Making Terrain

Aug 2019
When I started wargaming with other people in about 1977, I was lucky enough to be with a club, The Farnborough Wargames Society. One of the many benefits of playing at the club was the large boxes of terrain available to all on any club night.

Recently I have returned to table top gaming after many years of roleplaying games and I realised that if I wanted to play at home I'd need some terrain.  A couple of hills and a few trees were a simple purchase but if I wanted roads, fields, hedges, walls etc then maybe DIY was the way to go.  I'd always wanted to have a go at making terrain but never had the time or need.

Lucky the internet is full of "how to do it" web sites. As I was thinking 15mm and 6mm terrain I found the "Grand Tactical Battles in the American Civil War"  web site full of very interesting ideas.

Hedges:
I started by creating some hedges from green scouring pads, some thing I'd read about in the 70's or 80's.  They look a little blocky and cultivated but they are usable.  Then I tried using Woodland Scenic clump foliage.  I think this gives the best hedges although they are more like a line of small trees in 6mm.

Walls:
I'm rather proud of my 6mm wall because it was my own invention.  It's a row of matchsticks painted grey.

6mm Austrian SYW by Baccus with terrain

Fields with Hedges:
There are carpet tile off cuts with the hedges above.

Woods:
The woods are straight off the "Grand Tactical Battles in the American Civil War" site.  Cocktail stick trunks into a foam board covered in Woodland Scenic clump foliage.

15mm Essex Celts with terrain

Roads:
Once again I followed the ACW site's lead and I made some roads using building caulk.  I was sceptical but it worked.  Sure the roads are best for 6mm and are a little rough but they are good enough.

Battle field with terrain including some roads.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the results.  I wouldn't want to spend much more time on terrain opposed to figure painting but  it was fun.  I can't help but think, I could do with some rivers and marshland...

Battle of Blenheim at the Wargames Holiday Centre

Aug 2019

Back to the Wargames Holiday Centre (WHC) for a refight of one of the major battles of the War of Spanish Succession (or Marlburian wars as I called them as a school boy).  
There were 8 players over the weekend, myself and 4 friends and 3 others, all of who I'd happily join in with again.  One of the reasons for choosing a "public" game was to play with others more experienced with the Black power rules (and after my earlier fun experience this year at the WFC, to meet more wargamers)..

I expect that many wargames will have some knowledge of the battle but in case it's new to you...it was in Aug 1704 , our refight was the 315th anniversary.  The French, Bavarians and their allies vs the Imperials (Austrians), English and their allies.  I say English as the act of union with Scotland was still 2/3 years away.

The French were the finest army in Europe and were therefore rather shocked when John Churchill (the future Duke of Marlborough)  attacked across the Nebel river.  The French-Bavarian line was flanked by two towns (Lutzingen & Blenheim) with a third Oberglauheim in the centre.

The assault on the two flanking towns ended in a stalemate for much of the battle and the battle hinged on the encounter in the centre between the English and the French.  To be fair it's often not mentioned that the French cavalry had been infected with Glanders which is a serious horse disease. The Finest cavalry in Europe the French Gensdarmes met the English horse and were defeated.  After that it was all down hill for the French.

So much for the history... over the weekend we fought the battle twice, each of us getting to command both sides.  The first battle was a learning curve for us all. We were using WHC house rules for WSS and Black power 1.  Unfortunately my friends and I had all read/played version 2 and there were a few key differences.   Still it was a good battle and due to a blunder the entire French centre's cavalry charged the British centre. They lost but it took long enough for the French to start to win around Lutingen, aided by the fact it took hours to winkle the defenders out of Oberglauheim. We called it a winning draw for the French.

24' of battle line

Traffic jam trying to cross the Nebel

My Dutch assault Oberglauheim

The colours captured by the Dutch

Just a few figures...

The second version of the battle was much better planned and run.  The defenders of Oberglauheim  were shot out of their fortification in a couple of turns and the French left got suck into a major fight swinging backwards and forwards. The British centre made a very controlled advance into the centre against the Bavarians.  In the right centre the French cavalry held back giving the guns and infantry a clear shot at the attacking Dutch troops. Two attacking brigades of Dutch were shot off the French line and retired from the battle field.  The British ignored Blenheim which was a good move.  Once again I'd call it a winning draw to the French but another one or two turns would have seen a major battle in the centre which would have swung the battle one way or another.

The Bavarians wait on the English assault

My French have already driven off two assaults

As when I played at the WHC in March, Mark Freeth was an excellent host, remembering everyone's names and keeping us supplied with drinks, sandwiches and cake.

It's a big table, this is just half

Black power gives a nice speed to the game and the mechanics are easy to learn.  The house rules added flavour.  I think I prefer pure "The Last Arguments of Kings" supplement for WSS and SYW but I was happy enough with these rules.  It certainly did not feel like a Napoleonic battle. It's always interesting to see in these big battles how they break down into a series of more local fights and an army that is winning on one flank can be getting creamed on the other.  There is a lesson here that we can all use when we want to fight a big battle but don't have the time, space or troops. It's possible to fight one or more sections of the battle on its own. For example in this case the assault on any of the towns could be fought in an evening or maybe even the battle for the centre.

15mm Ancient Britons

July 2019
15mm Ancient Britons

My Romans need some Celts to fight if I am to run my Iceni uprising campaign.  I have about 200pts so more than enough for a few 4-hand battles (or maybe 6-hand).  Here are a few, but far from all, of the Britons.

15mm Romans

July 2019
My 15mm Roman Army for TTS is coming along.  A typical game of TTS is about 130pts per side and I now have about 160pts of Romans so I have a few options.  There are another 4 units for Roman legionaries primed and awaiting painting plus 5 units of Auxiliaries. That should take me up to 250pts or so.  More than enough for a 4 player game.

I have an idea for a campaign consisting of a series of linked battles based on the rise of the Iceni in 60AD, perfect for my 1st Century Romans.

I took a few snaps for my own pleasure not intending to publish them but here they are:

This is not the whole of the Roman force.  I went with rectangular bases for my generals and maybe in retrospect should have done round but.. what the heck they will attached better.

TTS Learning the Rules and why Warriors are not Good in Woods

May 2019
I've played about 3-4 solo games of "To the Strongest" the Ancients rules from the Big Red Bat. The rules play quickly and well, which is what I want from a set these days.  I've played three games with opponents and this was the third.

As I'm trying out a variety of armies before committing myself, I played this battle with my friend John using on 15mm Orcs and Lizards pretending to be Ancient Britons and Imperial Romans.

It was a cluttered battlefield which favoured the agile Romans as opposed to the unwieldy warbands of British warriors. The Romans refused their right flank and the Britons piled light cavalry on that flank thinking to roll around the Roman flank.

However one of the features of TTS is the army is split down into commands and once a command fails an order no more orders may be give to the units in that command.  The British Warrior warbands kept failing to act on orders due to being in the wood and then rough ground.  John could have moved the cavalry first but wanted to get his main force rolling.  Getting his warbands stuck in the woods severely slowed down his plan to flank the Romans.

This allowed the Roman to attack the centre in force.

Orders in TTS are issued by pulling playing cards, with an Ace being an automatic fail.  John had three commands and …

This battle was the most one sided I have fought in TTS.  My Romans couldn't do any wrong, always following orders and saving in combat.  John's Ancient British, couldn't  follow the simplest orders. In the end the Romans won 11v3.  One of the lessons this battle reinforced was that it is too easy to become focused on one unit and forget about the other units and the over all command.  All I'm hoping is I haven't put my opponent off the rules.  The next battle will by with 15mm Romans and Ancient British models and I expect John to give me a thorough drubbing.  

Donald Featherstone Weekend at the Wargames Holiday Centre

March 2019
My first post and fittingly one in memory of the man who first got me   interested in wargaming.  Like many of us, of my generation, I  borrowed all of his books from the local library.  This tribute weekend is an annual event but a first for me.  It was to be a Victorian Sudan expedition  with all the players one the same side and the fuzzy wuzzies run by fate and Steve as the referee.

The game started weeks in advance of the weekend with the varies players  requesting commands in the expedition.  Some claims were spurious, some such as "I own a canal narrow boat so I should command a Nile steamer" seemed reasonable.  All were fun to read.

The weekend kicked off on a Friday evening and ran onto the following Sunday afternoon. Stopping only for copious beer and food.  There was a commemoration dinner of the Saturday night with a charity auction.

The game itself was run by Steve Thompson, who painted all  the terrain and figures! The venue was provided by the hospitable Mark Freeth for the Wargames Holiday Centre..

The view up the Nile from the British camp.

Some of the wonderful terrain

The column snakes its way up the bank towards the town

Arriving at the town the troops form line, my highlanders looking good in this photo before the final mad rush of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi.

A fantastic return to table top gaming after a long break.  The guys were very friendly and welcoming.  If you fancy a large battle (24' x 12' table plus 8' width extensions) with 1,000's of troops I'd strongly recommend the Wargames Holiday  Centre.  It allows you to fight the sort of wargame you always imagine but never get around too doing.