Warfare 2010

Attended the ever excellent Warfare show at Readings Rivermead Leisure Centre on Sat/Sun in company of my regular wargame pal Stephen Brittain and his brother John. Usual overdose of all things wargame and usual overspend on all things wargame !! Some really nice terrain items on show for purchase in all scales not to mention some rather lovely ranges of figures even for periods/scales I have little interest in.
Met up with Andy Finkel (a Piquet enthusiast) for short chat.
Checked out several 15mm ranges of Napoleonic Prussians for my Lasalle project and was impressed with the Essex and Old Glory ranges and with Black Hat miniatures of whom I knew nothing. Bought several rule books (addiction continues...........) and of course a 'few' figures (some 15mm Selecuid types as allies for my Galatians and Adler 6mm WWII British -lovely little men those), several terrain items purchased and yet more dice (there has to be one of the millions in existence that doesn't hate me !?)
Rules obtained were Rate Of Fire (and its AFV expansion) Captain General, Twilight Of Sun King, PK Anchor Of Faith, Polemos ACW (after being talked into trying 6mm by Brittains), Metal Storm WWII and PK Theatre Of War.
Competitions were well attended and lots of furrowed brows and cheesy grins abounded. Several nice demo games on show altough strangely I didnt give them as much attention as I usually do.
Looking forward to next year already !

Only a few pics turned out useable from iPhone


Famous Pendraken helmet

20mm Bulge game (Thunderbolt rocketing an 'M10' Panther)

 6mm Napoleonic game on really big table

28mm Black Powder Napoleonic game

 20mm WWII raid game (nice to see some old Airfix 'Gun Emplacement' bits in use)

25mm Armati game

15mm Not sure what this one is :-)

Another massive 6mm Napoleonic game

28mm ACW game (nice to see young enthusiast)

 6mm Modern game

The two chocolate soldier/sleeping beauty companions of mine unable to stick the pace.............wimps !

This one alleges he was watching Match Of The Day (through closed eyelids)

As for this specimen !! 

Blast from the past

Found some old photos of games from around 1985/86 on my first permanent table in first marital home. Aahh good old nostalgia it warms the cockles.................................


6mm King Tiger (old GHQ) and H&R Infantry. Bellona vacum form house & bridge

6mm Panthers (either GHQ or CinC) with metal Irregular Minis houses and Resin Farm by a Belgian firm whose name I forget (Mainly Military ?)

Various 6mm Russian vehicles back when I used 1:1 scale rules with micro-armour. Think it would have been Combined Arms by TTG ? 

Bellona hills and walls. Still using these buildings and the trees !!

Floodlit (!?) Panther & Tiger (old GHQ) with Davco T34/85 sneaking up behind

GHQ (newer) Tigers

WRG 15mm 7th Edition Ancients with my (still going strong) Avars vs Arab Imperial

Maurikian Byzantines (right) vs Arabs. Hun nobles in wedge emerging from wood, those were the days ! 

PC Pbem Game turns

No miniatures tonight so couple of Pbem game turn pictures instead.

Combat Mission: Barbarossa To Berlin scenario with my T34/41 surveying damage wrought on Huns (mostly SD251s and PzIIIs). Playing this against a Cannuck

West Front (Campaign Series) with my Yanks defending Rochefort in the Bulge at night. This one against my Father

King Of The Battlefield rules & WSS

Another solo effort with another set of rules this time King Of The Battlefield. A real fastplay set that would definitely suit large numbers of units (possibly double or thrice what I had here !) as most units die on 2 hits. Fast but very enjoyable with all shooting and melees resulted as morale tests yielding Wavers or Routs. Very few factors involved and centre two pages of rules are essentially the QRS to which rest of thin booklet is further explanation. Combat system emphasises need for reserve/multiple lines which is a good thing. Cavalry vs cavalry melees are interesting with initially involved units able (starting with defender) to sequentially re-inforce the melee with other in range horse units which can lead to several units in a large melee. The eventual loser though can see several units rout and even if a draw both sides are forced to retire from each other with backs to enemy again allowing any suitable reserves to possibly exploit such a tempting target.
I was pleasantly surprised how well these rules worked. Only caveat is some of the rules need a bit more explanation but was easily sorted by quick questions and answers on the relevant Yahoo group. Rules termed as 18th Century set but really geared for SYW but easily tweaked for WSS by allowing more Horse to use Pistol (counting as Close Range Skirmish fire) and adjusting relative weights of various Horse and disallowing inclines for foot movement. Includes a point system and a few optional rules (Orders, Rout Recovery, Commander variety).





Clash of lines (Imperial on left)

Horse melee starting near village (Red counter is routed French Yellow for 1 Waver)      

Good old Prussians advancing ahead as ever

French wavering after Imperial volleys (Yellow markers)

French horse face off against Imperial Foot and Horse on right wing

Hilltop view of a French General  

Snakes eye view of French lines with Garde Francais and Maison Du Roi nearest

Imperial Cuirassier engage Swiss

Black Powder & WSS

Bit hooked on WSS at present (mainly due to being too lazy to clear last game from table !) and decided to give Blackpowder rules a solo outing with them (as not cheapest rules I have ever bought and shameful to have them languish unused). Few minor tweaks for WSS and to be honest a fairly decent game. Certainly fast play and free flowing but rather generic feel overall with no real sense of gaming the period as such not without further tweaks/house rules to standard fare. I would imagine players of 'imagi-nations' could take to BP very readily. With the brutal (if played as written) Brigade morale rules (50% or more units shaken or broken = whole Brigade Broken ie removed !) things certainly are decisive and bloody. Enjoyable enough as a solo game but just not up there for me with Might & Reason or PK Field Of Battle. Pretty and inspiring pictures inside the covers to be sure. Hoping to try FOB & a couple of other rulesets in due course whilst WSS bug still biting. Unlikely to last as off to Warfare in England this weekend and no doubt new stuff will appear (Prussians 1813 a real possibility).
Only 3 sleeps to go !!!!

Imperial Horse haring off on right whilst supporting Foot lags behind (couple of turns with no moves) Prussian foot push forward in centre (not having learnt lesson of M&R game !) 2 views of same situation.

Last stand...........

Found rather distressing picture on my iPhone from Saturdays debacle showing my right flank Infantry formation, Austrian Regts Gutenstein & Stahrembourg, who are trying form a large square (well triangle actually) whilst being relentlessly surrounded by dastardly Irish Regts (on left) Garde De Francais & Swiss Regts (centre top) and some French horse (approaching on right)

Their sacrifice allowed Imperial left wing to flee the field intact if somewhat demoralised, of such are wargaming memories made of..................................

Might & Reason 10mm WSS again

Played a 'proper' game today against Stephen using Might & Reason and my 10mm WSS stuff. Stephen choose French I the Imperial Austrians. Yet another great game with these excellent and fun rules. French pretty static first few turns (lots of Inactive results) whilst Austrian wings (in columns) seemed jet propelled. However when it came to combats the Austrians were simply taken apart by French Cavalry ! Maison Du Roi charged into my Prussians in the Imperial centre and destroyed them and a heavy Artillery battery to a man in 2 turns ! On Austrian left French horse were compelled to charge and again managed to annihilate another unit of Austrian foot and Artillery battery. This wing them became stalemated as fairly equal forces faced each other with a river one flank and a wood on another. Loss of Prussians in centre left the French elite horse to threaten flanks of other Imperial foot who struggled to deploy whilst elite French foot and their Irish 'Wild Geese' contingents bore down on them. On Austrian right wing their Currassier brigades got into good flanking position but again came of worst in melee (story of the game for them). They then went impetuous (compulsory attack result) and rode to their doom. Similar to French horse on their right wing although the did manage to break of. Game was scheduled for 7 turns before rolling for nightfall and how the Austrians needed it but by turn 7 they had lost 12 units (4 above their break point) and so rolling for Army Morale they inevitably failed (only snakes eyes would have extended game). French lost a mere 3 units. Not a result Prince Eugene in command of Austrian anticipated and in fact he had to flee to safety behind his left wing as nearly captured by marauding French horse.

Prince Eugene was Good commander with 180pts of troops (mainly average types) Marshall Marsin was Average French commander with 210pts of troops but several were veteran or elite (Maison Du Roi horse a 8 strength points are awesome)
Brigadiers (sub-commanders) were fairly even with French have a couple of  +2 horse leaders and 4 Valiant types Austrians had couple of +1 leaders and a -2 duffer but no valiant types.

Great game throughout with very plausible sequence of events and both of us thought that despite is simplicity its not simplistic and it felt like a 'real' battle. We both really like Might & Reason and are considering doing Great Northern War in 10mm now !!!



French deployment

Austrian deployment

French left wing horse

French centre

Doomed Prussians in Imperial centre with Cavalry support

French centre advances with Maison Du Roi cavalry lingering to rear

Austrian left wing volleys French horse

Prince Eugene (on road) in danger of capture by Maison Du Roi as last Prussian unit is about to succumb !







Austrian right wing prior to folding with Cuirassiers in trouble on right



Might & Reason 10mm WSS part deux

Played out solo game tonight. Whizzed through another 8 turns (most only single pulse though) with night falling with neither side having acheived victory. Imperial forces had lost 4 Horse units and French only 1 but nothing decisive. Stephen hoping to attend my gaffe on Saturday so a proper head to head outing for these armies (will amend terrain a tad) using Might & Reason.
Game plays smoothly and quickly with minimum fuss which suits it grand-tactical scope.

iPhone pics yet again







Opposing Horse wings back off from each with casualties aplenty
(2 Austrian Cuirassier subsequently lost)

Austrian foot advance in centre

Cavalry clash on other wing with Prussian infantry moving

to support Austrian horse

More Austrian foot on left wing

Irish 'Wild Geese' advancing to the fray

French foot advance in centre after dithering about inactive for several turns