Wargames Journal #5

2006·11.4 MB·English

by  Tom Hinshelwood

OVERWATCH
Our new science fiction and fantasy
magazine arrives with Dave Robotham at
its helm. With a simple mission statement
OVERWATCH will be an exciting read for
fans of the genre.
MARTIAN EMPIRES
We simply couldn’t resist the new 18mm
figures from Black Hat. By way of an
introduction to this Victorian ‘Soldiers in
Space’ game concept we provide you
with three scenarios and some of our own
NUTS!
WW2 maniac and resident rules junkie puts
a couple of the hapless WJ crew through
their paces with a game of NUTS! Did
anyone live to tell the tale? Find out here.
BRUSH STROKES UTHER PENDRAGON THE PAINT SHOP
Our resident painter Dave The father of King Arthur gets There are plenty of talented pro
Robotham goes all French his very own scenario supplied painters out there which has led
and dashing with a guide to by one of our loyal readers. Can us to open our doors to them to
painting 40mm musketeers. Uther survive an ambush or will share their talent with us and
All for one and one for all! He the fate of Briton be decided you. Colin Patten is our next
tackles Aramis, Rochefort and a long before Arthur can shape it subject.
Cardinal’s Guard called Smith. himself?
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NOTE: This new double page spread version of the magazine
is best viewed using what Adobe Acrobat calls “Facing” layout.
Once you have opened the PDF you should click the View tab on
the menu bar and then choose Page Layout and from the next set
of options select Facing.
THE LOST LEGION
The poor souls of the Lost Century are back
again for a mission that could decide their
very fates. Will the hardy legionnaires be
able gather enough supplies for the journey
home? Not if the Germans can help it they
won’t.
The 10mm models gracing the
content’s page are Pendraken and
THE 95th RIFLES
painted by our own Dave Robotham.
The Peninsular War is the scene and the You can see more images at www.
elite British infantrymen are the players in
thecourtjestersstudio.com
this article about the boys in green. Sharpe
himself would be proud.
THE BATTLE OF DREUX
The French Wars of Religion were a period
of much bloodshed towards the end of the
sixteenth century. In this article Catholics
and Protestants square up for a game of
Armanti.
REGULAR ARTICLES
Editor’s Column
Little Big Men
Guest Column
Weekend Warriors
News
Airfix Spitfire
Reviews
10mm Underrated
1982 Lebanon War
No part of this magazine may be reproduced (except for review purposes)
Airfix British Paras without prior written consent of the publisher. Material published herein
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rebel Publishing Ltd, its
employees or editorial staff. Most product names are trademarks owned
Hougemont
by the companies that publish those products. Use of the name of any
product without mention of trademark status should not be considered
as a challenge to such status.
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E D I T O R I A L
E x c i t i n g T i m e s A h e a d
We’ve done it again I’m afraid. This latest issue especially happy with this issue as we’re happy
of Wargames Journal is bigger than the previous to announce the birth of OVERWATCH. In a
issue, weighing in at a whopping 134 pages. nutshell we’ve loosened the lead (leash if you’re
That’s why we’re a little late with the release American) on painter supreme Dave Robotham
this month, but once you’ve finished reading I’m and OVERWATCH is the result. I would tell you
sure you’ll find it in your heart to forgive us. more but Dave is waiting in the wings to divulge
all so it would be rude of me to ruin his big
What articles do we have for you to enjoy? moment. Flick to page 82 to find out what the
Well, for one there is the second part of our fuss is all about.
Lost Century campaign. In the latest part the
fleeing legionnaires take to raiding a seemingly A few weeks ago the WJ crew camped out in
undefended German village to gather supplies the local village hall for a weekend of serious
for their long march back to safety. If you’re new gaming. We had four tables set up which we
to the magazine you can find the first scenario used for all manner of different games ranging
in last month’s issue, and an introduction to the from Somalia 1993 to Stargate. It was a great
massacre in Teutoberg forest in the issue before few days where the fun of the game and not the
that. number of rivets was the most important factor.
Our art editor, Stephen Rhodes, has put finger Some of the games were planned, others were
to keyboard to scribe a whimsical article about done on the fly and some of the ones that we
Victorian-era British soldiers invading Mars. I made up on the spot were some of the most
kid you not. We were so taken with Black Hat’s fun. At WJ we don’t take our wargaming too
excellent range of figures that it was almost seriously, by that I mean no one really gets bent
a race to write some scenarios for them. As it out of shape if the forces aren’t balanced, or if
turns out Stephen is a pretty quick typist. the “wrong” models are being used and most of
the time we don’t feel the need to always check
The Dark Age Britain of King Arthur has always the rulebooks. If everyone has fun the game is a
been of keen interest too me, especially after success win, lose or draw.
reading the excellent Warlord trilogy from
Bernard Cornwall. So when a reader sent me a Obviously winning puts an extra smile on the
scenario about Uther Pendragon, the father of victor’s face and is great ammunition for winding
the legendary King Arthur for Games Workshop’s up the opposition, but it’s not the reason why
LOTR rules, I couldn’t say no. the game was played in the first place. If you
only play to win and end up losing then you’ll
WW2 enthusiast and famed dice roller Rich Jones end up in a bad mood. If you play to have fun
supplies a battle report for his new “favourite” and lose then it’s no big deal.
game NUTS! in a Tale of Two Dice Rolls! What
else? Well, we have a look at the Peninsular War At least that’s what I tell myself.
with Colin Patterson’s The 95th Rifles. You know?
the ones from Sharpe. Cheers, Tom
[email protected]
You want more? Luckily there is a lot more,
and if you like sci-fi and fantasy then you’ll be
By Dave Robotham
FLAMES OF WAR
DETAILS OF FUTURE PRODUCT PLANS
This is not the end.
This is not the beginning of the end.
But maybe this is the end of the beginning.
Winston Churchill
Love it or hate it you have to admit that Battlefront money to get one briefing but I think that would
have got one hell of good brand. The biggest be an unfair judgement, at least when you just
sticking point I find many people have with that look at the proposed mid-war books.
brand is the idea of tournament gaming.
Then there is the 2nd edition of the main FoW
I have travelled all over the world to play in rulebook which will be a mammoth hardback
collectable card game (CCG) tournaments so I tome of gaming. One area of FoW many people
am completely at home with the idea of a game (even the fans of the game) complain about is
being written and played at competitive levels; the changing of rules and errata and MRPs that
however I am very much aware this is certainly afflict the game.
not everyone’s cup of tea.
Each new book that was released changed
With tournament gaming comes the idea of using aspects of the game, usually for the better, but
points to work out an army list and this is another this constant re-writing of the rules often made it
area that causes a great schism amongst WWII hard to keep up to date with things. Well in this
gamers. But whatever your opinion on Battlefront instance a new rulebook is a godsend. IF THEY
and Flames of War, they seem to be on to a GET IT RIGHT.
winner.
The new book will not include any armylists but
So it was with great interest that I read Battlefront’s will include the fully revised set of rules and hosts
GAMA announcements concerning the direction of other hobby and gaming information.
its game will be taking in years to come. The first I applaud any game that increases the
item announced was the consolidation of its ten page count in its main rulebook to include
mid-war Intelligence Handbooks into two 180 modelling and hobby material.
page books. I think this is a great idea on many
levels. This is a good one for retailers because Battlefront have an ace up their sleeve
they will not have to have ten books when it comes to facing the backlash
filling space on their shelves. from existing players faced with
expensive updated rulebooks. They
For new players to the are giving you the rules for free (just
game they can just pick up the rules mind you, a mini version
the one book and have all not all 280 pages…). All you have
the information there and to do is present your 1st edition
ready to game with. Yes rulebook to be stamped at your
I suppose you could local retailer and you can claim
argue that all they are your new version of the rules.
doing is making it Top marks there Battlefront.
so that you have to
spend even more However, even with all this
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joy of free rulebooks I cannot help but wonder to what I might be
if the cost to get involved in what is already an expecting.
expensive game is being ramped up to Games
Workshop levels. But if anyone has proved you And lastly the
can still sell £25 hardback rulebooks and £15 big tease…
army books it is Games Workshop. I am happy to Battlefront
wait and see Battlefronts pricing structure before have confirmed
making any judgments about this. that they will be
taking the FoW
Next up is the big one. The series of books rules set and
many people have been waiting for, the late-war moving it to a new
source books. And if you thought the ten mid- historical period in
war supplements were over the top in terms of 2007. And that is all
quantity you will not be impressed at all with the they have said.
planned twenty Intelligence Briefing styled books
and the five campaign books that are slated to No one we have talked
be released over the next 5 years. to has any idea where
they are intending to take
To me this plan sounds incredibly daunting but at the new game so your
the same time exciting. The quality of layout and guess is as good as ours
colour pages in the mid-war books gives me high right now.
hopes for a series of fantastic reference guides
for wargaming the period that are accessible to In fact the one thing we have
new gamers and gamers starting WWII for the been able to agree on here in
first time. the WJ studio is that there are
a veritable plethora of different
The final wrap up of information provided by time periods Battlefront could
Battlefront included a huge teaser and some choose…our money is on Vietnam ( t h i n k
other rather interesting products. The early-war ANZACs) or Napoleonics.
period gets a new book released in early 2007,
presumably to get some form of product out So from where I am sitting, the future for Battlefront
covering the beginning. There is a new range of is bright, the future is WWII shaped…
resin aircraft due to be released along with a
host of new early-war models.
And of the products
confirmed in this press
release, the “battlefield
in a box” idea is the one
I am most intrigued to see
more details of. The idea
of being able to buy a set of
scenery to fill a gaming table
for a specific theatre seems
like it should be a winner with
many gamers.
It just remains to be seen if the
quality of the final product lives up
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N A P S I N A B O X
BACCUS 6MM ANNOUNCES NAPOLEONIC ARMY PACKS
With its Polemos Napoleonic rules set just around the 1 x Polemos Napoleonic Ruleset
corner Baccus has announced a set of Army Packs to 1 x Polemos British or Austrian Army Starter Pack
go alongside them. 1 x Polemos French Army Starter Packs
2 Sets of pre-cut bases
1 x British or Austrian flag sheet
For each nation, there is starter pack containing a mix
1 x French flag sheet
of infantry, cavalry and artillery. For example, in the
1 x Painting guide for British or Austrian and French
French Army pack, you get 240 infantry, 108 cavalry
armies
of various types, 4 artillery pieces and some generals
2 x Farm buildings and Plinths
to command them all with. Expanding your army is
1 x Large House and Plinth
simply a case of adding the contents of booster packs.
You can buy infantry, cavalry and artillery boosters
Just add paint and away you go!
for all the major nations.
Army Packs and boosters are available immediately.
The company says that its new Army Packs are
Polemos Napoleonic Rules and Boxed Sets will be
designed to give buyers exactly the right numbers of
available from April 1st.
strips that are needed to build Polemos Napoleonic
armies using standard 60mm x 30mm bases, so you
They can be collected from Baccus at upcoming shows
don’t waste money or effort.
in the UK like Triples or Salute. Baccus requests that
if this is your choice then please get in touch as soon as
There is also the Polemos Napoleonic Boxed Set.
possible. To place orders North American customers
This contains all you need to start wargaming in
can order these items from Milites Minimus in Canada
Napoleonics:
and Heritage Studios in the US.
By Stephen Rhodes
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Is BIG really better?
What a way to start an article …is BIG best? Well in my Thank God all clubs aren’t like that or I’d have never
case if that’s a pie I’d say a definite yes. I’m also a huge have got back into gaming at all.
fan of lots of figures on the table, which is something
else that gets me in lots of trouble this end, usually When I did make it back into this hobby my passion for
with figure painter types and the person who guards the large games and large units kicked in, as if it had never
chequebook. gone away. My Dark Age collection is a great example
of this. I play a heavily stylised version of Warmaster
So why am I banging on about this? Well I’m utterly because it allows me to move/play with lots of units and
fascinating by the chatter around these days about the get through a game painlessly. Well my Saxon army
Big Battalion and the old days of gaming. Like a lot of stands at around 2,000 figures and my shieldwall is the
people my age gaming started for me in the 1970s. It was width of a gaming table. But it’s an OVER THE TOP
a friend of the family who is to blame, a Mr Robinson army and I don’t actually need that many toys. Some
as I knew him, who had a fabulous railway layout that day I’ll learn I suppose.
I used to yearn to own. Then my addiction grew from
simply looking and trains to building models – I was I use the core Warmaster mechanic of three bases to a
given 60 plus models kits when he moved house – and unit but I use large bases and have about 36 foot figures
then the whole thing blossomed into wargaming. per unit, unless it is a warband and it could swell to 72
figures.
That was it. Figures galore squirreled away in my
parent’s house and me sitting there writing my own I’ve resisted the madness of my youth with Napoleonic
little rules for how to kill them all. Mr Robinson gave gaming, always being a bit sensible, embracing the
me some wonderful books by a man called Donald newer generation of rules like Shako, to cap my wanton
Featherstone and I even had a few by an Army officer, ways. Of late it’s come back though after I had an
who I immediately thought walked on water with enjoyable evening playing the Grande Armee rules from
wargaming because he was ...an army officer! Sam Mustafa. Now I’m doing Borodino using 6” x 6”
bases and 15mm figures with each base representing a
My naivety at this age was wonderful and just about Brigade and I’m sticking up to 72 figures per base.
every troop type was covered by the same sets of rules.
Half the time I gamed based on how cool they looked, I remember telling Tom Hinselwood what I was doing
although back then I’m not sure the word cool was part and he stared at me like I’d just said something really
of my vocabulary. As I got older and actually read the stupid. He kept telling me that I was going to have to get
books I’d been given properly my love of it all kicked thousands of figures painted and that it would be vast in
in, the magic of the history which was to be expanded size to play it. He said I should half the base size and be
upon by a history teacher at the boarding school my sensible. I hear that a lot.
parent’s sent me to.
New boy Dave Robotham perhaps best sums it up for
I was hooked and I was hooked to one of the worst me: “it doesn’t need a ton of soldiers on a table to make
subjects: Napoleonic’s. I was so into battalion after it a great game” he told me three weeks ago. “It’s the
battalion of figures on the table and before I knew it I whole game, the figures, the terrain and the people.
had thousands of them. I had the little buggers stored at More the people and the way you play the rules.”
school; my parent’s house and even at a friend’s house.
It’s a bit of a memory leap of faith (my father gave all my He’s right. My love of BIG has never left me and I
figures away when I went to live in the US, he thought don’t play with the 3 sides of A4 rules I made up the
I’d grown out of IT) but I seem to remember having 96 night before a game. I take my old fashioned ways and
figures to my Battalions. play them a little differently, have a go with these new
fangled rules and then surround myself with people I
I never really played anything else other than Napoleonic enjoy gaming with.
wargaming back then. I remember going to a wargames
club in the US when I lived there and being treated like In some ways nothing has changed. I wonder what
a leper because I didn’t play ACW. Now it makes me happened to that history teacher…
chuckle, back then I remember thinking that the old By Neil Fawcett
guard were bloody rude and not open to new blood.
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