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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 61, 2012
Theme: Colonial warfare in the 19th century
Theme: Mike Evans, 'A beginner's guide to Colonial wargaming - four feathers and a bucket of dice'.
The nineteenth century is a gold-mine for us wargamers, with a huge variety of diverse wars and actions occurring around the globe. So much so that it can be quite daunting even to consider where to start! As it says in the title, we will concentrate on Colonial wargaming in this article, leaving aside the major condicts of the Napoleonic Wars and in the Americas, which rightly deserve volumes of wargaming material in their own right.
Theme: Andy Miles, 'The extraordinary adventures of Colonel Marchand's expedition - Fashoda 1898'.
In the summer of 1895, the French Foreign Ministry approved a daring expedition to the remote outpost of Fashoda in the Southern Sudan. The expedition, which the French classis ed as ’un raid’, would lead to a military and diplomatic crisis on the banks of the Nile between the two greatest imperial powers in history.
Theme: Andy Miles, 'Refighting the Battle of the Nyezane River, 22 January 1879 - Terribly Earnest Work'.
On 17 January 1879, the British No. 1 or ‘coastal’ column crossed into Zulu territory from Natal. Led by Colonel C.K. Pearson, the column was to form the most southerly of a three-pronged advance toward the Zulu capital of Ulundi, via the abandoned mission station at Eshowe. Consisting of regular infantry, men of the Naval Brigade, mounted volunteers, and two battalions of the Natal Native Contingent, the column would depend heavily on its long supply train of ox-drawn wagons.
Theme: Mark Backhouse, 'Adapting SAGA for the great plains of Africa - Colonial SAGA'.
It is often the case with the miniatures in my collection that the purchase of new ones comes as an impulse, when a fellow gamer turns up at the club with a tray of unloved gures destined for the bring-and-buy, and is open to others. So it was that I returned from one particular club night, with my wallet a few pounds lighter, clutching a large bag of 6mm Irregular Zulu and British gures.
On the cover: Andy Hawes, 'Ultimate sacrifice on the fields of Afghanistan - The last eleven at Maiwand'.
The battle of Maiwand has always held a fascination for me, ever since a one-o cartoon strip about it in the 70s comic ‘Warlord’ when I was a lad. That set me o on a journey into the history of the Northwest Frontier of India and the exploits of Britsh and Indian troops there throughout the 19th century. Not for me were the more obvious Colonial exploits of Great Britain in the Victorian era (the Sudan or Zulu War anyone?) Oh no… For me, it’s always been all about the Northwest Frontier and Afghanistan.
Features
Column: Rick Priestley, 'This Gaming Life - Fact and Fantasy - the Great Wargame Schism'.
This month Rick asks just how much historical wargaming is really about history.
Interview: Guy Bowers, 'An interview with Dan Mersey - DUX BELLORUM'.
The WS&S team had an opportunity to catch up with Dan Mersey, author of Dux Bellorum, the new Dark Agerules from Osprey Publishing. He was kind enough to answer some questions about his new rules.
Feature: Jan Gross, 'From concept to wargames convention - The Trojan War in 90 minutes'.
The seed for our ‘Trojan War in 90 minutes’ was planted at the end of February 2011, at the TACTICA wargaming convention in Hamburg. It was one of the coldest winters in Germany since Iwas born, so who could blame two shivering boys for dreaming of Troy, sunshine, and the ocean? Thus, my joint project with Tilman Moritz was born.
Feature: Mark Backhouse, 'Gaming the pre-Conquest campaigns of William I of Normandy 1035-1064 - The Bastard's battles'.
The Normandy that William the Bastard was born into was wrought with con ict and internal troubles. Richard III of Normandy died after being Duke for just a single year. The manner of his death was deeply suspicious, and there were many rumours that he was poisoned. William’s own father, Robert I, inherited the dukedom in 1027 and ruled for only eight years, before his own untimely death on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Column: Dr. Joe Legan, 'The Irregular - In Defense of 15mm'.
Seeing all the great tables at Salute and reading the magazines of the popular wargames press, it would seem the whole world plays in 28mm. When reading an article or gure review it is almost always, “and there are plenty of gures in smaller scales which will not be covered in this article.” Hmmm...
Feature: Rossco Watkins, 'A look at rule sets for the company-level WWII game - Project Company'.
Our ‘Let’s Play’ series takes new games and gives them to real gamers to play through and record their experiences for us. They ‘try before you buy’, so that you, the reader, can see if a game suits your tastes. Here are the experiences of Rossco Watkins, ably assisted by Paul Burkin and Peter Bowles of the Brixham Berserkers, and what they had to say about Flames of War, Kampfgruppe Normandy, and I Ain’t Been Shot Mum. Take it away, Rossco!
Feature: Guy Bowers, 'A look at 15mm World War II models - Panzers Los'.
The editor takes a look at the various figures and ranges available for 15mm WWII games.
Modeling: Olivier Perronny, 'Some suitable new buildings for Normandy and beyond - buildings amongst the bocage'.
I first heard about Jens Najewitz’s models in November 2010, when he released a range of 20mm buildings for Normandy and WWII. I was very impressed by the look of the buildings, and I asked him if he planned to make the same buildings in 28mm. He kindly answered that, if other (potential) customers requested it, he may begin to design some masters at this scale.
Review: WS&S Staff, 'Cavaliers, Roundheads and Black Powder? - Pike and Shotte'.
Pike & Shotte – ‘battles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries’ – is the latest o ering in the series of rules and supplements that began with Black Powder. It maintains the high quality production values of its stable-mates, packed full of inspiring photos of beautifully painted miniatures in lavish settings.
Review: WS&S Staff, 'An ambitious Napoleonic publication - Grand Battery'.
It’s a really ambitious book, as it aims, in under 200 pages, to give wargamers a detailed overview of the history of the Napoleonic Wars, a lengthy narrative of many of the key battles, the structure of the units and armies, and the tactics they used … and then, into the bargain, a set of rules to cover this period. Phew!
Review: WS&S Staff, 'Napoleonic naval wargaming - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls'.
Our staff reviews these new rules for recreating the grand sea battles of the early 19th century.
Review: WS&S Staff, 'SAGA Supplement with Jomsvikings! - Northern Fury'.
A look at the brand new expansion for everybody's favorite Viking rules.
Review: WS&S Staff, 'A Clash of Empires Supplement - Age of Ravens'.
We review the new Clash of Empires' supplement that takes your combat into the Dark Ages.
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