More free stuff....

Not only free but really good!

Another wet day, I've had my usual weekend morning stroll and have had to dry off and warm up!

Having a day in doors is not a bad thing when you have some new stuff to play with. Here are a couple of free games to interest you.

Tigers at Minsk: A game by Norm Smith. This is a kit that allows you to play a scenario (KG Sivers) from his hex based miniatures game using a map and counters. This originated as a square based map game called Into Battle (2013). Here is a picture of me playing the original KG Sivers scenario following quite a severe injury to the thumb during the preparation of the counters. 

The new map is hex based...

You can find the rules, map, counters and an AAR at Norm's blog. It is well worthwhile exploring this little game.

Phalanx: Phil Sabin has recently used a simplified version of his hex based game Phalanx at this years International Ancient Warfare Conference in Wales. Here is a review of the event from the editor of Ancient Warfare Magazine.

The original game was published by the SoA but a version was also published in Wargames Illustrated. I love this game as it allows you to play 36 ancient battles with some very small generic armies. In this version there are two hoplite armies which use very simple rules to allow you to fight some basic battles. Once you have mastered this you can move on to the full version of Phalanx (then Legion, then Strategos II and then Lost Battles!). You can pick up the kit from the Lost Battles Yahoo Group.

Back from more holidays!

And its raining....

I have had another week off, that makes a whole two weeks this summer. This time I and the family have been in Norfolk.

As you can see, nice weather, great light and a lovely time. Now we are back it has started to rain and may do so for some time. Never mind, I have been doing some thinking, not of the ponderous sort but more focused on a couple of specific problems I set myself.

1. Tannenberg: I spent some time looking at my preferred combat model (from Worthington's Holdfast) and continue to think that it is probably a good fit. I took some prints of my work on the OB on holiday with me and discovered that I didn't think very much of my research! Next step is to revisit the books and bash out another one. A bit disappointing. especially when the map had gone so well.

2. OHW Napoleonics: I was incited to take Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames with me by two things, firstly Kaptain Kobold's latest version of his OHW Great Northern War variant and, secondly, Max Foy's latest thoughts on how to play simple Napoleonic battles on a hex grid "Maneuvering in hexes". This set me to thinking about doing a version of my In a Cocked Hex rules for Napoleonics. Essentially this would be an excuse to give the Cocked Hex rules another going over, look at the Kaptain's variant rules on combat (rolling to hit rather than just rolling for casualties) and then having another go at my hex grid variant of Neil's Napoleonic rules. 

I'll sleep on this and give it another think tomorrow!

Under an August Sun?

More Tannenberg

Not quite an August sun today, a bit rainy in fact, so time to update the blog.

I like to take a difficult book on holiday with me, the sort of book that is hard to read on a train journey without falling asleep. This year it was....

I bought this in February 2014 when I started work on my Tannenberg game. I have had it on my desk since then and have made various attempts to get through it. I have now succeeded and found that it is a very good book.

Dennis Showalter provides a very insightful analysis of Russo-German relations from 1870 onwards. Although he has a heavy weight style of writing, especially on the political and strategic background, the description of combat operations is simply superb. Perhaps one of the best descriptions of a battle since "The Battle" by Alessandro Barbero! Critical points are that neither side knew where the other actually was and neither side really knew the other's intentions. German corps and divisional commanders frequently did what they wanted, when they wanted to, so top down direction was very difficult.

I also had the opportunity to drop into Claymore in Edinburgh the other week. Probably my favourite show. I bought a game....

With a hundred counters, this is a brigade level game of the battle against the Russian 2nd Army around Tannenberg. It looks very good, although Decision Games have had to carry out major surgery on their Fire and Movement standard rules to make them work for this battle. The rule book is therefore a mess. Other than that it looks very interesting.

So guess what, I have dusted off my Tannenberg design and got on with it. The map is now done, hurrah!

I now also have a more informed view of the OOB, it will be corps level for the Russians and division for the Germans. I have also better understood the movement dynamics and scale following the descriptions of the operations in the book. 

The combat model was the sticking point last time and I have now resolved to use the Worthington Games approach in Holdfast, i.e very simple. It will be interesting to test this out.

News!

CnC AWI

Just back from my hols to find that Compass Games have announced  "Tricorne: American Revolution", a Command and Colors system. Nuff said. Due next year so start saving now.

In my dreams it looks like this, a miniatures version of Hold the Line.

More news...... It will be a kickstarter (OK with me), from the USA (boo, mainly for postage and import VAT reasons) and it will have miniatures of M44 quality (hurrah). 

Work in progress......

Its the Vendee!

The purpose of any hobby or interest must be to transport the individual to another place and or time where they can experience a different world. I think that's why so many films and novels just don't do that for me anymore. I'm too old and have seen to much in too many different places.

However, sometimes something just grabs you by the bits and says, this is really interesting lets go! If I had the time, money and freedom I'd be off to the Vendee tomorrow. Perhaps I should already have been there.

So today, amongst other important domestic activities I have been busy planning a version of "a la Carte" for the Vendee based on the battle of Cholet in 1793. First job has been to knock up some counters. I have some great stuff from Junior General which has not required too much effort.

I have printed out some trial counters but these are a little disappointing so the following are snaps from the screen.

Henri de La Rochejacquelein perhaps?

Evil Republicans (boo)!

Revolting Catholic peasants

And here is a close up of the revolting peasants. I'm really pleased with these. They are based on Daniel Harper's United Irishmen from Junior General and require only some minor colour changes, a new hat and some sacred heart badges. Unfortunately all this lovely detail does not come through on the final counters.

Never mind, I'm sure I'll find a way of getting this onto some counters. More to come this week I hope.

Operation Crossfire

And two questions.....

...and a comment. 

Why have I never bought Crossfire? I've no idea but as it has been reprinted I'd better get a copy.

Why doesn't Crossfire use hexes? I don't know but maybe they didn't have hexes in the olden days (as my children point out) or perhaps, as I might say, we were too stupid to realise that we could use hexes anytime we like!

My comment is that this bloke is a nutter but if you want to know about slinging techniques then he is your man. Top bloke.

Rembarre!

Some thoughts on where to next...

A combination of health and work issues are keeping me very quiet on the hobby front at the moment. Nothing to worry about but but I'm feeling a bit semi-detached at present.

Henri de La Rochejacquelein at the Battle of Cholet

However, yesterday I picked up the latest WSS. It fell a bit flat with me, other may disagree of course, but I didn't get excited until I came across Rob Harper's article on the Battle of Cholet 1793, as illustrated above. For those of you not in the know, this was one of the key battles of the war in the Vendee. This is an extremely interesting war which still causes quite a bit of historiographical discussion in France. It has got rebels, ex-Royalist regular troops, the potential for emigres and British support, foreign fighters (I've heard that one before) and competing and incompetent republican generals. Simply brilliant.

The best bit is that WSS did not include two other articles by Rob including a general introduction and an item on the battle of Thouars. You can get these on the WSS site for knowt. There is also a surprisingly good article on Wikipedia which is well worth a read.

I have kept a series of articles from the old Miniature Wargames covering some of the key battles of the war in the Vendee with a period specific set of rules. Lovely and something to have a go at over the summer, while watching some rugby I hope!

The other interesting thing that I came across this weekend is the first edition of a new periodical called Panzerfauste Quarterly. Panzergrenadier Dwarves anybody? Get it for nothing from Wargames Vault, it is by Hysterical Games. Well worth a look.