FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £20*

SCAN TO
SHOP
NOW
*TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY, SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS. WHILE STOCKS LAST. WWW.WAYLANDGAMES.CO.UK
WELCOME IN THIS ISSUE
04 FORWARD OBSERVER
With the latest news items.

T
his issue has somewhat of an English Civil
War focus but other gamers haven’t 07 SEND THREE AND
been ignored. With my ECW hat FOURPENCE
on (geddit?) we have a triumvirate The Abyssinian Army of the 1860-80s for
from Arthur Harman (although his The Men who would be Kings.
thoughts on Jelly Baby Casualties
are only tangential), and we have a
painting guide from Paul Mackay. 13 PORTABLE MIDDLETON
But – in other gaming news – we have A small portable wargame scenario: the Battle of
that ‘alternative’ American Civil War Middleton Cheney, 1643.
as a counterpoint to the English one; a
colonial outing in Abyssinia; both WWI
and WWII desert action plus a scratch 18 FIVE ROUNDS RAPID
build completion with Mr Harwood A long and winding road in World War II gaming
finishing off his chapel. So – as ever – using Rapid Fire 2 rules.
there’s still a little something for everyone!
So – with that in mind – as Phil Lynott
sang “Now some men like the fishin’ 22 DEFENCE IN DEPTH
and some men like the fowlin’ and With the latest figure and rules reviews.
some men like to hear the cannon
ball a-roarin’”. Have fun!
26 BAPTISM OF FIRE
Command decision ACW with James Island, 1863.
Get in touch
tabletopgaming.co.uk
COVER 32 SOLITARY
FEATURE ENGLAND
MiniatureWG
Developing Battles of the English Civil War:
John Treadaway MiniatureWargames A Solitaire Wargame.
Editor
miniature_wargames_magazine
41 IN THE BUFF
MINIATURE WARGAMES Painting Pike & Shotte: Armour and more.
EDITORIAL MARKETING
EDITOR John Treadaway
MiniatureWargames@warnersgroup.co.uk
MARKETING MANAGER Sophie Thornton
01778 395092 | sophie.thornton@warnersgroup.co.uk
46 THE FIRST L.R.D.G.
The Senussi Campaign in Egypt & The Western
HEAD OF DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Lynn Wright PUBLISHED BY
PUBLISHER Claire Ingram Desert: The Senussi Campaign 1915 to 1917.
claire.ingram@warnersgroup.co.uk Part Two.
DESIGN Mike Carr
Warners Group Publications PLC The Maltings, West Street,
COVER: Conversions of Wargames Foundry ECW Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH | 01778 391000
52 RECCE
ADVERTISING TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL NEWSTRADE DISTRIBUTION A crop of reading material to grace the
ACCOUNT MANAGER Charlotte Lewis Warners Group Publications Plc 01778 391150
01778 391129 | charlotte.lewis@warnersgroup.co.uk
wargamer’s book shelves.

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Nicola Glossop

01778 392420 | nicola.glossop@warnersgroup.co.uk
MARKETING EXECUTIVE Charlotte Bamford
01778 395081 | charlotte.bamford@warnersgroup.co.uk
57 SCRATCH BUILD
The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Completing the ruined chapel.
publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the content of this magazine
is accurate, but we assume no responsibility for any effect from errors or
omissions. While every care is taken with unsolicited material submitted for
publication, we cannot be responsible for loss or damage. While every care is
taken when accepting advertisements, we are not responsible for the quality
and/or the performance of goods and/or services advertised in this magazine.
62 FOOD FOR POWDER
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) exists to regulate the content of Edible Casualty Markers.
advertisements. Tel: 020 7429 2222 © Warners Group Publications PLC, 2023

September 2023 Miniature Wargames 3

 FORWARD OBSERVER
News, previews and community submissions from the wargaming world
WE’RE
DOOMED!
Apocalyptic horror
hunting
The Doomed is a new
hard back set of Osprey
rules aimed at fighting
unspeakable creatures.
You run a small band of hunters with a
bold leader seeking fame and success.
This narrative skirmish game for up
to eight figures a side has players
competing over conflicting objectives.
There’s simple rules with no measuring
of distances with games lasting under
an hour and in a figure agnostic
environment. It promises no stacking or
tracking with a focus on the miniatures
on a 2’ by 3’ battlefield, rather than lists,
tokens, or off-board resources. Play
involves rolling one or more six-sided
dice d6 and attempting to equal or
beat quality scores. When it is a unit’s
PREFAB SPROUT
More Brigade releases
Brigade Models had some new 6mm
buildings for their SF range. As anyone
who has any experience of prefabricated
housing can attest, this sort of thing was
important in the recent past and may
well be so in the immediate future (what
4 Miniature Wargames September 2023
Turn, they can make up to three Actions
selecting from Move, Fight, Shoot, and
Recover. The book is over 170 pages
and comes with a full list of Warbands,
Horrors, Scenarios and a campaign to
play a fully fleshed out game system.
There are PDF options but the hardback
is £25and is stuffed full of excellent
artwork and model photography. Go to
ospreypublishing.com for more info.
with housing shortages) and – perhaps
– even on far flung planets. Six new
6mm buildings called Agri Colony has
three homesteads on raised platforms,
and three assorted utility buildings of
various sizes. They are £1 to £3 each
but there’s also a pack with two of each
homestead and one each of the utility
buildings for £16. Sci-Fi trailer trash just
got a upgrade. Go to brigademodels.co.uk.
PYRAMID SALES
Fantasy resin from Black
Pyramid Games
Black Pyramid have
some new releases
spanning a
number of
different ranges and
all cast in a fine, dark
grey resin. Sculpted by
Martin Baker these
include the Dragon
Lord (£5) who
– wearing
chain mail –
has a separate
round shield and a
handsome dragon
helmet (and
would make a
splendid Turin
Turumbar for all those Tolkien fans).
And – for enthusiasts of the shambling
historical undead – there’s two figure
pairs: Dick and Fanny, who are a
Victorian couple, and Meg and Harry
are a loathsome Regency pairing with
ideas way above their fairly decrepit
station (and no doubt demanding
privacy...) They are each £9 for a
matched pair. While on the subject
of twin figures, The Djinn is a cutlass
wielding chap that (with an alternative
sculpt for a non corporeal option) and
The Needle is two versions of the same
Spanish Guerrilla (with a ‘Sharpe’
feel): either a traditional marksman
with a rifle or a vampire hunter out
with a cross for a stake dinner... All
of those are £5 each. Go to
blackpyramid.co.uk for more
info.
 SHOW & TELL
FUTURE WARGAMING EVENTS
BORDER REIVER
Saturday 2nd September
Westerhope Community Centre
Hillhead Road,
NE5 1NE
sites.google.com/site/
borderreiverwargamessociety

HEREWARD
FANTASTIC PLASTIC Sunday 3rd September
The Cresset,
Coming soon across the Atlantic Bretton Centre,
Wargames Atlantic have a raft of new 28mm Peterborough, PE3 8DX
wargames gold coming soon in both hard hereward-wargames.co.uk
styrene and print-yourself resin. First up are
some WWI British infantry in styrene. Out COLOURS
by the time you read this at £25 for a box of 30 Saturday 9th September
there’s a selection of hat and helmet types for Newbury & Reading Racecourse
all theatres and time periods from early war RG14 7PN
to the desert and with officers, and gasmask nrwc.org.uk
options thrown in. They are carrying Lee
Enfield rifles, Webley pistols, Lewis guns,

grenades, and trench clubs and the box gives
you a wide range of kit to choose from. Some
of them might even help out with early WWII
figures. As ever, multiple boxes get a discount.
For the fantasy minded, coming in the future
in hard plastic will be Grognard Cavalry.
Converted from their Atlantic Digital line,
these are mounted versions of the French SF
infantry. They were apparently so popular First Empires range are Trojan
they will be produced in styrene War Infantry. For £14.21
But talking of the digital options, for you can print and field some
those with a resin printer in doors Wargames opponents for their Sea Peoples
Atlantic’s recent move into stretching their digital set (which is already
ranges with digital options makes for some available). This is a six figure range
titillating opportunities. Out now in their (with and without in-built bases)
come with appropriate weapons,
shields, and many head options.
If your tastes are from the other end of the
Old World, for £12.64 you could also print
some Picts. This is a four figure set (again, dual
base options) and it includes enough heads,
weapons, and shields to outfit a convincing unit
of Pictish warriors!
But – if you need a proper raiding option –
how about a Norse Ship? £19.74 buys a 28mm
multi-part ship model is ready to transport
your Danes, Norse, or Saxons over the briny to
other countries’ ever welcoming shores. With a
three part hull and separate mast, sail, rigging,
oars and shields it could be waterlined to sit on
a table top and stuffed full of Vikings looking
for opportunities in a new land... Check out
the reviews of their latest releases in Defence
in Depth and then go to go for more info to
wargamesatlantic.com
THIS MONTH
IN HISTORY
FIRST BATTLE OF
NEWBURY
20TH SEPTEMBER 1643
Fought between King
Charles’ Royalist army, and a
Parliamentarian force led by the
Earl of Essex, this engagement
followed a year of Royalist
successes in the ECW meaning
that the Parliamentarians were left
without an effective army in the
west of England. Parliament’s hand
was forced and – after a long march
– Essex surprised the Royalists and
forced them away from Gloucester
before beginning a retreat to
London. Charles rallied his forces
and pursued Essex, overtaking the
Parliamentarian army at Newbury
and forcing them to march past
the Royalist force to continue
their retreat. Although casualties
were small (1,300 Royalists and
1,200 Parliamentarians), it is
considered to be a crucial of battle
of the war marking the high
point of the Royalist advance
leading (eventually) to Scottish
Covenanters siding with the
Parliamentarian cause.

September 2023 Miniature Wargames 5

 FEELING THE PINCH?

Subscribe now to save

£1 on every issue
One Monthly Payment | No commitment, no catch

The cheapest and easiest way to receive

Miniature Wargames Magazine every month!

To see our latest subscription offers go to:

www.ttgami.ng/mwg-subs2023
SEND THREE AND FOURPENCE
TO THE SWIFT
The Abyssinian Army of the 1860-80s for The Men who would be Kings
Words and pictures by Conrad Kinch
ark Fastoso has a lot to answer
M for. A while ago Mrs Kinch got
me his book on wargaming
the Ethiopian campaigns of
the 19th century and it sparked an itch
that I’ve had to scratch. Before I knew
it, I had ordered a ton of 20mm figures
from Huw Williams, owner of The Man
with the Miniature Men and dreaming
dreams of the battle of Gallabat and the
siege of Magdala.
Of particular interest to me was the
battle of Gallabat, the end of the short
Abyssinian-Mahdist war, because
it would allow me to use my new
Abyssinians against the Mahdist forces
that I had already collected for the
Sudan. With this in mind, I’ve been
slowly painting up forces for this. While
I do intend to do the whole battle, I’m
concentrating here on large skirmish
forces who did most of the raiding,
ambush and petit guerre that makes up
the majority of warfare in between the
big battles.
A BIT OF BACKGROUND
Abyssinian was a multi-ethnic, land-
locked Empire in the Horn of Africa.
Unlike it’s neighbours, it was a majority
Christian state, having converted in
330AD and having had Christianity as
ABOVE: Sudanese Mahdists storm an Abyssinian
held fort. Miniatures from The Man with the
Miniature Men.
a state religion since then. The state was
founded by Yekuno Amlak in 1285AD
who overthrew the previous dynasty
and established a line claiming descent
from the Biblical King Solomon, which
would last until the Emperor Haile
Selassie’s overthrow in a Communist
coup in 1974.
While this isn’t the place for a history
of Abyssinia, as you can find plenty
of that online (though I recommend
A History of Ethiopia by Harold
G. Marcus if you’re looking for a
single volume history), I will give a
brief overview to give some context.
Abyssinia was the name of the state
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 7
 SEND THREE AND FOURPENCE
ABOVE: An Egyptian column ambushed by
Abyssinian warriors in the Northern highlands.
Miniatures from The Man with the Miniature Men.
until the 1940s and I will be using it
interchangeably with Ethiopia.
19th century Ethiopia is about five
times the size of the UK and was
divided up into independent territories
ruled by feudal magnates called Ras
(roughly equivalent to a European
Duke). These were only loosely united
during the 19th century and the
Abyssinian army spent a lot of time
quelling internal revolts and uprisings
as well as expanding its borders.
The period between the mid 18th
century and the mid 19th century was
known as Zemene Mesafint or the rule
of princes. The Ras’s made war on
each other and competed to “protect”
the Emperor in the Imperial capital
of Gondar. The Emperor was pretty
much a figure head mainly kept safe
by the sacred character of his descent
from King Solomon, though warring
magnates would swap Emperors on
occasion. This came to an end with
the rise of Tewodros II (rendered in
European sources as Theodore II) who
conquered most of north Abyssinian and
took the Imperial throne in 1855.
8 Miniature Wargames September 2023
TEWODROS II
Tewodros was a mercurial fella, but
strived to unite his divided country.
He instituted reforms, imported
Western technology and instructors and
attempted to replace the hereditary Ras
with salaried appointees. He attempted
to create a standing army rather than
relying on feudal levies and imported
large amounts of modern weaponry.
Tewodros was concerned with
Ottoman encroachments and his
rebellious Muslim subjects in the
south of the Empire, which led him
to seek an alliance with the British
Empire. After repeated letters to Queen
Victoria did not get the answer he
sought, he unwisely seized a number
of missionaries and two British
government officials as hostages. Sir
Robert Napier led the subsequent
expedition which led to the freeing
of the hostages and the taking of the
fortress of Magdala. Tewodros took his
own life, rather than be captured.
Tewodros had been a brutal ruler, with
the results that Sir Robert Napier had
little difficulty recruiting local chieftains
who had been warring with him to
protect their supply lines. Foremost
amongst this was Kasa, a Tigrayan, who
sought British assistance in securing
the Empire for himself. Direct military
action was not forthcoming, as Napier
wished to withdraw from the country,
but approximately half a million pounds
in equipment was supplied. These
included mortars, howitzers, percussion
rifles and a substantial amount of
ammunition. This coupled with British
advisers left Kasa well placed to take
the throne. He did so in after defeating
the previous incumbent Emperor Tekle
Giyorgis II at the battle of Adwa in 1871.
He was crowned Yohannes II in 1872.
YOHANNES II
Yohannes took a more conciliatory
approach than Tewodros, appointing
former foes to the governorship of
provinces. He continued Tewodros’s
attempts to centralise the Abyssinian
state, appointing sub-kings like Tekle
Haymanot and Menelik (who would
eventually become his successor),
though with mixed success. Haymanot
and Menelik were reprimanded by
Yohannes for going to war with each
other at Embabao in 1882.
Yohannes faced multiple threats:
fractious nobles within his own
Empire, raids from Mahdist Sudan and
concerted attempts by Khedive Ismail
of Egypt to annex parts of Abyssinia,
which Yohannes soundly defeated at the
battles of Gunet (1875) and Gura (1876).
Gundet in particular was a battle of
annihilation where drilled troops armed
with Remington rifles, Gatling Guns
and Krupp cannon were defeated by
superior generalship, morale, tactics and
numbers. An internal revolt, distracted
Yohannes from an invasion by Mahdist
Sudan which lead to the sack of Gondar
(the Imperial seat and an important
religious site) in 1887. The later 1889
battle of Gallabat (also called Metemma)
ABOVE: Abyssinian warriors skirmish with
Mahdist tribesmen. Miniatures from The Man
with the Miniature Men.
marked the end of Yohannes reign. After
successfully breaching the Mahdist
defences around the town and just as
victory seemed certain, the Emperor
was hit by a stray bullet and died in his
tent later that day. The Abyssinian army
lost heart and a Mahdist counter attack
turned their retreat into a slaughter.
But that’s quite enough potted history
for now.
ABYSSINIAN ARMIES:
1860 ONWARDS
As the Abyssinian state centralised
and became more efficient both at
gathering agricultural surpluses and tax
revenues, the size of Abyssinian armies
increased substantially. Soldiers had
been compared to locusts, due to their
rapacity and looting, in the early 19th
century. This was ameliorated, but not
extinguished by the more consistent
logistical structure. But it meant that
Arbyssinian armies were larger and
could stay in the field longer. Things
changed substantially between the
Siege of Magdala where Tewodros
was outnumbered by Napier at his
own capital to the battle of Adwa in
1896, where Menelik II managed to
outnumber the Italians five to one.
Abyssinian armies were generally
led by local magnates or minor Kings
with the sub commanders being part
of their retinue or recruited from local
princelings. Warriors served out of a
mixture of personal loyalty and local
patriotism, but there were also powerful
financial incentives. Grants of land
or slaves could be either temporary
(Maderiya) or permanent. Recruiting
was still based off of feudal obligations.
BELOW: An Egyptian Pasha and his command
staff in Abyssinian circa 1875. Strelets
Miniatures.
The most significant figures from the
skirmish wargaming perspective are
the Shalek’a (commander of a 1000, but
realistically a couple of hundred) and
the Asiralek’a (commander of ten).
INFANTRY
The Abyssinian infantry or Ashkar
(retainers) did train together and were
separated into separate units, depending
on the weapons that they had to hand.
Traditional weapons were the broad
bladed spear, the hooked Shotel sword,
the Gashan or thick hide shield and
javelins. These were heavily used,
particularly during internecine conflicts
within the Empire, but firearms were
highly sought after and were brought
into the country in bulk. Ownership of a
gun conferred status and both Menelik
and Tewodros imported modern
firearms. Gunmen were referred to as
Neftegna (“He who has a rifle”).
Matchlocks were part of Abyssinian
warfare from the 16th century and were
still in use until the 1870s and were
produced en masse in country. Flintlocks
needed to be imported and the delicate
lock couldn’t be produced in the
numbers needed. Percussion weapons
replaced the matchlocks in the 1860s,
shotguns were particularly popular.
The Showan army of the 1870s was
described as having 4000 modern rifles,
3000 flintlocks and 15,000 matchlocks.
Ammunition was a perennial problem
for the Abyssinian forces. Blackpowder
cartridges could be manufactured en
masse which meant that smoothbore
matchlocks and shotguns could be
kept supplied without too much
difficult. Percussion and centre fire
ammunition was beyond Ethiopian
industrial capabilities to mass produce.
Much such ammunition was imported,
usually through Eritrea, though this was
complicated when Eritrea fell under
Egyptian and later Italian influence.
While modern ammunition could not
be manufactured, towards the end of
the 1870s, it could be reloaded, though
the end product was not as effective as
imported stuff.
CAVALRY
The Oromo people of the centre and south
of the Empire were (and are) famous
horsemen. I’ve also heard them referred to
as the Galla in some sources, though I’m
not entirely sure if that is a slur or not.
While Ethiopian armies made use of
barded heavy cavalry (of the sort still seen
in the Mahdi’s army) in the 17th and 18th
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 9
 SEND THREE AND FOURPENCE
century, they seem to have disappeared
from the battlefield by the 19th century.
Light cavalry were used extensively
however and were armed with spears,
javelins, guns and swords. These were
deployed in large numbers, but were
limited by the Abyssinian practice of
fielding mixed cavalry and infantry units.
This limited the mobility of the former and
reduced the firepower of the latter.
This practice was discontinued in the
1870s, which substantially increased the
effectiveness of the Abyssinian cavalry,
and by the early 1880s the Empire could
put 40,000 horsemen in the field. Sadly,
a rinderpest epidemic devastated the
Abyssinian horse population in 1890,
which reduced the number of cavalry
that could be mustered, though this falls
outside the time covered by this article.
ARTILLERY
Tewodros II was keenly aware of the
power of artillery and made attempts to
both import modern artillery and foster
indigenous cannon production. The
star of his collection – a mortar called
Sebastapol – burst during the siege of
Magdala. However the battle did impress
upon Abyssinian military leaders the
necessity of a powerful artillery arm.
In the aftermath of the Magdala
campaign, Yohannes was given
mountain howitzers by Sir Robert
Napier. These were the first really
10 Miniature Wargames September 2023
reliable modern artillery in Ethiopian
service. They were of small calibre, but
could be more easily transported in the
mountainous regions of the north of the
Empire. A small gun that can get there is
far more useful than a big gun that can’t.
The Abyssinians also used rocket tubes,
which provided portable firepower
where it was needed.
Victories over the Egyptians at Gura
and Gundet also gave the Abyssinians
an injection of new artillery, including
mountain howitzers as well as modern
Krupp artillery. There are also records of
Menelik importing French Mitrailleurses
in 1885, though I haven’t been able to
find any mention of their use.
While Abyssinian armies were aware of
the value of modern artillery and knew to
take cover appropriately, building a corps
of gunners took longer. Sgt Kirkham
trained local gunners in the 1860s.
Captured Egyptian gunners were pressed
into service after the victories of the 1870s
and had trained Ethiopian crews by the
end of the decade. The effectiveness of
the Abyssinian artillery arm was a great
surprise to the Italians in the battles of the
1890s, who had to contend with machine
guns and smaller quick firing cannon like
the 57mm Hotchkiss.
SKIRMISH KINGS
Wargaming with the Abyssinian Army
in The Men who would be Kings:
INFANTRY
Mixed infantry units (1860s-1870s). Rated
as Mounted Irregular Infantry (poor shots,
poorly armed, enthusiastic). Traditional
armed units should be rated as Tribal
Infantry, but Matchlock men should be
rated as Irregular Infantry (poorly armed).
Percussion armed infantry should be
rated as Irregular Infantry, while infantry
with modern Remington breachloaders
(or similar weapons) should be Irregular
Infantry (Well Armed). Units armed with
shotguns and other modern smoothbore
weapons should be treated as Irregular
Infantry but may not fire at long range,
though they fire with +1.
Royal bodyguard infantry should be
rated as Veteran.
All Abyssinian units may be
upgraded with Fieldcraft to reflect their
ability to make good use of ground.
CAVALRY
Oromo Light Cavalry should be treated
as Tribal Cavalry. Royal Troops should
be rated as Irregular Cavalry (Well
Armed). .
ARTILLERY
Depending on the period, gun crews
may be well drilled or poorly drilled.
Guns which are manned by pressed
Egyptian crews may be classed as well
drilled, but cost points as per a poorly
drilled crew. Pressed men will not act on

ABOVE: A mixed unit of Abyssinian warriors
and cavalry charge the egyptian command post.
Miniatures from The Man with the Miniature Men.
any Leadership roll of doubles, should
the Leadership roll be failed and doubles
are rolled, remove one figure.
◗ Special Rule: Looting
Loot was a major source of combat
motivation for Abyssinian armies as
described above. A unit which wins a
melee combat must make a Leadership
check. On a pass, it may act as normal.
On a fail, it may not act on its next turn
(it does not count as pinned), but the
owning player gains one victory point.
◗ Special Rule: Limited Ammunition
I would strongly recommend using the
Limited Ammunition rule. The player
should decide (on a per unit basis) before
the game begins whether he wishes to
roll for ammunition or allow the unit to
take three rounds of ammunition. Apply
the following modifiers:
+1 Royal Units
+1 Shotgun or Matchlock armed units.
HORSE NAMES
While I was doing some research
for these article , I came across the
wonderful Ethiopian custom of “Horse
Names”. These are a secondary title for
Ethiopian royalty or nobility, in much
the same way as we might refer to
William I as “The Conquerer” or Richard
I as “The Lionheart”. The noble will be
referred to as Abba (meaning father) of
X, where X is the man’s warhorse. An
example of this is Emperor Yohannes
II who died at the battle of Gallabat
was known by his horsename of Abba
Bezibiz, meaning “Father of Plunder”.
However my favourite has to be Abba
Gersa, the horsename of Darge Sahle
Selassie a controversial figure because
of his brutal measures in establishing
the power of central government in the
Oromo highlands. His horse man means
“Father of Recurring Impediment” (i.e. to
the enemy), which is frankly a brilliant
name for a horse (or a politician... Ed.).
MINIATURES
The Man with the Miniature Men:
Ethiopian Range, all available from
bensonarizona93@yahoo.com. These are
a lovely range of 1/72 figures mainly
aimed the Italian wars of the 1890s. They
are slim, well proportioned and have
very little flash. The infantry range is
relatively complete, while the artillery
and cavalry need a little filling out. My
Abyssian army is made up of these and I
recommend them unreservedly.
Early War Miniatures: Abyssinian
Range. These figures are designed
for the Italian-Abyssinian war in the
1930s, but the Tribal and Levy Troops
section has four packs of infantry
that would work very well for the
19th century. They are available from
earlywarminiatures.com
Empress Miniatures: Abyssinian
Range. These are exquisite 28mm figures
cast in metal. Virtually no flash, the only
drawback is that the range only includes
infantry and most of that is aimed at the
Italian conquest of the 1930s. However,
the Tribal Levy figures would work
very well for 19th century projects and
they are tip top. They are available from
empressminiatures.com.
Askari Miniatures: Ethiopian army.
These are 28mm figures aimed at the
Italian war of the 1930s. While they lack
of panache of the Empress range, they’d
certainly bulk out a collection and add
some much needed variation. Available
from askari-minis.com.
Castaway Arts. These are probably have
the best range I’ve seen for 19th century
Abyssinians in 28mm. Finely sculpted
with good detail, they include infantry
and cavalry. There’s no artillery, but you
could easily convert something from
existing colonial ranges. Unfortunately,
they are based in Australia, which means
that for UK or European wargamers
ordering from them can get a bit pricey.
castawayarts.com.au
Irregular Miniatures. Ian Kay is a
machine, frankly, and has a mail order
service that is second to none. It should
surprise no-one that he has Abyssinian
figures in 25mm, 20mm, 15mm and
6mm. irregularminiatures.co.uk
BIBLIOGRAPHY
◗ ‘For God, Emperor, and Country!’ The
Evolution of Ethiopia’s Nineteenth-
Century Army Author(s): John Dunn
War in History , November 1994, Vol.
1, No. 3 (November 1994), pp. 278-299.
◗ “6 - Military Training in Sports,
Horsemanship and Hunting”.
Berhane-Selassie, Tsehai (2018).
Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land
and Society 1800-1941.
◗ Egyptian Invasion of Ethiopia Czeslaw
Jesman African Affairs , Jan., 1959, Vol.
58, No. 230 (Jan., 1959), pp. 75-81
◗ The Unification of Ethiopia (1880-
1935) Wälläga Terrefe Woldetsadik
Journal of Ethiopian Studies , January
1968, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 73-86.
◗ Armies of the Adawa Campaign
1896: The Italian disaster in Ethiopia
MacLachan, Sean Osprey Publishing.
◗ A History of Ethiopia by Harold G.
Marcus, UNiversity of California Press
1996 (but also available in cheaper
electronic editions: I got mine on
Kindle).
◗ YouTube Channel: Hidden History
- @hiddenhist on Youtube. This is a
channel devoted to African history
and has a couple of short (around the
ten minute mark) videos on Ethiopian
history, particularly military history.
Definitely worth a look, if you want to
get up to speed in a short time.
◗ YouTube Channel: Da’Mon Stith
- @DaMonStith on Youtube. This
is a channel devoted to HAMA
(Historical African Martial Arts)
and if you’ve ever wondered how
the shotel, the classic Ethopian
sickle shaped sword is used, he has
a number of videos on it as well as
other African weapons. ■
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 11
PORTABLE
MIDDLETON
A small portable wargame ABOVE
Wargames
scenario: the Battle of Foundry ECW
troops. Painted
by Matthew
Middleton Cheney, 1643 Fletcher.

Words by Arthur Harman. Photos by Kevin Dallimore RIGHT

Wargames
Foundry ECW
Cornet. Painted
his small, almost insignificant encounter of Middleton Cheney and Lower Middleton Cheney

T
by Bill Brewer.
between unequal, asymmetric forces is ideal for
recreating as a tabletop wargame to familiarise
oneself with either of the two sets of rules in
The Portable Pike & Shot Wargame. Gently sloping,
open-field farmland and meadow are easy to portray
as a gridded surface, either by putting a cloth marked
with a hexagonal or square grid over suitable items
to create the lay of the land; using Hexon II terrain; or
by placing pieces representing higher ground on top
of a gridded board or cloth. A small stream, a model
church and a few other buildings – even the veteran
Airfix Tudor house, if you are an elderly wargamer
who still possess one! – can represent the two villages
which lay close to the presumed site of the battlefield.
The map that accompanies this scenario shows
the presumed site of the battle and the surrounding
area. Moreover, the fact that the contemporary
sources are not in agreement regarding the reasons for
the Parliamentary advance on Banbury, or the exact
composition of the opposing armies, allows the game
organiser to ‘pick ‘n mix’ as he or she sees fit to create
a variety of subtly different versions of the same
scenario, some of which may allow the players
to change the course of history, but only very
slightly, as the engagement was quite unimportant,
strategically speaking.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 13
 SOLITARY ENGLAND
GENERAL BRIEFING
This is to be for all players.
The War between King Charles I and the Parliament
began last year. A major battle at Edgehill in October
was indecisive and a Royalist advance to the outskirts
of the capital was thwarted by the London Trained
Bands, forcing the King to retire and establish his
capital at Oxford. Although the population of Banbury,
a small market town of about sixteen hundred souls,
support the cause of the Parliament, the castle and
town were captured by the Royalists on 27th October
1642, and it now has a strong garrison as it is an
essential trading centre and helps to protect Oxford.
The Royal garrison at Banbury and the nearby
Parliamentary garrison at Northampton frequently
raid each other’s territory.
RIGHT PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING OPTIONS
Wargames The game organiser may either choose which
Foundry ECW/
TYW Sedan. of the three paragraphs below to include in the
Painted by Paul Parliamentary briefing, or throw a die, referring to the
Baker. scores given below:
◗ A (1 or 2): Word has been received in Northampton
that part of the town of Banbury has been set
afire. It is not clear whether this was an accident
or the Royalist garrison of Banbury Castle seeking
to punish its inhabitants for favouring the cause
of Parliament, but it may offer an opportunity to
occupy the town and, perhaps, seize the castle, as the
garrison is reported to be withdrawing.
◗ B (3): The Governor of Northampton, Nathaniel
Whetham, has received a message from the Earl of
Essex, ordering the five hundred Foot there to march to
join the Earl’s army in the vicinity of Banbury. [Sending
such false orders was a stratagem previously employed
by the Royalists; the 2nd Earl of Northampton had sent
a forged letter to the garrison of Banbury before he
seized the magazine in August 1642, so his son might
well have resorted to a similar ruse.]
◗ C (4, 5 or 6): Repeated Royalist raids on farms and
villages close to Northampton have caused great
hardship to the inhabitants, who are demanding
the Parliamentary troops take action to prevent the
recurrence of such hostile activity. The Governor of
Northampton, Nathaniel Whetham, has sent part of
the garrison to retaliate by advancing against Banbury.
Insert whichever option has been selected or chosen
by die roll as the first paragraph of the following
briefing, also adjusting the names of the Captains of
Horse when necessary:
You are Major John Doe of Colonel David Berkley’s
Regiment of Foot, [insert strength, according to the
principles below] strong, accompanied by [insert the
14 Miniature Wargames September 2023
number of troops, also according to the principles
below] troops of Horse, under the command of Captains
Thomas Atkyns, Richard Roe, and Henry Potter and
a six-pounder drake. Your force has advanced along
Banbury Lane by way of Cold Higham, Culworth [if
the D6 die score for Horse was 6, insert where you were
joined by four troops of Horse under Captain Sawyer],
and Middleton Cheney, where the column turned down
the Parsontide Way and headed towards a ford across
the River Cherwell, opposite the village of Bodicote,
which lies about two miles south of Banbury.
On the rising ground in front of Bodicote, you observe
a strong force of Royalist Horse. Decide whether to
order your troops of Horse and the crew of the drake to
advance to the riverbank to deny the ford to the enemy,
or to withdraw – either by way of Warkworth, home
of Philip Holman, a London merchant who sits on the
Parliamentarian Committee for Northampton, or back
up the Parsontide Way to take up a defensive position
on the rising ground immediately to the south of the
village of Middleton Cheney.
PARLIAMENTARY FORCES & PLAYER ROLES
Note: As the names of the Parliamentary officers are unknown,
I have given fictitious ones; feel free to change them!
Major John Doe, Berkley’s Regiment of Foot
If Briefing Option B (above) is selected, then the
Parliamentary force must include 500 Foot of Colonel
David Berkley’s Regiment; if any other option is
selected, first dice [D6] to determine the strength of the
Foot: 1: 300; 2, 3 or 4: 500; 5: 600; 6: 700.
Whichever option is selected, then dice to determine
the strength of the Horse, adding 1 to the score if
the Foot numbers 600 or 700. If sufficient players are
available, the captains of Horse can each be played; if
there are only two Parliamentary players, one should
command the Foot and the other the Horse. Next,
bowl a D6 die score strength of Horse: 1: 2 troops (c.
80-100 men) Captains Atkyns and Roe (1 troop each); 2
or 3: 3 troops (c.120-150 men) Captains Atkyns, Roe and
Potter (1 troop each); 4 or 5: 4 troops (c. 200 men) Captain
Atkyns (2 troops), Captains Roe and Potter (1 troop
each); 6: 8 troops (c. 400 men) Captain Atkyns (2 troops),
Captains Roe and Potter (1 troop each), and;
Captain Sawyer (4 troops that were actually
routed near Bicester by a party of 40 Horse of Sir John
Byron’s Regiment, but might have intended to join the
Northamptonshire forces about Banbury)
The Parliamentary force will always include one
6-pounder drake and artillerymen to man it.
ROYALIST BRIEFING
You are James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton,
having succeeded to the title after your father’s death
at the battle of Hopton Heath on 19th March 1643,
where he was unhorsed and killed after scorning to
beg quarter of such base rogues and Rebels.
You now command a brigade of Horse, comprised of
four troops of your own regiment under your personal
command and six troops of the Prince of Wales’s
Regiment, divided into two equal parties, under the
command of Captain James Trist and Major Thomas
Daniel, both of whom are experienced officers upon
whose tactical skill you may rely, and your own regiment
of Foot, to garrison Banbury and ensure the safe arrival in
Oxford of a munitions convoy expected to arrive soon.
About twelve of the clock today, you received news
that the Rebels were in Culworth, whereupon you drew
up your brigade of Horse on the high ground between
Bodicote and Banbury, where you would be able to cover
the ford across the River Cherwell and also react to any
attack upon the bridge into the town. Your Regiment of
Foot remains in Banbury to garrison the castle.
From your vantage point you have observed a
body of Rebel Foot, accompanied by several troops
of Horse and a gun, advancing from Parsontide Way
upon the ford. There is boggy ground, not suitable for
a cavalry engagement, on either side of the Cherwell
at this point. If the enemy should manage to reach the
riverbank first and place their gun to command the
ford, your troops will find it very difficult to cross in
column under fire and you would be forced to lead
them back through Banbury to cross at the bridge and
then manoeuvre against the Rebels’ right flank, whilst ABOVE
leaving sufficient men to deny them the ford. Wargames
Foundry ECW
troops. Painted
ROYALIST FORCES & PLAYER ROLES by Matthew
Earl of Northampton Fletcher.
◗ Four troops of the Earl of Northampton’s Regiment
of Horse, c.300 men
◗ The Earl of Northampton’s Regiment of Foot, c.400
men, the garrison of Banbury Castle
Major Thomas Daniel
◗ Three troops of the Prince of Wales’s Horse, c.150 men
Captain James Trist
◗ Three troops of the Prince of Wales’s Horse, c.150 men
GAME ORGANISER’S NOTES
If the Parliamentary commander decides to advance to
contest the ford, create Battlefield A on the table top. If
the Royalist commander decides to send some of his
Horse to cross the River Cherwell by Banbury Bridge,
use the map of Middleton Cheney and Enivrons to
calculate how many turns will elapse before they appear
on the right flank or rear of the Parliamentary forces.
Should the Parliamentary forces succeed in
leaving Battlefield A by its northern edge, they have
withdrawn via Warkworth; create Battlefield B for the
next phase of the game, on which the Parliamentary
forces should deploy as shown by W on the Possible
Sites of Battle map.
Should the Parliamentary forces leave Battlefield
A by its eastern edge, they have withdrawn along
the Parsontide Way: create Battlefield C for the next
phase of the game, on which the Parliamentary forces
should deploy as shown by P on the Possible Sites of
Battle map.
If, on the other hand, the Parliamentary commander
decides not to contest the ford, ask him to choose
his preferred line of withdrawal – by Warkworth or
by the Parsontide Way – and lay out the appropriate
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 15
 SOLITARY ENGLAND
battlefield on the tabletop. Do not tell the Royalist
commander what his opponent has decided, just
that the Parliamentary forces seem to have started
to withdraw, but ask him whether he will push his
entire force across the ford, which will take some time,
or send part of it back to Banbury to cross the River
Cherwell there. Determine how many turns should
pass before the entire Royalist Horse arrives near
Middleton Cheney to deploy for battle.
Alternatively, the game organiser may decide to
dispense with any pre-battle choices and manoeuvres,
and simply impose either Battlefield B or C on the
players and begin the wargame with both sides
deployed as shown on the Possible Sites of Battle map.
Whichever Battlefield layout is selected, if the
Parliamentary commander can succeed in getting
the majority of his force off the battlefield by way of
Middleton Cheney he has won the game; if his force
is unable to exit through the village, it must surrender
and he has lost.
RULES
There are two sets of rules for the English Civil War in
The Portable Pike & Shot Wargame, one by Antoine
Bouguilleau; the other by Alan Saunders. Where the
two authors employ different terms, such as in the
rating of troops, the first term quoted refers to the
former set of rules, the second to the latter.
Colonel David Berkley’s Regiment of Foot from
Northampton was probably made up of garrison
troops, with no actual experience of battle, so should
be rated as Poor or Raw. It had a higher proportion
of musketeers to pikemen than was the norm, so the
game organiser might care to modify its Shooting
(musketry) die roll by +1, and its Close Combat with
Horse die roll by -1. When a Close Combat die roll
offers the choice of suffering an SP loss or retreating a
grid area, the Foot will always retreat.
The troops of Horse from Northampton would
have taken part in the raids and skirmishes in the
county and should be rated as Average or Trained.
They probably followed the general practice of
16 Miniature Wargames September 2023
Parliamentary Horse at the beginning of the First Civil
War of attacking the enemy by performing a caracole
and of receiving charges at the halt with carbine or
pistol fire. The six-pounder drake and its crew will
be rated Average or Trained, as it seems to have been
responsible for many of the Royalist casualties.
The Royalist Prince of Wales’s Horse, on the other
hand, had participated in several actions, was under
the command of experienced officers, the Earl of
Northampton, Captain Trist and Major Daniel, and
so might be rated Elite, otherwise definitely Average
or Trained. It seems highly likely that it adopted the
Swedish style of charging with the sword, as favoured
by Prince Rupert, rather than performing a caracole
with pistols or carbines.
Three of the four troops of The Earl of
Northampton’s Horse were probably newly raised in
Banbury, so could be rated Poor or Raw, but the gallant
leadership of the Earl could perhaps raise their quality
to Average or Trained.
The stream/river should be regarded as fordable
anywhere along its course.
USING OTHER SETS OF RULES
The game organiser and players are, of course, free to
use any other wargame rules for the period of their
choice and this should not be difficult, following the
suggestions given above, provided that the rules are
designed for fighting small battles.
Adaptations of Neil Thomas’s One Hour Wargame
rules may, for example, be found at the Grid Based
Wargaming (gridbasedwargaming.blogspot.com) and at
Alan Saunders’ The Stronghold Rebuilt blog (click on “Free
Stuff” and “One Hour Wargames”). The
rules by Andy Callan in Wargame the
English Civil War 1642-1651 by Peter
Dennis (Helion) are another simple
DOWNLOAD
THE MAPS
set that would be eminently suitable, tabletopgaming.co.uk/
as is Peter Pig’s Regiment of Foote. ■ information/downloads
 Newbury & Reading
Wargames Society
Presents

COLOURS 2023
Saturday
9th September
Doors 10am – 5pm
At Newbury Racecourse, Newbury, RG14 7NZ
• Free parking and close to Railway Station
Admission £5
Thousands of models, dozens of trade stands,
Bring and Buy, participation games, action
packed displays, refreshment facilities and bar

Colours 2023 Sponsored by KR Multicase

More details on our website: www.nrwc.org.uk
 FIVE ROUNDS RAPID
y biggest collection, at least in terms of
M
boxes full of stuff has got to be World War II.
I’ve got forces for France 1940, the Western
Desert campaigns, and the Eastern Front.
Unfortunately, they have not been used as often as I
would have liked. This is due – as with so many things
related to the hobby – to the Rules!
ONE RULE TO RULE THEM ALL
My early dabble with the period was using a set Richard
Marsh (of Rapid Fire fame) and I, developed from the
book by John Sanders An Introduction to Wargaming,
published in 1975. An article by us both was published
in Don Featherstone’s long defunct Wargamers
Newsletter. We used these with modifications until the
1990’s. Then in a golden period for us, Colin Rumford
and Richard – who both gamed with us at Grimsby –
decided to develop Rapid Fire! rules.
I helped with the playtesting of these and got an
acknowledgement in the introduction. We used these
quite happily for a number of years, and then, in the
18 Miniature Wargames September 2023
2000’s, Rapid Fire! 2 came out along with Blitzkrieg
BELOW
A Panzer III Commander and Iron Cross. We skipped between these
drives past a
deployed 88mm sets, seeing both strengths and weaknesses in all of
Anti Tank gun. them. One set required a lot of referencing to charts,
whilst another required rather more pre-game set up
time and they all dealt with friction in different ways.
We weren’t happy with any one set, so... the period
stopped being played.
A brief flirtation with Flames of War soon hit the
buffers and we put the Second World War into storage.
Until now!
RELOAD & GO AGAIN
The Rapid Fire! team recently released their new fast
play Rapid Fire! Reloaded rules. These are in a cheap,
A5 format. They are a simple to play rule set where all
the decisions are based on a D6 and there are no time-
consuming chart consultations. They also allow you to
play big games in a reasonable time. They are designed
as an entry level rule set and they also work brilliantly
for this. A second rule book was later released covering
 A long and winding road in
World War II gaming
Words by Dave Tuck. Photos by Malc Johnston

the many less used rules such as Engineering, Parachute The map shows the initial Axis deployment zone
Drops, Minefields, Air power and Glider troops. and British entry points. The Axis infantry can deploy
We recently played a late Western Desert game with above line C, with their armour starting above line B.
six players, one new to wargaming, and two of whom The British deployment area is marked as below line D.
had never used the rules and three who had only
played a handful of games each. FORCES
The forces were chosen from the Rapid Fire Monty’s
FIRST SCENARIO Desert Battles book, which covers the game
The German and Italian forces are retreating and organisation for forces from August 1942 to January
buying time for their rear echelons to consolidate after 1943. These were as follows:
their recent defeat at Second battle of El Alamein. To LEFT
do this they have amassed a force of German troops Afrika Corps
and the best of their Italian allied troops and decided infantry
advancing.
to make a stand around El Tuki (this is a a made up
location so don’t try to look it up on map!). BELOW LEFT
The British and Commonwealth forces are pushing El Tuki
deployments.
on trying to disrupt their opponents and hit the supply
columns as they retreat. The British win by driving
a force of at least two tanks and two companies of
infantry off the German board edge and any other
result is a German victory.
We use the variable length time clock (see later) and
a delay of over six hours is a major victory.

AXIS
Italian
◗ A Bersaglieri battalion of three companies each with
an MMG, plus two Portee 47mm Anti-Tank guns and
a Breda 20mm Anti-Aircraft gun.
◗ A depleted Armoured battalion of five M13/40 tanks.
◗ A depleted Self-Propelled Artillery group of two
Semovente 75/18 SP guns.

German
◗ A Panzer-Grenadier battalion from 90th Light Afrika
Division of three companies and a HQ and support
company of infantry with a mortar an MMG, two
Pak 50 Anti-Tank guns and a Pak36 Anti-Tank gun.
All of which are mounted in or towed by lorries.
◗ A depleted Panzer battalion of four Panzer III’s (2
long barrelled and 2 short), one Panzer IV f2(long
barrelled) and one Panzer II.

Facing these were the British and Commonwealth

forces made up as follows:
◗ 3rd RTR made up of four Grant Tanks, Two Sherman
II Tanks, two Crusader II ( 2pdr) and one Crusader
III (6pdr)
◗ 4th/8th Hussars of ten Stuart (Honey’s) Tanks.
◗ An Infantry Tank squadron of three Valentines (2pdr)
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 19
 FIVE ROUNDS RAPID

RIGHT degrade the enemy using their artillery superiority. We

A British Humber found this a fascinating and well- balanced game.
command car.

BELOW RIGHT RINSE & REPEAT: SCENARIO 2

The Fort Capuzzo
deployments.
◗ A Motor Battalion of three companies each with an
MMG and a HQ company with a 3” mortar and two
6 pdr portee Anti-Tank guns
◗ A Lorried Infantry Battalion as above but with the
6pdr portees replaced with 2 pdr equivalents.
◗ The support of a battery of three off table 25pdr
Artillery batteries and an on-table observer.
The rules work well for smaller historical refights.
Our second game is based on real events around Fort
Capuzzo in June 1941. Operation Battle-axe started on
15th June and had not gone well. The attack on Halfaya
pass had been stopped and the attack on Hafid ridge
had not been successful. Only the attack by 7th RTR,
equipped with Matilda infantry tanks, had done well,
taking Fort Capuzzo and holding off the attacks by
15th Panzer division. On day two the Axis forces have
had time to plan their counter-attack. This is where our
action starts.

SCOPE & FIDDLING

The British outnumber their opponents approximately
two to one but have some time pressure on them. We
made two amendments to the rules.
◗ In RFR individual casualties on infantry are ignored
unless they amount to a complete base (two figures in
their basing system). We use different basing so chose
to mark off each casualty. Team weapons, MMG’s and
Anti-Tank guns are different and are only destroyed
when the complete team of Two to four are casualties
within a turn. If not, they are ignored.
◗ RFR is a straightforward UGO-IGO system which
we don’t like, so we roll for initiative each turn.
This also fits in with our variable length bound time
clock. The winner of the initiative rolls two D6, with
each pip representing five minutes. They choose one
of the Dice and move the clock on accordingly. They
can then choose whether to go first or second. In this
battle the Germans want time to go quickly so will
choose high scores whereas the British will need time
to get their troops off the Axis table edge. This has
added another level to our games: no longer do you FORCES
have, say, fourteen turns to achieve the objective and The British have:
a predictable pattern can be planned for. Now – if ◗ Four Infantry Companies of the Coldstream Guards,
you lose the initiative and the opponent rolls well – each with an MMG and Anti-Tank rifle and a HQ
an hour can pass in two turns. On average an hour company with a 3” Mortar. Attached to them are
lasts three or four turns, But not always! ◗ Three 2pdr Anti-Tank guns and their portee lorries.
All of these forces can be defending Sangars which
TACTICS count as hard cover, as does the fort.
This game requires the Axis to try to delay the enemy ◗ The British Armour from 7th RTR consists of two
which outnumbers them and has artillery support: they squadrons of two Matilda tanks and a HQ company
will need to hit and run and allow the Italian troops to of one 3” armed CS Matilda Tank.
defend available strong-points, such as the village and ◗ They have the support of a battery of two off table
its dugouts. 25pounder guns attached to the Tank unit which
The British have a choice of rushing on and simply has an observer. They can deploy anywhere south of
using weight of numbers or bide their time and try to (below) the line on the map.

20 Miniature Wargames September 2023

Axis forces consist of:
◗ 1st Battalion of two Panzer II, two Panzer III and a
short barrelled Panzer IV.
◗ 2nd Battalion of two Panzer II, four Panzer III and
a short-barrelled Panzer IV. All the Panzer III’s are
short barrelled 50mm guns.
◗ 8th Panzer Regiment which is made up of four
companies of Motorcycle troops each with an MMG.
◗ An 88mm Anti-Tank battery.
◗ Three rifle companies each with an MMG and a HQ
company with an 81mm Mortar and a 50mm Anti-
tank gun and 75mm Infantry gun and an Anti-Tank
Company with a 50mm and a 37mm Anti-Tank gun.
◗ They have the support of three batteries of off table
105mm artillery, one is attached to each of the tank
units and the third can be allocated by the player at
the start of the game.
DEPLOYMENT
The Axis deploy from the North entering the table on
Turn 1. They have five hours to defeat the British or
clear a pathway through to the Southern table edge.
In the real battle the British were heavily attacked
by the Panzer force, and in a reversal of normal desert
tactics the Panzer III’s and IV’s attacked the British
Anti-Tank screen which was well supported by the
Matildas. By 11 am the attack had been driven off and
the British had won the day. But it counted for naught
as they were soon moving East again!
This battle is a very finely balanced affair, the British
being in hard cover makes their infantry quite resilient
and the Panzer III and IV tanks do not have a powerful
enough gun to penetrate the armour of the Matildas
unless they are stationery or at short range or attacked
side on. They do have an 88mm Anti-Tank gun that
suffers none of these disadvantages, but it needs to
be well placed and becomes a beacon for the British
artillery and Mortar.
ARMOUR: OPEN FIRE! ABOVE
In the RFR rules Anti-Tank fire works by comparing Captured
Russian 76.2 mm
the gun class of the firer with the armour class of the guns, a long way
target and amending the score for various factors such from home!
as range, whether either party moved or adjustment
for a flank or rear attack. A score of 4,5 or 6 is the
BELOW LEFT
A Scammel
starting point for a hit. Matilda tanks have armour 2 Wrecker on its
and German 50mm guns have a value of 4 so it is an way to a repair.
Scratch built
immediate minus 2 with any adjustment for range from an Airfix kit.
or movement making it impossible for the Germans
to penetrate until they get to close range or remain
stationery at medium range. If they remain stationery
at medium range a 6 will generate a hit. A subsequent
dice is then rolled with 1,2 resulting in no effect, 3,4
damaged and 5,6 destroyed. It’s easy to calculate and –
after a few games – it’s easy to remember.
SUPPORT
All the stat sheets showing Movement Rates, Armour
Class, Weapon Class (or classes) and a Points Value (for
those who use such things...) are available free on the
Rapid Fire Reloaded facebook page, files section. Also
available are several scenarios again free, with additional
PDF downloads to purchase if players want them.
The free stat sheets are comprehensive, as well as
covering the big five nations lists are there for Hungarians
and Slovaks as well as those taking part in the Blitzkrieg
battles in Poland and France and the Low Countries.
I particularly liked that all the data needed to
play are free of charge, once the rule book has been
purchased. My bookcases are full of additional
“theatre” books which I have had to buy when playing
some other Second World War rule sets.
CONCLUSION
This magazine has recently published a set of scenarios
for actions in Sicily, written by Richard Marsh, and I
know he has some more in the offing. I hope this article
has inspired other World War Two players to try out
different rule sets. I am glad I did and at last the
squeal of tracks can again be heard in our gaming
DOWNLOAD
THE SCENARIO MAPS
Outpost so – if you want to follow our adventures tabletopgaming.co.uk/
or see more photos from the above battles – we are information/downloads
on Facebook at Wargaming at the GY. ■
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 21
REVIEWS
RULE BOOKS
& FIGURES
SENUSSI ABLAZE
◗ caliverbooks.com
◗ £35
The trouble with the Senussi war is that
– when you’ve just seen two – you know
there’ll be another along in a minute...
With Chris Swan’s two part article on
this subject in this and the previous
issue of Miniature Wargames, this is
obviously a more popular period than I
had previously given credit. With that in
mind, Caliver Books have just released
a title (Senussi’s Little Miniature
War 1915-1917) to accompany their
previously published ruleset Setting the
East Ablaze (2nd Edition).
Written by Robert Giglio (not one of
the original rules authors) this 190 page,
A4, full colour softback is an impressive
body of work. It has 15 scenarios, with
accompanying maps, organisational
charts etc along with chapters on
wargaming the German and Ottoman
supported Arab campaign against the
British and Italian forces during the First
World War.
There’s a lot of inspirational
photography of 28mm games which
is always fairly good quality and is
occasionally really very nice indeed. The
maps and layout are all informative and
easy on the eye. After the 15 scenarios
(all historically based) there are seven
appendices covering the different forces
and other elements. One I particularly
liked was Steel Chariots in the Desert
which goes into some detail regarding
vehicles used in the conflict (armoured
cars and light patrol cars, specifically)
with special rules (reliability being
a big factor) and even a piece on an
exponent of said vehicles: The Duke of
Westminster. Recommended.
MILITARY CAMOUFLAGE
◗ amberley-books.com
◗ £14.39
Amberly recently released a book on
(as the title would suggest) Military
Camouflage. The author – Bernard
Lowry – has attempted to give an over
all introduction, I guess, to the whole,
very broad, eponymous subject matter.
As it’s a concept that is of great interest
to wargamers (myself included) who
wish to paint their toys as accurately as
possible, I thought I’d give the tome a
read through.
In a little under 100 pages this
colour softback covers a lot but – as
one might expect – it lies a little thin
on that ground. When you are trying
to detail the
paint schemes
of vehicles,
(land, sea and air) plus
buildings and fortifications as well as
uniforms on fighting troops then – as
one might reasonably expect – each can
only be given just so much space.
Some of the photos are generally
intriguing rather than detailed (the shot
of a beach side fortification disguised
as a seaside tea kiosk is a fine example)
and – in other circumstances – a
number (perhaps a few too many) are
in black and white (or in one case is
admittedly ‘colourised’) and so are of
perhaps only of limited use to painters
who need attributable references,
however there’s still some helpful
material within the pages.
I guess – if the gamer requires a detailed
painters reference – they might already
have a specific tome for their period and
theatre (it keeps Osprey in business!) so
perhaps this is more of a general ‘taster’: a
coffee table book, if you will, albeit a small
one. A ‘side table’ book, perhaps...
22
ITALY: TOUGH GUT
◗ ospreypublishing.com
◗ £25
Osprey have sent in their latest
supplement for Bolt Action focusing on
the later Italian Campaign, following
on from the previously published Soft
Underbelly, and it adds new units,
scenarios, plus special rules.
This supplement for BA2 focuses on
the battles ranging from the Gustav Line
in 1944 all the way to those of the Gothic
Line in 1945, with the breakouts at
Anzio and Monte Cassino of particular
focus. It has an ongoing set of scenarios
to refight these famous battles, along
with new units, special rules, and
Theatre Selectors. As ever with their
publications, production vales are top
notch. Along with lots of inspirational
photography of very pretty models
and figures there also a wealth of
illustrations from the Osprey catalogue
showing painting details for uniforms
and much more.
All of the ten
different scenarios
have colourful
maps attached.
There are also
new units for
the British and
Commonwealth
forces, German,
Italian, plus US
and French. In
amongst the
extra material
are elements as
diverse as the
effects of Trench
Foot, to the structural nature of heavy
stone buildings (and their robustness
when being shot at) and rules for ad-hoc
units.
As ever, this over 170 page softback
is an informative ‘one stop shop’ for the
campaign or casual gamer, even if you
don’t actually play the rule system but
– maybe – use something else for your
WWII games. Highly Recommended.
FALLOUT
◗ modiphius.net
◗ £24 - £43
Modiphius have a slew of new Fallout
releases (and some Elder Scrolls but
they’ll have to wait for next month). All
are in their customary grey resin (some
in multiple parts) with scenic bases in
32mm mm, proportionate physiques
and highly detailed sculpting. All come
in spiffing boxes for the Fallout ‘post
apocalypse’ game but suitable for any
similar genre.
Leaping in first we have two sets of
three figures each: Survivors: Washington
Personalities and Capital Companions
(both at £24 a box). The first box has
Three Dog; Lucas Simms (two armed
civilians) and Moira Brown (in overalls
with a gun and a flaming torch). The
Companions box has Fawkes; Charon and
Butch (a punk in a leather jacket) and a
huge super mutant with a vast gun.
At £40 for the next two sets are
Brotherhood of Steel: Citadel Command
and the Enclave: Assault Force. Starting
with the Citadel Command we have five
figures Elder Lyons; Madison Li; Sarah
Lyons; Scribe Rothchild; and Star Paladin
Cross. Two of these are in full power
armour. All are armed and – though
one of the ladies is in a lab coat – she
has a pistol behind her back. The Assault
Force has six figures: three in
Enclave Combat Armour and three in
Recon Armour (open face helmets and
less body covering). All are individual
sculpts, though, with weapon choices
and varied poses.
Next are Survivors: Reilly’s Rangers.
£39 buys five models of Mercenaries:
Reilly; Butcher; Donovan; Brick; and Theo.
These models have an ‘Aliens Marines’
feel, armour and weapon wise. They
have two (or three – it’s hard to say)
females and field a variety of weaponry:
a pistol, sub-gun rifle and huge gatling
mini-gun. One of the party is in rather
less military attire and seems to be
running with a pistol while carrying
a large box (or perhaps he’s stealing a
portable TV...).
Finally there’s a creature: the
Domesticated Deathclaw (£25) is lashed
into being an unwilling war-beasts
for The Enclave. This huge, lizard-like
biped is a mass of teeth, claws and
tail and stands about 65mm when
assembled (to the tip of his spiky
shoulders anyway) and comes with his
own 60mm base. A real horror.
These are all part of the Capital
Wave release for the for Fallout
Wasteland Warfare game and
– as ever – these are excellently
produced and evocative miniatures.
At an average of £7 a figure, or
so, they seem to be about
in line with market costs.
Recommended.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 23
 REVIEWS
ATLANTIC CONVEYOR
◗ wargamesatlantic.com
◗ £25 - £30
Wargames Atlantic sent some of
their latest four releases: SpaceNam;
Landsknecht Ogres; Ooh Rah; and
Harvesters. All are, of course, hard
plastic boxed sets (all supplied without
bases) and – although they have been
eagerly anticipated – they were all well
worth the wait.
Starting with the most expensive set,
SpaceNam (£30), this is a five-identical
sprue box to build 20 models with lots
of variation. They have a strong, Sci-Fi
‘Nam feel to them (obviously) and there
have separate front and back torsos
plus paired legs (all in vastly ‘heroic’
stances, it has to be said) to stick on,
plus 22 different heads. Weapons are
all attached to very, very muscular arms
(think Arnie in his Predator days and
you get a real feel for these models) and
they comprise rifles, blast pistols, edged
weapons, grenades, flame throwers,
grenade launchers, sniper rifles, plasma
and heat weapons. You’re just aching
to shout “I ain’t got time to bleed!” as
you deploy these on the table. Detail
and sculpting is excellent, the guns
are pneumatic and they certainly give
off a vibe. As ever, multiple boxes get
reductions in bulk prices.
Next were Landsknecht Ogres (£25
for 9). I will confess that these were
the figures I was looking forward to
the least: I was never a fan of any of
the previous incarnations of this sort
of figure (Foundry and others have
made them in the past in metal) but I
was actually surprised by these. Each
box has six sprues split between two
different types. The main sprues have
three bodies in various standing/
attacking poses and – spread across
both of the frames – are a selection of
weapons including halberds, spears,
hand cannons, knives, clubs, great
swords, pistols plus (and this is the
bit that surprised me) auto-guns,
24 Miniature Wargames September 2023
shotguns, and grenades. There’s also
loads of heads, floppy hats (that fit
onto some of their noggins), helmets
(both modern or trad) feathers, bags, a
tankard and all sorts of bits and pieces.
When assembled they are a good 45mm
tall and built like... well Ogres. They
are dressed in the obligatory slashed
Landsknecht style of clothing which I
assume they purchased from the Big
Ogre shop... If they are your fantasy
jam you’ll enjoy them, I’m sure, but – in
their SF guise – they would also work
very well for the likes of Star Grave.
The Ooh Rah (£25) are another
new team for Wargames Atlantic’s
(putative) Death Fields game, having
been sucked involuntarily through
time and space (originating as a
Marine Expeditionary Unit from New
Florida) to participate. This box has
enough parts to build 24 hard figures
equipped with standard infantry rifles
with underslung shotgun/grenade
launcher, carbines, sniper rifle, pistols,
shotgun, flame unit, and squad support
weapons. Five headgear choices
(helmets, bush hats and ‘covers’) are
included and there are packs and
other extras with six different bodies
(including a chap on one knee) spread
over four identical sprues. Physique
wise, the figures are slightly more
‘normal’ than the SpaceNam set and the
weapons – though still quite large – are
a fraction less gravity defying.
Last in this release are the Harvesters.
Alien Bugs and a great name (if you
can slide away from their association
– in the UK at least – with a chain of
pub restaurants) for creatures that
really invoke a mish-mash of horrible
cinematic creatures: they are a sort
of collusion between the bugs from
Starship Troopers and the Alien
Xenomorph. £25 buys a box which
builds into 20 large bugs and 10 different
small ones along with options for
ranged bio-weapons that seem to be
built in to the front limbs. The small
bugs are one-piece models and are very
small but the big ones have separate
arms and legs (well they are all sort of
legs but they can rise up on the rear
pair and flail about with the front ones).
These are great looking models and have
a spindly, sharp demeanour that you can
really only achieve with plastic kits and
– when assembled – the ‘adults’ stand at
about human height.
These are all highly recommended.
 8 YEARS
OF THE
BEST
GAMES

Don’t miss out on all the best games of the year

with our definitive The Best Games of annual guide.
This very special bumper issue comes jam-packed
with all the reviews of the year, celebrating a mega
12 months of tabletop games. Spanning back eight
years, pick up a back issue from just £2.99.

To view all 8 years of The Best Games of, scan

the QR code or visit pktmags.com/bgo-2022
 COMMAND DECISION

COMMAND DECISION

BAPTISM OF FIRE
James Island, 1863
Words and pictures by Jon Sutherland

E
ach Command Decision aims to offer a series of
playable options in timeless military scenarios.
Command Decision is designed so you can read the
situation and figure out your own command decisions if you
were leading the troops on the ground. You can either work
through the various options or use the mechanics to create
the precise circumstances of the table top engagement. The
scenarios may have particular historical themes and settings,
but you can easily adapt the mechanics to suit your own
preferences and collections.

SITUATION REPORT
The 54th Massachusetts was organized in March 1863 ABOVE ROLE & COMMAND
at Camp Meigs, Readville, Massachusetts. As one of Col James You are Robert Gould Shaw: 26 years old, son of a
Montgomery
the first African American regiments to be formally takes a keen prominent Boston abolitionist family and you have
organized in the northern Union states, the 54th interest in the already served in the 7th New York National Guard
would be a constant source of interest to the press progress of his and with the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. You first
brigade.
and the public. The regiment has been assigned to the saw combat at the battle of Antietam (September 17th
Department of the South, where it disembarked at 1862) and have now been appointed as commander of
Hilton Head, South Carolina on June 3rd 1863. the regiment in February 1863 by the Massachusetts

26 Miniature Wargames September 2023


FAR LEFT
This is a
Confederate
firing line
forming up as
other companies
move closer to
engage.
Governor, John A Andrew. You are determined to
prove the fighting value of your regiment and embrace
the opportunity to blood them in real warfare.
ARMY LISTS & ORGANISATION
This is a great opportunity to do some American
Civil War smaller scale skirmish fighting. In which
case, you could limit your game to include just the
54th Massachusetts against the 6th and 19th Georgia
and their action around the causeway. For this scale
I would use Glory: 1861 or Sharp Practice. In the
54th’s engagement, it is estimated that around 250 of
the regiment was involved (three companies), against
around 900 Confederates (perhaps a handful of cavalry
and the rest infantry). It would be relatively easy to
set up a smaller table and focus on the smaller scale
action between the two swamps in the centre of the
battlefield. The 54th would have to hold off Colquitt
and then be reinforced by the 2nd South Carolina
before they are hit by Way and his troops. In this way,
you could recycle the Confederate units to reduce the
number of figures needed for the engagement.
You could use a slightly larger scale game with Black
Powder or other general rule sets and attempt the whole
battle. We know that the whole point of the Confederate
attack was to disrupt the Union build up aimed at
taking Fort Wagner. These following orders of battle
have been pieced together from fragments as there is no
clear indication as to the forces actually deployed.
Confederate Order of Battle,
Grimballs landing, July 16, 1863
1ST SUB DIVISION, 1ST MILITARY DISTRICT,
DEPARTMENT OF SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA AND FLORIDA
(BRIG.GEN. JOHNSON HAGOOD AND COL. CHARLES H. SIMONTON
(25TH SC).
Left Column. 6th Georgia Col. John T. Lofton
Brig.Gen. Alfred Colquitt 19th Georgia Col. A.J. Hutchins
1400 Infantry 25th South Carolina Lt.Col. John. G. Presley
Marion South Carolina Artillery 4 x Napoleon Capt.
E.L. Parker*
Middle Column. 54th Georgia Lt.Col. Morgan Rawls,
Col. Charleton H.Way 32nd Georgia Col. George B.Harrison II
(54th GA) 800 Infantry 2nd South Carolina Artillery 4 x Napoleon*
Right Column. Col. James 61st NC
D. Radcliffe 400 Infantry Arty Btn. Col. Delaware B.Kemper*
1 Battery 4 x 12 pdr Rifles (18th South Carolina)
1 Battery 4 x Napoleon (Chatham Georgia)
* Note that there is no mention that artillery was actually
used. The attack was uncoordinated and confused and the
terrain did not offer great lines of sight for the artillery.
Union Order of Battle,
Grimballs landing, July 16, 1863
X CORPS (DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH) BG QUINCY A. GILLMORE, FIRST
DIVISION BG ALFRED H. TERRY
(ENGAGED AT JAMES ISLAND)*
1st Brigade BG Thomas G. 4th New Hampshire: Colonel Louis Bell
Stevenson 10th Connecticut: Major Edwin S. Greely
24th Massachusetts: Colonel Thomas G. Stevenson
97th Pennsylvania: Colonel Henry Ruhl Guss
2nd Brigade Col William 52nd Pennsylvania: Colonel John C. Dodge, Jr.
Watts Hart Davis 104th Pennsylvania: Colonel William V. H. Davis
56th New York: Colonel Charles Henry Van Wyck
100th New York: Colonel James M. Brown
* Note It is probable that the Union had artillery, but none
are mentioned in the engagement. They may have come to
the conclusion that the ground was not suitable or they had
outpaced them in their advance.
The full orders of battle do not reflect the fact that
only a limited number of Union regiments were
engaged in the fight and that the Confederate attack
did not develop to the extent that all of the regiments
were needed to fend it off.
MAP NOTES: No units may enter Deep Water for any reason during the
game. The stretch of creek marked “shallow” can be forded. There is a
narrow gap between the deep water and the swamp on the left flank of
the 104th. Swamp should halve movement and disorganise the unit. Units
cannot fire from one side of a turnpike to the other side as they are all
on raised causeways. All other unmarked terrain should be considered to
be open, rough woodland.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 27
 COMMAND DECISION

GAME MECHANICS ABOVE

This varies for the scale of the game. The 54th have
two companies
forward and
SMALL SCALE ACTION another two in
If you are planning to play the smaller skirmish version reserve.
of the game, then the key is to get the three companies of ABOVE RIGHT
the 54th into position before they are overwhelmed by These are men
the Confederate attack. Use the mini-map to see where of the 2nd
South Carolina,
the 54th’s companies start and the entry points for the another African-
Confederates. Refer to the Objectives and Winning American
section for game objectives. The main point of the game regiment in the
engagement.
is for the Union forces to hold off a disorganised and
fragmented attack by Confederate units. RIGHT
Set up the table with half of the 54th in line across a fork Confederates
spot movement
where two tracks on causeways intersect. Allow a little in the distance
sloping ground either side of the causeway and then have and stand ready
swamp either side of that. In 28mm you should not really to fire. LARGER SCALE ENGAGEMENT
need much more than three feet of frontage including all This can be played on a larger table and is, in fact,
of the key terrain features. You can throw Colquitt’s three two separate engagements going on at the same time.
regiments at the 54th one at a time, leaving a gap of three The key part of the fight is the one involving the
turns between each arrival. From the end of turn 2, the 54th supported initially by their sister unit the 2nd
54th should be at full strength. On turn 5 allow half of the South Carolina and then elements of the 1st Brigade
2nd South Carolina to reinforce them with the remainder beginning with the 10th Connecticut. At no point
arriving on turn 6. The 54th can withdraw from its should the Union line fall back beyond the second
forward and exposed position, but it must not allow any turnpike junction to the rear of the 54th, this would
Confederate unit to get beyond (behind) them. Play out mean that the Confederates have broken through to
the game until the end of turn 10. the mainland.

28 Miniature Wargames September 2023

 OBJECTIVES & WINNING
The Confederates are attempting to overwhelm (or
break through) the Union line and seize the causeways
connecting Sol Legare Island with the mainland. If you
are playing the 54th Massachusetts skirmish game,
then the Confederates must break through and take the
causeway to the rear of the regiment.
If you are playing the larger game, the objectives
are still the same, but the Confederates will have to
be quick before the Union line stabilises and they are
able to mount counterattacks. The Union player needs
to hold both of the diagonal causeways down which
the Confederates are attacking and have a regiment
astride both of them at the end of turn 12. If at any time
the Confederates manage to sever one or more of the
turnpike causeways within 6” of the Union baseline
then they have won the game.

ALTERNATIVES
If you have gone to the trouble of laying out the
battlefield for this 1863 engagement, all you need to
fight a later engagement in 1865 is the addition of two
or three rifle pits. The action took place around the
areas where the 10th Connecticut was deployed in
1863. Just beyond them was Grimball’s landing itself
and the Stono River. Union forces under Brigadier
General Alexander Schimmelfennig (Northern District
The 2nd South Carolina can reinforce the 54th on of the Department of the South) faced a small force of
turn 2, the 10th Connecticut can begin moving on turn Confederates manning rifle pits (under Major Edward
2, and on each turn afterwards. Allow one of the 1st Manigault of the South Carolina Siege Train). In the
Brigade’s other regiments to enter the table either from early light of February 10, four Union gunboats shelled
the turnpike causeway, where the 10th Connecticut the pits and Schimmelfennig’s troops made their
were stationed, or on the road directly behind the 54th landing. The 144th New York charged up the causeway
and the 2nd South Carolina. In this sector, the game to engage the centre of the Confederate line, the 54th
starts with Colquitt’s brigade on the table in column New York hit their right. The frontal charge failed, but
marching towards the 54th; they may deploy as they the 54th drove the Confederates out of their positions.
see fit on the first turn. Way’s command enters the table
on turn 4. It can reinforce either Colquitt or Radcliffe.
If the player decides to split Way’s two regiments and
send one to each other commander, then he must stop
for one turn to simulate this reorganisation. Unknown
to the Confederate player(s), the 10th Pennsylvania
is on its own until turn 8. After that, one of the Union
2nd Brigade regiments appear each turn from the end
of turn 8. If Radcliffe breaks through, he must move
immediately to cut off the road directly behind the
RIGHT 54th. If he achieves this then the game terminates with
These are a major Confederate win.
dangerous
times as the
Confederates DEALING WITH ARTILLERY
edge closer to The ground was very unsuitable for artillery. To
the defensive
line. simulate this, once the artillery has unlimbered it
cannot move again for the rest of the game. This means
that if the Confederates want to use their artillery
to fend off Union counterattacks later in the game,
then they will need to make their initial attacks with
infantry only.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 29
 COMMAND DECISION
To play this version of the battle using the same table, you will only need:
UNION
1ST SEPARATE BRIGADE: BRIGADIER GENERAL ALEXANDER SCHIMMELFENNIG
(ABOUT 1200 MEN)
54th New York Infantry: Colonel Eugene Kolzay
144th New York Infantry: Colonel James Lewis
32nd U.S. Colored Infantry: Colonel George W. Baird
33rd U.S. Colored Infantry (1st South Carolina Infantry): Colonel Thomas Wentworth
Higginson
55th Massachusetts Colored Infantry: Colonel Alfred S. Hartwell
BAPTISM OF FIRE: FACT CHECK ABOVE
On July 8th the 54th was assigned to General Somewhere
on the island,
Terry’s expedition to James Island near Charleston, a small group
South Carolina and made for Stono Inlet. On July of Confederate
16th Confederate forces under General Colquitt cavalry try
and catch a
attacked the expedition near Secession Ville and in Connecticut
the ensuing skirmish the 54th lost 14 killed, 18 regiment in the
wounded and 3 missing. This was a part of the open.
bigger Battle of Grimball’s Landing. When the
Confederate force of over 3,200 men hit the 54th’s
picket line, held by 3 companies guarding one of
the two causeways connecting Sol Legare Island
with the mainland, the untested African American
troops fought bravely and were determined not to
give ground.
There was vicious hand-to-hand fighting at the
causeway as the Confederate infantry attempted to
secure the crossing to allow its cavalry to break across
the island and cut off the Union retreat. The rest
of the 54th rapidly fell into line and – in the face
of continued Confederate pressure – held their DOWNLOAD
positions, allowing most of the Union forces to THE SCENARIO MAPS
retreat. tabletopgaming.co.uk/
information/downloads
30 Miniature Wargames September 2023
CONFEDERATE:
MAJOR EDWARD MANIGAULT (ABOUT 300 MEN)
2nd South Carolina Heavy Artillery: Major Edward Manigault
Palmetto Guard: Captain Benjamin C. Webb
1st South Carolina Cavalry, dismounted detachment: Lieutenant William G. Roberts
“We have just completed our successful retreat from James
Island; we fought a desperate battle there Thursday morning.
Three companies of us, B, H, and K, were out on picket about
a good mile in advance of the regiment. We were attacked
early in the morning. Our company was in the reserve when
the outposts were attacked by rebel infantry and cavalry.”
First Sergeant Robert John Simmons, 54th
(he later died from his wounds in
the attack on Fort Wagner).
The regiment was then ordered, on July 18th, to Morris
Island to engage in operations against Fort Wagner
under General Strong. Fort Wagner was one of the key
Confederate defensive positions protecting Charleston.
The fortification had been under Union naval and land-
based artillery fire for a number of days and the 54th,
led by Shaw, offered to lead the assault on Wagner that
evening. It was a disastrous and glorious action, during
which Shaw, Captains Russell and Simpkins and over 20
men were killed. Lieutenant Colonel E N Hallowell and
125 men were wounded. Some 100 of the regiment
were missing in action, many of whom were said to
have been massacred by the Confederates. ■
 11th & 12th November 50+ Traders
Farnborough International Exhibition Bring & Buy
& Conference Centre Demo & Participation games
GU14 6TQ 30+ Tournaments

https://www.facebtook.com/WargamesReading
https://wargamesreading.co.uk
 y review of Mike Lambo’s book issue (see
Developing Battles of the
English Civil War: A Solitaire
Wargame
M the Recce section in last month’s edition. Ed.)
criticised its portrayal of ECW battles but
concluded “these games may inspire youngsters
or novices to develop a greater understanding of Civil War
battles, and to play more historical wargames – perhaps by
Words by Arthur Harman. Photos by The Editor adapting its rules and AI systems?” In this article I will
offer suggestions for doing just that.

“By God, Sir, it is very fine on the paper, but there is no
such thing in the field.”
Lord Eythin’s reported comment upon Prince
Rupert’s plan of his dispositions for Marston Moor,
1644.
SOURCES
The main sources I have consulted and from which I
quote are: Edgehill: The Battle Reinterpreted, Dr Eric
Gruber von Arni, Christopher L. Scott & Alan Turton,
Leo Cooper Ltd., 2004 [hereinafter EBR];

32 Miniature Wargames September 2023

 Going to the Wars: The Experience of the English
Civil Wars, 1638-1651, Charles Carlton, Routledge,
1992 [hereinafter GttW]; The English Civil War: An
Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three
Kingdoms 1639–51, Colonel Nick Lipscombe, Osprey
Publishing, 2020 [hereinafter Atlas]; and
The English Civil War 1642-1651: An Illustrated
Military History, Philip Haythornthwaite, Blandford
Press Ltd., 1983 [hereinafter ECW].

THE OPPOSING FORCES

The ‘armies’ given in the original scenarios are far too
small: at Naseby, for example, the Royalist player has
but seven units (2 Horse, 4 Foot and 1 Cannon); the
AI-controlled Parliamentarians, ten units (4 Horse, 5
Foot and 1 Cannon). I suggest that for small battles, each
regiment of Foot or Horse is represented by one unit; for
large battles, each Tertia (Brigade) of Foot and each line of
Horse on a wing becomes one unit for game purposes. If
one wants to refight historical battles, the wargame forces
must be more closely based upon those actually engaged.

THE SCENARIOS
The player has several options:
LEFT, BELOW
& BOTTOM
1. He can deploy both sides historically; thereafter the The splendid
12mm Epic ECW
AI system will control the enemy.
game put on by
2. He can choose his own battle plan but deploy the Warlord Games
enemy historically. at Salute 2023.

3. He can choose his own battle plan before seeing the

enemy’s dispositions, which will be chosen from a
selection of possible battle plans by a die roll. This
selection may be tailored beforehand to suit the
particular scenario and battlefield.

THE INITIAL DEPLOYMENT

Commanding officers of armies usually drew up
battle plans as part of general military planning at
the commencement of each campaign… Most battle
plans… had the main body of the infantry positioned
in the centre of the army’s line with guns dispersed
along its length and protecting wings of cavalry on
either flank. [EBR, p.50]
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 33
 SOLITARY ENGLAND
An army would normally deploy in the same
manner according to a pre-arranged plan. [EBR, p.51]
If one desires to refight an historical battle, then
both the played and AI-controlled armies should be
deployed as they did in reality. Historical deployments
for ECW battles can be found in books such as the
Atlas or on the Battlefields Trust website. Alternatively,
the player can devise his own battle plan, based upon
the historical forces at his disposal, before seeing the
battle plan ‘chosen’ for the AI-controlled enemy from a
selection of such plans by a die roll.
Under the Anglified Dutch system this would mean
in a checkerboard pattern with several battalia forming
a front line with others placed in a second line to
provide mutual support, alternating one up and one
back. This gave both a degree of manoeuvre flexibility
and ‘refused protection’ against Horse. It also broke
up the massed artillery target, as well as allowing
room for units to be advanced into the fighting line,
or withdrawn from it, without disorganising their
neighbours..’ [EBR, p.51]
One can simply incorporate this checkerboard
pattern into the battle plans from which the AI
opponent will ‘choose’ by putting the possible
deployments onto a hex grid so they can be transferred
easily onto the original maps or onto hexed terrains
based upon the maps.
Smoke was such a problem that armies would
manoeuvre to get up wind of each other. [GttW p.133]
The wind direction, if known, could be specified for
each scenario/battle. Alternatively, one could dice for
the wind direction in hypothetical engagements. Units
downwind of those Shooting could suffer a reduction
to their dice score when firing back.
THE ARMIES
Let’s start with:
THE FOOT
In the original rules, units of Foot are composed
entirely of either Pikemen or Musketeers, which is
simply not historical. It is, of course, possible in the
original game for the player to deploy a Musketeer
unit so it can give covering fire to a Pikemen unit and
34 Miniature Wargames September 2023
be protected by the Pikemen, but army commanders ABOVE
did not have to concern themselves with such things. An ECW
game by The
In general, a regiment would form with its ‘stand’ of Sealed Knot at
pikes in the centre and two equal bodies of musketeers Warfare 2017.
on either flank. [ECW, p.45]
LEFT
A Foot unit, therefore, will now be comprised of The Sealed
both pikemen and musketeers and will have the ability Knot - again at
to shoot at the enemy and to engage in close-quarter Warfare 2017.
combat. Foot that start their turn within musketry
range of the enemy might be permitted to Shoot first
and then Attack, so that there is a – admittedly small –
chance that the enemy might be Shaken before coming
to ‘push of pike’.
The Dutch system called for the line of battle to be
formed in Battalia, with each one being approximately
550 men strong. Large regiments deployed in the field in
two Grand Divisions, forming two battalia, while under
strength regiments were usually amalgamated to form
one. [EBR p.50] For very small engagements, infantry
units should be Battalia or Grand Divisions of Foot;
for small battles, Regiments of Foot; for large battles,
Tertias (Brigades) of Foot. and Lines of wings of Horse.
Pikemen and Musketeers should Move and Attack
together in Battalia or as a Grand Division of a large
regiment, though separate units of musketeers – such as
Firelock Guards for the Artillery Train – can be formed.
In a civil war battle there was a virtual absence of
inter-arm co-operation, save for the company-level
dependence between pikemen and musketeers. This
was rigidly fixed by their deployment before fighting
started, and hardly ever changed once it had begun.
[GttW p.131]
Foot Units can only move up/down the columns
but can oblique one hex left/right (dice odd/even)
to avoid artillery fire after they have been hit as an
involuntary reaction.
When infantry attacked infantry one line would
tend to stand their ground as the other advanced. Each
would fire one volley, perhaps two if they had time,
before colliding into each other. The impact of these
volleys was limited… it is hard to envisage more than
one man in fifteen on each side being hit. [GttW, p.132]
So, Foot should be unlikely to break before they
come to ‘push of pike’, nor suffer Panic Fear and Flee
quickly (unless they are inexperienced, raw recruits).
Musketry alone against other Foot has been given a
negative factor in the Terrain/Situation Table, below,
so it is unlikely to cause the enemy to become Shaken.
So long as they did not break ranks, infantry were
comparatively safe from cavalry attacks. [GttW, p.137]
It was not the impact of charging cavalry, but the
sight of their fearsome approach that broke infantry,
particularly those neophytes who had not been trained
to stand and fight. [GttW, p.138]
I have made a deduction from the Shooting and
Attack of raw or inexperienced troops. See the Terrain/
Situation Factors table, below. The only time horse
soldiers could expect to break resolute infantry was
when they suddenly attacked the rear or flanks of
tired men already engaged in fighting other infantry.
[GttW, p.139] Appropriate modifiers are included in the
Terrain/Situation Factors table, again, below.
THE HORSE
In theory both royalist and parliamentary cavalry
regiments were commanded by a colonel or lieutenant-
colonel, with six troops of seventy men. Each troop
consisted of a major, a captain or lieutenant, one cornet,
three corporals, two trumpeters and sixty troopers.
In practice most troops were lucky to have forty
members. [GttW, p. 97]
Therefore, for very small engagements, cavalry units
should be Troops of Horse; for small battles, Regiments
of Horse, between 240 and 400 strong; for large battles,
BELOW the first or second Line of a Wing of Horse consisting of
Haselrig's more than one regiment.
Lobsters on
the To the The tactics of horse were based on two styles: Dutch
strongest ECW and Swedish. The former, or Reiter tactic, consisted of
game at Colours a regiment advancing in about six ranks towards the
Wargames Show
2022 enemy and each successive rank halting to fire their
pistols or carbines, then retiring for the next rank to
the same and so on until the enemy was sufficiently
broken for a final charge with the sword. The Swedish
fashion consisted of charging home with the sword in
about three ranks, reserving fire for the pursuit, as was
the style used increasingly throughout the war under
the influence of Rupert and others. Later experience
altered the tactic of receiving a charge with fire to
countercharging. [ECW, p. 51]
Horse that fights in ‘Reiter’ style, by performing the
caracole, must be distinguished from those that adopt
the ‘Swedish style’. ‘Reiter’ that move into pistol range
of the enemy might be permitted to Shoot first and then
Attack, should their fire succeed in rendering the enemy
Shaken. Mixed up and horrible as the melee between
cavalry might have been, it was not a particularly fatal
time. The killing fields came later. [GttW, p.137]
Once troops have dissolved in Panic Fear, they will
Flee off the battlefield and cannot Rally. Troops that
were Attacking them will pursue, as described below.
Horse units that defeat enemy Horse which Flees
off the game board are likely to pursue and not
reappear until much later – possibly after the battle
is over. Throw 1 d6 die to determine how many turns
must elapse before they reappear. On that turn (and
subsequent turns if necessary) throw 1 d6 and score 4+
for the unit of Horse to reappear. The column in which
it reappears is determined by 1 d6 + 1, counting from
the left-hand side of the game board; it will appear
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 35
 SOLITARY ENGLAND
in the top or bottom hex of the column, as appropriate.
Even if the royalist horse had returned sooner
to Edgehill or Naseby, the thrill of the chase, and
the capture of rapine, broke all unit cohesion. A
contemporary wrote ‘the soldiers were so dispersed that
there was not ten of any one troop together’. [GttW, p.145]
Such a Horse unit must, therefore, Rally - by throwing
6 on a d6 - during the next turn before it can take any
offensive action.
THE DRAGOONS
For some battles it will be necessary to add Regiments
of Dragoons, which move as Horse, taking one hex of
movement to mount/dismount ready to fire next turn.
They fire and fight on foot as Musketeer units in the
original rules. See the table, below.
THE ARTILLERY
Overall command of the artillery lay with the General
of the Ordnance at army level, and how he delegated
and deployed the field artillery was unclear. It may well
be that he dispersed it across the frontage, in between
regimental gaps, giving the appearance of regimental
guns. To ease resupply and to fit in with the deployment
of the rest of the army, guns tended to be deployed in
groups or, more likely, pairs of guns. The heavier guns
tended to be on the flanks and slightly set back, although
the European approach was to have a large battery of
heavier guns in front of the infantry. [Atlas, p.34]
The model guns should be deployed accordingly.
One heavy artillery piece can be placed on each flank;
or both can be deployed as a large battery in the
European manner. Pairs of guns in the intervals in the
front line of Foot, if present historically, can either be
represented by models of smaller pieces, if available,
or assumed to be present, giving their parent Tertias
or Brigades additional, long-range firepower in the
preliminary bombardment. “They [guns] had a far greater
reach than the infantry and were accordingly brought to
bear early in the battle, in order to disrupt and demoralise
the tightly packed enemy formations. It was hoped that this
bombardment would provoke the enemy to attack and/or to
move his troops out of effective range.” [Atlas, pp. 34-35]
36 Miniature Wargames September 2023
Artillery bombardments should precede the advance
of Horse and/or Foot to contact the enemy. Guns
cannot move but can adjust their aim to shoot down a
column of hexes to the immediate left or right of their
original facing, provided there is a clear line of sight to
the intended target. Unlike modern troops, those who
waited to go into action during the civil wars rarely did
so under fire. [GttW, p. 128] I have therefore reduced the
maximum range of artillery so that units on their rear
row of hexes should not be vulnerable to artillery fire.
In practice artillery fire seldom broke and scattered
lines of infantry: by and large the practical effect of
artillery in pitched battles was far less than one would
expect. [GttW, p. 140] However, there is no doubt that
civil war artillery badly scared its targets: mention of
ripped bodies and flying limbs was a commonplace in
contemporary descriptions of the effect of cannon fire. ABOVE LEFT
[GttW, p.139] Therefore, although Artillery fire is not An ECW
game by The
so effective as musketry or close combat between Foot Sealed Knot at
and Horse, Raw troops are more likely to be Shaken Warfare 2017.
by it, so a special Situation Factor will apply. See the
ABOVE
Terrain/Situation table, below. ECW at
Warfare 2022.
THE ARMY COMMANDERS
Add a Captain-General figure and figures portraying
the commanders of the Foot in the centre and the Wings
of Horse. The Captain-General can Rally a Shaken unit or
give a new Order to a unit by visiting it in person.
COMBAT
In the original rules, a unit rolls two d6, modified by a
few Situation Factors, against a To Hit score for both
Shooting and Close Quarter combat; if it succeeds, the
enemy unit becomes Demoralised and starts to Flee,
though it may Rally.
MORALE
Normally, the more experience troops had, the longer
they could fight before losing unit cohesion. [GttW,
p.141] Veteran troops have been given a Situation Factor
that reduces enemy die rolls against them; Raw troops,
a Situation Factor that increases the total of the dice.
Victory went to the side which destroyed the integrity
of its opponents, thus turning a unit into a crowd. And
when that took place, the killing of one man by another
began in bloody earnest. [GttW, p.129]
Making units break in Panic Fear and Flee off the
battlefield is the key to gaining a victory. In the
seventeenth century this process of disintegration was
called ‘a panic fear’ [GttW, p.140] and I shall, therefore,
use this term instead of ‘Demoralised’. When the total
of the Attack die rolls equals or exceeds the number
To Hit, the target unit is Shaken but holds its ground;
if a Shaken unit is hit again, it suffers Panic Fear and
immediately Flees the number of hexes shown in
the table. “...disintegration of their units rendered men
incapable of further resistance”. [GttW, p. 144] So, a Shaken
unit that suffers another hit before it can Rally will
dissolve in Panic Fear. Shaken troops add +1 Situation
Factor to the die roll of troops attacking them and
subtract 1 from their own Shooting dice.
Experienced troops, who were able to negotiate at the
informal, face-to-face level, could have their surrenders
accepted with comparatively little loss. Such took place
at Naseby, where – after the king’s infantry gave up –
hardly any of them lost their lives. [GttW, p. 145]
Troops that have not succumbed to Panic Fear but are
unable to retreat may succeed in having their surrender
accepted. Throw 1 d6 and score 5 or 6 to surrender
successfully. Add 2 to the die roll of Veterans; 1 to
that of trained, experienced troops. Those who do not
succeed in surrendering will be massacred.
ORDERS
Those who went into a civil war battle rarely did so
with a clearly defined set of objectives. Orders might
be discussed in a rudimentary fashion just before battle
commenced. [GttW, p.126] The original rules require
the player to roll a number of d6 equal to the number
of his units and then allocate a die to each unit, which
will then move for 1, 2 or 3, attack for 4, 5 or 6 or, if a
Demoralised unit, rally for 6, otherwise Flee. Although
the player can reroll two or more matching dice once, if
desired, and choose that a unit will not follow its order,
by wasting that die, but remain inactive, his ability ABOVE
to give units the orders he wishes is, in my opinion, Colours 2022:
the To The
too dependent on chance and he also ends up micro- Strongest ECW
managing the manoeuvres of pikemen and musketeers game.
in a way no army commander did.
BELOW
Each type of AI-controlled enemy unit has to be The Last Chance
activated in the following order: Cannons, Cavalry, Wargamers
Musketeers, Pikemen. Units which are Demoralised Cheriton 1644 at
Warfare 2017.
dice to see whether they can Rally and Flee if they
cannot. Other units will firstly try to Attack, following
the instructions in the AI Chart; if they cannot, they will
move by following any mandatory instructions or, if
there are none or it is impossible to perform that order,
their movement will be determined by a die roll. Much
of the complexity results from Pikemen and Musketeers
operating as separate, independent units. The player, who
of course has to administer the AI-control himself, has
quite a lot to remember and do: too much, in my opinion.
I believe both played and AI-controlled units should
simply try to carry out Orders until they receive new
orders from the Captain-General, become Shaken, or
suffer Panic Fear and Flee or are Destroyed.
A simple roll of 2d6 can determine the enemy’s plan
and tactics – Hold and receive, Right/Left Wing Horse
attack, Foot Attack, One Wing of Horse and Foot both
advance, General Advance etc. The chances can be
adjusted to suit the particular battle being fought and
the forces available, with the historical tactics being
more likely to be followed.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 37
 SOLITARY ENGLAND

ENEMY ORDERS TABLE

TOTAL OF 2D6 ENEMY ACTIONS/REACTIONS
Artillery bombardment to provoke the enemy; Horse and
Foot hold position to receive attacks
Deliberately Artillery bombardment, followed by a general advance by
left blank the entire army
Artillery Bombardment, followed by advances by both wings
of Horse
Artillery Bombardment, followed by advance by right wing
of Horse
Artillery Bombardment, followed by advance of left wing
of Horse
Artillery Bombardment, followed by advance of right wing of
Horse and Foot in centre
Artillery Bombardment, followed by advance of left wing of
Horse and Foot in centre

This is not an exhaustive list of tactics; add others if

you wish. I have deliberately left the die scores required
for each option blank, as these will have to be adjusted
to suit the forces available and the battlefield terrain.
Below is a revision of the original Unit Statistics Table,
expanded to include Dragoons. The scores required ‘To
Hit’ have been adjusted in some cases. When troops are
Shooting or Attacking, consult the Terrain/Situation
Table which will be found afterwards to discover the
appropriate modifiers for the dice scores.

UNIT STATISTICS TABLE

UNIT MOVE SHOOTING RANGE TO HIT FOOT TO HIT HORSE TO HIT DRAGOONS TO HIT ARTILLERY
Foot in battalia 1/2 2 8 9 8/10 (foot/mtd) 8
Foot in Stand of Pikes 0/2 2 10 11 10/11(foot/mtd) 10
‘Reiter’ Horse 2/3 1 8 10 8/10 (foot/mtd) 9
‘Swedish’ Horse* 2/3* N/A 6 9 7/9 (foot/mtd) 5
Dragoons on Foot 1/2 2 9 10 8/10 (foot/mtd) 9
Dragoons Mounted 2#/3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Cannon 0^/2^^ 6 9 10 9/10 (foot/mtd) 11

Notes from the Unit Statistics Table

The first Move number is the unit’s Normal Movement; the second, the distance it moves in Panic Fear.
Two figures are quoted when the target is a Dragoon unit: the first, when it is fighting on foot; the second, when it is mounted.
^ Guns cannot move but can adjust their aim to shoot down a column of hexes to the immediate left or right of their original
facing, provided there is a clear line of sight to the intended target.
^^ If an Artillery crew Flees in Panic Fear, it will abandon its guns, which will be taken by the enemy if they are not themselves
defeated by the end of the battle.
* ‘Swedish’ Horse can charge over 3 hexes to contact an enemy unit of any type or Pursue or Flee 3 hexes in Panic Fear
# Dragoons take 1 hex to mount or dismount. Dragoons may dismount and shoot, ride 1 hex then dismount and be ready to
shoot next turn or, if on foot, mount instead of moving and move as mounted next turn.

38 Miniature Wargames September 2023

SITUATION & TERRAIN FACTOR FAR LEFT One ‘Hit’ renders unit Shaken, unable to advance,
Rather than follow the original alteration of the To Hit Colours 2022: attack or do more than hold its position and defend
the To The
values in the Unit Statistics Table, I suggest modifying Strongest ECW itself if attacked; another ‘Hit’ on a Shaken unit will
the die rolls is easier for players to remember and game. cause it to dissolve in Panic Fear.
administer. Apply all the appropriate factors. Units Fleeing in Panic Fear cannot defend themselves
LEFT
The Last Chance by fighting or shooting. They cannot rally but will Flee
SITUATION/TERRAIN FACTOR TABLE Wargamers off the battlefield. Foot that were attacking other Foot
SITUATION/TERRAIN EFFECT Cheriton 1644 at will pursue automatically for one turn, unless they
FACTORS Warfare 2017.
have become Shaken themselves.
Veteran Troops Add 1 to their Shooting or Attack dice; Subtract 1
from the dice of those Attacking or Shooting at BELOW
Veteran Troops. The 12mm Epic
ECW game by
RALLY
Raw Troops Subtract 1 from their Shooting or Attack dice. Add A Shaken unit – whether player or AI controlled - may
1 to the dice of Foot or ‘Reiter’ Horse Attacking or Warlord Games
Shooting at them; add 2 to the dice of ‘Swedish’ at Salute 2023. attempt to rally by scoring 5 or 6 if Veteran, 6 if Trained
Horse Attacking or Artillery Shooting at them.
or Raw, provided that it is not being attacked or shot
Foot Shooting only Subtract 2 from their dice.
at that turn. A unit that rallies from Shaken can then
Horse Attacking a Stand ‘Swedish’ Horse cannot charge home unless their
of Pikes Attack succeeds in causing the Foot to break in perform all its normal actions in the next turn.
Panic Fear, when they will pursue automatically.
‘Reiter’ Horse can shoot pistols at the Foot and
pursue if they break in Panic Fear and Flee. THE REPRESENTATION OF TROOPS
Horse Attacking Foot not Subtract 1 from their dice. The original troop counters would need to be
in Stand of Pikes in front
replaced by 2 mm troops from Irregular Miniatures’
Horse Attacking Foot in Add 1 to the dice of ‘Reiter’ Horse; 2 to the dice of
Flank or Rear ‘Swedish’ Horse. Renaissance range or 3 mm figures by Osmy Oddzial,
‘Swedish’ Horse Add 2 to their dice. if it is desired to use the original battlefield maps from
Attacking ‘Reiter’ Horse
the book. If one is prepared to recreate the battlefields
‘Reiter’ Horse Attacking Add 1 to Shooting dice only.
‘Swedish’ Horse with larger hexes, either by enlarging the maps,
Artillery Shooting at Foot Subtract 2 from Artillery’s dice as a Stand of drawing them oneself or by using Kallistra’s Hexon
in Stand of Pikes Pikes (like the later square) is a smaller target II terrain, one can use larger figures: 6 mm troops by
than Foot in battalia.
Irregular Miniatures or Baccus Miniatures; 10 mm
Shaken Troops Subtract 1 from their dice. Add 1 to the total score
of their attacker’s dice if Foot or Dragoons; 2 if figures by Newline Designs or Pendraken, or even
Horse attacking or Artillery shooting at them.
the 15 mm or 25 mm ECW figures produced by many
For each unit that could Add 1 to the total score of the attacker’s dice.
attack the target unit manufacturers.
Trees Attacking into or directly through a hex with
Trees: subtract 1 from the total score of the
attacker’s dice. CONCLUSION
Directly through means that the Tree hex is If you already possess Mr Lambo’s book, I hope you
between the two units and is on the same line of
hexes as both of them. will find these suggestions useful in adapting the rules
Higher Ground Attacking from Higher Ground adds 1 to the to create a game that is still “clear, accessible and quick to
attacker’s dice if the target is on lower ground.
learn” and “does not pretend to be entirely realistic” but is
Clear (no terrain) None.
Bridges and fords are also deemed to be ‘Clear’ a somewhat better portrayal of that English Civil War
hexes. battles. Although his book was devised for solo play,
River No unit can enter River hexes, unless crossing by there is no reason why my suggested amendments
a Bridge or Ford. All units can attack on/across
Bridges and Fords. could not also be used to control a wargame between
Cannons and Foot can shoot across a River.
two players. ■

September 2023 Miniature Wargames 39

 SELWG SHOW
15th October 2023
LEE VALLEY ATHLETICS CENTRE
61 Meridian Way London N9 0AR
10am-4pm 50+TRADERS 30+GAMES

ONLINE TICKET SALES Ticket Tailor: www.tickettailor.com/events/selwg1

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SELWGSHOW
BRING & BUY: Download booking form at www.selwg.org
SHOW ENQUIRIES: selwg.club@gmail.com
SHUTTLE SERVICE: Running from Meridian Water station to the show.
Painting Pike & Shotte: Armour and more Words and Photos Paul Mackay

Paul sent in this ‘how to’ masterclass on BASECOAT Wash: I used thinned Liquitex Carbon
ECW horsemen and armour. Ed. Black. The ink can be very strong so take
care with this. Any thinned black paint
INTRODUCTION will also work. However I find the ink
While the article is primarily aimed at will not dull the sheen of the metallic
painting ECW cavalry the methods I have paint.
used will obviously work with infantry
HIGHLIGHT
and cavalry for not only this period but
also the 30 Years War. So why have I just
focused on armour and buff coats, boots,
pistol holsters, powder flasks? Well if you
can get a method that you like sorted you
are more than half way there with these
troops as basically all you will now need
to paint is the trousers (or sleeves and Basecoat: Vallejo Model Colour
hats if they have them) and you are done. Gunmetal. A little black added to GW
Leadbelcher (or any silver metallic) will
ARMOUR work just as well.
I have gone for a variety of different
WASH
finishes here. This even at the distance
you normally view figures on the
tabletop will make your units look less Highlight: I used Vallejo Metal
uniform and add a bit of visual interest. Airbrush Colour (used with a brush)
I have used a black undercoat before the Duraluminium but any ‘silver’ will work
metallic paints are applied. here as long as it is not too bright.

MUNITIONS GRADE ARMOUR RUSSETED METAL

The effect here is for cheaper mass The brown look to the armour was a
produced armour perhaps distributed to method used to rustproof helmets and
troops from central arsenals. body armour.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 41
 IN THE BUFF
BASECOAT
Basecoat: Vallejo Model Colour
Gunmetal
WASH
Wash: Liquitex Burnt Umber Ink.
Although this settled nicely in the
recesses adding definition a further
wash using GW Agrax Earthshade
‘stained’ the armour giving a more
realistic effect.
HIGHLIGHT
Highlight: Vallejo Duraluminium.
HIGHER QUALITY ARMOUR
Here the aim is to represent the finest
armour that is well cared for and has
been highly polished worn by the richer
(or better equipped) troopers and officers.
42 Miniature Wargames September 2023
BASECOAT
Basecoat: Any Silver.
WASH
Wash: Heavily diluted wash of Blue and
Black ink (I used Scale 75 and Liquitex
respectively). I used slightly more blue
than black ink and thinned them with
water with a little matt medium added
and a little flow improver. Once this
is dry a pin wash will help give better
definition to the armour detail.
HIGHLIGHT
Highlight: Silver
Note that the final highlights in the
three examples above are all applied
to the large surfaces using a glaze of
the highlight colour which will add
highlights to the upper and more
reflective surfaces of the armour. An
undiluted edge highlight to any armour
plate or ridges of the helmets is then
applied.
I always paint all of the cloth, skin
etc first on my figures and then varnish
them before undercoating metallic
areas with black (for ‘silver’, brown for
yellow metals). I then do not varnish the
finished metallic paints as to do so you
will ruin the paint’s finish.
BLACKENED ARMOUR
This was done as with russeting to also
prevent rusting on campaign.
BASECOAT
Basecoat: Any Black
HIGHLIGHT
Highlight: The raised areas of the
helmet and armour where the light
would reflect the strongest is painted
with Army Painter Ultramarines Blue
(any similar blue will do). Glaze the
edge of the blue with Vallejo Model
Colour Dark Sea Blue.
Final highlight: Add a dot highlight in
the centre of the blue and add an edge
highlight with any white. The armour
and helmet is then coated with a satin
FINAL HIGHLIGHT Although rare, Haselrig’s Regiment HELMETS
and a couple of Bodyguard units and
individuals were so equipped in the
Civil War. These examples have been
painted using the blackened and ‘silver’
methods shown above. A final extra
highlight on the officer figure using
GW Stormhost Silver (any bright silver
will do) which was applied to make the
armour really shine.

Lobster three barred and – to a lesser

varnish as this contrasts nicely with the extent – Dutch single barred pots can
matt finish of the rest of the miniature. make faces very difficult to paint on the
Perry figures that mainly illustrate this
CUIRASSIER ARMOUR article. These Empress figures come
with separate bars that I attach after
painting the face. These are tiny and
I find it easier to apply the superglue
to the bars with a cocktail stick and to
then turn the figure upside down using
gravity to aid their placement using a
pair of tweezers.

›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 43
 BUFF
LEATHER
Here a quick and highly effective
method is to use GW Contrast Paints.
For the buff coats I have used Nazdreg
Yellow. Two thinned coats work better
than one. Snakebite Leather is used for the
boots, pistol holsters, and powder flasks.
Highlights are then applied with the
Contrast mixed with Yellow Ochre (I
used Vallejo) or the Yellow Ochre applied
directly depending on how light you
want the material to be.
Further shading can then be added to
further define the recessed areas of the
cloth with either the original contrast
colour or Burnt or Raw ink. Here this
44 Miniature Wargames September 2023
is ‘painted’ on not washed. Different
leather effects are achieved by how
diluted your original basecoat is. This
can vary from a very light to an almost
dark brown effect. The result is (as with
the armour) a more interesting and
varied look to your completed units of
horse.
CONCLUSION
I have tried to write this article in a way
that is not overly prescriptive in the
‘paints you have to use’. However the
GW Contrast Paints listed are a good
investment for giving you a starting
basecoat to work from for your coats
and boots. Indeed you may decide
they work fine without any additional
shading and highlighting at all.
The eagle eyed among you may
have noticed the variety of different
horse colours in the finished unit shots
that accompany this article, so Editor
permitting; in my next article I will
explore painting horses. (That’ll be
coming soon! Ed.)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Andy at The Friends of General Haig has
been a huge help in assisting me with
several aspects of ECW uniforms and
equipment. ■
 Wargames Fantasy and
:JP-PÄN\YLZHS^H`Z
ZV\NO[MVYJHZOWHY[
L_JOHUNLVYZ^HWZ

Website updated

At The Monster Merchants we want to buy your unwanted

wargaming miniatures and accessories, especially Warhammer
and Warhammer 40K models, D&D and other roleplaying books,
IVHYKNHTLZHJ[PVUÄN\YLZNYHWOPJUV]LSZYL[YVJVSSLJ[HISLZHUK
]PU[HNLJVUZVSLZHUKNHTLZ

If you’re looking to sell some of your own collection – be it a selection

VM:UV[SPUNZHU\UÄUPZOLKHYT`VYHULU[PYLZOLKM\SSVMTPUPH[\YLZ
¶UVJVSSLJ[PVUPZ[VVIPNVYZTHSSZVMLLSMYLL[VNL[PUJVU[HJ[
Scan
here for
quick MHJLIVVRJVT PUZ[HNYHTJVT
access themonstermerchants themonstermerchants
to all
of our
contacts [OLTVUZ[LYTLYJOHU[ZJVT
 THE FIRST L.R.D.G.
The Senussi Campaign in Egypt & The Western Desert: The Senussi
Campaign 1915 to 1917. Part Two. Words by Chris Swan. Photos by The Editor at Broadside 2022
REFIGHTING THE SENUSSI INVASION THE BRITISH IMPERIAL FORCES
As readers will have learnt from Part 1 of this TYPE ABILITIES
article last month, this little campaign offers many Experienced Infantry Disciplined troops who are capable of soaking up damage
opportunities for players. Inexperienced Infantry Troops who tend to become bogged down in the face of fire enemy
fire
Yeomanry Cavalry and Disciplined and aggressive troops with a high level of morale
◗ The initial engagements with Imperial Infantry Australian Light Horse They choose close combat over ranged attacks.
attacking Senussi positions and hoping that their They have limited but effective firepower
cavalry arrive. Camel Mounted Infantry Can cover great distances but they have only limited but effective
firepower when mounted: need to dismount to shoot and fight
◗ The attacks on Senussi camps both by foot and effectively
mounted units or by a force of armoured cars Crewed Weapons Disciplined troops who know how to use their weapons
◗ The motorised columns venturing into the Western Armoured Cars and Armed Disciplined and aggressive troops with a high level of morale
motor vehicle crews
Desert to attack Senussi held oases.
Armoured Cars and Armed Potentially fast and mobile but subject to reliability problems.
motor vehicles
In setting up games players will need to consider Aircraft Useful for reconnaissance work but less effective when attacking
the qualities of the various combats. These can be Senussi positions and encampments
summarised as follows:

46 Miniature Wargames September 2023

ABOVE THE SENUSSI ◗ Egyptian Infantry are classed as European Trained
A Light Patrol Car Infantry with the Disciplined Trait and are armed
TYPE ABILITIES
advances under
fire. The Muhafiziya Disciplined troops who are capable of soaking up with Bolt Action Rifles.
Drilled Infantry damage ◗ The crews of the patrol cars, armoured car and
LEFT The Senussi They make good use of defensive terrain lorries have the Disciplined and Steady Traits.
The Imperial Irregulars/ They are capable of moving through broken terrain or
armoured Bedouins – both bad going at no penalty ◗ Patrol Cars with a Vehicle Defence Value of 1 and
mounted and They have reasonable firepower but with reduced
car advances Dismounted range as some are armed with mixed firearms carry 1or 2 Light Machine Guns.
on the oasis. They are willing to attack the enemy but are also willing
to disengage and withdraw in the face of attacks ◗ Armoured Car with a Vehicle Defence Value of 2
The vehicle is
converted from Crewed Weapons Able to use them but really need “advisors” to use them with a Machine gun. If the vehicle is open- topped it
an old Matchbox including artillery effectively may be affected by small arms fire.
toy and crew
converted from
various 28mm RULES OF COMBAT Note: the vehicles all count as Poorly Maintained,
plastic figures. I use my Beyond the Empire rules published by not due to their actual maintenance but due to adverse
Partizan Press to refight this campaign as, although terrain– dust and sand get everywhere! – as well as
they are intended for Interwar conflicts, they are adverse weather which turned the ground to mud
also suitable for games set during the Great War. during the campaign.
My interpretation of the troop types involved in the
conflict based on the rules are shown below. ◗ The RFC Plane counts as an Attack Plane with a
Vehicle Defence Value of 1 with a Machine Gun and
IMPERIAL UNITS 2 Bombs.
Due to their performance during the campaign all
Imperial Infantry irrespective of their country of origin Optional Rule: Terror from Above
are classed as Veteran Infantry with the Disciplined Given the reported terror many Bedouins had for
and Steady Traits and are armed with Bolt Action aircraft, players may want to adopt the following rule
Rifles. in games where Imperial forces use one.

◗ Imperial Cavalry (including Australian Light Horse)
are classed as Regular Cavalry with the Disciplined,
Brave and Resolute Traits and are armed with Bolt
Action Carbines and swords. They may also shoot or
fight dismounted.
◗ Any Tribal Infantry or Cavalry unit or any artillery
piece or machine gun with a tribal crew which is
attacked by an attack plane must take a Courage test
even if the attack resulted in no hits being scored on
the target unit.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 47
 THE FIRST L.R.D.G.

THE SENUSSI ABOVE

British and
Note the following: Egyptian
◗ Muhafiziya Infantry are classed as European Trained regulars fight
Infantry with the Disciplined Trait and are armed off the Turkish
Cavalry. The
with Bolt Action Rifles. figures are
◗ Senussi Bedouin Infantry are classed as Tribal converted from
Infantry with the Surefooted and Stealthy Traits various sources.
but are classed as Poor Shots. They are armed with
Mixed Firearms.
◗ Senussi Bedouin Cavalry are classed as Tribal
Cavalry with the Aggressive and Born in the Saddle
Traits armed with Mixed Carbines and swords.
◗ Turkish Cavalry are classed as Regular Cavalry with
the Disciplined and Brave Traits and are armed with
Sabres and Bolt Action Carbines. Some might be
armed with Lances.

SUPPORT WEAPONS
The Imperial and Turkish crews of Light Machine
Guns, Machine Guns and Artillery have both the
Disciplined and Hard to Hit Traits, although if crewed
by Senussi the crew loses the Disciplined Trait.
In addition, my most recent set of rules Fighting the
Dragon, contains pregenerated forces for a number of
early 20th Century conflicts including this campaign.

RULES OPTIONS
Whilst I would use my own rules, note that the
game can be played with any “small unit” rules for
the late 19th Century or early 20th century period,
including those designed for the First World War if
they allow for cavalry charges, irregular forces and
motor vehicles.
For this article I have also adapted Black Powder as
they allow for many of the factors and tactics of what
was really a colonial conflict using early 20th century
weapons. My interpretation of the various troop types
using the profiles for Black Powder plus the extra
rules necessary for extending Black Powder into the
early part of the 20th Century can be found on the
Magazine’s Web site and may be downloaded.
A GAME
At the Broadside Wargames Convention in June 2022
we played out a raid by Imperial forces on a Senussi
supply depot located at an oasis. The table was 6” x 6”
with the Oasis of G’hil- IG’ham (a pun on the location
of the convention) set up roughly 24 inches in from the
top right hand quarter of the table.
The oasis had palm trees, a well and a ruined and
crumbling desert fort which had once protected it. The

48 Miniature Wargames September 2023

Senussi had set up their camp with a few Bedouin tents began off table and had to dice for the arrival of its ABOVE
and had built two sandbagged positions to defend it. units. This force consisted of: The battle in full
swing.
They then deployed before the British Imperial forces ◗ 1 unit of Turkish Cavalry
deployed. The rest of the table had a number of sand ◗ 2 units of Bedouin Tribal Cavalry BELOW LEFT
dunes, areas of broken ground and areas of scrub Senussi
Regulars
reflecting the type of terrain found in the Western Desert. Their objective was to defend the oasis and the vital defending
The Senussi forces defending the oasis consisted of: supplies it held. the oasis. The
The Imperial force was then placed along the figures are
converted from
◗ 1 unit of Muhafiziya Infantry whole length of the bottom table edge in two groups Wargames
◗ 2 units of Bedouin Tribal Infantry representing separate commands. Atlantic Italian
◗ A Machine Gun with a Turkish crew Infantry.
◗ A Light Machine Gun with a Bedouin crew. Ist Command consisted of:

The Senussi forces also had some reinforcements ◗ 1 Open topped Armoured Car
available in the form of a mounted column which ◗ 1 Armed Patrol Car
◗ 1 Unit of Imperial Infantry carried in a lorry
◗ 1 Unit of Egyptian Infantry carried in a lorry
◗ 1 RFC Attack plane.

2nd Command consisted of:

◗ 2 Armed Patrol Cars

◗ 2 Units of Imperial Infantry carried each carried in a
lorry.

Their objective was to drive the Senussi from the

oasis and capture the supplies.

FIGURES
We used my 28mm figures for the game many of
which have been converted for the conflict as well my
adapted vehicles. (Empress Miniatures make some nice
Light Patrol Cars but mine are all converted from toy
cars found at boot fairs and from Charity shops.)
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 49
 THE FIRST L.R.D.G.
HOW THE GAME PLAYED OUT
Well, it was a hard fought game which saw highs and
lows for both sides.
The RFC plane flew over the oasis and strafed the
Senussi garrison but ran out of ammunition and
having dropped its two bombs to little effect flew off.
The Turkish machine gun managed to immobilise
the two patrol cars in the 2nd Imperial column so
the player controlling them dismounted the crews.
Normally under Beyond the Empire dismounted
vehicle crews are armed with pistols and rifles and
are classed as small units but as the Light Machine
Guns on the two vehicles were undamaged he was
allowed to form two light machine gun teams from
them instead. Meanwhile, the Senussi light machine
gun damaged the patrol car in the 1st Column so that it
could only move at half speed.
As a result of the damage to three of their fighting
vehicles the two players controlling the Imperial force
decided to halt their Lorries and debus all of their
infantry units who began an advance on the Oasis
whilst the armoured car tried to suppress the Senussi
units defending it.
When the Turkish Cavalry appeared they
immediately charged the unit of the Imperial Infantry
from the 1st command inflicting heavy casualties and
forcing it back. Their advance was only halted when
the Egyptian Infantry charged into the melee forcing
50 Miniature Wargames September 2023
them to break off the fight and flee off of the table
although by then the Imperial Infantry unit was a
spent force.
Then one of the Senussi cavalry units which had
arrived was targeted by the armoured car’s machine
gun which scored multiple hits on the unit. Then it was
the Senussi player’s turn to roll for the effect on his
unit. Now in Beyond the Empire, rolling high is good
and rolling low is bad – so you cannot get worse then
rolling 1s. The player controlling the Senussi cavalry
managed to roll 4 x 1’s on 4 D10s meaning his unit
was destroyed in just one move! He then managed to
roll a succession of low dice rolls meaning that his last
tribal cavalry unit failed to do anything allowing them
to be targeted by the advancing Egyptian Infantry
TOP and the cavalry unit and, to make things worse, his
The lorries stand commander died in a hail of rifle fire.
abandoned on
the desert heat. On the other flank, the 2 units of Imperial Infantry
had finally managed to close in on the Oasis and a
ABOVE LEFT combination of shooting and close combat followed.
A Senussi
crewed Lewis Having caused heavy casualties on the attacking
gun on top of the Imperial forces and with the remaining Senussi units
forts tower. weakened the player controlling them decided to
ABOVE retreat from the Oasis leaving it in Imperial hands
The RFC pays although given the casualties they had taken it was
a visit to the somewhat of a Pyrrhic victory.
battlefield.
CONCLUSIONS
All in all it was a fun game which captured the flavour
of the period and the type of incidents which did crop
up during the Senussi invasion of Egypt
and the subsequent raids on the
oases in the Western Desert.
DOWNLOAD
So, it’s over to you: will the THE RULES & MAP
Imperial forces win or will those tabletopgaming.co.uk/
of the Senussi drive them off? Only information/downloads
the players and the Gods of the
Dice will decide! Happy Gaming. ■
 Your first mystery box purchase

USE PROMO CODE: BOX10

WHAT’S A MYSTERY BOX?
It’s the ultimate gaming surprise, made by gamers for gamers. Don’t
want to leave anything up to chance? You can let us know what you like!

SHOP OUR MYSTERY BOXES AT:

www.ttgami.ng/box10
Limited to one per customer.
 B O O K R E V I E W S F O R T H E D I S C E R N I N G WA R G A M E R
REVIEWS
ARMIES OF THE ITALIAN
RISORGIMENTO, 1848-1870:
◗ Gabriele Esposito
◗ MMP Books (2022)
◗ £20.00
◗ 110 pages (large format softback)
◗ ISBN:9788366549951
◗ mmpbooks.biz
This is Number 2 (Number 1 was Armies
of the Crimean War, by the same author)
in MMP’s Armies Across History series.
It’s subtitle is History, Organization And
Uniforms.
The Risorgimento may be divided
into several phases: the First Italian
War of Independence in the 1840s; the
Second Italian War of Unification or the
Franco-Austrian War of 1859; Garibaldi’s
expedition in 1860; the Third Unification
War in 1866 between the new Kingdom
of Italy and Austria. A seven-page
Chronology of the Italian Risorgimento,
from 12 January 1848 to 20 September
1870, necessarily mentions many Italian
states and place names, so it is unfortunate
that no map of Italy during the period is
provided.
Separate sections cover the armies of
Piedmont, the Papal States, the Grand
Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Modena,
the Duchy of Parma, the Kingdom
of Sicily, the Lombard Provisional
Government, the San Marco Republic,
the Roman Republic, the Central Italian
League and Garibaldi’s Volunteers.
Each section offers information on both
the uniforms of the particular army and
on the events in which it participated,
effectively providing readers with a
narrative of the Risorgimento as well as
details of military organization.
Most of these sections are profusely
illustrated in colour. Many of the pages
have at least one illustration; a few have
several. All the pictures are public domain,
by a variety of artists and so are of
differing sizes and styles. I can recognise
several Knotel plates but in most cases
the artist and date of first publication are
not given. Inevitably, not all units or arms
of service are depicted for every army, so
readers will frequently have to rely upon
verbal descriptions alone.
The sections on two armies, those of the
Kingdom of Sicily and the Central Italian
League, have no illustrations but the
descriptions of their uniforms in the text
explains their similarities to the uniforms
of armies of other Italian states.
The last two sections, however, the
Italian Army of 1861-1870 and after 1870,
have no illustrations, but rely entirely
upon verbal descriptions. A short Select
Bibliography of Italian language books
concludes the book; there is no index.
This book offers an excellent, concise
overview of the various armies of the
Italian Risorgimento at a very reasonable
price, which should provide perfectly
satisfactory information for wargamers
raising and painting miniature armies for
the period using smaller figures.
The sheer variety of colourful uniforms,
ranging in style from shakos and tailcoats
reminiscent of the Napoleonic Wars to
the kepis, pickelhaubes and tunics that
would be worn in the Franco-Prussian
War, also means that Italian armies can be
portrayed easily on the tabletop by ‘proxy’
figures from other campaigns if one
does not insist upon absolute accuracy.
To give but a few examples, red-coated
Danish infantry in the 1842 uniform and
shako resemble the Swiss infantry of the
Neapolitan Army, blue-coated Prussian
infantry in pickelhaubes can portray the
line infantry of the Duchy of Parma, and
French infantry in Crimean War uniforms
or Mexican infantry from the campaigns
of 1845-6 can represent line infantrymen of
Modena or Piedmont.
All that is necessary to make these
hitherto neglected historical campaigns
more appealing subjects for tabletop
wargame battles is a companion volume
on the Austrian Army! Perhaps Gabriele
Esposito will oblige?
Arthur Harman

LEYTE GULF
◗ Mark E. Stille
◗ Osprey Publishing (2023)
◗ £25.00
◗ 320 pages (hardback)
◗ ISBN:9781472851758
◗ ospreypublishing.com
This is a relatively orthodox account of
the Battle of Leyte Gulf despite its claim
to dismantling misconceptions. There
are some different interpretations and
increased criticism of US commanders
but it is not controversial. It has
insightful analysis and perceptive
evaluations of performance. It examines
the respective strategic and operational
level plans and discusses the various
mistakes made by commanders along
the way. There are some exciting
accounts of the surface actions.
The book stresses that it was the
swan song of the Imperial Japanese
Navy and that after the battle it was
incapable of materially affecting the war.
Whereas Midway brought the Japanese
expansion to a halt, Leyte destroyed the
Imperial Japanese Navy for the rest of
the war. This book explains why.
The book sparks the imagination and
would be of interest to the naval and air
wargamer providing sufficient detail for
the construction of scenarios and ‘what
ifs’ or a campaign. It is well supported
by photographs.
It is a thought-provoking book, well
written and referenced and with a wealth
of information and critical analysis into
all aspects of the Battle of Leyte. It is
strongly recommended for all readers.
Martin S. Pike
THE ANCIENT ASSYRIANS
◗ Mark Healy
◗ Osprey (2023)
◗ £35
◗ 320 pages (hardback)
◗ ISBN:9781472848093
◗ ospreypublishing.com
This is clearly a multi-faceted author,
because my other book by him is set
well over two millennia later at Kursk
in 1943…
This is a good mix of broadly 50%
history of the Assyrian Empire(s) and
50% a description of the army and
its weaponry, tactics, etc. It is well
written and illustrated, with those
delightful Angus McBride colour
plates drawn from earlier Ospreys.
The author seems to use well the
necessary mix of archives, archaeology,
and ‘Inherent Military Probability’ –
the latter usually being an essential
ingredient in virtually all studies of
ancient warfare. There is a lot of detail
here: for example, the way in which
horsemanship would have affected the
fighting style.
Battle accounts tend to be brief,
purely because the sources are sparse.
A particular strength of this book
is the way in which he blends the
political, strategic, operational and
tactical aspects – along with improved
understanding of the effects of climate
change, where prolonged periods
of drought eventually crippled the
Assyrian state’s ability to feed itself
and support its army. Highly
recommended.
Chris Jarvis
THE SECOND PORTABLE
WARGAME COMPENDIUM
◗ Edited by Bob Cordery
◗ Eglinton Books (2023)
◗ £20
◗ 132 pages (softback)
◗ ISBN:9798392988945
◗ amazon.com
This is very much a book by
wargamers, for wargamers. Its key
is ‘tinkerability’: a basic set of rules,
amended to suit different periods
and – through the medium of Bob’s
fellow contributors – the freedom to
make changes/additions to suit your
own desired depth and breadth of
battlefield factors. It encourages you
to be creative, rather than slavishly
following a ruleset and feeling you
can’t adapt it.
The basic rules are perhaps not to
everyone’s taste. A nearly-destroyed
unit seems to fight at full strength until
wiped out; morale rules are absent; and
luck appears to play an overzealous
part. However, the contributors appear
to make sensible changes (albeit some
rules are far from clear), covering
different periods, skirmish versus main-
battle, campaigns, and some quirky and
thought-provoking ideas on terrain and
figures that will definitely please your
wallet. It ain’t a ‘glossy’: the photos
are a tad grainy at times, and the good
idea of using commercial coloured felt
results in some truly hideous bright
terrain colours...
However, it is good to see an
encouragement to experiment with
your wargaming.
Chris Jarvis
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 53
 REVIEWS
12TH SS PANZER DIVISION
HITLERJUGEND
◗ Massimiliano Afiero
◗ Casemate (2023)
◗ £24.95
◗ 128 pages (softback)
◗ ISBN:9781636243146
◗ casematepublishing.co.uk
Given the title (and subtitle: From
Operation Goodwood To April
1945), I would have expected to see a
breakdown of the division, at least as it
was on 6th June 1944. Then I discovered
that this book appears to be a Volume
2 of a book with the same main title
described as Volume 1. Nowhere is that
mentioned in this book. So – Volume 1
notwithstanding – I would still expect
to see an organisational chart in this
book. About halfway through there
is a text description of the division’s
reorganisation in Germany but it is
vague.
The text lacks focus and is superficial
attempting to cover too much ground
and often moves away from discussing
the division in favour of a broader
strategic context of the war or of the
battles rather than the division’s part.
It is more successful when it focusses
on the division and the part played by
some of the combat elements which,
with a bit of imagination, may spark
ideas for scenario development.
The production quality is high and,
on a positive note, there are some very
good photographs but the maps are less
useful. I found this book disappointing
and an opportunity missed.
Martin S. Pike
54 Miniature Wargames September 2023
CONTROLLING THE FRONTIER:
SOUTHERN AFRICA 1806-1828
◗ Hugh Driver
◗ Helion & Company (2023)
◗ £25.00
◗ 134 pages (softback)
◗ ISBN:9781915113788
◗ helion.co.uk
Number 30 in Helion’s From Musket to
Maxim 1815-1914 series examines the
struggle to determine and stabilise the
frontier of Cape Colony after the British
occupation of 1806.
The author considers the suitability
of units raised in the colony itself – the
Cape Regiment; the Cape Corps of
Infantry and Cavalry; and the Cape
Mounted Rifles – and British Army
units, such as the 60th Foot and the
Royal African Corps, for bush fighting
and peace-keeping duties and discusses
Colonel John Graham’s method of
frontier control implemented following
the Fourth Cape Frontier War of 1811-
1812
The Battle of Grahamstown on 22
April 1819, fought between about 350
defenders and 6,000 Xhosa warriors,
many of whom broke ‘their assegais
to make use of them as close-combat
stabbing (as opposed to throwing)
spears’, could be regarded as a
Napoleonic era Rorke’s Drift, fought
with flintlock muskets and two six
pounder smoothbore artillery pieces
instead of Martini Henry rifles. It would
thus make an interesting wargame
scenario to contrast with the more
famous action in 1879.
The book then considers the Fifth
Cape Frontier War, the development
and deployment of colonial forces after
the war in response to the so-called
‘Fetcani alarm’, and the British Umtata
Campaign that culminated in the Battle
of Mbolompo, involving the 55th Foot,
Cape Mounted Rifles, two ox-drawn six
pounders guns of the Royal Artillery,
and two Boer commando units.
Three full-page, black and white maps
show the Cape eastern frontier at the
time of the Fourth and Fifth Frontier
Wars, 1811-1812 and 1818-1819; the
Thembu and Mpondo kingdoms c.1820s;
and the ‘Fetcani’ raids of 1825-1828.
Over forty black and white
illustrations, distributed throughout the
book, reproduce portraits of persons and
views of places mentioned in the text;
soldiers of the Cape Regiment and the
Cape Corps Cavalry; Xhosa warriors,
and some scenes of fighting. A four-
page Bibliography and a six page index
conclude the book.
This book offers wargamers some
interesting, unfamiliar early nineteenth
century colonial campaigns and
skirmishes to recreate, though few will
wish to recreate the ‘Battle’ of Mbolompo
on 27th August 1828, which resulted in a
massacre of women and children by the
native allies of the British.
Perry Miniatures’ metal 28mm
figures for Xhosa warriors and Boers,
intended for the 6th, 7th and 8th Cape
Frontier Wars, will be equally suitable
for the earlier campaigns; Napoleonic
95th Rifles may be painted to portray
the Cape Regiment; Napoleonic British
Light Dragoons in the later uniform
with bell-top shako may be painted as
the Cape Mounted Rifles; while British
regular units can be portrayed using
figures from Foundry’s 1st China War
range. In smaller scales, Napoleonic
troops, Alamo period Texicans and
American Civil War Confederates,
suitably painted, can portray British and
colonial forces; Zulus will pass muster
as Xhosa warriors on the tabletop.
A concise introduction to a period of
South African history that contains much
useful information for wargamers seeking
alternative early nineteenth century
scenarios for their miniature troops.
Arthur Harman

ALBUERA EYEWITNESS:
CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS OF
THE BATTLE OF ALBUERA
◗ Guy Dempsey
◗ Frontline Books (2023)
◗ £25.00
◗ 312 pages (hardback)
◗ ISBN:9781399066402
◗ pen-and-sword.co.uk
This new book is in many respects a
companion to Albuera 1811: The Bloodiest
Battle of the Peninsular War by the same
author, and consists mainly of accounts
and narratives written by participants.
In his Introduction, Guy Dempsey
states that his purpose is to ‘present all
the currently known significant eyewitness
and first-hand accounts of the Battle of
Albuera’. He advises readers that ‘most
of the accounts in this volume are actually
both of these at the same time’. He poses a
list of thirteen ‘big questions’ about the
battle, such as ‘Did Soult know that he was
seriously outnumbered when he launched
his attack?’ and ‘What circumstances led to
the destruction of Colborne’s brigade by the
French cavalry?’.
Part I offers a short description of the
Strategic Context, a Chronology of Events,
Early 1811 and a Chronology of Events,
Thursday, 16 May with approximate
timings. Part II presents Anglo-
Portuguese accounts, presented by arm
of service so that first there are Command
and Staff accounts by Marshal William
Carr Beresford, his chief of staff Benjamin
D’Urban, and Major-General William
Stewart, commanding 2nd Division.
There follow accounts by members
of the 1st Brigade: Lieutenant Colonel
55
John Colborne, the brigade commander;
Captains Arthur Gordon and William
Stephens, Assistant Surgeon John
Morrison and an unidentified Private of
the 3rd Foot; Major William Brooke, and
Lieutenants Edward Close and William
Wood and an unidentified Officer of the
48th Foot; Captain James Girdlestone and
Lieutenants Charles Bayley, John Clarke,
Robert Dobbin and George Crompton of
the 66th Foot.
From Abercromby’s (2nd) Brigade:
Lieutenants Moyle Sherer and S.
Dickens 34th Foot; Captain Hardress
Saunderson 39th Foot and details of the
court martial of Lieutenant Alexander
Morrow of that regiment.
From Hoghton’s (3rd) Brigade:
Captain James Wilson 1/48th Foot;
Lieutenant Colonel William Inglis and
Ensign Benjamin Hobhouse 57th Foot;
Lieutenant Charles Leslie and Ensign
Thomas Hamilton 29th Foot.
From the Fourth Division, accounts
include: staff officer Major Charles Broke;
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hardinge;
ADC Captain Alexander de Roverea
Sicilian Regiment; Major Sir Edward
Blakeney and Sergeant John Cooper
2/7th Foot; Captain John Hill and
Lieutenants John Harrison and Grismond
Philipps 23rd Foot; and Captain Friedrich
von Wachholtz, Brunswick Oels Corps.
King’s German Legion accounts
are by Major General Charles Alten,
commanding the 1st and 2nd Light
Battalions, and Friedrich Lindau, 2nd
Light Battalion.
The Cavalry accounts include letters
by Colonel Robert Long and Lieutenant
Colonel Lord Edward Somerset; diary
entries by Lieutenant Charles Madden 4th
Dragoons; and an observation by Trooper
Thomas Bennett 13th Light Dragoons.
The Artillery is represented by
accounts from Major Alexander Dickson,
commanding the Portuguese Artillery;
Major Julius Hartmann, commanding
the British and KGL Artillery; Captain
Andrew Cleeves and Second Lieutenant
William Unger, KGL Artillery; and Second
Captain Edward Whinyates RHA.
There are accounts by Portuguese
officers and British officers in Portuguese
service. Miscellaneous Accounts includes
the Legend for the Battlefield Panorama
reproduced in the illustrations.
Part III Spanish Accounts contains
Captain General Franciso Xavier
Castanos’s Dispatch and includes
accounts by Adjutant General Antonio
Burriel, Mariscal de Campo Jose
de Lardizabal, Lieutenant General
Francisiso Ballasteros, Mariscal de
Campo Jose de Zayas, Brigadier Carlos
de Espana, Cavalry Brigadier Casimiro
Loy, Louis, Count of Penne-Villemure,
Colonel Jose Miranda and Lieutenant
General Joaquin Blake.
Part IV, French Accounts, contains
both Marshal Soult’s Report in Le
Moniteur Universel on 13 June 1811, and
an unpublished version in the French
Army Archives, together with accounts by
Captain Edouard Lapene, General Jean-
Baptiste Girard, surgeon Jean-Baptiste
D’Heralde, General Jean Pierre Maransin,
Second Lieutenant Perrin de Solliers,
Sergeant Francois Lavaux, Captain
Jean Vivien, Cavalry General Latour-
Maubourg, Captain Jakub Kierzkowski,
Second Lieutenant Kajetan Wojciechowski,
Trooper Louis-Antoine Gougeat, Second
Lieutenat Theophile de Bremond d’Ars,
and Artillery Captain Pernet.
The ten modern maps that accompany
the text are repeated from Albuera
1811, but a selection of historical maps,
showing different interpretations of
the battlefield topography, is included
in the illustrations section of the book.
That section also includes maps drawn
by two of the eyewitnesses, Second
Lieutenant William Unger, KGL Artillery,
and Colonel Robert B. Long, together
with a Portuguese map, a plan of the
battle drawn in 1851 by Captains Felipe
Solis and Juan Burriel of the Spanish
Army, a map by William Faden and a
Spanish map of 1811. An alphabetical list
of eyewitnesses, a bibliography and an
index conclude the book.
Will many wargamers actually read so
many contemporary accounts to devise
their own narratives of Albuera? Would
they not prefer to buy a book written
by a historian who has already done that
research – as has Guy Dempsey – read his
conclusions about the battle, then design
their wargame scenarios? A wonderful
compilation of evidence that would
surely be most appreciated by a PhD
student researching Albuera.
Arthur Harman
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 55
NE W GAMES S TORE
Be the first to receive exclusive launch
deals by signing up to our mailing list
www.ttgami.ng/new-games-store
HOBBY TIPS
THE
CHAPEL
OF
LOVE
A ruinous build. Part 2:
the Painting
Words and images by Tony Harwood
This is the conclusion of a two-parter by Mr
Harwood. Ed.
n part one I explained how a visit to the
I National Trust property of Brockhampton and
a chance encounter at Worcester Wargames
inspired this scratch built model of a ruined
Norman chapel. The model was constructed
from a used Gothic plastic window, some
scrap plywood and spare blue foam with DAS
modelling clay acting as both filler and helping
to define the stones. In part two I will describe
how I painted and finished this model for use
on my wargame table with games of Burrows &
Badgers and The Silver Bayonet.
With all the construction completed my first
priority was to apply a dark brown/black
undercoat which was a mix of acrylic paints
and Mod Podge (an acrylic glue/medium used
for crafting). This basecoat was applied with
a large stiff brush in a stippling motion which
helps to add even more fine texture to the foam
and much needed strength. It also had one
more benefit. I had started basecoating before
the earlier PVA sealer had fully dried and while
basecoating I managed to dislodge some of
the finer sand of the base and reapply it back
onto the models surface creating a fine surface
texture that would ‘pop’ when drybrushed and
particularly when drybrushed and ‘washed’.
Painting followed my tried and tested routine
with a well applied first colour (applied in two
or three watered-down coats), drybrushing and
then washes. This process is repeated many
times and with a wide variety of different
colours, as I have yet to see any real stone
structure as just one colour.
I particularly wanted a reddish or iron oxide
MATERIALS USED
◗ Various acrylic paints
◗ Homemade and shop bought
washes
colour for this chapel and searched out any
◗ Railway scatter (dyed
suitable reference photos. The inspiration sawdust)
for this colour scheme came from a book of ◗ Ground foam
regional French Architecture which had just ◗ Static grass and static grass
the colour scheme I was looking for. Although tufts
◗ Mod Podge
the initial painting went a little too dark, this
◗ Galleria matt varnish
was brought back with lighter drybrushing ◗ Weathering powders
and some extreme highlighting.
I should apologise at this stage for not giving
exact colour mixes or paint references: I’m old
school and tend to mix my colours by eye. I
very rarely use any paint straight from the
pot, preferring to mix my own colours on a
paper palette (actually a glossy brochure that
I regularly pick up for free at either Waitrose
or my local DIY superstore: search in the paint
aisle for paint brochures which have just the
right glossy paper finish to use as throw away
palettes). Similarly my choice of brushes is
also quite random although I would always
recommend keeping your best Sable brushes
for detail painting or figure painting.
The finished ruin was designed for use with
my Burrows & Badgers or Silver Bayonet
figures which are around – or slightly larger
than – 28mm scale.
›
September 2023 Miniature Wargames 57
 HOBBY TIPS
1. WASH & BRUSH UP
The first step is to undercoat
or basecoat the whole model
with a mix of dark chocolate
brown and black acrylic paint to
which I have added some Mod
Podge (a mix of glue and acrylic
medium used by crafters and
easily obtainable from art stores
or craft stores).
I have applied this basecoat
in thin watered-down layers
to which I have added a
flow improver (or a drop of
washing-up liquid) which
helps to improve the flow
and break the surface tension
of acrylic paint. Before this
image was taken, I have also
‘washed’ the surface with a
homemade black wash.
2. BROWN-OUT
The whole model was then
drybrushed with Ochre or
mid brown acrylic paint which
was later mixed with lighter or
cream coloured paint.
This was done in stages and
with the lighter drybrushed
colour being concentrated
on the upper levels of the
walls – keeping the lower wall
sections dark to represent
damp and contrast.
In the first instance I used
a large stiff hogshair brush
in a stippling motion, but
later shop bought makeup
brushes were employed in
a traditional drybrushing
technique.
3. RGB & BLACK
Once the drybrushing was
fully dry, I ‘washed’ the whole
model with various bought
and homemade washes.
I used red, blue, green and
black based washes in a
random manner to add both
interest and variation to the
stonework. This was done
in several sessions and in a
haphazard manner as I was
purposely looking for a non-
uniform colour finish.
One of my most used tools
on the paint table is a
hairdryer which was utilised
throughout this project.
58 Miniature Wargames September 2023
4. GREY HIGHLIGHTS
After a number of drybrushing and
washes, the stonework was treated
to a session of extreme highlighting,
where the upper edges of the
stones have been highlighted with
a fine brush and some watered-
down cream paint. In addition the
final drybrush was done with a
light dusting of mid grey paint (Wolf
Grey from Vallejo) to vary the
predominantly red brown colour.
The water drips on the walls were
done with watered-down pale grey,
highlighter with white and again
applied with a fine brush.
Lichen or bird dropping spots
were painted on the upper areas
of the wall to add some ‘colour’.
5. TOUCH OF SNAKEBITE
As seen in this and the earlier
image, the groundwork was painted
in my own mix of the old Snakebite
Leather colour from Games
Workshop. I tend to paint all of my
terrain in a similar colour as well
as my gaming or display boards as
this helps to unify the terrain and
gaming board.
The Snakebite colour is then
lightened with cream or white
and drybrushed over the surface
to pick out the texture. Individual
stones on the base were picked
out on an even lighter mix or with
grey acrylic paint which was
then highlighted with white. This
process helps to add variation to
an otherwise plain base.
6. KISS & MAKEUP
I’ve included this image, not
to show the finish or colour
but to talk about drybrushing.
Drybrushing should be done
in subtle layers and never too
heavy handed. In fact if you can
see a difference when applying
a layer of drybrushing you
probably have too much paint
on your brush.
When drybrushing I like to use
large ‘fluffy’ makeup brushes
which can be bought very
reasonably from discount
chemists or bargain stores. They
are a real game changer and
something I would recommend
to all figure and terrain painters.
Top tip: Apply the drybrushing lightly
and with a large makeup brush.
7. SPATTER
I ‘spattered’ the walls with some
watered-down pale grey and tan
colours with a large stiff bristled
brush and a cocktail stick. The
model and base were then painted
with Galleria matt varnish.

This varnish can sometimes be

a little difficult to apply. I tend
to use the minimum amount
of varnish that I can and spread
the varnish as far as possible.
If you apply this acrylic varnish
too thickly you can get a
glossy effect – or even worse
– ‘blooming’ This is where the
varnish can turn cloudy, neither
of which you want on your
terrain pieces or your figures.

8. VARNISH & BASE

With the varnishing complete,
I decorated the base with died
sawdust or Railway Modelling
scatter material applied over PVA
glue. This is a touchy subject to
many but I’ve been using the same
scatter material for all my terrain
pieces and gaming board and it
seems to work – well at least for
me. I have in recent years also
included some fine ground foam
to the mix which helps to break up
the overall green blanket effect.

Ground foam clumps and static

grass tufts were glued in place
with superglue. I like to add
a variety of different effect to
my terrain pieces and regularly
update older pieces with a fresh
scatter and clumps.

9. AND WE’RE DONE…

The finished ruin on my gaming
table with a 28mm Flintloque/
Silver Bayonet figure alongside
to give an idea of the scale and size
of this model.

Painting took about 6 hours of

fun over a weekend and I think
I have successfully produced a
naturally coloured and finished
piece of reddish brown stone
built wall which looks much
better than the usual dark grey
drybrushed, white so often seen
on the tabletop and although
the stages above may seem
daunting the process was really
quite simple, plus it was fun to
do and very satisfying.

September 2023 Miniature Wargames 59

 FOR SALE
WARGAMING
COMPANY

07980 756424
ACW, Colonial Nineteenth Century,
Sino-Japanese, Russo-Japanese, Maximilian
7ˆ;m|†u;ķ;Šb1-m!;ˆoѴ†ঞomş))Ɛu-m];v
NEW Afghan Regular Army & †uh_-C]†u;v
out now!
FREE to download rule sets by Andy Callan
www.jacklexminiatures.com
SIGN UP TO OUR
FREE NEWSLETTER
Sign up for the very latest - industry
releases, kick starters, reviews,
interviews and more from Tabletop
Gaming. You can unsubscribe at any time!
Either scan the QR code or visit
ttgami.ng/ttg-newsletter

&RORQHO%LOOV
ZZZFRORQHOELOOVFRP

All Napoleons are happy to

grab a bargain at Colonel Bills
 GRAVESEND
MODELS AND FOR SALE
WARGAMES
ALL YOUR WARGAMING, 15 mm Napoleonic
MODELLING & RAILWAY well painted
NEEDS UNDER ONE ROOF Games Workshop 40K
SHOP OPEN: Fantasy average
MONDAY - SATURDAY
9am til 4.30pm painting
Sunday 10am til 4pm Irregular Fantasy
Gravesend Models And Wargames
65 High Street, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0BB
Figures
Tel: 01474 328 360
E: gravesendmodelcentre@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook
For more information
www.gravesendmodelcentre.co.uk please call 01244 398363

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR Faces Flags and Bases

YouTube CHANNEL We paint the figure too!

A cheerful, dependable
painting service.
ttgami.ng/yt-subscribe www.facesflagsandbases.webnode.co.uk

Turn your Lead to Gold!

Is the loft threatening to collapse? Are you ever going to paint those
figures? Would you like the cash to start another period or scale?

I buy collections of painted or unpainted figures, any make or scale

including Games Workshop and historical figures. Also Board Games,
RPGs, model kits, books and terrain.

I will buy your entire collection (not just the good bits), pay in cash, and
collect the items from your door. No distance is too far!
Contact free Pick Ups now available
Please call for details
Contact me on 07914 609709, email: wargamesbuyer@gmail.com
or write to Rob Palmier, 23 Clanfield Avenue, Wolverhampton,
West Midlands WV11 2QU

Shakespeare Studios COLLECTIONS WANTED!

Professional full time painting service
Established 2003
Full time, friendly,
professional painting
& modelling service,
to the very highest
standard at
affordable prices.
All periods & genres.
07751 648053
dooeyswampy1@gmail.com
Wargame Miniatures & Scenery
of any period & scale.
Diecast models & figures, unmade kits.
Military naval & aviation books.
Large collections a speciality.
Distance no object. Best prices paid.
Prompt professional collection service.
YORK MILITARY BOOKS
Tel: 01423 360828
yorkmilitarybooks@gmail.com
www.ebay.co.uk/str/yorkmilitarybooks
 THE LAST WORD
FOOD FOR POWDER
Edible Casualty Markers
Tired of trying to find period specific
casualty markers: all that painting injured
figures stuff or sorting out skull tokens?
Mr Harman may have the answer (if your
waistline can stand it...) Ed.
istorical wargamers sometimes
H bemoan the fact that the hobby
is becoming an increasingly
‘greying’ past time: that
youngsters are not enlisting in sufficient
numbers to reinforce their dwindling
ranks, as ill-health and old age take their
inevitable toll of the grizzled veterans of
many a tabletop battle.
My daughter Charlotte, whose
culinary skill as a baker of delicious
chocolate cake enabled me to realise
my original, idiosyncratic idea of an
edible Vauban-style fortress for party
siege games in which the besiegers
could devoir the ‘soil’ excavated to
dig their saps and parallels, and the
‘rubble’ of walls breached by artillery
fire (see Gateaux de Guerre, in issue 448 of
Miniature Wargames), recently came up
with another equally ingenious idea for
making historical wargaming with toy
soldiers more appealing and ‘palatable’
to today’s children.
SET THE TABLE
The idea is to stage a light-hearted
tabletop wargame with very simple
rules as the conclusion of a children’s
party and use edible casualty markers
62 Miniature Wargames September 2023
Words by Arthur Harman. Photos by Charlotte Harman
in a toy soldier battle at the end of
which the players will be allowed to eat
the casualties they have inflicted upon
the enemy!
Such casualty markers are rules and
period agnostic so it does not matter
whether losses from fire or close combat.
This idea will not require the game
organiser to slave over a hot stove!
The casualty markers can either be
sweets, such as jelly beans, jelly babies,
chocolate buttons or small mints, or – to
appease today’s more health-conscious
parents – grapes, raisins or sultanas,
but avoid nuts (allergies etc). These
tokens are placed on or behind the unit
bases upon which the toy soldiers are
mounted to indicate the severity of the
casualties the unit has suffered.
SCALE APPROPRIATENESS
It is important that the casualty markers
are so not so large as to be out of all
proportion to the units of toy soldiers.
Whilst it might be good to use jelly babies
to remind the youthful generals that
historical victories in battle came at a price
in human lives, they are simply too large
to be used with wargame figures smaller
than 25/28mm, whereas jelly beans will
not look out of place next to 15mm or
10mm figures. They have the advantage in
coming in a variety of colours.
RALLYING COMESTIBLE FORCES
How could such edible casualty
markers be used in the game? Light
casualties could be indicated by one
jelly bean; moderate by two beans,
and heavy or severe losses by three
beans. Alternatively – to prevent the
victorious commanders becoming
hyperactive and charging out of control
from over-consumption of sugar – the
game organiser could indicate the
severity of losses and the consequent
damage to unit cohesion and morale
by the colour of the jelly beans. Say a
green jelly bean could indicate light
casualties, an orange or yellow for
moderate casualties, and a red for
heavy casualties.
If, on the other hand, one decides
(say) chocolate buttons that cannot be
distinguished by their colour, use their
position relative to the commander and
colour party of the unit. So, a chocolate
button placed to the left flank for
light casualties; to the right flank for
moderate; and immediately behind the
colours for heavy casualties.
BIG BEANS
In a Skirmish wargame with 54 mm
figures, in which each model represents
an individual soldier or warrior, each
time a player’s own personality figure
kills an enemy, the player receives and
can eat one jelly baby.
After the party, all the young players
are sure to agree the wargame was in the
best possible taste! ■
“...the nearest run
thing you ever saw
in your life”.
- The Duke of Wellington

FREE TO ENTER
NATIONAL NAPOLEONIC WARGAME COMPETITION 2023/24
AND TROPHY - REGISTER YOUR TEAM NOW!
A unique opportunity to re-fight A great day out! Games will be hosted at our
3,500 sq ft venue in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Waaterloo in
n real time!

Our 264 sq ft Intelligent Wargames Table provides

real time game play using over 12,000 miniatures.

This is a 5-a-side knock-out competition. Teams

will fight just one preliminary round this year with
the winners progressing to the final rounds early
next year. Real time game play is the ultimate test
of your generalship. Are you up to the challenge?
Our Waterloo game offers a true-to-life battle
simulation and you may reasonably expect to take
6 - 8 hours to reach a conclusion. Hougoumont

What players say about our Napoleonic game

“I had a really great time” J.F.
“A real treat” J.A.
“Love the idea and the technology”
“A great game” D.B.
Each team will fight only once in 2023
with winners going through to the later
M.T.
rounds early in 2024. The Grand Final
is in June next year.

Full details can be found at www.valkyrx.com. Download rules, including the full Order of Battle, in pdf format.
Places are limited. We welcome UK and overseas teams. The competition is FREE TO ENTER. Register now!

THE INTELLIGENT WARGAMES TABLE

Head Office tel: 01327 368 498 Gaming Centre tel: 07856 893685
ail: info@valkyrx.com
ema email: birmingham@valkyrx.com

@Valkyrx_Gaming Valkyrx_Gaming @valkyrx_gaming

 CHECK OUT ALL OUR PLASTIC SETS!

PRE-ORDER WWI BRITISH INFANTRY!

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! JUST SPEND $50/£35!

facebook.com/wargamesatlantic DESIGNED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POND

VISIT US AT WWW.WARGAMESATLANTIC.COM