Another month another magazine on the wargame hobby to read on a leisurely Saturday afternoon.  I learned from the excellent TMP this morning that MW348 was now on the newstands so I headed out to Ayr and got a copy..plus a few other bits and pieces.  I even read the mag on the way home while my good lady drove!  So let’s see what we have.

Miniature Wargames 348 (April 2012)

Cupola

Andrew Hubback introduces the issue and muses on new years, new spring and new projects and the choices to be made.  I know all about this, choices in gaming are always present.  Which figures to buy, to paint and base and then which systems to play and that if after the agony choice of which period or setting to choose as only so much is humanly possible for yourself and your group to do.  This is tied to the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War and a new book named ‘A Damn Close Run Thing’ of which 30% of the sales proceeds goes to a worthy military charity.  Good stuff from a conflict I am just old enough to have memories of.

Recon and Diary

A lot in here on shows in England and the rest of the UK but as is the norm in the wargame community April is all about Salute 2012 at the docklands in London on April 21st, and this year is no different.  MW will be at the show as will I on the Alternative Armies / 15mm.co.uk trade stand plus I will be running a demo game of my own beloved Flintloque 3rd edition.

Figure Focus

Looking at the fifth anniversary of the formation of Warlord Games a very interesting look at how a gaming company works from the inside from the casting to the packing with all its glamour!  While the sight of spin casters, metal pots, packaging and molds is no novelty for this veteran of the hobby, this was a super article by Andrew Hubback and well worth a read.

The Maximilian Adventure

The main cover story! Jim Webster gives us part one of a multi-part part series of articles about ill fated intervention of France in nineteenth century Mexico.  This is not a nation or period I know much about and I have never gamed it either.  But information was given on both sides with great efficiency outlining the typical French forces and the Imperial Mexican army too.  A good introduction set the scene along with a map showing battle locations and dates.  Lots of facts are given on uniforms and equipment and a focus on rather unusual troops such as the Egyptian Battalion.  The pictures are really nice too and the article ends with a well placed advert for suitable 28mm ranges and 40mm range too.

The Battle of Sark

Stephen Maggs gives us a view of the Scottish victory over the English army at Sark in 1448.  Sark is near Dumfries and I have been there a few times, its much like Ayrshire as in its wet, boggy and damn cold when the mood takes it.  Being in the same period as the War of the Roses I know something of this and Sark certainly did contribute to the safety of Scotland over English aggression for a good number of years after the event.  The article gives  map, troop displacements along with orders of battle.  A section on Border Raiding sets the scene and gives us the reasons for the battle.  A full account of the actions of the day follows and then options on wargaming the period and the battle.  This was an excellent battle report and having been to the place it occurred made a difference too.  For those interested the Medus Range at 15mm.co.uk contains many suitable miniatures.

Showdown at Salamanca

One of the decisive battles of the Peninsula War, this battle occurred two hundred years ago this year.  Apt time, according to John Walsh, to look at the battle in detail which is just what he does.  An excellent distilled account from which I remembered elements from my own copies of Oman and also the Osprey title of the battles name.  The pictures taken by Joe Dever show you the scope of the battle in miniature, which is huge, it does need a lot of space, time and a dedicated group to carry it out.  I look forward to next month for the next part!

The High Ground

Steve Eardley writes a good column…oh yes he does!  This month he looks at his new club and his current bugbears too.  This article made me laugh and it made me remember my own encounters with T.W.A.T.S while throwing the dice.  Well worth the cover price of the mag alone in my option it ends with two pages of knowledge on Musket Lines and WW2 publications of rules.

Inkerman 1854

Trevor Hallsall’s final part of this look at this battle in the Crimean War left me a bit cold.  Its a fine piece of writing but its not a war I am keen on.  I much prefer the Napoleonic Era to the middle of the century.  However the scenario did give me some ideas for Flintloque with the Elves against the Undead.

Catching the Train

A scenario from the Anglo-Irish war of 1919-1921 presented by Andy Sykes.  Often hidden by the vastly bigger First World War and the shadow of the coming Spanish Civil War I have not gamed this setting and have not seen it done often either.  That said the scenario is really well done and adding in civilians makes it all the more real.  If you are interested in this conflict then check it out!

The Snipe

David Brown presents an El-Alamein scenario from his new book.  Just as the title says.  Ground covered many times before but with these new rules perhaps differently.  Without the mechanics I could not make a lot from these two pages and moved on from there.

Casting Carefully Considered

It is a real month this time for a look behind the mystery of the hobby.  Steve Eardley lets us look about Old Glory’s casting area and gives us the alchemy of the process.  Really interesting!  I began with Alternative Armies around the spin casters when I was a teen (before that I saw Citadel’s production floor a few times in the eighties) and it has not changed much for all the other things that have changed in twenty years.  While some points in the process are a bit different I can recommend this article for its terms, heart and humour.  Those of use who know the smell of rubber and have seen raw metal alloy turn into little miracles this is familiar stuff; for others…its a look behind the mirror.

Darker Horizons

It seem regular new goodness in the sci-fi and fantasy realms man Gary Mitchell is away for some ‘re-education’ this month so Dave of the Borchester Irregulars sets in to do the round up.  All good stuff which, if nothing else, proves that even in these times of economic recession the gaming industry is thriving with at least four companies named I have NEVER HEARD OF!  Gary does though review a new set of Greek Myth rules but hey ho he would have been better of with my own far cheaper and awesome Typhon rules for mythic skirmish with gods, heroes and monsters (self plug ahoy!).  Look forward to next month when perhaps some of the goodies I sent to Gary turn up in print.

Book and Product Reviews

Reviews of the following titles:  Encyclopaedia of Classical Warfare (1457-1815), Knight: The Warrior and World of Chivalry, The Spanish in North America 1700-1793, Forts of the American Frontier 1776-1891 and The Napoleonic Art of Keith Rocco (I want this one!).  Then comes Prussian Napoleonic Tactics 1972-1815, Shadow Commander (Donald D.Blackburn), Dakota Dawn (1862 Sioux Uprising), Desert Rat (WW2, Osprey) and Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century.  This last one leaves me cold, not a fan of that side of our hobby at all…always scared to touch things in show cases!  This section ends with a review of the Iwata Neo CN Airbrush by Paul McDonagh in which he finds it..extremely good!

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So, all in all this month’s magazine is, to me, not as fine as last months but still a very good read and of the wargames magazines on the newstand it is the one with the most interesting content.  Oh, and its price does not put the fear of penury in your heart!  Go, get, read, enjoy…game!

I reviewed last months’ MW347 you can see the posting here.

GBS

Miniature Wargames (MW) magazine is a main stream print title dedicated to the various facets of the wargames industry and hobby mainly in the UK.  It can be purchased direct or from high street newsagents and bigger store chains like WH Smiths.  It was from the branch of that chain in Ayr that I got my copy of issue 347 last week…upon its release!

I love wargame magazines (duh!) and took the first chance I had to read this one cover to cover.  So here is a look at this issue from beginning to end with my own comments about each section included in italics for ease of reading.

Cupola

Introducing the magazine an interesting column by editor Andrew Hubback which concerns itself with not only 2012 being the two hundredth anniversary of the Russian Campaign of 1812 but also on the need for marketing/shows/mechanics of rules sets.  In addition a notice that the facet of MW that is Darker Horizons will be getting its own publication bi-monthly as of the third quarter of 2012.

I agree with Mr Hubbock that the promotion of rules sets is ever more needed for their success however success is what needs to be defined.  I will not argue that my own titles are among the most known but they all do well and they all sell and all of this through personal service, company promotion, agents and shows.  You need not be first among the many to be popular enough for ‘success’.  I think a great let down of the most ‘famous’ and therefore ‘market leading’ wargame titles is their expense to purchase.  Gloss costs as they say and it lets down the core idea of wargaming which is all about clubs, fun, comrades and above all affordable enjoyment.  Be good, give value, remember the fun! 

It is great news that Gary Mitchell will be getting Darker Horizons into its own imprint.  Fantasy and Science Fiction are my main interests so those pages get more reading for me.  It will be bi-monthly and Gary has already told me that 15mm.co.uk and Alternative Armies releases both metal and paper will feature..excellent stuff!

Reconnaissance Report and Diary

New Venue for the Derby wargame show, Osprey offers the chance to get your rules into their imprint, a set of gaming rules adapted from real life lessons to train US Special Forces, Diary Events and Letter.

All good reading here as news pages should be.  Salute 2012 is not far off but more on that elsewhere.  Keep in mind I am looking for aspiring game writers to get into print with 15mm.co.uk in the USE ME series.  Drop me an  email if you have an idea.  I will send you the terms.

Steady as She Goes

Andrew Hubback crunches the numbers on the MW2012 poll of popular periods for miniature wargaming.  Some are up and some are down.  Big points are the revival of the Ancients period and the loosing of ground of 28mm scale to 15mm scale miniatures with science fiction on the up too.

This is a good and unusual article that on the whole ties in with my actual experience of scales and periods over the last year or so.  15mm has continued to grow and grow (pun intended!) as a scale and inside that the continual surge of 15mm science fiction miniatures.  I like to think that the sheer number of UM001 USE ME 15mm Science Fiction books we have sold has contributed to this and its been seen in clubs all over the place.  Flintloque is not really Napoleonic but it is to an extent and its also Fantasy.  The graphs in the magazine did not separate SF and F but Flintloque has continued to perform well in the last year helped by the release of 5028 Bier & Bones.

I Predict a Riot

Andrew Hubback provides an in-depth article including mechanics suggestions for civil disturbance; riots if you will.  Looking at the troubles across English cities last summer there is plenty to inspire and though not a mainstream subject of wargaming it is a very valid one.  The article covers rioting from all angles, all forces involved, all weapons, tactics and so on before giving suggestions for rules when using this setting in play.

I have to give this article top marks.  It is superb.  All you would like to know about gaming and riots (on table of course!) across five pages.  I actually have a draft of a rules engine ‘Civilus Uncivilis’ to cover this sort of thing for 15mm or 28mm scale though I prefer the smaller figures to give a grand size.  Crowd movement and Kyng Mobbe.   Thanks Andrew!

Once More into the Breach

Peter Hall discusses his project for a Hail Caesar game at Salute 2012.  The article looks at the layout of Scotland during the classical period with the various tribes, their lands, their lives and battles.  This is accompanied by brief force lists for his chosen game system.  Mons Graupius is covered with suggested texts and ideas for scenarios involving Celts and Romans.  But Peter still has many figures to paint to be ready in time – Tempus Fugit indeed!

This is a period I know a lot about, albeit from an angle.  As the author of Erin 2nd Edition my knowledge of the period is based in the Myths not the reality of classical Britain.  The article is a really interesting read and would be great for introducing you to the subject of Celts bashing Romans.  The additional page on painting was not really to my taste but will appeal to others who are going to give this a shot.  I shall most certainly be popping over to this demo table on the day!

The High Ground

Steve Eardley looks at wargaming on your own; going it solo.  He discusses the origins of solo play, its implications both on and off the table, the loneliness of playing with yourself (oh err missus!) and also how to define winning when playing solo.  The author also makes an offer of picking up his own solo wargame rules for free from him by email.

This is a great article and I have an interest in Solo Wargaming since it has grown in popularity in the last five years.  Indeed every new title I produce has contained solo rules as an included add on since 2009.  The information in the article has also influenced my thinking for UM012 Alien Safari (see posts previous to this for more) which will be a solo play title in the USE ME Series.

Zulu Dawn

Stuart Asquith gives a complete account of the Battle of Isandlwana which took place in 1879 and was one of the worst defeats suffered by the Victorian British Army.  Good maps of the battlefield, suggestions for wargaming, forces present are given along with contact details for the Victorian Military Society and suggestions for further reading on the subject.

A solid article but not on a subject that is of interest to me but I enjoyed it and Mr Asquith gives a fine account of the battle which is often overlooked for the ‘glory’ of Rorkes Drift.

Brandy Station

Derek Coleman takes an in depth look at wargaming the biggest cavalry action of the US Civil War; Brandy Station prelude to the Battle of Gettysburg. A good map, lots of images of action, suggestions of forces based on historical accounts, suggestions for how to create the action on table including the importance of morale.  Also given is an account of a wargame of the battle and how that turned out.

The biggest capture for me on this article were the lovely images provided by Alan Perry of his terrain, miniatures and backdrops for this period and setting.

Patton takes Champagne

Lee Sowers author of the World War Two rules Combat Action Command (CAC) gives an account of the US 4th Armoured Division’s relief of Bastogne in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge.  All you need to play out this battle using the CAC rules including a turn by turn account, after action analysis, designers notes and then laid out statistics sheets for the forces.

There is more on CAC elsewhere in the magazine including a review. 

Darker Horizons

Gary Mitchell presents his look at the science fiction and fantasy wargame market for the month.  This time titled ‘Build a Rocket, Boys’ with a theme of mad scientists, a return from Germany, a colder cold war and the Undead. He covers 15mm, 28mm (lots!) and then gives a review of A Call to Arms.

This is the best bit of the magazine for me as its where most of the work I do would end up.  The march of 15mm sci-fi continues (perhaps my work of five years with 15mm.co.uk, Laserburn and USE ME has something to do with this!) and the sheer diversity of makers and miniatures is well shown.  Beam me up Scotty!

Modelling Project

How to create a Greek Temple of the ancient period in 28mm scale by Paul McDonagh.

Great modelling article on how to create a simple built temple.  It looks easy to do and the instructions are nice and clear as are the supplied images.

Book Reviews

The latest titles in the wargame orientated military book publishing world are reviewed.

Reviews of ‘Armies of the Irish Rebellion 1798’ by Osprey in its Men at Arms series, ‘Ride Around Missouri’ by Osprey also looks at Shelby’s Great Raid in 1863, ‘Armies of the Adowa Campaign’ 1896 also by Osprey in its Man at Arms series.  Casemate Publishers offer up ‘Hill of Squandered Valour’ an account of the Battle of Spion Kop in 1900.  There are also reviews of American Forces in 1918, yet more on German Panzers, modern special operations vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan, Vietnam Gun Trucks.  All good reviews; recommended! 

Hope you enjoyed this look at the magazine.  Its a super read!

GBS