Workbench 2025

Well, it is time for my self-indulgent post, where I quickly review my activities this year and look forward to the forthcoming year with its usual bucket full of projects.

2024 Review

Overall, I have been much better at getting games to the table this year, playing fourteen games. This meant more blog activity, which has started to attract a form of following. As usual, I became distracted by some new rules and periods. Midgard, Rangers of the Shadow Deep and the Dystopian Wars are the most notable. Whilst I try to stop myself from launching into new rules and projects, I just cannot help myself. A common affliction for most wargamers and something I will have to live with and the storage problem this involves. 

I have also been ruthless in trying to reduce my games; this includes Saga, Dystopian Wars, and Spaceship Gothic. These are not bad games, but they are the ones that appealed to me the least. A gull that I hope will become part of my gaming. 

Looking Ahead

In 2025, the idea is to concentrate on 4 projects.

1. Pulp Alley and the Adventures of the Leopard. My Tomb of the Serpent campaign ended in December, and the Mace Institute will take a break for a while. The next campaign will follow the adventurers of the Royalist spy, the Leopard. The events will follow on from my test game, the Wayward Messenger. 

The Leopard takes on Parliament’s troopers in the ruins of Wythboune Abbey.

1. Midgard. These rules came out late in 2024, but I had played them at Britcon and liked their versatility, so after playing a few test games, I will put some campaigns together as part of James's campaign test environment. At the top of the list are Mystic Britain (Arthur versus some Dwarf invaders) and the Great Army of the 870s. Later development will be in my Shadow Wars setting, the Anarchy 1138-53, and when gods clash before the walls of Troy. However, these are painting projects for 2025.
2. Super Mission Force. My superhero campaign against the master of the gene, DNA, will end early next year. This will be replaced by a superhero adventure in a Stempunk London of the 1880s. This is an attempt to get some use of figures that have been set on the self for a couple of years. An objective that pervades my Leopard and Midgard projects as well. 
3. Simulations. These are epic historical clashes played on the tabletop. The following are planned for next year.
1. Mark Backhouse has produced and supplemented his Strength & Honour rules, which handle ancient warfare between Alexander and Hannibal. I have had some old 6mm miniatures for some time, so I will rebase and redeploy them. The Battle of Pynda is the first on the list.

The Macedonian Phalanx prepares to receive the advancing Roman Legions.

1. I will continue to work through the War of the Roses battle with a refight of Tewksbury.
2. My Peninsula battles project moves slowly forward, and Vimeiro is the first conflict to be played.
3. I am planning a semi-historical rematch of the Lucknow campaign during the Indian Mutiny. Here, the Sharp Practice rules will be used to fight the engagements. Therefore, I am not looking at big battles but large skirmishes and trying to capture the strategic and tactical decisions.

Ad Hoc Adventures

Kiss Me Hardy, one of my favourite games, will take a break this year. I am awaiting the second edition, and in the meantime, I have decided to use a 1:700 scale, so there is a bit of modelling to do. Several single or small squadron actions will be attempted as the new fleet grows.

Rangers of the Shadowdeep, with its low cost and quick setup time, will be one of the main short games for 2025 as I continue with the adventures of Thalia Songweaver. In addition, a new fantasy city game, Traitors of Troll Gate, is due for release, which will serve a similar purpose. 

Big Projects.

Crusader battle is my attempt to adapt Strength & Honour to the first century of the crusading enterprise using some old 6mm figures. The other big project is researching the Italian Wars from 1494-1559. This is mainly a research project for 2025, but the ultimate aim is to refight some of these battles with some old 6mm I inherited from somewhere.

The Blog.

This blog has mainly focused on battle reports, which will remain because I like to write a narrative about my wargame adventures. However, I want to add more depth by reporting on my various projects in development and some of the campaign mechanisms I plan to use. In addition, I hope to do a few more rules reviews and, if I can get the download function to work, offer some download scenarios, etc.

Solo Wargaming

New books on solo wargaming are a rarity, so when one comes along, the author should be applauded. This year, Gregory Ward published 'Wargaming World Solo: Ancient to Modern Solo Wargaming' (WWS). As the title suggests, the book has taken on the ambitious task of writing solo rules that span human history.

Overview

WWS is divided into three parts. First, the author overviews his approach and mechanism to provide a unique solo opponent, a 'Virtual You' (VY). In the second part, the bulk of the book, he goes through the details of deployment, turn sequence, command and control, random events, flank marches and reserves, movement and combat, reactions and decision making and finally, morale. The book's final part contains examples, army lists and QRS. All in 80 pages.

Complete Ruleset for the Solo Gamer

As the above heading suggests, WWS is a complete set of rules. Concentrating on troop and leadership quality as the main driver allows Gregory to use the same primary mechanism for different historical periods, adjusting for technological advances in the movement and combat tables. These rules are self-contained and would allow gamers to set up a quick weekend game.

OR A Toolkit

However, like many, I am already attached to specific rules for my favourite periods. For people like myself, WSS becomes a treasure trove of tools to turn these rules into a better solo experience. These include how to set strategy, tactical approach, deployment, objective setting, hidden movement using markers, and reaction tests. In many instances, the pedigree of these ideas can be traced back to Donald Featherstone and Charles Grant, to name but a few. However, how they have been combined and redesigned makes this book an essential addition to a solo warmer's library.

Next Steps

My next step is to try WWS's tools with my favorite rules: Lion Rampant, Fantastic Battles, and Sharp Practice. Additionally, I plan to use them in my historical refights at Tel Danith (1115), Cheriton (1644), and Vimeiro (1808). This exploration has also sparked ideas for naval games like Dystopian Wars, and experimenting with pre-battle movements, sieges and campaigns. WWS has rekindled my interest in the genre and what can be done.

How long does all this take? Who knows? However, that is the beauty of solo wargaming.

The Grimm

Currently, my main superhero gaming is set in the classic the Bronze Age of comics. My latest adventures involve a struggle against DNA and his Rebirth League. The first episode of this mini-series can be found here. However, the longer plans is to develop a Golden Age team in a Weird World War II setting. The first character to add to the Axis rosta is the Grimm. Here is his origins, a picture and his stats cards for Super Mission Force (SMF).

The Order of the Black Sun. 

Like most of my narrative backgrounds it has it origins in reality. In this case of ‘The Order’, story has a tenuous link to Himmler’s fascination with the occult and the research unit he established at Castle Wewelsburg. Therefore, in this alternative reality the north tower of the castle became the headquarters of the Order.

The Grimm

Grimm, was once a mortal man named Johann Krieger, a brilliant scientist in Bismark’s Germany. A brilliant scientist he studied the power generated between the planes of existence. Krieger was particularly interested in capturing the essence at the time of death. However, his experimentation went awry, and he became trapped between the realms of the living and the dead. Over time, the boundaries between life and death eroded, corrupting The Grimm's essence. His malevolent nature deepened as he existed in this liminal space, with the ethereal energy feeding his dark powers. The once-human side of Johann Krieger faded, replaced by a vengeful spirit.

As a half-man, half-ghost entity, Krieger gained spectral abilities and a sinister appearance. In an attempt to reverse his living death, he offered his services to the Kaiser during the Great War, but he would come into his own with the rise of the Nazi party, whose malevolent ideology gave the Grimm purpose. The Grimm joined Himmler’s occult experiments at Wewelsburg Castle, where he became a founding member of the Order of the Black Sun, known and feared by allies and friends as the Order.

I find it challenging to learn all the power effects - hence the card.

Strength, Honour and Chivalry

New year and a new project. I will try adapting Strength and Honour to the High Middle Ages, c. 1050-1250. I have read on the Facebook group that there is an adaption for the Late Middle Ages, but the Medieval period was a long one, about 1000 years. During this time, armour, tactics and the ethos of war changed.

Few Changes 

My starting point is that warfare in the High Middle Ages differed from warfare in the early Roman Empire, the period covered by the core rules. However, many mechanisms and troop types could easily be translated to the medieval period. However, differences do exist.

The Main Differences 

The Size of the Armies. 

Numbers are a problem for medieval chroniclers, but the overall impression is the armies were in the low 1,000s. Battles like Hastings and Hattin were the exception. This means that the base will represent a lot fewer men. An infantry base of between 1,000 and 2,000 men is my starting point. This means the battlefields are smaller, which will impact the mechanics, for example, command ranges.

Leadership. 

In Western armies, leadership had a heroic quality. The commander was usually attached to his retinue and led from the front. More Alexander than Julius Caesar. Muslim, Byzantine generals had a more classical approach to the general positioning. This will impact the Command Board and the risks to the general in combat.

Deployment. 

Honour and status had an impact on deployment. The vanguard and the rearguard were positions of honour.

Pre-Battle Sequence. 

Battles were rare. Most generals adopted a battle avoidance strategy. This makes the pre-battle manoeuvring more important. I am currently looking at adapting the Mortem et Gloriam system, which covers this aspect well with a simple set of rules.

Religion & Faith. 

What is the impact of religion - relics for auguries? It may be necessary to have a priest troop type.

Initial Scope

My initial area of concentration is the Crusades from the 1st to the 3rd Crusade because the variety of fighting cultures involved will be a good mechanics test. The main tactical styles will include the Western, knight-based armies with emerging chivalric way of war. Eastern military culture; the Muslims (sedentary, Fatimids and the Turkic ruled Damascus, etc) and Byzantine. These armies were influenced by the tactical doctrines of the Roman and Sassanid empires. Last, the culture of the steppe nomads, wild Turks and Mongols. 

The Battles Covered

The starting point is to get the scale per base correct. This will involve looking at about a dozen battles to ascertain the best scale to get 6-14 elements per side on the battlefield, but it also produces a balanced game.  The current list is; Antioch (1098), Ascalon (1099), Harran (1104), Ramla (1105), Tell Danish (1115), Field of Blood (1119), Ibelin (1123), Inab (1149), Harrim (1164),  al-Babayn (1167), Mont Gisard (1177), Hattin (1187), Acre (1190), Arsuf (1191), Gaza (1239), La Forbie (1244) and Mansurah (1250).

Not all these battles will make the cut, and the several battles fought during the siege of Acre could be turned into a mini-campaign.

Workbench 2024

This blog is always self-indulgent because it aims to set out my projects and ambitions for the forthcoming year. A similar bit of self-indulgence occurred last year, although personal circumstances made many of my ambitions attainable. However, it would be wrong to blame the vagaries of life on my failure to deliver all my projects last year. The most crucial factor was that I was too ambitious, a common trait with wargamers. Therefore, this year, I have been more constrained in my aims; although the project list is still as long, some will not see the light of day during 2024.

Campaigns

Last year, I had two campaigns that I planned to play during the year. The first was a fantasy campaign, the Second Shadow Wars, using the rules of the Fantastic Battles. This campaign saw little action since the early months of 2023. First, the campaign took an unusual turn when Umbarji Khan ( my Orcs ) suddenly died, leading to a succession crisis. I had not drawn up the maps for all the Umbarji realms, nor did I have detailed biographies of the various brothers and sons that would contest the Blood Throne. Finally, I needed rules to cover these surprise developments. 

I have learnt from this campaign to stop trying to develop everything myself and take some of the work the other enthusiasts have placed on the web. Therefore, I plan to play the Umbarji Civil War by adapting some one-page campaign rules and personality-driven mechanics in Henry Hyde's 'Wargaming Campaigns'.

In the meantime, the original campaign centred on the Wilderness Steppes will concentrate on the struggle for the Lakeside towns. Due to his father's death, Ozbeg has been drawn into the struggles with his family and has left the Wilderness campaign to one of the leading generals, Doba Skullcrusher, to conduct the war on his southern border. Again, this will involve looking at off-the-shelf campaign roles, using a hex system, or even returning to such old favourites as Mighty Empires. 

The Tomb of the Serpent

The second campaign used the Pulp Alley and their Tomb of the Serpent campaign.  This is now halfway through, and I plan to complete this during the year. Slade Horton and his companions from the Mace Institute are now crossing the desert in search of the Serpent’s tomb, where they will come face-to-face with the Egyptian God of chaos, Apophis. I have fallen in love with this band of adventures and plan to translate them to other game systems, so expect to see the Mace Institute appear in alternative World War II adventures. 

Recreating Battles.

I have two recreations near completion in painting and research, and they will hit the table in the first quarter of 2024. The first is the Battle of Crediton in 1643, where I'll reenact the battle using the Twilight of Divine Right rules, and maybe another replay, using For King and Parliament. 

Marius and the German Invasion

The next set of battles re-fight the battles between Marius and the Germans, Aquae Sextiae (102BC) and  Vercellae (101BC). These will be played using Strength and Honour rules. However, these battles are essentially holding games whilst I start to work on the big projects of 2024, Hellenistic World and Rome's Expansion. Why start this new development? 

Partly anticipating Mark Backhouse's supplement to cover this early period; it is my favourite era of Ancient History.  The main difference is this era will be played using 6mm figures rather than 2mm because I have a box of painted minis that have been unloved for several years. Rebasing and some in-filling of figures will be required, but hopefully, this will not be too burdensome. Unsure of the first battle, try to get to the table, but the following are on the list: Paraitatiene (317 BC), Ilipa (206 BC) and Pynda (168 BC).

Wellington in the Peninsula 

This project was on the list last year and is slowly progressing in 2 mm. 2mm is ideal for this era because it gives the authentic flavour of the mass movement of large bodies of men across the battle field. Once the painting is completed for the Battle of Vimero (1808), moving on to the other conflicts of the Peninsula campaign will be easy. 

Lion Rampart, Saga and Midgard 

The one campaign I completed last year was my Feud campaign set in the period before the Magna Carta. I plan to turn my interests to the Early Medieval period, where I will experiment with several rules, including Lion Rampart, Saga and yet-to-be-released Midgard. All three games have the potential to play a Fantasy version, so I may dig out some old 28mm Citadel miniatures to set up some small-scale fantasy battles. I plan to have some extra stuff painted by the excellent Matt Slade to give some of my old armies a new flavour. Ultimately, I may extend these one-off battles into some form of campaign. I'm interested in doing an alternative breakdown of Roman authority in Britain. Where the invaders may have been dwarves and their allies. 

Skirmish Games and Roleplay

Besides using Pulp Alley for the Tomb of the Serpent campaign. I have employed 7TV to bring the swashbuckling character of the Leopard to life as he fights his way through politics in war and the time of the English Civil War. I plan to join these adventures together and publish them as a set of scenarios. 7TV system is also being used for my Sword and Sandles project where a Greek demi-god will take on numerous quests, a mixture of Xena, Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. However, this idea is still in its early days.  

Superhero Genre

The last area skirmish is superheroes. In 2023, I played the first part of my mini-campaign when the evil Dr Nicholas Amargus (DNA) attempted to brainwash San Diego with his mind-bending gases. I adapted Pulp Alley for this first game, but for the second instalment, I will use Super Mission Force, which is designed for the genre using the gaol system. While these adventures are going on, I am building two teams of superheroes from the Golden Age who will fight Hitler's minions. 

Dungeon and Dragons

Connected to the skirmish games is my renewed interest in role-play, where the character develops even more. A magazine I found in the supermarkets made me to re-look at Dungeons & Dragons. I have found that since I last role-played – in the 1980s- enthusiasts have done much work on playing solo adventures. I plan to use these ideas and employ AI as a tool to help the game master.  I hope to post a blog on my thinking behind this and how it can generally impact wargaming. 

Naval 

I am planning a small Kiss Me Hardy game based on the scenario in one of the Lardies' magazines that is set off the island of Corsica. I am still struggling to find a set of ancient naval roles that reflect the era's sea battles. At the moment, I'm tempted to take up one of the ideas that came out of a discussion between Henry Hyde and Simon Miller of using To the Strongest mechanism for naval engagements. This could be a large project if I decide to undertake this challenge. Whatever, nothing is likely to appear next year. 

 

Some Final Thoughts

No doubt, as a wargaming magpie, some other distraction will draw me off in an unforeseen direction. Games Workshop has re-hacked the old Epic 40,000 as Legion Imperialis. A reminder of time playing Warhammer, so I am likely to give the game a try. No doubt there will be others.

I also hope to attend a couple of shows and a 'Lardie Day'. Whilst, I remain mainly a solo warmer, the hobby has a fantastic community that always gives me a boost. However, these events often provide the seeds for another project. Chain of Command has lingered in the back of my mind since my outing to Nottingham last year.

What a Cowboy

Cowboys and Indians! Something I would never think of Wargaming. So what was the draw for playing this game? Excuse the pun here. Firstly, I am a fan of games published by the Two Fat Lardies. These Western rules are based on an earlier set of WWII tank rules, What a Tanker, written by Nick Skinner, which John Savage has adapted to the Wild West. The Lardies had also published several tutorial videos before the game's launch, some excellent marketing, which also whetted my appetite. Last, the game was causing a stir on several Facebook groups I subscribe to. However, whilst the game appealed, I remained unsure of the genre, so my test game had to be done on a budget.

Wargaming in a Budget

Thankfully, the game requires a few figures, usually four aside. However, I followed the Lardies' tutorial videos and used two figures on each side. I decided to invest in a box of plastic cowboys, allowing for any expansion. The terrain was assembled from my existing collection of rocks and a ruined temple that became a burnt-out mission. I added some cardboard buildings, which I did not use. Overall, the cost was less than £30.

Rules 

I intend to refrain from undertaking a detailed rules review, but some of the main mechanisms that give the game its flavour are worth mentioning. Overall the rules are simple to learn and intuitive, with minimal referral to the rules book.

Action Dice

The core mechanic is the action dice, six d6. These can be reduced during the game, mainly from being wounded. When rolled, these dice provide the possible actions the figure can take. These range from moving, spotting, aiming and shooting/reloading. This simple mechanism leads to many decisions when managing your character but leaves some uncertainty. This fog of battle also makes the game suitable for a solo wargamer.

Ammo Tracking

A nice touch is that the ammo is tracked for each gun or rifle the figures carries, with some of the better firearms being restricted to the more elite characters. The mechanism means that you have to plan when it’s time to reload, which can be a tricky decision.

Role Play

Another element that gives this game its flavour is role-playing in character design.

The Test Game

I developed a quick backdrop to my test scenario to give flavour. The two sides were after the loot of  Joshua Dawson, a small-time conman who struck gold on his last venture, only to die a few weeks later. The first group interested in Joshua’s legacy were his two sons, Eli and Zac. The Dawsons love their biblical names.
Their opponents were two minor outlaws, Jingo Bains and Hank Rodgers, whom Joshua had swindled out of their illegal gains. Therefore Bains and Rodgers felt cheated and determined to recover their 'hard worked' loot.  
Joshua's ill-gotten gains lay hidden somewhere in the old missionary church. The game objectives for both sides were to find the gold and get out in one piece.

Action

The game played really well, and the rules were easy to pick up as my two small teams fought around the old ruined missionary station to win the treasure. A fistful of movement dice allowed the brothers to get to the loot first. However, in the interim, our rogues had managed to take up positions that would make it difficult for Eli and Zac the get back to their horses without a hail of gunshots.  Both would suffer wounds before they reached their horses, and it was some bad timing by Hank that forced him to reload at a critical moment that allowed the Dawson brothers the few seconds they needed to get to safety.

Follow-Up - 5 Years Later

The game was fun, and the Dawson brothers will be saddling up again. I have decided to use the campaign rules included in the book to carry my story forward. The brothers have used their father's money wisely and now own a cattle ranch, Repeta, that sits outside Dawson Greek. A town, as the name suggests, that owes the brothers a lot. Eli and Zac will be joined by other members of the Dawson clan. More to follow. 

Land Lubber

Nelson, Hornblower, Bothilo and Jack Aubrey are historical and fictional heroes from the Age of Sail. An era where a ship's captain took on a romantic demeanour, in many ways like a mediaeval knight, as his vessel ploughed the oceans in search of adventure and glory. Despite the apparent appeal of these heroes, naval wargaming has never achieved the attention of its land-based equivalents. Before starting this project, I had to learn more about this genre and the specialist maritime language.

Naval Gaming - The Learning Barrier

I have made several abortive attempts at naval gaming but have yet to overcome the learning barrier. Recently, Long Face Games' set of naval wargames rules has persuaded me to have another go. I decided on three periods. First, the classic Age of Sail and the nautical heroes it attracted. Second, the ancient period because I have a long-term project on the First Punic War. A conflict where naval engagements were critical to winning the land war. Last is World War II, something entirely outside my comfort zone, but I have recently read some books on the naval conflicts in the Mediterranean. A theatre of warfare I constantly return, whatever the period. However, the rest of this blog is about my entry into the Age of Sail, particularly from 1793-1816.

Scale

The aim was to focus on fleet and squadron actions in the period rather than individual ship actions. I am more interested in the problems of command than seamanship. I also wanted a tabletop game rather than a board game. This brought in the need for scale because my wargames table is 6’ x 4’, and sea battles could roam over miles of ocean. I, therefore, decided on 1:2400 and the range supplied by Magister Militium because of the breadth of its coverage. Tumbling Dice also produces nice ships, but these are larger than the Hallmark and GHQ ships marketed by Magister Militum.

Low Entry Cost

Assembling my starter fleets highlighted one of the advantages of naval wargaming—the low entry costs. The workhorse ship, for fleet actions, the 3rd Rate cost under seven pounds (2023 prices), and my first project to refight the Battle of Cape Ortegal involved eight 3rd Rates and 3 or 4 frigates. A total outlay of under £85 as the terrain was the open ocean, some blue cloth would suffice.

Rules

However, like all my projects, I buy many rule books before venturing into my first game. The rules I checked out were.

Grand Fleet Actions by Andrew Finch and Alan Butler, A & A Game Engineering

Far and Distant Ships by David Manley, Long Face Games

Fighting Sail by Ryan Miller, Osprey Publishing

Fire as She Bears by Phil C Fry, Starboard Tack Press

Kiss Me, Hardy, by Nic Skinner, Two Fat Lardies

This list needs to be completed; several rule sets mentioned in the gaming forums are not included because I wanted to keep to a tight budget.

Reading List

Barry (2017), Far Distant Ships: The Royal Navy and the Blockade of Breast 1793-1815.

Davey (2015), In Nelson's Wake; The Navy and the Napoleonic Wars.

Fremont-Barnes

Knight (2022), Convoys: The British Struggle Against the Napoleonic Empire.

Willis (2008), Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century.

Winfield (2005), The British Warfare in the Age of Sail (1793-1817).

Next Step.

The following blog looks at the rules, yes, more than one set, I plan to use in my refight of Cape Ortegal.

Workbench 2023

This blog is self-indulgent; it is just a list of the projects I hope to complete in 2023. However, it might give the reader inspiration or ideas for their games. Like most wargamers, I have long project lists, which I am always willing to add despite their minimal chances of reaching the table.

My Campaigns

My first group are those projects I started in 2022 and need to continue or complete. Overall, in 2022 I was better at getting games to the table and averaged about two games a month. I also started two campaigns. The first is a Fantastic Battles campaign, using my own campaign rules to fight the 2nd Shadow Wars. In 2023 I need to continue to develop the rules and move to the next campaign year as an Umbarji (Orc) civil war begins to brew. The second is my Pulp Alley campaign, Tomb of the Serpent, which has now moved to Cario as the heroes try to stop the ancient Egyptian god, Apophis. 

Strength & Honour and Lion Rampant

The other two ‘banker’ games are Strength & Honour and Lion Rampant. For the former, 2023 is the year of the phalanx, as I see how the rules deal with these hedgehogs of the ancient world. Initially, the focus was on Rome’s wars against Mithradates, but the aim was to run a 1st Punic War or Hellenistic campaign. Hopefully, Mark Backhouse will have completed his early Roman supplement to the game and coupled with my research; the campaign will be ready to play in 2024. For Lion Rampart, the first objective is to play the last battle of my Feud campaign before moving eastwards to play something from the Early Medieval period, including the twelfth-century Latin East (Outremer).

Two other projects are centred around games that use the Lion Rampart framework. The first employs the ‘The Men Who Would be King’ (TMWWBK) rules, where the idea is to follow the campaigns of Neil’s Blue Caps (The 1st Madras Fusiliers) during the Indian Mutiny/Rebellion. Most of the preparation has been done, so I should be able to play the first game in 2023. The second is to use the 'Xenos Rampant' game to fight an alternative WWII setting, where Dad’s Army takes on Cthulhu-led Third Reich. This is planned for the last quarter of my painting schedule goes to plan.

God’s Scale 2mm.

The next group of projects centres around the 2mm and can be briefly but inaccurately described as Black Powder games. I recently played the Napoleonic corp-level game, Blucher, using card markers, which I found very enjoyable. I am looking at some other divisional/operational rules, and the plan is to play several Peninsula War battles at both the corp (battle) and divisional levels. The first battle on the list is Vimeiro (1808). The second element of the 2mm adventure is the English Civil War and other conflicts from the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. I will use the Twilight Rules (Divine Right and the Sun King). The first game will be the Battle of Cheriton (1644), followed by Edgehill (1642). I am also reading about other battles of this era and may try something from the Thirty Years' War or the Great Northern War. One of the Twilight rules is that they are well served with historical battle scenarios.

Naval Wargaming

Naval wargaming is the third main area and a genre often ignored by landlubbers. I plan to use small scales to refight some classic naval actions. The adventure starts with the Age of Sail, with a refight of small engagements after Trafalgar, Cape Ortegal (1805). Ecnomus (256 BCE) will be the ancient venture which will link into my preparations for a1st Punic War or Hellenistic campaign. Last on the list is Cape Matapan (1941) from WWII, a period I have never played before. For each period, the starting point is the rules by Long Face Games.

Workbench

The last area is my workbench, where I have several skirmish games. This range from swashbuckling rules, ‘Flashing Steel’ to the Superhero genre employing Four Color Studios rules. I also want to try out 7TV rules and scenarios because of the excellent narrative element. The last pile on the list is some old Kickstarter board games I need to play or sell. What's familiar about all the games on the workbench, they involve a small number of figures and terrain, which I already have in my collection.
The Brown Book Initiative

Brown Books!

I love to write down ideas and how my thinking on a game develops. This motivates the blog, but I wanted something more spontaneous. So I bought some cheap brown notebooks and labelled them for each project under development. Each book will have my thoughts on the scale, rules, some research and how I plan a game or campaign. These will feed into this blog here, so there is more of a narrative between blogs.
Closing Remarks

Well, it's longer than I thought, and I have bitten off too much, but isn't that what all wargamers do? To this list, I have to add the new shiny rules and figures that appear in 2023, which will distract me in new directions. Already, I heard that the Two Fat Lardies are publishing a western gunslinger skirmish game; now that is a setting I have not tried!

Enjoy your gaming.

God's Own Scale

The arrival of the Strength and Honour ancient rules has led me toward 2mm wargaming, 'God's Own Scale'. You may ask, why bother? Why not play a board game instead? The scale loses much of the grandeur of the larger scales, and you cannot distinguish between the 5th foot and the 38th or identify the various shield designs of an ancient army. Indeed, the scale is probably not for you if you enjoy fielding immaculately painted armies. However, the impact of these blocks can be stunning as you can field armies of 30,000 plus men on a 6-foot by 4’ table.

Armies in a Shoe Box

One of the advantages of the scale is its limited storage requirements. Two armies in a shoe box. This is a godsend for a wargamer like myself who always needs more storage space.

The Other Benefits of 2mm.

That leads nicely into the benefits of 2mm gaming.

The scale allows you to recreate massive, army-sized clashes on a 6 x 4' table. In 28mm, a 6 x 4' table equates to roughly 110 x 75 yards - a snapshot of any battle except a skirmish. In 2mm, a 2 x 4' board works out at about 2 x 4 miles. You can recreate much larger conflicts with much less space. Minor battles, for example, the Napoleonic battle of Vimero (1808), will easily fit on a four-foot square table. Despite 17 divisions potentially being involved.

The regiments marching across these small spaces look like regiments, divisions and corps on the move. One of the changes in painting and modelling at this scale is that you are conscious of the tactical formations employed. Taking an ECW example, you can show a cavalry unit in Swedish and Dutch formation and vary their appearance differently. These alternative designs will probably not impact play, but they make your battlefield look realistic.

Battles are easy to set up and play. The armies are tiny, and a base can represent anything from a Roman legion to a whole Germanic tribe. For later periods, a division or event corp. Therefore most battles can be played with under 24 bases per side. This makes set-up quick, and labels attached to the base help identify the unit and speeds up gameplay.

God's Land

Of course, then there's the terrain. Little terrain is produced for this scale, although some manufacturers now make some buildings. With a few bases of buildings placed side by side, you soon get the impression of a large town or city. See below for some links.

This means that roads, rivers and forests are usually handmade. Forests are just clumps of bath mats, sprayed and placed on a textured base, and they look the part; rivers and roads are just painted strips of card or other cheap basing material. I use self-adhesive floor tiles obtained from pound shops. If you are like me and want to get a game to the table asap, this terrain-making process takes only a little bit of time. Also, because the terrain is cheap and quick to make, you can spend time mimicking the landscape for the battle you are refighting.

Economy Wargaming

Finally, the venture is low-cost. Breaking into a new period in 28mm gaming can be expensive. Irregular Miniatures sell army packs with a staggering quantity of troops (tens of thousands) for £12.50. I recently decided to start an English Civil War campaign (more on that soon), and I fielded two sizable armies for an initial investment of about £30 each.

Current Projects Using God's Scale

I am currently using 2mm on several projects where I want to recreate full scale conflicts or where I want to try a period out without a massive investment in time (painting) and money.

The current projects of the workbench are;

Ancients 

I currently have an imperial Roman army and Gallic/Germanic tribes.  I am now working on phalanx-based armies in anticipation of refighting Rome's expansion into the Greek East.

English Civil War

The objective here is twofold. First, a desire to refight the Sheraton, 1644. Second, test out the Twilight rules for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Period I have in the past ignored. Therefore, this little project could expand into the Thirty Years War or Wars of the Spanish Succession. 

Napoleonic and the Peninsula Campaign.

This is a classic wargaming period, which I have not played for years or decades. I have always been turned off by needing to understand the tactics of the era and the complex painting demands. However, recently reading about these conflicts led to a desire to refight the battles of Wellington's Peninsula Campaign. The 2mm scale has enabled me to build two armies fairly cheaply and quickly. 

Just a Little Bit More

Recently, 3mm has started appearing, and I have seen some fantastic 3mm American Civil War miniatures. At the moment, I am holding off launching yet another project, but they do look good. 

Some Links

Irregular Miniatures - a wide selection of 2mm miniatures, including terrain.

Warbases - 2mm Ancients cast in white metal.

Korhyl Minatures - 2mm Ancients in resin blocks.

Forward March Miniatures - STL files for all periods for 3d Printing.

Magister Militium - for 3mm.

Lastly, a Facebook Group is dedicated to 2mm Wargaming and other small scales.

Moths and Butterflies

Why is the wargaming so distracting? The simple answer is that I am a convicted rules tart. I can only see a set of rules or some review if I am drawn to them.

Moths

I’m like a moth to a candle. Nor do I think I am the only warmer to suffer from such an affliction. Many fellow hobbyists talk of large plastic boxes filled with unfinished projects or bookshelves bursting with rules, books and scenarios. A recent podcast by Wargaming, Soldiers and Strategy, made the same point. Only one of the presenters was disciplined enough to complete one project before moving on to the next. Therefore, I think I am in the majority of wargamers.

Butterflies

The podcast gave me hope and the feeling that I am not unusual to butterfly around and try different periods and rule sets. I have a dozen projects in various stages. A quarter, on average, are keepers. I will invest time, money and immigration. Currently, there’s are; Fantastic Battles is an epic-level fantasy game that has been the subject of several posts. I am planning a campaign to continue the story that started at Blackthorn Abbey. More about that in a future post.
Pulp Alley is a skirmish game set in the era of pulp comics, the 1930s and 1940s. I am about to start one of the authors', Phipps and Daughter, many excellent campaign expansions, Tomb of the Serpent.
Strength and Honour, a new set of rules for the ancient period, allows me to fight the battles of the late Republic and early empire on a man-to-man scale. It has also opened my eyes to the potential of 2mm. However, more about that is below.

Despite my butterfly approach to the hobby, these games have allowed me to get a regular flow of fun to the table. Howvever, like a moth I am drawn to the light of news rules and period that suddenly appeal.

The Indian Mutiny

An advantage of the butterflying is that it gets you to read loads of stuff I would only sometimes think about. An example is the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The story, as always, starts with a set of rules, Sharps Practice by the Two Fat Lardies. It is best described as a large skirmish game, something I do not usually get drawn to, but the rules are innovative, have the potential for some great characters and provide a solid narrative for the games. Therefore, after some initial reading, I am building a series of linked adventures around the 1st Madras Fusiliers, or Neils's Blue Caps. The young officers, the heroes of my story, would fight their way from Allahabad to Lucknow and onto Cawnpore. The Indian Mutiny is full of individual memoirs, a luxury for a medievalist that provided many sources of inspiration for designing scenarios.

The World of 2mm

As mentioned in a previous post, Strength and Honour have opened my eyes to 2mm wargaming. Have a quick look at this Facebook group to whet your appetite. The scale is cheap to get to the table and ideal for recreating historical battles. Also, it meets my need to try different periods at little outlay in time and money. Currently, I am putting some research together to enter the world of Horse and Musket, the sixteenth century and the Napoleonic wars. The painting side is quick but brings challenges regarding how to represent whole brigades or tercios on a base. Initially, I am looking at Napoleonic rules aimed at divisions and corp command structure. I am assessing the rules on the following criteria; basing conventions, solo play, community support, published scenarios, either official or otherwise, complexity, and finally, campaign potential. Then the plan is to narrow the list down to two or three rule sets to playtest thoroughly. The winner will be the one I enjoy the most—more of this journey to follow.

More to Follow

As any mathematician will not, this is only a handful of my projects. More will follow on my various skirmish games, my work reproducing the battles and warfare of the twelfth-century world and my fascination with the War of the Roses.

 

The Feud

This wargame had a long gestation period. It took three Kickstarters plus many hours of painting before I have managed to get Baron’s War to the table. Barons War is a medieval skirmish game set in the thirteenth century.  The game was initially launched on Kickstarter in 2019 with figures for the Barons revolt against King John. Since then, further Kickstaters have followed, including several campaigns. Overall, the game is well supported and has supplements for the late Saxons, Vikings, the Norman Conquest, and the Crusades in Outremer.

A range of figures is also available through Footsore Miniatures. The miniatures paint up well, but like any medieval project takes a while to paint. This is my excuse for taking nearly two years to set up a game. The good news is the game can be played with about 25 figures aside, although a more significant skirmish can be fought as your retinues grow.

Skirmish on the Evesham Road.

Like all my games, there has to be a  strong narrative, so here is the backstory to the game. One aspect of the game I like is the campaign rules allow you, the players, to generate a grievance between the two warring barons and the flashpoint that ignited the armed hostilities. My campaign is set before Magna Carta and is loosely based on the campaign supplement, The Most Ignoble Feud. Therefore, this scenario will be the first of three games in the mini-campaign.  I also plan to use this storyline to test different rules and my ideas. 

Rivals in the West Country

The period witnessed John favouring baron families from outside his English realm. One of these was  Gérard d'Athée, a trusted lieutenant of King John, who had served him in France and later as a High Sheriff in England. Gerald was joined by one of his relatives Engelard, one of the protagonists of our story, whom John had appointed High Sheriff of both Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in 1210. The rapid rise of these men caused resentment amongst the English baronage, including the de Cares, a powerful family. The father, Richard de Clare, was Earl of Hereford and his son, Gilbert, had inherited the earldom of Gloucestershire from his mother. It is Gilbert, the son, who is our other feuding baron.

Monastery at Haines

Engelard's attempt to found a monastery at Hailes, at the centre of the de Clare’s holdings, sparked our fictional feud. Gilbert considered this one transgression too far and decided to ambush Engeland and his monks on the way to Hailes on the Evesham road.

The Ambush

In preparation for his attack, Gilbert had blocked the road with several carts and tree trunks, forcing the battle into the narrow area between the wood to the south and the hills to the north. He hoped his superiority in mounted knights would be most effective in this narrow killing ground. On hearing from his scouts that the road was blocked, Engelard deployed his experienced archers and foot sergeants on either side of the road to try to turn the barricade. His smaller mounted contingent would be used to exploit any weakness.

At first, Engelard's plan bore fruit; his archers, supported by some militant monks, pushed Gilbert's crossbowmen back from the small farm and started to move into the forest. If they could expel the de Clare's crossbowmen, they could be able to shoot onto the flanks of men manning the barricade. Englelard's men had yet to make progress on the road but had pinned down the rest of Gilbert's infantry. At this point, Englelard decided to commit himself and his mount troops to attack the open land between the road and the hilly area. This was the moment Gilbert had been waiting for, and he committed his mounted knight. The knight quickly crushed Engelard's mounted sergeants and attacked Englelard and his knightly bodyguard. Outnumbered and taking casualties, Engelard fled to seek his revenge on another day.

The Rules and the Game

Overall, I liked the rules, and I thought I had a great feel and produced an exciting weekend game. My one criticism is that I found the rules difficult to reference, despite QRS (Quick Reference Sheet), but this is probably true of any new set of rules. I plan to continue Engelard's and Gilbert's feud with a significant battle when Englelard seeks revenge for the dishonour inflicted on the Evesham road. However, the next episode will be played with Lion Rampart rules, so I can compare. 

The Story Continues

The story of Engelard's and Gibert's feud continues here.

Links

Warhost is the home of Baron's Warand includes articles and a retinue builder.

Barons War Facebook Group. A discussion group with many great photos for inspiration, army lists and downloads.

Blood Cries Afar, well research but readable book on the 1st Barons War. Great for inspiration and ideas.