Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Miniature Wargames

Well this is the issue supporting the Salute 50 show. For the first time in a couple of years (Covid etc) Salute has returned to its ‘traditional’ April spot and it looks to be a big show. On that basis we have some articles that link in with the show, plus there’s the programme. The articles include a Double Feature of Command Decision with Jon Sutherland writing a second special to accompany his Greek game at the show (with a downloadable campaign!). Plus there’s The Woods fantasy game which is launching a new supplement featured in this magazine; and Kaiserschlacht WWI: a Great War game at the show. Outside of Salute related games, there’s the culmination of Historical RPGs with a WWII scenario by Conrad Kinch, and an SAS Jeep…

Sally 4th have added to their piratical (and, I guess, ‘unusual, literary fantasy inspired’ ranges) with a new range of (it has to be said) “Peter Pan” driven models. They sent me a boxed set of the entire range which is £37 for 22 models but the individual figures (if children in rompers doesn’t fit the bill) are available in pairs or subsets. So you can get a Hook type (with a separate cutlass arm to stick on and a hook in the other) and Smee for £8, or you can get the three Darling children (complete with dog) for £10. Half a dozen Lost boys in bunny eared rompers are £8 and a selection of flying and standing Peter Pan – plus a flying fairy and a native American…

The Woods new supplement will be at Salute 50 so check it out if you get the chance Ed. Between the long arms of Mount Silence the mouth of Icepine Pass opens into the White Wood. At the heart of the pine forest nestles the Leprechaun capital Frondleith. In the very centre, under the mightiest tree, lies Cuda’s Well, the sacred spring. Legend says that the waters from the well grant good fortune, heal grievous wounds and can even raise the dead. Arrows dipped in the holy water will never miss their target and a sword quenched to its hilt at the well will always keep its edge. Such is the fame of Cuda’s Well that its waters are sought far and wide across Talamhlar. Adventurers come seeking it for noble ends, for…

◗ caliverbooks.com◗ £23.50 Caliver Books recently released a volume on Culloden called Like Troops of Hungry Wolves - The Battle of Culloden 16 April 1746 written by Stuart Reid. They follow this up with a ‘one two’ Culloden punch and have produced The Highland Army at Culloden by Stuart Reid. This is a 154 page paperback edition (although there seems to be a hardback edition in the pipeline: either way I’m looking at a PDF rather than either). The book has six main sections. After the Introduction, we have almost twenty ages on Assembling the Army, and then over thirty pages on Weapons, Equipment and Tactics with some very nice illustrations of soldiers in ‘battle dress’. Then there are around fifty pages on Jacobite Infantry Regiments where they are covered…

“There is not a piece of constructive legislation in the world, not a solitary attempt to meet a complicated problem, that we do not now regard the more charitably for our efforts to get a right result from this apparently easy and puerile business of fighting with tin soldiers on the floor.” (Little Wars) H.G. Wells’s Little Wars, the original toy soldier wargame of 1912, remains in my humble opinion the perfect way to introduce one’s children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews to our wonderful hobby. There are, however, a few simple improvements that could make the original rules somewhat more realistic to satisfy the prejudices of an experienced wargamer who is staging the game for youthful players, but without adding complexity that will make the game both less entertaining to play…

Each Command Decision aims to offer a series of playable options in timeless military scenarios. Command Decision is designed so you can read the situation and figure out your own command decisions if you were leading the troops on the ground. You can either work through the various options or use the mechanics to create the precise circumstances of the table top engagement. The scenarios may have particular historical themes and settings, but you can easily adapt the mechanics to suit your own preferences and collections. This is a Salute special to tie in with the game I’m running at the show and there is a digital only campaign extra you can download! SITUATION REPORT Sparta and Thebes have not met on the battlefield for over twenty years. The clash…

◗ Ian F.W. Beckett◗ Helion & Company (2022)◗ £35.00◗ 210 pages (softback)◗ ISBN:9781915113849◗ helion.co.uk Today, we can view many different representations of battle: the reality in newsreels and on television; dramatized – and often fictionalised – recreations in movies and television dramas; photographs and paintings in art galleries; dioramas using scale models – and even wargames with model soldiers (though the latter, Donald Featherstone – himself a veteran of the Western Desert campaign in the Second World War – pointed out, bear only the most coincidental resemblance to real warfare). In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, however, there was no film nor television, and art galleries were the preserve of the gentry and aristocracy. The panorama, a new way of presenting visual portrayals of battles, became an extremely…

How did the club first get started? Aberdeen Wargames Club was formed in the early 70’s, which was well before my time and has had a steady core membership of about 20 playing mainly historical wargames. What’s changed in the years it’s been running? More recently as younger members join the club has diversified and almost all games are played from Ancients to X-Wing. The game which no one plays is Warhammer, but that is catered for elsewhere in the city. What are some of the most popular games at the club? We play Flames of War version 4, The Men who would be Kings, Hail Caesar, One Hour Wargames and A fistful of lead. But in reality we will try anything. For further games information there is plenty on our…

Hi and welcome to the 50th Salute!! Half a century of wargaming shows put on by the South London Warlords club. And that is the theme, the 50th show, we are all here today because we either love the painting of our models or the actual model making or like me simply the wargaming! The club has again staged the biggest and best independent one day show in the UK, where once again you will be able to see well over a hundred traders selling all sorts of hobby and wargaming goodness. These traders are here to cater to your every wargaming need. From that new project that you just have to start to that one figure you just didn’t know that you needed, they will have it all. And…

1 HISTORICAL Historical Wargames Single Figure, Infantry or Cavalry – Up to and including 54mm 1. HISTORICAL 2nd Mark Lifton 1. HISTORICAL 1st Lee Winnet 2 HISTORICAL Historical Wargames Unit, Infantry or Cavalry - 6mm up to and including 54mm. 5 to 40 figures 2. HISTORICAL 1st Graham Green 2. HISTORICAL 2nd Mark Shucksmith-Wesley 3 HISTORICAL Single Figure Infantry or cavalry up to and including 54mm 3. HISTORICAL 1st Graham Green 3. HISTORICAL 2nd Sebastian Clement 4 SCIENCE FICTION Science Fiction Single Figure - Up to and including 54mm Scale 4. SCIENCE FICTION 1st Sebastian Kohl 4. SCIENCE FICTION 2nd Sonny Hardy 5 SCIENCE FICTION Science Fiction Wargames Unit - Up to and including 40mm. 5 to 40 figures 5. SCIENCE FICTION 1st Benny Collins 5. SCIENCE FICTION 2nd Sebastian…

Osprey are releasing a swathe of new books that cover a number of bases and periods and we have been given some advance notice and a look at the covers. We start off with a rules set: A War Transformed by Frederick Silburn-Slater. In this The Great War meets the horrors of forgotten folklore in this occult skirmish wargame: very much a gothic horror and trench warfare. Teaming up with Warlord, they have a Bolt Action: Campaign: Italy: Tough Gut. It’s a new supplement for Bolt Action 2 focusing, as the title suggests, on the later Italian Campaign, following on from Soft Underbelly campaign. It adds new units, scenarios, and special rules, as per usual. Back in wargames rules we have With Hot Lead and Cold Steel by Arthur van…

Osprey’s The 100 Greatest Battles could be deemed a ‘coffee table book’ but that undersells it. The 223 page hardback covers a great selection of combat from the ancient period (Marathon) right through to more modern times (Desert Storm). There’s sea battles like Jutland and Trafalgar, through to Air and Air/Sea combat (Battle of Britain and Midway) and land based conflict. I would argue that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki isn’t actually a battle but… in general Angus Konstram does an excellent job as author. Each is presented as a two page synopsis accompanied by a very nice illustration lifted from the Osprey back catalogue.…

INTRODUCTION In last month’s column, we discussed the various historical RPGs available that might interest wargamers who fancy dipping their toe in role playing games without having to engage with Snarks, Frumpkins and Goblins of various sorts. This month, we have a short scenario called “Life at the Crossroads” for use with the free version of Operation Whitebox, a Second World War roleplaying system based on Dungeons & Dragons. If you’re not familiar with roleplaying games, I would suggest having a look at this (youtu.be/I6AT0qIWqx0) ten minute video on the subject, which is as good a summary as I’ve come across. THE GAME Life at the Crossroads is short (2-3 hour game) about a Military Police Traffic Control Section. I’ve provided four first level characters (with downloadable stat cards), but…

◗ miniaturefigurines.co.uk◗ £1.99 to £22.95 Caliver have sent in some Space Cultists in 28mm in their Miniature Figurines ranges. These would go well with the likes of Star Grave for those who like a more ‘traditional’ sculpting style. They have rather good faces and a reasonable level of detail and have a real ‘Flash Gordon’ vibe to them and so would really work for a game in that Pulpor 7TV style as well. Wearing helmets and high collared outfits, they come equipped with a variety of weapons: a Plasma Thrower (the chap has a huge tank on his back), and a Heavy Bolt Gun and the rest are just regular grunts with rifles. You can get a random grunt cultist for £1.99 or a pack of five for £8.80. The…

At 4:40AM the Western Front exploded along a 50 mile frontage as the preliminary bombardment for Operation Michael began; this was the start of the Kaiserschlacht: a battle so immense it could only be called the Emperor’s Battle. It had been anticipated by the Allied Powers as they realised the exit from the war of Russia in 1917 and its negotiated peace with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey) would free up forces that could be brought to bear in the west. They were also aware that time was not on the side of the Central Powers as the entry of America into the war would provide the Allies with immense industrial capacity and manpower once America was mobilised. GAMING KAISERSCHLACHT 1918 The theme for Salute 50 was a…

It’s been over three years since I first started writing a ‘short series’ of articles showing how to model simple wargame terrain for Miniature Wargames, during this time I have covered a wide range of different genres, themes and gaming styles, plus a couple of off-the-wall subjects. I recently discussed updating these articles with a list of products or tools that I like to use. John was in agreement and thought that it might prove interesting if I choose my top ten (actually top nine) for this month’s magazine article. I don’t think there will be any huge surprises in my list, but I have tried to add helpful comments where I can and even point you in the right direction should you wish to start or continue to scratch…

Salute 50’s special figure was designed and manufactured by Warlord Games. We spoke with Paul Sawyer, Warlord’s Product Design and Marketing Manager, about the process. “We were delighted to once again be asked to provide the figure for Salute and especially so given this wonderful milestone event. Working with one of our in-house sculptors, Wojtek, we began looking at concepts for an older Viking Jarl who was festooned with booty pillaged during his 50 year reign mirroring the South London Warlord’s successful 50 show past glories. For the look to the future of wargaming and more Salute events we were keen to produce this model in our Warlord Resin TM material as this is one of the great advancements in the hobby recently. Wojtek started with a few concept sketches…

Along time ago, in a galaxy far, far way — well actually it was August 1971 in Peckham, South London — I purchased the very first issue of Military Modelling Magazine at the Rye Stamp and Hobby Shop, run by Bill Brewer. He asked if I was interested in model soldiers and wargaming. As a boy who had grown up with Swoppets, Timpo, Britains and Airfix kits I obviously was. So Bill invited me to the new Wargames Club forming in South London. So off I went, on the 78 bus, to the windswept Bonamy Estate and met, and joined, the South London Warlords Wargaming and Military Modelling Club. Bill, Dave Rotor and Jim Shiels were the leaders and introduced us all to a whole new world of wargaming. The…

One of the highlights of any wargames show is the sheer spectacle of the games on display. Salute 50 is filled with games which will represent hundreds of hours of their creators’ collective work and will bring joy and inspiration to the thousands who see them throughout the day. How many of us have picked up an entirely new period or scale at a show, returning home with boxes of minis we wouldn’t even have considered buying only the day before? Show Games stand out from the crowd but make up only one part of a balanced hobby diet filled with a more regular, inconspicuous form of wargame - the Club Night Game. Less flashy than Show Games perhaps but no less enjoyable and no less inspiring. But what makes…

Brigade are an up-scaling their popular 6mm SF Monorail train to 15mm. These are large models (something like 150mm long) and are designed to sit on a plastic track. The models will be around £10 to £12 and come in various types: an engine with a pointy front, a passenger carriage with flat ends, and an armed combat train with spots for two turrets. The track is actually plastic conduit, widely available from any DIY store, and the train sits on it perfectly. The models are designed with doors half way up the sides of the carriages to interact with a station platform and Brigade are looking to do sets of an engine and two carriages at a slight discount.…

Based on the DAK Attack rules we reviewed (issue 472) and covered with an article (issue 474), here’s a taster to get your campaign juices flowing from Dave Tuck whose group has taken this one up. There’ll also be another article from the rules author in an issue soon! Ed. THE RULES The above was a dramatized version of our latest adventure using the DAK Attack rules written by Brendan Wheatley. These are a set of rules which couldn’t have appeared at a better time, covering the events and actions dramatized in the new BBC drama series Rogue Heroes. This covers the early exploits of the SAS and their LRDG taxi service. The book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, setting out the history of the early years of the SAS, is…

This is the last section of a three-parter. This time we finish up with a challenging scenario. It’s Rysshärjningarna: the Russian Invasion of Sweden in 1719. Ed. Over the past two months we’ve looked at some of the mechanics we can use to craft our own campaign game. Now let’s put all that to the test with a challenging scenario where Russian forces – eager to put pressure on Sweden at the negotiation table – launched a series of raids on Sweden’s east coast. Despite, three hundred years passing by, Sweden still faces the same kind of threat from their eastern neighbours, but this time they won’t be arriving in galleys. SITUATION REPORT The Great Northern War is almost at an end: Sweden has been defeated, yet she is still stubborn,…

Over the past couple of years I have been involved with my regular gaming opponent in a semi-linked series of pulp style small scale games. With some games forming a nice linked set, others were either one-off’s or following a theme. One of the themes focuses on confounding the activities of the nefarious international criminal organisation called the ‘Rule of Six’, which allows for some interesting game setups and modelling challenges. One such game was to be the shutting down of a underground storage facility. LAYING OUT THE TABLE For the game table setup I settled on a scheme where the action could take place both on the surface and underground. The scenario would take place in an area of jungle. The table would consist of an overground approach area,…

Have you ever tried counting it all up? The games, the rulesets, the armies? Even the editions of the rulesets? Then tried to work out when you might ever play them all? Or (shudder) finish painting that box of miniatures you bought at Salute 2002? Surely, surely, that’s enough, right? How did you get here? With the loft overflowing, the garage stuffed, every spare cupboard commandeered for another Kickstarter All-in (but hey, most of it’s packaging, but it’s very lovely packaging so it stays). For me it was way back in the summer of 1981 and I was told about Dungeons and Dragons. It was roleplaying games that brought me to wargaming, and to collecting and painting miniatures and into South London Warlords. Warhammer Fantasy Battles was the catalyst, 3rd…

History is endlessly fascinating, and often far stranger than any fantasy/fiction. These days there are so many books and movies and free material on the Web, you can easily research anything and immerse your imagination in any times long gone. If you like modelling and painting, historical gaming has plenty to offer. The art and joy is trying to capture the essence of the period with figures and paint. Gaming wise, rules work much the same way as Fantasy/Sci Fi ones, but have to be tested against real world outcomes. One bonus of historical games is the megalomania buzz - if you reckon you could have beaten Alexander or Napoleon, put your army on the table and prove it! The best way to start is to choose a period/army that…

It’s funny, but wargaming doesn’t appeal to everyone. I’m not sure why that is exactly. After all, it’s as broad a church as I can think of (what with different periods, styles, scales and all that), but there it is: wargaming is not everyone’s cup of tea. Within the hobby itself, wargames shows are similarly dividing. There are plenty of folks who have never been to one, indeed there are swathes of gamers who don’t belong to a club and just game alone or with a regular circle of mates. Maybe – what with the dearth of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops – those gamers buy all of their wargaming paraphernalia on line. T’was not always so. Once upon a time, there were small shops that sold wargames gold. For me…

Who doesn’t love a good bit of retail therapy. The excitement of a new release or of the need to get that new shiny you’ve just seen. This is the curse of the wargamer as we pay homage to our piles of shame. Sure, there are those amongst us who revel in their self-control and don’t buy until they have painted their last box but I’m sure there are abominations in all walks of life. In 2020 Knight Models released the third edition of their Batman Miniature Game and having dabbled quite heavily in second edition with two tournaments held at the club and others attended, when this was dropped it was one of those moments. Hairs stand on end, imagination starts pumping, concerns about new rules conflict with the…