack. Roll a D6. On a 4+ the unit
immediately makes a full charge move directly towards the nearest enemy. Resolve a melee if needed. If the unit does not move (on a 3 or less) Waller may pick the same or another unit the next Royalist turn until he succeeds or passes.
Victory Either side wins a decisive victory by breaking the enemy army before nightfall. If neither breaks, con-
trol of two or more of the three objective markers determines the winner. WS&S Playing English Civil War (ECW) in the US is always fun. This is a less frequently seen yet colorful period which generated gener ated a surplus of enthusiastic participants. participants. I hope you have have as much fun fun with these these scenarios scenarios as we did. did.
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E M E H T
By Guy Bowers
COLLECTING ARMIES FOR THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR
FOR GOD, KING, KING, AND PARLIA ARLIAMENT MENT The Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland largely avoided the bloody Thirty Years’ War which raged in Europe, pitting Protestant against Catholic. Peace reigned over the three kingdoms kingdom s throughout the first half of o f Charles I’s reign. However, However, Charles’ attempts to reform the Scottish churches led to the Bishops’ War in 1639, the Irish Rebellion Rebellio n in 1641 and finally the English Civil Wars in 1642-46, 1648-49 and 1649-51.
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he English Civil War presents many gaming opportunities. Despite the stereotypical images of the Roundhead and dandy long-haired Cavalier, these miniatures can be used for either side. Similarly, there are many models for the Thirty Years’ War which would be suitable (see WS&S issue 75). What follows is a brief guide to the models available for both sides of the conflict. As usual, space and time pro-
Romanoff 40mm Range: Comprehensive Size: 38mm ‘foot to eye’ or 42mm tall; cavalry are 60mm tall Price: £10.00 for five foot, £12.00 for two cavalry Romanoff Miniatures are sold in packs of five infantry or two cavalry. Parts are interchangeable between models giving more variety. The range includes pikemen, musketeers, artillery and cavalry.
Bicorne 28mm Range: Complete Size: 29mm ‘foot to eye’ or 33mm tall; cavalry are 46mm tall Price: £11.00 for eight infantry or three cavalry Bicorne Miniatures has a large range which includes pikemen, musketeers, artillery and cavalry. They have a good selection of accessories for miniature customisation.
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hibit us from covering every single manufacturer, and we are using what has been kindly supplied in time for our deadline. Where possible, we’ve asked for infantry, cavalry and artillery so you can see a good selection. We classify ranges as follows: Basic (a few random or specialist packs); Standard (has the essentials in infantry and cavalry); Comprehensive (as standard, but with artillery and commanders); and Complete (you’d have to think hard to come up with units not available here).
Dixon 25mm Range: Complete Size: 29mm ‘foot to eye’ or 33mm tall; cavalry are 46mm tall Price: £11.00 for eight infantry or three cavalry Dixon has a large range of models available individually or in unit packs. he range includes pikemen, musketeers, artillery and cavalry, plus some accessories.
Empress 28mm Range: Complete (English) Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 33mm tall; cavalry are 46mm tall Price: £7.00 for four infantry, £8.50 for two cavalry Empress’ range includes foot command, musketeers, pikemen, cannons, and several types of cavalry. The figures are on the taller side of 28mm, but are not ‘beefy’.
Eureka 28mm Range: Standard (Montrose Scots and Irish) Size: 26mm ‘foot to eye’ or 29mm tall; cavalry are 43mm tall Price: AU$ 2.95 per foot and AU$ 6.00 per cavalry model Eureka has a nice range of Montrose Scots and Irish. The range includes pike, musketeers, highlanders, cavalry and characters. Available from Fighting 15s in the UK.
Foundry 25mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 25mm ‘foot to eye’ or 28mm tall; cavalry are 43mm tall Price: £12.00 for eight infantry or three cavalry Foundry has 48 packs in their range. Apart from the usual pikemen, musketeers, artillery, and cavalry, there are also special models, such as the surgeon and blacksmith.
Old Glory 25mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or 30mm tall; cavalry are 42mm tall Price: £24.00 for 30 infantry or ten cavalry Old Glory has a large selection of English Civil War models, including command, musketeers, pikemen, cannons, and cavalry. W , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87 87 ARGAMES ,
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Perry Miniatures 28mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or 30mm tall; cavalry are 43mm tall Price: £7.00 for six infantry, £8.50 for three cavalry The Perrys have a very good range, which currently consists of 31 packs of ECW and 19 packs of Scots. The range includes pikemen, musketeers, artillery, and cavalry.
Warlord 28mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 31mm tall; cavalry are 44mm tall Price: £2.00 individually, £6.00 for four models, or £22.50 for a plastic boxed set Warlord Games has a growing range of models for the ‘Pike and Shotte’ era, in both metal and plastic. Their Their plastic range includes infantry and cavalry, while their metal includes infantry, artillery and characters as well.
Tumbling Dice 20mm Range: Standard Size: 21mm ‘foot to eye’ or 25mm tall Price: £4.80 for eight models Tumbling Dice has a range of Thirty Years War miniatures in 1/72 scale which will serve the English Civil War as well. Musketeers, pikemen and cavalry are included.
Black Hat 15mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 16mm ‘foot to eye’ or 19m m tall; cavalry are 30mm tall Price: £3.00 for ten foot or five mounted models Black Hat has 42 packs of ECW miniatures including commanders, pike, musketeers, artillery, and cavalry.
Freikorps 15mm Range: Comprehensive Size: 15mm ‘foot to eye’ or 17mm tall, cavalry are 24mm tall Price: £2.70 for a pack of eight infantry or four f our cavalry (or two guns) QRF Models, under the Freikorps banner, have 31 packs in their ECW range. These include pikemen, musketeers, artillery, light dragoons, medium cavalry, and heavy cuirassiers.
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Peter Pig 15mm Range: Complete (English, Scots and Irish) Size: 15mm ‘foot to eye’ or 17mm tall; cavalry are 24mm tall Price: £3.00 for a pack of 8 infantry or 4 cavalry Peter Pig has 68 packs of ECW models, including pikemen, musketeers, artillery, and cavalry. The range includes wounded and dead models, custom heads, and civilians.
Magister Militum 15mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 14mm ‘foot to eye’ or 16mm tall; cavalry are 23mm tall Price: £3.00 for a pack of eight infantry or four cavalry (or two guns) Magister Militum has a good range, which includes pike and musket infantry, cavalry, and artillery. There are a number of extra packs, such as wagons and pioneers.
Pendraken 10mm Range: Comprehensive (English and Scots) Size: 10mm ‘foot to eye’ or 12mm tall; cavalry are 18mm tall Price: £4.50 for 30 foot or fifteen cavalry (or three guns) Pendraken has 37 packs of ECW, including pike, muskets, cavalry and artillery. The range includes useful items such as peasants, gabions and carts.
Old Glory Grand Scale 10mm Range: Comprehensive Size: 9.5mm ‘foot to eye’ or 11mm tall; cavalry are 17mm tall Price: £12.00 per pack Grand Scale 10mm by Old Glory UK offers twenty packs covering all the standard troop options (pike, shot, artillery, cavalry and command).
Baccus 6mm Range: Comprehensive Size: 6mm tall; cavalry are 10mm tall Price: £6.00 for 96 foot, £7.00 for 45 cavalry, £3.00 for four guns Baccus has 15 packs for the English Civil War. All the standard troop options are covered, including 6mm dead markers, artillery, and artillery limbers. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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E M E H T
ON THE COVER
By David Imrie
DEATH BEFORE
DISHONOUR Most of us, somehow, like the poetic story of ‘The last stand’. Whether it be Custer at Little Big Horn or the 44th foot at Gandamak ... all well documented in the medium of miniature painting and art. One story of a last stand that has stuck with me ever since my first visit to the Marston Moor battlefield near York is the story of Newcastle’s Whitecoats.
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nspired by Graham Turner's plate for the Osprey Marston Moor book, I wanted to do the figures in their undyed linen coats that gave the troops their nicknames: "White Coats" or "the Marquis of Newcastle Lambs" (they were famously reported to have declared it was fine for the Marquis to leave their coats undyed as they would dye their coats in the blood of the enemy) Where the last stand took place and even whether it actually happened, is under debate. I have walked over the ground near the two places most likely thought to be the location and feel we will never really know. Lieutenant-Colonel James Somerville described the final moments of the action, occurring after he'd left the field: Here the parliament horse of that wing received their greatest loss and a stop for some time to their hoped-for victory, and that only by the stout resistance of this gallant battalion,…until at length a Scots regiment of dragoons, commanded by Colonel Frizeall, with ammunition was spent, having refused quarters, every man fell in the same order and rank wherein he had fought.
I had already known what figures I would use as the Bicorne ECW range is a favorite of mine. They also do a lovely set of casualty figures. Iain from' Flags of War' kindly supplied me with the standard.
WHITE COATS AND BLACK ARMOUR I spent too long trying all manner of different colour combinations, everything from light grey to light
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browns. In fact I struggled with this for too long (sorry editor) then eventually came up with... Vallejo Panzer Aces 321, British Tank Crew Highlight, lightened with Vallejo Model Colour 918, Ivory, and finally the Ivory on its own. Some references have note a red cross on the sleeve but I chose not to depict this. Armour was sometimes blackened or painted to prevent rusting. This involved coating the armour with oil (linseed or olive oil), followed by a burning-off process of some kind, or boiling the armour in a pot until the oil 'cooks' into the steel. My version of this is a lot simpler. Solid black paint then Vallejo German Grey added into the black then a highlight of pure German Grey. To base, I set the figures down and then glue sand and rocks into place. I use PVA glue and super glue on some rocks over a coat of black tile grout. Once dry I give the base a coat of Games Workshop, Graveyard Earth or Miniature Paints, Earth Brown. After that has dried I drybrush with Desert Yellow, then Dark Sand. Finally, I add grass tufts and static grass in two colours (green and spring mix). I then very lightly drybrush with Desert yellow to pull the two styles of tufts together. There you have it! My White Coats’ last stand. At some point I have promised myself a unit of these guys as the story captured my imagination and I have worked out the colour combination for my perfect white coat. WS&S
N M U L O C
By Tony Harwood
THE IRREGULAR
n a m r a H e i g r o e G ©
A LABOUR OF LOVE OR A NECESSARY EVIL I confess I am a model maker first, a figure painter second and a gamer third! My hobby interests are varied, most of my model making being scratch-built or heavily modified from commercial products.
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his is probably due to my upbringing: a father who built flying balsa-wood models and placed miniature ships in bottles (which I don’t have the patience to do), a grandfather who had a huge HO/OO model railway layout in his back bedroom and an uncle who built beautiful post war jets which he displayed on his mantelpiece. The modelling bug didn’t just bite – it savaged me. I’ve built hundreds of Airfix plastic kits, built model railway layouts and collected model soldiers in dozens of different scales, but it was the introduction to wargaming and roleplay games like Dungeons and Dragons that has inspired me through the years. I tend to build terrain from scratch to 28-30mm scale (or 1/56th), the themes for these models varying through Ancients, to Napoleonics, Modern, Sci-Fi and even Fantasy; I would suggest that the more unusual the more chance there is that I will be attracted to it. Given the above, why am I so passionate about building wargame terrain? It is the culmination of a lifetime’s interest in model making, in playing games, in building plastic kits and reading hundreds of model making articles – with this much pent-up knowledge it was obvious that I would eventually come around to model making of some sort.
to inspire, it challenges modellers to improve their skills with bigger and better layouts. So why, when most serious wargamers will spend years researching their chosen scale, army or uniform, are those same gamers not willing to spend the same amount of time and effort on their terrain? This is an anomaly that I find difficult to accept. If terrain does not inspire, then why not play with chess pieces on a chessboard? Don’t get me wrong, my first wargames were played on green dyed bed sheets with chalked-on roads and green felt ovals to represent woods; the Airfix ACW plastic soldiers were glued down to Newcastle Brown Ale beermats and the rules were well-thumbed photocopies. BUT – that was then, and today I would think nothing of spending weeks reproducing a cool centrepiece model for an ACW skirmish game.
I scour the internet and magazine shelves in the hope of finding some piece of terrain or a scenic feature that inspires me to build a new model. I study drawings or photos trying to work out how I could build a reproduction or use just one tiny part of the building or machine to add to my latest creation. I build models and write articles for myself; the fact that I am lucky enough to get paid for these articles is a bonus.
I believe that the ‘spectacle’ of wargaming is just as important as the rules, the research and the figure painting. Without the spectacle then we are just pushing toy soldiers over the bedroom carpet, and yes I know H G Wells (the recognised father of modern wargaming) started out by doing just that. Similarly, if we are to attract ‘new blood’ to the hobby or produce a stunning well-remembered night of gaming, then this spectacle, this beautifully modelled and painted gaming table, is just as important as the soldiers moving across it. Thinking back to the ‘sister’ hobby of railway modelling, I suggest that a superbly modelled and super-detailed railway engine would have much more impact if modelled and placed in a similarly super-detailed and working setting. Maybe this is why painted figures or models always appear better if mounted on scenic bases or included as part of a diorama?
Making good looking terrain is an enjoyable skill that can be learnt by the hobbyist. Therefore, I find it difficult to accept those that talk about superbly modelled gaming boards acting as a barrier to newcomers to the hobby, as they appear unobtainable to the novice. I believe the exact opposite is true – these well modelled games are in fact the impetus for these newcomers to strive for. The model railway press doesn’t include simple or toy layouts
I’m not saying that the rules are not important, or that you shouldn’t paint your troops to the best of your ability (I do believe that there is no place in the hobby for bare metal figures on the gaming table), but I do think that there is a real balance to be had between the three main parts of the wargame hobby – Figures, Rules and Terrain – with each of them acting in unison (and with equal importance) to one another. This is not rocket science, just common sense.
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A selection of Tony’s scratch-built models. Many years ago I was lucky enough to attend the original Wargames Holiday Centre, run by Peter Gilder. The group re-fought the Battle of Salamanca over a gaming board that was huge, and each and every part of that table was beautifully sculpted and modelled with rivers, hills, trees, and buildings. As the two armies converged, the excitement rose. My memories of that weekend stay with me today. I believe that it was the spectacle of the whole event: while a similarly large Battle of Waterloo wargame fought over a carpeted meeting room with white polystyrene hills and partially painted figures was just as big an event, the spectacle (in my opinion) was missing. When I visit a wargame show, my eye is not drawn solely to the beautifully painted and based ranks of model soldiers, it is drawn to the spectacle of the whole gaming board. The figures are as actors on a lavishly decorated miniature battlefield - this is inspiration at its very best. This is the ‘whole picture’: finely painted miniatures on superbly painted and modelled bases, marching across realistic-looking fields of corn, across dry-stone walls and along dirt-track roads past miniature structures that portray as closely as possible the actual buildings as illustrated in contemporary paintings or illustrations (or photographs). The rules and various gaming paraphernalia are kept in purpose-built and separate gaming areas so as not to jar the eye of the viewer but to reinforce the illusion of a miniature battlefield. This, I maintain, is what gamers really want to see and what they should strive for. For proof, see the photographs in all gaming and modelling magazines. Some may call it ‘Gaming Porn’. To me this is the pinnacle, the perfect sculpture or piece or art, what we as gamers should at least be striving for. It is the goal and the closer we get to it the better the whole hobby will become.
My first step is not necessarily perfect figures on beautiful bases; this is my goal (and I admit something that I may never fully achieve), however if I look back at the hobby when I first started – at that green dyed bed sheet and the chalk roads, the green felt woods and the simply painted Airfix soldiers – I know that my skills have improved, that my figure painting is better, my trees look more realistic and my buildings look like what they are supposed to be. Then I know I have made strides in the right direction. For me the building of scratch-built and detailed wargame terrain or scenery is a true ‘labour of love’, something that I enjoy both researching and building. In truth I think it is my main or core hobby, with painting figures relegated to a side-line or add-on interest, while gaming is moved lower down the league table to be seen as an occasional activity. I still think of myself as a wargamer, but maybe not a traditional gamer. (If I were asked, I think I would describe myself as a model maker.) I find it difficult to see it as a necessary evil or a chore and find myself criticising other gamers or wargamers who play on plain or simple tables with little and sometimes no terrain. With these types of games, by definition gamers are missing out on one of the most creative parts of the hobby. My advice is, “Try it – you just might like it!” I’m not going to stop trying to improve these skills; on the contrary, I want to strive to improve all of these skills, and I would recommend this to every reader of this magazine. It is one of the main reasons that I write magazine articles – to try to pass on the steps that I use when building terrain or structures and show that although sometimes time consuming, this is a very satisfying (possibly the most satisfying) part of this great hobby. I love building and painting my model terrain. WS&S W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Y B B O H
By Tony Harwood
BUILDING A TIMBER FRAMED DOVECOTE
THE DOVE HOUSE My latest scratch built model is of a late medieval timber framed dovecote. Earlier medieval dovecotes tended to be round and made of stone. Later medieval and Tudor ones, however, were built of timber and therefore had to be square or octagonal. Such timber structures were commonly built from Tudor times through to the 18th century, when there were a recorded 26,000 cotes in England alone.
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ovecotes provided meat and eggs for the manor table, and their guano made an excellent fertiliser and contained saltpetre used in gunpowder manufacture. Their use declined with the arrival of the brown rat in the 1730s – many cotes were adapted against this new rodent menace, raising the nest five feet off the floor. The practice of keeping doves had virtually died out in the middle of the nineteenth century, partly due to the Victorian obsession with chickens. The model I’ve built here was inspired by two sources both uncovered at The Hive (Worcester City Library and Archive Centre). The first was The Commandery, a museum in Worcester, and the second was a set of pamphlets showing local dovecotes of Hereford and Worcester.
placing of this foam as once it was set, I sanded the surfaces smooth and trimmed the upper edge back, so that the height of the stones would come halfway up the door opening. This stonework was then carved and impressed with stone texture and any exposed or rough edges were detailed with DAS modelling clay. The timber framing was modelled from a wooden fruit crate that I picked up from a local fruit and veg market; this was first dismantled and then cut into thin strips which were glued to the core box with superglue. The timber framing style is called ‘close-framed’, where the uprights are a little closer together than traditional timber framed buildings, and was seen as a sign of wealth.
CONSTRUCTION I sketched out a hybrid dovecote using two or three preserved examples and then set about building my own 28mm scale model. It was my intention to build a ‘close-framed’, timber-framed dovecote using bits and pieces I had to hand or scrap material, and I started by breaking apart an old lever-arch box file to make the four main walls. These four walls were cut into 120mm lengths and glued together to form a hollow box with a doorway opening on one side. Once the glue had fully set, I sanded the surfaces smooth. The lower edges were covered with green foam, cut into thin strips and glued in place with superglue. I have not tried to be too precise about the
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The corner uprights were attached first, then the horizontals and finally the infill uprights. This is a time consuming technique, but one that should pay dividends when painted and particularly when drybrushed. Each of the wattle and daub panels was modelled with DAS modelling clay – I find it best to add small coin-sized pieces over uPVA glue and then spread the DAS with a pointed sculpting tool. Finally, I dab the surface with a damp brush to give some additional texture. I mount all of my terrain pieces on to dedicated bases, in this case some 3mm thick plastic card. The groundwork was once again built up with DAS. The small pegs or
Building the dovecote 1.
Basic walls constructed. 5.
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Surfaces smoothed stonework added.
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and Building the main beams. 7 .
Filling in the wattle and daub Card Roof clad in newspaper. Card tiles added. panels.
Filling in the secondary vertical beams. 8.
Finished roof with flight entrance.
wooden nails were cut from plastic rod, inserted into predrilled holes and glued in place with superglue.
uPVA glue – I find that this gives a strong and firm base on which to add further detail.
My preferred technique when building wargame terrain is to produce slightly comic-looking or over-thetop surface texture (which suits my Flintloque Napoleonic miniatures and black undercoated painting style). With this model I have tried to be a little more ‘realistic’ or subdued, as I am aware that this cartoon style is not to everyone’s liking. The wooden pegs are slightly thinner than I would have normally modelled and the surface texture is a little less extreme.
The individual roof tiles were cut from artists’ watercolour paper, although as mentioned earlier I would normally have used thicker 1mm – 1.5mm card. The metal strips were made from an empty tomato purée tube and glued in place with more superglue. I find it easier to attach these strips oversized and trim the edges back once the glue has fully set.
The groundwork has been further detailed with sieved stones and sand applied over uPVA glue. The door was carved from a single piece of 3mm thick plastic card which I fixed in place slightly ajar. The lower stonework has been further textured with a watered-down DAS modelling clay and acrylic medium mix that was painted on to the model with a fine brush. I have added clutter items from my spares box – something that I try to do with all of my terrain pieces as I feel it adds interest to the finished piece. Call it a Dampfpanzerwagon trait! The roof was first constructed from thin card and then clad with strips of torn newspaper applied over
The typical dovecote upper roof was both clad and detailed with thin card and again tiled with artists’ watercolour paper. The doorway opening was painted black prior to the undercoating. You should also be able to see how one side has a brick repair to two of the wattle and daub panels. This was done to add some colour and interest to an otherwise plain timber framed structure.
PAINTING The whole model was basecoated with a dark brown/ black undercoat, but as this doesn’t show up too well in published images, I have drybrushed the model with lighter brown/earth colours to highlight the sculpted detail. W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Painting the dovecote 2 .
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Dovecote undercoated and Wattle areas whitened and Final highlights added. drybrushed. roof tiles started.
When painting timber framed buildings, I tend to paint the woodwork first and then fill in the wattle and daub or whitewashed panels later; this may seem the wrong way round, but it works for me. With the wooden areas finished I moved on to the stonework areas and once again I experimented with yet another new technique. After painting the stonework dark grey, I ‘sponged’ the stone area with lighter grey and brown colours, before adding a final highlight of off white. I have used the sponging technique on a couple of models and can confirm that it produces very good and natural looking results. I use small pieces of torn packing sponge, the sort that gaming miniatures are packed with. The first step in painting the whitewashed areas is to paint each panel with a watered-down mid-grey to which I have added a tiny drop of brown. If you water down the paint to the consistency of milk, the painting moves along quickly – remember that there will be at least four additional layers on top of the grey, so being super precise is not essential. Each layer was done with a lighter or whiter colour, and each layer paints a little bit less of the panel – leaving the darker colours or tones to show through at the edges. The roof tiles have been painted to represent slate tiles with a mix of greys, blues and greens, highlighted or drybrushed with light grey. I like to paint individual tiles in different colours between each drybrushing. I feel this helps to portray a more ‘natural’ colour and effect. The metal flashing was painted in the same grey, but with a tiny touch of cream or linen paint added to the mix. After a final highlight of nearly pure Titanium White, the panels really ‘pop’ from the darker timber framing. The next step was to paint the base or groundwork and for this I returned to my old favourite – Snake-
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The finished model.
bite Leather from Games Workshop. I first painted the whole base with watered-down Snakebite, then a second layer to give a good foundation before drybrushing the rough texture with lighter layers of Snakebite and Skull White. Individual stones have been picked out in greys, highlighted with white. The red brick repair to the side was first painted in a light grey/cream colour, then individual bricks were painted in reds, oranges and browns before being drybrushed with a cream/grey colour. Prior to varnishing the model and base with Galleria Matt Varnish, I washed the whole model with a watered-down black and sepia wash both to add some texture to the whitewashed walls and to tone down the pure white final highlight. The base was textured or flocked with small areas of ground foam and static grass. I chose not to add my usual railway scatter as I wanted a model that was more ‘realistic’ than the rest of my terrain collection. I have, throughout this build, tried my best to use only scrap or reclaimed materials for the construction and to paint the model in a more ‘realistic’ style or fashion. It is a model I am very proud of but if I were to do it again, I think I would have modelled it and painted it in my more usual cartoon or exaggerated style (and have built it slightly smaller) – I look forward to hearing what readers think. The model cost next to nothing to produce and took less than a week to both model and paint. It stands 210mm tall, is 80mm x 80mm and sits on a 3mm thick plastic card base which is 110mm x 110mm. WS&S What if King Charles II had used the dovecote as either a hiding place or a gathering place for supporters during his desperate escape in 1651? The premise is not that far fetched, as he passed very close to at least two dovecotes, one in Oddingley and the second at Ombersley.
Y B B O H
By Ruben Torregrosa
PAINTING SNOW CAMOUFLAGE FOR KHARKOV
WHITE DEATH The following painting guide will show you how to paint German soldiers fighting at the Third Battle of Kharkov (in February and March 1943) using the new 28mm range from Heer46. The range was funded by a recent Indiegogo campaign and should be released for sale very soon.
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hese miniatures don’t have their own bases, as we are used to with most figures. Hence, I made up a base with some Milliput putty. I added texture with an old toothbrush. Before it was dry, I gently pushed the miniature on top of the putty to make a ‘box’ for the feet. Then, I glued the miniature with cyanoacrylate ‘superglue’ and, once dried, a grey primer was applied with an airbrush.
P ain t in g t he w h t ie 1.
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In this article, I use the following abbreviations – Vallejo Model Color, VMC; Vallejo Game Color, VGC; Vallejo Panzer Aces, VPA; Games Workshop, GW; Army Painter, AP. To simulate a muddy base, I drybrushed the base with two brown colours: chocolate brown (VMC 964) and beige brown (VMC 875). Grey colours are always nice on the rocks to add more variety.
THE UNIFORM Before we begin, I would like to mention that it is a good idea to combine different colours – or different tones of the same colour - when painting the uniform of your miniatures. Soldiers are not clones! Look at historical sources and you’ll find great variety even in a single shade of uniform. For example, in this case I had the possibility of using two different colours for the anorak: dark green and khaki; and another two for the trousers: white or dark green. Furthermore, we can use lighter or darker versions of these colours to add some variety. By applying this idea you can obtain very interesting and varied results in your unit or army.
White I don’t like to paint pure white, as it doesn’t really exist. It always appears mixed with something else: grey, blue, yellow and so on. In my case, I usually use beige as colour base, such as the German Cam. Beige WWII (VMC 821), because it provides a nice “dirty” effect. Af-
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ter applying this base, we start working on the lights with Ivory (VMC 918). Because I only have two colours here (beige and ivory), we can apply three layers of lights: (1st) pure beige, (2nd) beige + ivory (1 to 1 proportion) and (3rd) pure ivory. It is very important to thin the paint a bit with water to obtain smooth transitions between layers. In addition, we can always add more intermediate layers between the pure colours, such as 1:2 and 2:1 proportions, to obtain even smoother contrasts. The first light will cover a significant area of the creases, while the area of the next one will be much more reduced or limited to the edges or protruding parts. It is very important not to totally cover the previous colour, or we'd destroy the transition we are looking for. We can also add some 'weathering effect' on the trousers, some traces of mud or dust. We just need to thin a brown colour, such as chocolate brown, with plenty of water (1:10, so it is very transparent), and we apply this thinned paint on the knees. To paint the fur of the hood we can use the same colour but using the dry-brush technique instead.
Dark green Paint the anorak completely with German Camo Extra Dark Green (VMC 896). We are going to apply four highlights. The first two are made with the same green mixed with Afrika Korps Tank Crew (VPA 336): the first in a ratio of 3:1 dark green - AK tank crew, and the second 2:1. Although the anorak has a very large surface area to paint, the wrinkles are very nicely marked. The first highlight only helps to mark the areas that we have to highlight, while leaving the shadows in the base colour. With the second highlight, we start orienting the highlighted areas to the upper parts, so that it looks like the light is coming from above (zenithal lighting). Now we apply the last two highlights. The first one is with pure Afrika Korps Tank Crew, and then we mix this with a bit of white to apply the top highlight. We continue directing the highlights to the same direction, towards the higher parts. These final highlights should be very subtle and only cover a small surface – they should be like a very thin line on the extreme of the wrinkle.
Khaki Paint the anorak completely with a 1:1 mix of German Camo Extra Dark Green and British Uniform (VMC 921). We will need this mixture later, so prepare enough of it.
As before, we also need to apply four highlight steps here. For this purpose we add to the previous mixture Iraqi Sand (VMC 819), first in a 4:1 proportion, and then 3:1. Note that here we are using a proportionally smaller amount of Iraqi Sand paint to make the highlight colour than before. The reason is simple: Afrika Korps Tank Crew is still a dark colour and the resulting contrasts are not very striking, hence we can use a bigger amount, as opposed to the Iraqi Sand, which is very light. We continue adding Iraqi Sand to the mix, and apply the last two highlights in a proportion of 2:1 and 1:1. To obtain nice looking transitions remember to thin the paint with water. It is better to work with semi-transparent layers of paint because we have more control over the intensity of the paint. Less is more!
Black profiling and gear To add more contrast to the miniature, I like to apply a ‘black profiling’ using a fine brush and thinned black paint. The idea is to paint a very thin line separating all the separate elements of the miniature, such as the trousers and the anorak. Furthermore, I usually totally cover in black the remaining equipment: gear, belt, guns, etc. Carefully of course, don't ruin your work so far!
Pain tin g the gr een 1.
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Painting the khaki 1.
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To paint the gear we will start by painting the base colours, so we can use Dark Oxide (VPA 302) or Brown Chocolate (VMC 964) for leather pieces such as the canteen and PPSh magazine pouch and German Camo Extra Dark Green (VMC 896) for the metal parts of the gas mask canister and canteen. For the weapons we can use Gunmetal Grey (VMC 863) for metal parts and Flat Brown (VMC 982) for the wooden parts. To highlight the Dark Oxide we can use Flat Brown (VMC 982) and even add an extra light mixing 982 with a bit of Orange Brown (VMC 981). Actually, we can also use this mixture to start highlighting the wooden part of the weapons, as I usually add some lines simulating wood veins with Orange Brown. After this mix, we use pure Orange Brown to re-paint the lines (but try not to totally cover the previous colour). To work on the highlights of the chocolate brown we can use either English Uniform (VMC 921) or Beige Brown (VMC 875), that we also mix with a bit of white to apply the last highlight. In contrast with the recipe that we previously saw when painting the dark green uniform, here we can mix Dark Green (VMC 896) with white. This is very advisable as we can obtain a different colour that contrasts nicely with the uniform. The belt and straps are black leather. We have already painted these elements with black, hence to paint the highlights
we can simply use grey or mix the black with a bit of white. Try not to overexaggerate the lights on black colours, or they will look grey. One tip for painting straps is to add two thin lines on the edges. This makes them look nicer because it is a real effect: the straps are always worn on the edges. The gloves and balaclava have a dark grey colour. We can therefore paint these parts at the same time, but adding an extra highlight. Finally, instead of applying highlights on the metal parts, we can work only on the shadows. The easiest way is by just applying a black wash; I highly recommend Nuln Oil shade from Citadel. Now it is time for a second black profiling only on the equipment. The idea is not only to re-paint the black line that should separate these elements from the uniform, but also to emphasise the different details of these elements, especially to separate the wooden and metal parts of the weapons (the wash is not strong enough to do this). Finally we paint the face. Carefully we start painting the eyes by first painting a horizontal white oval that is divided by a vertical black line. If the guy has his mouth opened, we can also paint the teeth with white. Then we use Tan (VGC 066) to paint the whole face other than the previous details. Try to completely cover all the black colour around the eyes, especially at the lower part. Now, start mixing Tan
P ain tin g the equipment 1.
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Painting the grey helmet 1.
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Painting the white helmet 1.
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with increasing amounts of Dwarf Skin (VGC 041) until reaching this pure colour to apply the lights. The final light is done with dwarf skin mixed with a bit of white.
HELMET
Grey Paint the whole helmet with Black Grey (VMC 994). Mix Black Grey with increasing amounts of Dark Sea Grey (VMC 991) until finally using the pure Dark Sea colour. We work the highlights in two areas: the top and the shades. On the top we can paint “circles” the areas of which are reduced in every new layer, whereas we direct the light to the edges on the shades. To make the contrast a bit deeper we can apply a black filter (or wash) on the sides, between the shades and the body of the helmet. A filter consists of as much paint
Addin g t he snow
(1:10 with water) as the one that we used to weather the trousers. With the filter we can darken the surface a bit. Finally, we can add some scratches with the pure Dark Sea Grey here and there. Just use the tip of the brush and slightly thinner paint.
Whitewash Paint the whole helmet with Black Grey. To simulate a very real whitewash camo we can use the acrylic product Washable White from AMMO of Mig Jimenez (A.MIG-0024). First, we apply a generous layer of paint on top of the Black Grey. It doesn’t matter if it is not homogeneous. Once it is dry, we use a brush moistened with water to carefully remove part of the washable white paint. The more water we use, the more paint we remove. The idea is to obtain a very random chipping effect. If we remove too much white, we can repeat the process or just use ivory or white (regular acrylic paints) to add random dots or marks on top of the grey colour. We apply a black filter on the sides; and we can even add some extra dark chipping effects using Black Grey and a fine brush.
SNOW There are different ways to simulate snow. One of the simplest ones is baking soda! Instead of applying white glue and then sprinkling baking soda, you could mix baking soda with some water and white glue and apply the resulting paste with a spatula or brush. The second procedure generates more realistic snow because it looks more “fluffy”. I didn’t want to cover the whole base, because I like the contrast that the grass confers. Therefore, I only add snow on some areas and on top of some bushes. WS&S W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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Y A L P S ’ T E L
By Rossco Watkins
QUICK PLAY COLONIAL RULES
THE MEN WHO
WOULD BE KINGS Sunday afternoons were sacrosanct growing up in our house: a roast lunch followed by a movie that my father and grandfather were more than likely to fall asleep through. But these movies were ‘the stuff’ that would capture a young boy’s imagination forever. Films about brave, noble, and loyal Englishmen, or more interestingly, the odd ‘scoundrel’ serving king/queen and country. They bravely marched against the enemies of the Empire in far flung corners of the globe, generally being ‘jolly good chaps’.
I
f you are reading this very fine publication (and are of a certain age) then there is a very good chance that you, like me, loved these films: Zulu, The Four Feathers, Khartoum, and of course The Man Who Would Be King , to name just a few. But oddly I’d never given much thought to seriously wargaming the period, either historically or in a more ‘Hollywood’ manner. Until recently… The Men Who Would Be Kings, published by Osprey Wargames. is the latest outing by Daniel Mersey of Lion Rampant fame and of course its fantasy spin-off Dragon Rampant , and immediately sprang up on our radar when we were looking for a new group project; we were keen to get our hands on it to test it for our own needs as well as to review for these hallowed pages! We had already played the author’s previous two games and had enjoyed them. We had heard that TMWWBK would be an adaptation of the Lion Rampant rules for the colonial period, as Dragon Rampant had been for the fantasy setting. I have to say I personally found this assessment unfair!
Having played Lion Rampant when we came to play Dragon Rampant , I found that the two rulesets were, as their names suggest, close enough that players could switch fairly effortlessly between the two. TMWWBK does use the same basic ‘game engine’ as the author’s previous books, but that engine has been stripped back to its skeleton, and a new and much more individual stand-alone game is the result. Although having played one of the previous books
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will get you moving more quickly, this book will still warrant a pretty thorough reading. The game itself is entirely D6 driven (I recommend having plenty on hand) and has an IGOUGO turn sequence. This sequence can be interrupted, however. Players take turns to activate all of their units, and each unit has several options for the orders they can be given. Some orders are ‘free’; a unit will automatically carry out these orders (you don’t need to worry about whether or not Tommy Atkins will fire when presented with the enemy, for instance), but some orders take a bit more doing. This is where the first really great bit of this game comes in: those orders that are not ‘free’ will require the unit to test against its officer’s leadership. However, an officer’s leadership is completely out of the player’s control. There’s no choosing a special character or paying the points for a tactical genius (that would be too easy, old bean!). Instead, players roll randomly on a table for each officer, and each officer will receive a trait; these are all typical of the period and some are charmingly ridiculous. They range from the incredibly handy (should you roll well) such as ‘Hero of the Empire’, ‘Destined for greatness’ or ‘Jolly Sporty’, each giving its own advantages, to the not so handy, such as ‘Hapless’, ’Bag of nerves’ and the somewhat self-explanatory ‘Idiot’. There are also one or two that have absolutely no bearing on the game whatsoever but are great fun and so came to be my favourites, things such as ‘What a fine moustache’ and ‘Bald as a coot’. My one grumble here is that there is only one such table and the traits are very much geared
As the Dervish horde wildly charge, the 3rd Foot and Mouth may be in trouble again… towards the colonials. I would have liked a separate table tailored for natives. Should a unit attempt to carry out an order that requires a leadership test and fail, play passes to the opposing player. Play is beautifully simple; the orders available to units have been streamlined to make sure that players do not get bogged down. There are the obvious ‘move’, ‘fire’ and ‘attack’ options as well as orders to do things like ‘go to ground’, ‘form close order’ or the all-important ‘rally’. I say all-important because, during our games, players (particularly colonial players) found ‘pinning’ a very important and handy aspect of the game. A colonial force will almost always find itself outnumbered and native units are absolutely lethal in melee, so holding them at arm’s length whilst your chaps whittle them away with rifle fire is essential. Shooting and combat is fairly basic: you roll a number of dice equal to the models in the unit, determine which are hits (typically on a 5+ with a few modifiers) and remove casualties. Units in cover or cavalry take two hits to remove one model. Officers in a unit roll 2D6; on a double 1 they become a casualty (sometimes to the relief of their men). Units under fire or which lose combat take pin markers. These must be removed by a rallying action before the unit can take any other actions. The more pins a unit has, the harder the test is to remove them all. Unit types are fairly generic with only a few options for either side. Some may find this frustrating, particularly those with a deep interest and understanding of the period who game it to a high level of historical accuracy. What this does is keeps matters incredibly simple. Players will be able to assign a type to any unit on the table quickly. This makes for fast, fun, enjoyable games that do not require hours of planning. For those who do wish to field a more specialised force, there are some ‘theatre specific’ rules that outline several renowned units of the period, such as the Boers, Maoris, Gurkhas and of course the rightly feared ‘3rd Foot & Mouth Regiment’ . There is also a section on solo play called ‘Playing Mr Bab-
bage’. This section is quite in depth but very good. It’s nice to see such a mechanism being a part of the rules. Starter field forces are provided for Sudan, Zulus and Boer Wars, Darkest Africa, Ethiopia, Pig Wars (hypothetical British versus US) and the North West Frontier. The book does have its flaws, however, although some of these may be somewhat intentional. As mentioned earlier, serious gamers of the period may require more detail and greater depth. The combat system is a little ‘fatal’ as well. Whilst a tribal force may have the numbers to absorb the kind of punishment a force of regular colonial troops are able to put down range at them, two colonial forces may find that who gains the initiative will be the main deciding factor in who gains victory. The games we played for this review were immensely enjoyable. More oft than not a force would have a mix of very capable officers and absolute disaster men, and having to manage a force like that made for some really interesting moments. The eight scenarios for the game are very well written, gave a good narrative, and provided for varied and exciting games. I was also very lucky to have some gentlemen of the very highest calibre test these rules with me and I would like to thank my fellow Berzerkers for their help. WS&S
The men who would be kings Author:Daniel Mersey Publisher: Osprey Publishing ISBN: 978-1472815002 Format: 64-page full colour softback Dice: D6 System: Initiative based alternative turn Price: £11.99
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Y A L P S ' T E L
By Guy Bowers
THE NEW BIG BATTLE GAME FROM GRIPPING BEAST
LET'S PLAY SWORDPOINT Without a doubt, there has been a trend towards skirmish games of late and perhaps a feeling that the ‘big battle’ ancient historical game of old was over. For me personally, there was only one ancients game, Warhammer Ancient Battles ( WAB ). It got me playing big battles, collecting armies, and even started my writing career. But then Games Workshop killed it off and with it, my ancients grand battle days seemed to be over.
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ure there were the successor games to WAB, such as Clash of Empires and Hail Caesar , but they never really grasped me in the way that WAB did. This is curious as I’m a big fan of Black Powder and even use elements of Hail Caesar in my Black Powder games. So when I heard that Swordpoint was being developed, I was very curious. Could this be the game to get me and like-minded Ancient and Medieval gamers playing ‘big’ again? The book will be supported online with additional scenarios and rules on release. This will be quickly followed by four army list books covering the Dark Ages, Ancients, Medievals and finally Biblicals.
BASICS A number of terms have been given new names. Instead of ‘leadership’ or ‘morale’, a unit has ‘cohesion’ instead. A cohesion test is made to stop a unit from fleeing. The test is usually made at the basic level – there are no modifiers unless the unit is influenced by a character or the unit is discouraged. Units have a minimum and a maximum number of bases. So a typical cavalry unit can be three to eight bases and an infantry unit three to twelve bases. Each base of figures has a ‘base strength’ based on the number of models. The number on a base depends on its type. Skirmishers consist of two models per base, as do cavalry. Open order infantry has three models and close order infantry has four models.
saved hits, while the removal of a base of close order infantry would require four unsaved hits. Excess hits are ignored for figure removal but will count towards disorder or panic from shooting and for combat resolution (see later). Once these effects are calculated, the excess hits are discarded and do not carry over to the next turn.
THE TURN The turn sequence is quite unconventional and took me a little time to get used to. After an initial phase (testing for morale and impetuous troops), there is the shooting phase, which is simultaneous for both sides. Each base armed with missile weapons in the front rank can shoot if they are in range, and must shoot at the nearest target. If a target unit takes 10% casualties for shooting, it becomes ‘discouraged’ (penalized for combat and for morale tests), and 25% causes a cohesion (morale) test to prevent the unit from fleeing. As mentioned before, to remove a base requires a number of hits over the ‘base strength’. So a unit of 28 close order infantry (seven bases) would become discouraged if it took three unsaved hits, but would only remove a base if it had four unsaved hits. You have to think a bit and do a wee bit of math; I suspect players will pick it up after a while or develop a quick reference table to remind them.
Command and control influence is limited to when things go bad, rallying fleeing units etc. There is no command test or similar limitation to moving units or restricting how many units move. The core of the system is a simple hit-and-save mechanism game. A hit is achieved on a 4+, with some modifiers (for example, superior troops hit non-superior troops on a 3+). The ‘defence value’ saves are very similar to WAB (so a 5+ for armour and shield, for example). Base removal requires a number of unsaved hits equal to or over the ‘base strength’. So to remove a base of cavalry requires two un-
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Teutonic Foot Knights advance.
Teutonic Knights versus Medieval Russians. The editor's game against Nick Eyre. Next, both players roll for the initiative on a D6. The highest scoring player determines which player has the initiative, choosing who declares charges and moves first (important as chargers usually attack first). Movement is straightforward: cavalry move 16” straight ahead (barded 12”) and infantry 8”. If the unit turns at all, the movement is reduced by a quarter. Units can also only move forward within their frontal arc (there are some other simple rules to prevent units performing crazy turns). When close order infantry has an enemy within 8” at the start of their turn, their movement slows to 4” (as they ready themselves for close combat).
VICTORY
Close combat is very interesting and rewards the player who holds a solid battle line. It takes place simultaneously, unless a unit charged that turn or is a superior fighting a lesser one, in which case the former goes first. Infantry get two attacks per base, while skirmishers and cavalry get only one. Total up the number of unsaved hits each side inflicts (remove bases as necessary) and the one with the most, wins the combat. There are some simple modifiers (bonuses for unit depth, having the high ground, presence of the army general and minuses for being discouraged or having enemy units threatening the flanks). If the result is a draw, or within one point either way, it is ignored and both units carry on. A loss of 2 to 3 means the loser is pushed back 4” and becomes discouraged. 4 to 5 means a cohesion test where the unit may flee (if the test is failed) or be pushed back (if the test is passed, treat as a result of 2 to 3). A result of 6+ is an automatic flee. However, a losing unit in a battle line can alleviate the result with the support of surrounding units (within 1”), reducing the combat result by a half for one supporting unit or by two-thirds for a supporting unit on either side.
Armies are intended to be built to 1000 points, although our games have generally been in the areas of 500 to 900 points. The points costs are quite different from and lower than WAB, as you’re buying a base, not a single figure. So an equally pointed Swordpoint army size is approximately twice the size it would be in WAB.
The effect of this combat system is pretty clever: lines tend to hold for longer until one section cracks which will cause the entire line to collapse. The flanks become ever more important to hold. There is still a little bit of calculation required to work out who’s won, but you get that in most games.
Swordpoint has a very simple army break-point system. Each unit is given a points value of 1 to 3 and the total added up. Once an army loses 50% of that total in units, it is broken and the game ends. I really like this simple math approach to determining victory.
The game will only come with one pitched battle scenario but an additional dozen will be placed online once the book is released.
ARMY LISTS AND POINTS
I’ve only seen a few army lists, but these had a familiar feel to them, reminding me a little of the old WAB army lists, although to be fair this is probably true of several game lists – you’d expect your Romans to field a good mix of Legion and Auxilia with a little cavalry and some allies. Such would be true if we looked at DBA or In Death Ground . One thing missing from the list is siege engines – the rules correctly state that these were not battlefield weapons and were in most cases used to defend camps or in sieges. There will be rules on the web site for completeness. There are rules for elephants and chariots, however.
CHARACTERS – COMMAND AND CONTROL Characters are a very important part of the game, as units cannot rally on their own – they require a character to be within range. Lesser characters have an influence of 8” and add a bonus to a unit’s cohesion score. They can also join a unit and add attacks (typically two) to a unit’s total. The Army General can influence units within 12” and also adds a boW ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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strength) is a little unusual at first but is easy enough once you’re used to it. If a unit takes a single hit from missile fire, it is easy to simply discount it and ignore the need to save as it’ll have no further effect. While certain units gain bonuses if they win combat, the absolutes have gone. There are no auto-breaks or rules prohibiting charges. The system has been carefully thought through to avoid the extremes which were seen in WAB.
GAMEPLAY
A game with Nick Eyre, umpired by Martin Gibbins. nus to combat apart from his attacks (so is sort of a cross between a General and Army Standard Bearer). Characters have no hits, nor is there any challenge mechanism; they live and die with the unit they have joined. However, dice are rolled at the end of every combat to see if they fall as a casualty.
WEAPONS The number of special weapons and bonuses has been significantly reduced and simplified. Pikes, throwing spears, cavalry charging with spears and two-handed weapons all now have simple and easily remembered rules.
MOMENTUM The Momentum rule adds a very interesting concept to the game. Each player starts with a stock of five tokens which can be used to influence the initiative or the results of close combat. Players secretly bid how many tokens they want to use in each situation (up to three). New tokens are awarded for charges and defeating the enemy. In my experience, it is worth hoarding the Momentum tokens for when you need them. Momentum is a great idea, so long as you can keep track of the tokens and remember to reward them when they are earned.
ADDIITONAL THOUGHTS Skirmishers, light infantry, and cavalry are highly manoeuvrable but lack the hitting power to the front of a close order enemy. They have to hit them in the flanks. Missile fire can be effective but it is no game winner, particularly against large units. Close order infantry is solid but slow – they will need to protect their flanks. A solid battle line is the best tactic but can prove brittle if units are charged in the flank or if the line is breached. The rules are very subtle and there are a few bits to remember (elephants perform badly against skirmishers, for example, and close order infantry no longer count as such if they fall below 3 bases). Keeping a tally of the hits on a unit and base removal (remember base
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The overall effect of the game is to minimise recordkeeping (that is, what you have to keep track of from turn to turn). For example, you don’t need to remember who won the combat last turn. Also, the amount of dice you are rolling is greatly reduced – this is no ‘buckets of dice’ game. Counters are also kept to a minimum.
CONCLUSION Swordpoint is a very different game to anything I’ve played. It certainly has a unique and enjoyable flavour and the result does feel (and I struggle to use this word, however true it may be) historical. Lines will hold under pressure and take a lot to break. When they do, the results are quite catastrophic (for me at least!). Casualties in battle are kept to a minimum, until that break-point where most are killed in the fleeing and pursuit. Also gone is the individual basing, although movement trays are still useful even with the new basing scheme.
If you liked WAB there is a good chance you’ll like Swordpoint . If you didn’t like WAB then give it a go, as the rules now bear very little resemblance to the original and many of the annoying parts of the old game are simply gone. My prediction is that Swordpoint will be a BIG hit. Big ancient battles are back and you can leave the Warhammer at home. What is the highest compliment I can pay to Swordpoint ? I’ll shortly be rebasing all my old ancient armies off their individual square bases for the new game. The more I play the game, the more I’m enjoying it and the subtleties in the rules, and they feel to me to be very historical. WS&S Our thanks to Martin Gibbins and the Gripping Beast team for their hospitality. Thanks too to my opponent Nick Eyre who is always a pleasure to play.
Swordpoint Author: Martin Gibbins Publisher: Gripping Beast Dice: D6 System: Initiative based alternate turns Price: £20.00
S W E I V E R E M A G
GAME REVIEWS Deus Vult –
or three and pick the highest score rolled. Poor units roll two (or three) dice and choose the lowest result.
Burn and Loot
Authors: Angelo Autolino, Francesco Velotto Pages: 70-page full-colour softback. Publisher: Fireforge Games System: Initiative based alternative unit activation. Dice: D6 Price: €23.00 (£19.00)
Deus Vult - Burn and Loot is the second Medieval set of rules from Fireforge Games. I’m not familiar with the first set released (simply Deus Vult ) but from what I read this is quite a different animal. Burn and Loot is designed to operate from a large skirmish level up to big battles. This is a grand idea, as you can try out the bigger battles as you paint up more units, but only having a few models doesn’t necessarily stop you playing.
Once both armies are deployed, players dice for the initiative each game turn. Each player then takes it in turn to activate a unit alternately until all units have been activated. Once activated, a unit has four activation points. Orders require either two or four points – so a unit could charge (4 points) or choose to advance (2 points) and shoot (2 points). Casualties are worked out at the individual level (typically one attack per model) and it is typically two step (hit and save). Shooting is simple: add up the number of models which can see (friendly and enemy models block line of sight) and then roll that many D6s. A roll of 4 to 5 is a strike (which affects morale) and a 6 is a killing strike (requiring a defence value ‘saving throw’ or a model is removed as a casualty). This is an interesting system, as units may be forced back without taking any casualties. Close combat is done in a similar manner; the defending unit does not fight back but simply resists the attack – although it’ll get its chance when it is activated. Units also have different defence values against shooting and in close combat, which is a nice touch. Morale tests are divided into discipline (for keeping cohesion in the heat of battle) and courage (for standing their ground). Testing is equally simple to combat. Roll a D6: a 6 is a resounding success (success with a bonus), 4-5 a success, 2-3 a failure and 1 a resounding failure (with additional penalties). The quality of units is reflected in the number of dice they get to throw. Most throw a single die but elite units can throw two
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For a relatively slim rule book, the rules themselves are very comprehensive. The section on terrain goes into some detail about the different types of terrain, including treacherous terrain (marshes) and obstacles. Building are covered in some detail. Some features such as rivers and hills are randomly diced for. For example, is the river shallow and easy to cross or treacherous and fast flowing? I like this idea as that river you may be relying on to anchor your flank might prove little obstacle to your opponent. There is another section for sieges, including siege weapons sections and equipment plus information on walls and on siege equipment and strongholds. This adds up to nine pages. There are nine good scenarios, all designed for bigger battles however. They are Pitched Battle (a standard fight), Last Stand (a town raid for supplies), The Crossing (assaulting a river crossing), Hold the Tower (attack/defend a watchtower), Encircled (defending force ambushed), Dawn of War (fog of war scenario), Town Under Siege, Stronghold Under Siege and Crush the Rioters (the peasants are revolting). There are a few special rules to remember but these are there to add flavour to the armies, so that charging knights are more effective, for example. There are some units which can react to charges; if they perform a discipline check they can perform the action. Archers can deliver a closing volley, cavalry counter charge, etc. However these actions are not automatic and can leave the unit vulnerable. Finally, there are the army lists. There are twelve army lists, namely Teutonic Order, Livonian Order, Medieval Russian, Feudal Polish, Feudal German, Mongol Horde, Kingdom of France, Early Plantagenets (English), Medieval Welsh, Feudal Scots, Medieval Irish and Crown of Aragon. That’s a good selection, although Arabic armies are missing, but more Army lists are available online at the Fireforge website. The Website has lists for Amir AlUmara (The Abbasid Caliphate), Ahdath Militia (local militias set up to counteract the Crusaders) and the Early Crusaders (think Kingdom of Heaven and you won’t go far wrong). Presumably more army lists will be available in due course. The system is certainly robust enough to be adapted to other periods of history. The rulebook will require a careful read, but once mastered, the mechanics of the game are easy to remember. If you like a simple game with individual casualty removal, and which will scale to the size of game you want to play, then give Burn and Loot a try. — David Davies
Congo Authors: Laurent Pouchain & Fred Machu Pages: 108-page full-colour hardback with 44-card deck and tokens. Publisher: Studio Tomahawk System: Order card determine initiative. Dice: D6, D8, D10 Price: £34.00
Over a decade ago, Darkest Africa was ‘the’ hot new period. Now we have Congo, shedding light once more on the Dark Continent, where many intrepid explorers have perished in the past. Will Congo succeed where others have failed? Read on… The rules come as an excellently illustrated hardback book with a pack of special cards, consisting of order cards and special bonus cards (typically given out once a turn). Production values here are excellent but we’ve all seen glossy rules before which didn’t live up to expectations, so I’ll admit I was sceptical at first as to whether I’d like Congo. Currently there are four factions – White Explorers (Dr Featherstone, I presume?), Zanzibar Slavers (honest Arab traders), the Forest Tribes (primitive but good) and African Kingdoms (warrior peoples). Each side has a good selection of characters (you can choose up to two, which join a unit) and then chooses troops from an army list. A typical ‘unit’ runs to 4 to 5 models. The lists are good and have plenty of flavour: the Explorers and Zanzibaris tend towards shooting while the natives tend towards sharp sticks (which they are expert in, so beware) and harsh words (they can use witchdoctors). There is an excellent range of eight different scenarios, provided on ‘news sheet’ style handouts. Each faction has its own special units. The White Explorers have Soldiers, Adventurers and rifle armed Askari, the Zanzibaris have the dangerous Baluchis. Forest tribes can have cannibals and the ever dangerous Pygmies. The African Kingdoms have Married and Fanatical Warriors. Some (such as young warriors and Ruga Ruga) are available to all factions. Characters have their own unique abilities; they also come with a star rating. If one side has a higher star rating than their opponent, the opponent gains an extra bonus card at the start. Let’s talk rules. Each side has seven order cards, numbered one to seven, plus a Witchdoctor card. Each
of the order cards provides different actions: some allow for moving (and charging), some for shooting and rally/terror (yes, you can inspire terror in your enemy). Three cards are chosen and then played in sequence (giving each side three actions a turn). Combat is simple: roll the appropriate dice and score a 5+ to succeed. The better the unit, the higher the dice it rolls. For shooting the attacker rolls to hit and then the defender gets a ‘saving throw’, rolling a D6 in the open (or D10 in cover) for each model in the group. Each ‘save’ cancels a hit. This means as an unintended consequence that large groups are more likely to save as they roll more dice. There is an option to ‘go to ground’ but this has a morale penalty. In close combat, each side rolls to hit and tallies the result. The difference in hits determines the winner, the loser taking the difference in casualties. The attacker suffers no casualties if they win – again a little odd, but go with the flow… the system is quick. Stress tokens are key in the game;, they can be gained by losing combat or avoiding shooting (curiously, not from casualties) but primarily from terror -– yes, your opponent can attempt to spook your forces out. Stress has different effects, such as slowing down a unit’s limiting movement or dulling fighting ability. There is even a terror stress token, which makes your units more susceptible to terror. Too much stress and your unit will flee. I like the feel they add to the game, sort of like an old Tarzan movie. You see the explorers move through the jungle but they slow down and you can see the nervousness on their faces. Something spooks the natives and they run off… Again, yes, stress has a very cinematic effect. The Witchdoctor’s effects can be quite powerful but they are limited by only being used once a game turn. They are definitely a step into fantasy, but still keep the whole ‘Darkest Africa’ feel. They are only available to the Forest Tribes and the African Kingdoms. Well, you won’t have White Explorers and Zanzibaris believing any of that ‘native mumbo jumbo’ nonsense. Congo is a good, fun and well balanced game. While it probably errs on the side of game rather than accurate simulation, I can see it having scope for bigger games given some adaptation. What you get is a cool skirmish game which has enough flavour to keep gamers interested. We’ve had some great games with these rules and there’s talk of a campaign. And yes, we’re buying more miniatures – which is a definite sign! Available from Wargames Foundry. — David Davies W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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N M U L O C
By Richard Clarke
UP FRONT
n a m r a H e i g r o e G ©
FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS Many years ago I had the opportunity to ask a very successful businessman what the secret of his success was; his response surprised me. “Well,” he mused, “I think it must be the realisation that if you’re not going forward, you’re actually going backwards”. Simple as it sounds, it turned out to be sound advice and, on reflection, I think that the same can be said about wargaming.
W
hen I took my first leap into the hobby, way back in the 1970s, the hobby was being championed as the “fastest growing leisure activity in the UK”. Looking back, I am not sure what evidence there was for this grand claim, but the hobby certainly felt like it was going places. By comparison, we now seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the greying of the hobby and, by extension, one must presume we are actually alluding to the perceived risk of it dying out altogether. Well, as you probably know, I am not a great believer in this thesis of doom and gloom. If one considers the quality and breadth of products now available to us, if one sees the show scene in the UK and Europe getting bigger, and without a doubt better, each year, then the rumours of our impending demise seem somewhat premature. What is more, this positive message is now backed up by figures coming out of the latest Great Wargames Survey, conducted by this august publication, that suggest that, in Europe at least, we have more wargamers of 40 and under than in the older age brackets and, most significantly, the largest cohort is the 31- to 40-year-old age bracket.
Now, I know that there are lies, damned lies and statistics; indeed, with any such survey the respondents are entirely self-selecting. We do need to take into account that the more elderly gamers will be less likely to participate, so the figures are skewed to reflect the internet generation. However, we also need to recognise that an absence of gamers in their late teens and early- to mid-twenties is not a sign that the hobby is failing. This group of potential wargamers will be off to university and into first jobs, only to re-emerge as thirty-somethings, married with kids and in stable careers and looking to do something with their leisure time. My own view from running games at shows for many years is that the health of the hobby needs to be judged not by the number of twenty-somethings pre-
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sent, but by the volume of thirty-somethings we see. And, believe you me, we see plenty, suggesting that the hobby is still moving forwards. Since the 1970s we have lived through an era of incredible technological change, the introduction of the internet being the most obvious innovation which has truly transformed the wargaming hobby in a largely beneficial way. From a personal perspective, businesses such as TooFatLardies, and now Reisswitz Press, simply could not have existed before the internet. Now the ‘global village’ means that every wargamer can play a part in his hobby. Even the gamer isolated geographically, in his hut in Alaska or on an oil rig in the North Sea, has free and unlimited access to the international community of gamers, and with that, the plethora of products from the raft of companies who use the web as their shop window. For me, it is a remarkable transformation from the solo gaming days of my youth when lack of local opponents saw me ploughing a lonely furrow until, at 19, I found a local club. However, largely positive as this globalisation has been, it has also done much to encourage a homogeneity within the hobby which has changed the way we game. As that 19-year-old youngster in the 1980s, it was almost impossible to go to a wargames club without being overcome by the potent odour of the spirit based inks that primitive copiers then used. Homeproduced rule sets were the norm, with copies surreptitiously run off at someone’s work being handed round to the acolytes of each particular game and with much discussion about the mechanisms of play and the consequent results on the table. With barely any contact between clubs, each gaming group would exist in their own little bubble, using rules which were completely unknown to the next club down the road. Of course, even back then such an anarchic approach was not appreciated by everyone. Lette rs used
to appear with tedious regularity in the hobby press, suggesting that we needed to standardise the rules we used so that the hobby could grow to achieve the recognition and status that tennis or chess had achieved, with the “official” rules in use everywhere. Fortunately, what was clearly a utopian dream for some was a horrifying prospect to the majority of independent-minded wargamers and, thank God, no such outcome was ever achieved. Now, even allowing for the huge choice of all the different rules that we now have to choose from, the most pronounced difference in the hobby seems to me, from discussions I have had with wargaming friends around the world, to be the way we actually get to play our games. Yes, we can all chat on the web forums and groups with equal ease of access, but it is access to actually getting to play a game with other human beings that differs, often significantly. In Europe and the UK, we tend to see local gaming groups meeting up to game on regular club nights. One of the great joys of wargames clubs is that we not only get to indulge in our hobby, but we also get to make long and lasting friendships. We tend to spend most of our gaming time with these mates, and as a consequence, there is still an element of that bubble present which insulates us from the outside world. We play whatever rules we fancy and within a club one will see a diverse selection of games being played. Sub-groups often emerge with their allegiance to one system or another, as takes their fancy. When it comes to playing wargames we embrace the concept of Vive la difference! Conversely, the situation in the hobby in North America seems somewhat different. Geographical reality means that local clubs or gaming groups simply do not exist for many wargamers and, as a consequence, their faceto-face gaming is limited to gaming at conventions. Here, where their opponents are often not friends who have emerged from years of mutual club gaming but relative strangers, there seems to be far more of an obligation to conform to a perceived standard. In this environment, one or two games become dominant forces, with acres of space taken up with rows of tournament tables. One friend I discussed this with hit the nail on the head when he told me, “If I am driving 500 miles plus to a convention, then I want to be certain to get a game,” although tellingly he added, “I don’t really like the rules, but this way I know I’ll get to play.” I fully sympathise with him. With no clubs locally allowing him the freedom to play what he’d like to play, conforming becomes more attractive than the alternative. Of course, this is not universally the case. I know that in many of the larger conurbations and more densely populated areas of North America there are clubs and groups meeting in hobby stores who operate precisely like clubs in Europe, but these excep-
tions seem to me to prove the rule when it comes to the long-distance gamer who snatches his gaming fun when he can at conventions. What is concerning here is that, as I mentioned a few months ago, the convention scene in the US is not in the best of health, with the number of traders present shrinking as the cost of attending increasingly outweighs any potential profit. Added to that, the demographics of the wargaming community across the pond do seem to be creating a different dynamic. Unlike Europe and the UK, the age balance is subtly different with the 41- to 50-year-olds being the largest group represented in the survey. What is striking about this is that people seem, to me at least, to be less likely to be taking up a new hobby when they are in this age range, and it looks like we are losing some of the thirty-somethings who are the torch-bearers who will take the hobby forward for the next generation. Unfortunately, it seems clear that we are seeing a divergence between wargaming on the two sides of the pond. Veteran game designer Sam Mustafa mentioned on a podcast recently that there was an increasing shift in sales of his rules in favour of the UK and Europe. For myself, I know that ten years ago UK sales and North American sales were pretty much neck and neck. Like Sam, I am finding that the North American sales are dwindling, whereas the UK and, especially, Europe and Australasia are big areas of growth. Without access to a whole lot of data, it is impossible to suggest a cause for the divergence that we seem to be seeing and, frankly, from where I sit I can only base my hypothesis on what I am being told by friends in the US and Canada. However, I do wonder if an environment where one or two game systems dominate, albeit for the understandable reasons outlined above, has resulted in a hobby which has less apparent choice and therefore less appeal. The strength of the hobby has always been its divergence and diversity in terms of the sheer range of games on offer. Far from holding back the hobby, as our utopian dreamers felt back in the 1970s, this was actually at the heart of the hobby’s appeal. Whatever you wanted in terms of a game, you were likely to be able to find it out there, with sufficient like-minded gamers to enjoy it with you. Indeed, this used to be very much the same in the US as it was, and still is, in the UK. If the hobby in North America is to stop its backwards slide towards obscurity and start moving forward again, then giving gamers a wider choice of ways to game and a wider choice of games to play can only make the hobby more attractive. In that way, we can retain the thirty-somethings who currently seem to be slipping away from the hobby. If we reach a point where the current tranche of 41- to 50-year-olds become 51- to 60-year-olds with nobody coming along behind them, then reversing that slide will become very difficult indeed. WS&S W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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BOOK REVIEWS Waterloo General: The life, letters and mysterious death of Major General Sir William Ponsonby
Author: John Morewood ISBN: 978-1473868045 Pages: 227-page hardback Publisher: Pen & Sword books Price: £20.00
I have always had a fascination for the Napoleonic period from a reading point of view, but never really got into it as a gamer. I recall in my younger years most of my wargaming friends were heavily into the period and drooled over the latest figures and rule sets, whereas I was more into the personalities. That brings me to this book. I have to admit the only thing I knew about Sir William before this tome landed on my desk was the recollection of his death as portrayed in the film Waterloo, where, after leading the Union Brigade in a charge which wrecked a French advance that had threatened to win the battle, he finds himself stuck in mud and, after giving his watch to an aide to pass to a friend, he bravely fights lancers and is eventually speared by one of them. This book covers his early life and, through various correspondence, gives an insight into the man and his career. Seen through letters to family, and from accounts from veterans and Prussian and French sources, the book casts new light on the the events of that day in Belgium. A lot of historians have criticized him
Tippecanoe 1811: The Prophet’s Battle
Author: John F. Winkler Illustrated by: Peter Dennis ISBN: 978-1472808844 Pages: 96-page softback with illustrations Publisher: Osprey Publishing Price: £14.99
Osprey fascinate me with the campaigns they have found to populate their very popular Campaign Se-
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for the charge getting out of hand at Waterloo. The author presents new accounts and evidence from Sir William and his contemporaries on both sides to restore his reputation and set the record straight. After a preface and prologue, the author examines the life and earlier career of Sir William, recounting his experience in the Peninsular War. Then a thorough examination of his actions during the Waterloo campaign, the events of the actual battle and his death are recounted. The accounts of his death and the contemporary accounts and supporting views are compelling and interesting in equal measure. I had always believed the account in the movie to be accurate, maybe with a little artistic license, but now having read this book I know the full events and they would have been more interesting than those depicted. In the appendices, the author completes the book by discussing Sir William’s brother and sister, information on the 5th Dragoon Guards and a fascinating article on his sword, which was taken from the battlefield by one of the French soldiers who killed him and spent years hanging over a fireplace in a French farmhouse before eventually being returned to his family in the recent past. All in all an excellent book for the historian, the gamer and even the causal reader: something for everyone here. Well written and an easy read, I found it hard to pu t down once I had started as I got engrossed in the events and suffered from “just the end of the chapter” syndrome, but then found myself sitting reading on until my wife moaned too much about the bedside lamp being on. — Ian Beal
ries, and this is definitely one to file in the ‘Obscure’ category. Following the usual format for the books of this series, the author sets out the background to the situation in North America at this stage: a looming war with Britain, continued expansion of the new country – saddled with debt but gradually recovering from the Revolutionary Wars, and also a population, at least those in the western p arts, living in fear of clashes with the Native Americans. As the local territories and States purchased land from various tribes, a degree of hostility built u p and as a head of steam reaches a critical mass, so did the frustrations of the native tribes. Normally this would not have been seen as a major issue – tribes seem to have been routinely displaced – but in this case a charismatic ‘prophet’, Tenskatawa, and his tribal war chief
brother, Tecumseh, began to try to organise a confederacy of tribes running from Canada to Florida, and this lead to the campaign in this book.
These are supplemented by some photos of the areas now. The make-up of the armies is looked at in detail, as are the equipment and tactics used by both sides.
The cast is quite colourful, with a slew of native tribes all possessing different motives, some hostile to each other but temporary allies, Chiefs such as Little Turtle, Between-the-logs, and Tecumseh, p oliticians such as William Harrison (a future president), and even possible British involvement.
From a historical perspective this is a fascinating read; however, from a gaming point of view it will require quite a bit of work to make this a playable campaign – or even a stand alone battle. Some of the earlier confrontations that didn’t quite turn into conflict seem to be full of potential, rather than the actual battle itself which is very one-sided and one in which the native forces are massively outnumbered.
As always the book is very well illustrated, especially with contemporary images, and it even has a photo of a veteran NCO retiring on the eve of the American Civil War who served in this campaign 50 years earlier! The maps are good and give a clear idea of the strategic theatre the armies operated in as well as the local conditions.
British Redcoat versus French Fusilier: North America 1755-63
Author: Stuart Reid Illustrated by: Paul Wright ISBN: 978-1472812438 Pages: 64-page softback with illustrations Publisher: Osprey Publishing Price: £12.99
The Osprey Combat Series is one where two historical opponents are placed in a ‘compare and contrast’ situation: in this book, the iconic Redcoat and the French Fusilier, in North America during the Seven Years War (or the French Indian Wars as they were also known). The book follows a familiar format, starting with the introduction for those unfamiliar with the setting and context. The author then goes on to describe the two opposing armies, looking at structure and training. Following on, he also looks at the equipment, the tactics and the leaders of these two enemies. Finally he examines the supporting structures, logistics and supply and how these affected the morale of the troops concerned. What made these forces unusual was the almost complete lack of cavalry, and so the infantry effectively did it all. The writer continues by examining three key battles, La Belle-Famille, the Plains of Abraham, and Sainte-Foy . These were all fought in less than a year and effectively decided the fate of Canada; two of the battles resulted in British victory and one in French.
This is still worth a read as it will give players some great ideas and a method to use any native Americans from Seven Years War collections and deploy them against US Regular Army troops from 1812! — Chris Payne
Finally he looks at the outcomes of the fighting, and how these developed or influenced the development of tactics and equipment. The local forces adapted very quickly to the conditions they faced, changing gaiters to be harder wearing, in the British case grabbing the French muskets when they could as they were better suited to the climatic conditions, and both sides’ use of terrain and native allies. Many of the illustrations of senior officers also come with mini biographies which I found most helpful, especially as many will struggle to name many leaders from either side apart from Montcalm and Wolfe! The book is exceptionally well illustrated, with colour plates, both modern and contemporary, showing uniforms and flags (some have come from other publications in the Osprey series). There are also some exceptional illustrations made by soldiers on campaign at the time, and these show what the troops actually looked like when on campaign – these could be some very interesting conversions for modellers. The maps that are in here are of average quality; as these are really only used for the battle narratives space is obviously a primary concern, and so I found there was a little too much going on in the maps themselves, given they are trying to show several stages of the battles all at the same time. I liked this book – it gives a decent amount of background information whilst not getting lost in what it is trying to talk about. If you like this period, or are curious about it, then this is well worth buying. — Chris Payne W ARGAMES , SOLDIERS & STRATEGY 87
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PARTING SHOTS Dungeon walls made easy When I was at Colours 2016, I saw some excellent Frostgrave dungeon terrain made by the Maidenhead and District Gamers. I really admired their work. Were the walls from some sort of kit they’d bought? No, they had scratch built everything themselves. I asked how they had created their cool dungeon. Firstly, they bought some floor heating insulation tiles. These are available either via eBay or at builder’s supply company. Another alternative is Craftfoam, which can be found in art and craft shops. They then used a blunt stylus (such as an old pen or pencil) to mark out the sections of wall. Next, a diluted layer of PVA was applied to seal the boards, followed by spay paint in an appropriate "dungeon-y" colour. Different patterns were used for the ceiling and the floors. Some foams do react badly to spray paints, so it is always best to test a piece before ruining all of your hard work! There are also plenty of tips online regarding how to paint and shape Craftfoam, since it is regularly used by Cosplayers to build all sorts of amazing costumes. — Guy Bowers
Project 217 BC As founding editor of WSS ' sister magazine Ancient Warfare on the one hand and the author of Warhammer Ancient Battles expansion Siege & Conquest on the other, we have noticed the apparent slackened interest in games set in the Ancients period. As publishers of Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy, we have decided to do something about this deficiency. Enter Project 217 BC: a year-long campaign for wargamers worldwide to fight ancient battles. Given the imminent arrival of new rulesets such as Swordpoint and Kings of War Historical , as well as the steady popularity of games such as Hail Caesar, Art de la Guerre and War & Conquest , to name but a few, there seems to be no better time to shine a light on the Ancient era. To encourage as many wargamers as possible to join in the miniature fray, we want to be inclusive. Hence the title of this project. 217 BC represents our chosen setting: the last quarter of the third century BC. It's the time of the Second Punic War, the Fourth Syrian War, the conquest of the Po Valley, the last hurrah of Sparta and, frankly, quite a few more wars. The number of available factions to collect and play is as extensive as it ever gets in the Ancient era. Finally, The campaign system that will be at the heart of Project 217 will allow for games played at any size, scale and with any ruleset you enjoy. Sure, a battle with thousands of miniatures might have more impact on the outcome than a small raid, but that seems only fair. The point is to dust off your old collection or raise entirely new armies, whether you prefer to do so in 28mm plastic or 6mm pewter. Our aim is to provide information, inspiration and, if you like, some coordination. It's up to you to find some friends (though we're planning to help there too), raise new armies, play some games, and in the end, it all comes down to Vae Victis! Will you join in? — Jasper Oorthuys & Guy Bowers
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