The Carpathians Will Rumble

Russian Infantry

The Russians and Austro-Hungarians arrive!

The latest addition to my World War I stable has been both Russians & Austro-Hungarians – which will be ideal for not only the Carpathian Campaigns & Brusilov Offensive; but also the Russians will also serve for Caucasian Campaigns against the Turks; and as allies for my long planned Rumanian Troops which the Austro-Hungarians will provide opposition for! I’ve taken some quick preliminary photos of these chaps to get a basic gallery up until such time as I have reorganised them and/or played a game and taken photos…

As mentioned in previous articles I’ll be using the TSATF (The Sword and the Flame) for my 28mm WW1 gaming and as such troops will be organised into Infantry Companies of 20 figs each, Cavalry in Squadrons of 12 figs each, and MGs & Artillery in Platoons, Companies, or Batteries of 1-3 guns (each model representing 2 real life guns).

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Getting the most from your Cyanoacrylate

Super GlueIf you are like me then Super Glue is one of those things that’s a bit of a two edged sword – you need it but it’s messy to use and never seems to last! Sometime ago I came across the tip to always store your open super glue tube (or bottle) in the fridge, as the cold helps to preserve the glue and stop the methyl/ethyl/propyl alpha-cyanoacrylate from aging or whatever.

However just recently a consumer affairs show on New Zealand Television had a couple of further tips about super glue.

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In Search of Points: Lasalle!

Below is a first attempt at an unofficial points system for the Napoleonic game – Lasalle.

Lasalle contains a number of set army lists for the main armies. They provide a great introduction. But they only reflect a fraction of possible lists. Playing the same few army lists repeatedly against each other could get dull fairly quickly.

This points system below tries to address this.

Using this points system and the excellent (and now free) Nafziger army lists, players can construct any number of armies that are consistent in size with the army lists in the Lasalle book.

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Classic Wargamer’s Journal: First Impressions

The Classic Wargamer's Journal: Pilot IssueWell I placed my order on 21 July (UK time) and the hard copy edition was here in the antipodes on the 27 July (NZ time) – so that’s about a 5 day turn around – well done Phil and the Royal & NZ Posts! The CWJ Pilot is a stapled, 34 page (+covers) A4 format publication including a centre leaf with 6 glossy full colour photos, and large easy to read type. The tone is light hearted but very much in the tradition of those great wargaming publications of old, such as Charles Grant’s “The War Game” – in fact Phil Olley’s reference to the significance of this publication for him had me feeling very nostalgic – as it has always been ‘the’ Classic Wargaming Book for me (alas War Games Digest that CWJ is styled on is just a bit too early a publication for this not so young lad)!

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Regimental Fire and Fury finally released!

At HistoriCon in late July Rich Hasenauer’s Regimental version of Fire & Fury was finally released! This is something many of us ACW Gamers have been waiting for for sometime and finally it’s here.

A Hardcover 96 page book with the same standard of colour photos & illustrations as was present in the original Brigade level rules. I’ll be looking to acquire a copy of these ASAP and see how they look – it’s also incentive to resume progress on my 28mm ACW armies! Continue reading “Regimental Fire and Fury finally released!”

Classic Wargamer’s Journal: Pilot Issue out

CWJ Pilot Issue.A new (trial) wargaming magazine by Phil Olley – looking to be much in the vein of ‘Battlegames‘ and the older original Wargaming Publications of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s… Only £4.50 (UK) or £6.00 (the rest of us; or £3.00 for a PDF) for this initial test issue so I think well worth the money to support Phil and see what he can do.

The Pilot Issue includes: “…4 tabletop scenarios (Spurlash Down and vanguards Collide, by me; Fire Raisers by Stephen Caddy; and a battle report from the very first issue of WGD* back in 1957); plus articles on Tabletop generals’ characterisation by Jeff Hudelson, a guide to painting big units by Stokes Schwartz; an ACW riverboat project by Alasdair Jamison, and Bill Protz gets marooned! Hard Copy and PDF versions are available.” See Phil Olley’s Classic Wargaming Blog for more details.

* War Games Digest.

A Wadi near Chunuk Bair

As the morning fog cleared the companies of Australian & British Troops moved into the wadi below the height known as Chunuk Bair – their mission to secure the hills on the far side for the following battalions to assault the mastiff itself. The good news was little or no Turkish resistance was expected – no troops had been sighted in the area as this was not the point where the main assault had occurred the first 2 days…

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Johnny Turk & the ANZACs

Johnny Turk - 28mm WW1 Turkish Infantry
Johnny Turk - 28mm WW1 Turkish Infantry

For quite some time I’ve been wanting to get into some Great War gaming in 28mm using TSATF. As such I have a small force of German Schutztruppe for Africa that can double as pre-WW1 Colonial forces or the German East or West African forces in WW1 (such as von Lettow-Vorbeck’s). A chance purchase on EBay of some Middle East/African theatre WW1 British in Sun Helmets (for use as opponents to the above) led to me acquiring a large force of Turks & ANZACs suitable for Gallipoli & Palestine – so as a result I have now kick-started by 28mm WW1 forces enmasse!

The figures came from the author of a TSATF Great War variant (Andrew Champion) and are available on the Side Shows of the Great War Yahoo Group – Australian visitors may recognise them from a large Gallipoli game staged at CANCON in 2007 by Andrew.

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Operation CROSSFIRE: 11 September 2010

Crossfire 20mm Late-War Germans
Crossfire 20mm Late-War Germans

In April 2009 the Crossfire community conducted a global mini-campaign where games were played on the same day all around the world and linked together so the result of the games in each time zone affected what happened in the games in subsequent time zones. You can read all about World Crossfire Day 2009 here at Wargaming.info.

Now in 2010 its time for a different idea, again linking players from the Crossfire community located all around the world… This time its going to be a simultaneous game, played all over the world at the exact same time, and with Commanders in Chief located elsewhere in the world who will be receiving reports via email, and sending orders by the same, and who can transfer troops from one game to another (in real time), choose where to commit reserves, and so on…

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I say, it’s the Natal Carbineers!

As part of my Anglo-Zulu War forces I’m adding a small force of Natal Carbineers. The NC was a relatively small force – one of the smallest of the various para-military units in South Africa, numbering I believe just 60 at the time of the war in 1879 (with a total of 71 men serving during the course of the entire war). Of these at least 22 perished at Isandlwana (along with 26 Natal Mounted Police; and incidentally 2 NMP were also present at Rorke’s Drift – one of whom also perished, the other being wounded). The figures I chose are from the (classic) Wargames Foundry range, as these were the best figures I knew of at the time compatible with my existing Foundry, Perry, Castaway, and similar figs; and they can double as Natal Mounted Police at a pinch if needed… Continue reading “I say, it’s the Natal Carbineers!”

SOTCW Journal 70

The Journal, No. 70, from the SOTCW.The latest issue of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers (SOTCW) Journal has just arrived in my letter box. As always in recent years it is well packed with interesting articles covering the whole gamut of the Twentieth Century and Ultra-Modern periods. The Journal is an A4 sized black & white publication and issue 70 runs to 56 pages. Included in this issue is a SCW Scenario (for Iron Ivan rules); several World War 2 articles (German River Convoys in 1/300th scale; SS Sturmbrigade Walloon; French Cavalry Tanks overview; Operation Grief in the Ardennes; 3 East-Front Game Scenarios – 2 for Rapid Fire & 1 for Crossfire); 1980 Iran-Iraq Air War Scenario; Ultra-Modern Eastern European terrorist scenario & part two of an account of a modern fictional Naval & Amphibious Campaign; plus articles on gaming via email, converting plastic figures, tank football, the usual product & book reviews and columns, and more.

If you are interested in anything wargaming from 1900 to today and haven’t seen the Journal it’d be worth contacting the SOTCW and perhaps getting a Journal back issue or two to have a look and think about signing up!

Here come the Bengal Lancers

As my colonial forces expand to cover the NWF (North West Frontier) now the Sudan and Zulu Wars are well catered for I have endeavoured to make some units ‘multi-use’ (i.e. suitable for more than 1 campaign/theatre if possible). As such I am constructing 2 Squadrons (or TSATF ‘units’) of Bengal Lancers, one Sikh and one Muslim. Here are some photos of the completed figures so far, based, and just waiting for lance pennants and suitable texturing of their bases… Continue reading “Here come the Bengal Lancers”