Goodbye 2018

I've left it a bit late for my usual review of wargaming year but I've done a quick wizz through of what I've done over the last twelve months. In January, February and March I painted shedloads of  1/600th planes for Bag the MiG and MiG Alley, although I still haven't completed all of the extra things I need for the latter, so a game has yet to materialise but is on the cards for 2019. I also assembled some modern fast attack craft in 1/700th, which are still in a box somewhere, and added some more 1/600th aircraft for my Flashpoint Taiwan project.

In the Easter holidays I played several games of Target Locked On! which I enjoyed and made up for not being able to get to the club for any games due to the kid's evening activities on a Tuesday night. I then started on a Wings at War: Desert Spitfires project but this was hijacked by the arrival of What a Tanker, which proceeded to occupy the next couple of months with building, painting and weathering 1/72nd scale plastic kits. I really enjoyed this but only got a couple of games in before the holidays started in July. I'll definitely be back to WAT in 2019 and hope to set up a club game at some point, using my Germans and Russian tanks. I did also paint some 1/600th Soviet Cold War aircraft just because I fancied a bit of a break from all that clanky tanky stuff!

In the Summer holidays I played a solo 'What If?' mini-campaign of Broadside and Ram with my unpainted but assembled 1/2400th French and British ironclad fleets. I thought this was really fun but it didn't get me any further along in terms of painting the things, which is also something I'd really like to get sorted in 2019. I also did some scratch building to produce my own 1/2400th scale version of the USS Dunderberg  and USS Onodaga, both for my French ironclad fleet. I was really pleased with my efforts, even if they weren't anything amazing! I am hoping to get the British and French fleets painted in 2019, together with the Danish and Prussian ironclads for 1864.

In the Autumn I decided on a whim to finish off the 1/600th scale Alto Cenepa project by completing the aircraft for both Peru and Ecuador, which had been sitting in a box for years. These were finished by October half term so I set about converting the Wings at War rules to the conflict, only getting so far before I decided to try something similar but less complicated first. The aircraft and terrain targets are all completed for the Alto Cenepa clash but I've yet to organise myself to set up a game of Target Locked On or Air War: C21, which was the original idea.

This 'other project' turned out to be the Football War using Desert Spitfires as a rules template, with my own twists and turns based on background research. The rules I developed, Cavaliers and Corsairs, may even be published in 2019 but I still didn't finish the planes for them in time for the Xmas break. This was partly due to being side tracked yet again by my 15mm post-colonial Sandbox Skirmish project, which appeared out of nowhere when I found a second hand art frame in a charity shop and then turned it into a desert terrain skirmish board. I'll crack on with this project as well in 2019.

That's it really, give or take a few minor diversions along the way and virtually no wargaming at the club for work and family reasons. I am going to try to get up there on a Tuesday night at least once a month in 2019, so that I'm not just stuck at the workbench but actually run some games or at least take part when I can. I'm making a good stab at this in January with three games already booked up, made easier by the fact that the boy's rugby training doesn't start for a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to these as they are all naval or air wargames, which is are my main areas of interest, two of which I've never played before.

I hope you've had a great 2018 and that 2019 turns out to be even better!

Cheers!

BTH Bogeys Over Berlin

I got back from Brittany last night and have already been sorting through the models for the Lard Day Bag the Hun multiplayer game, so that I can run it again in a couple of weeks at the club. The play test is scheduled for the 15th and it will help me to iron out any wrinkles before the actual Lard Day game. I have six players signed up so it will be useful to see how the smaller numbers affect gameplay, compared to the nine players last time, which was too many.

The plan is to try out some new helpsheets for manoeuvres, turn card actions and firing, which I'm going to digitally cut and paste from the rules, to use alongside the existing Quick Reference Sheet. I also want to redesign the Record Sheets for the pilot and aircraft pairs, as the ones in the rules have some redundant features and could be easier to use. I'm going to aim to get all of this done over the next week or so.

I am now debating whether or not I need to paint a few more 1/285th scale models for the game, specifically for the RAF. At the moment I only have a pair each of Spitfire XIV's, Tempest V's and Meteors, which leaves the players with a limited choice. I can see the RAF being a popular option, leaving me a bit high and dry if I'm not adequately prepared. I have no shortage of USAAF fighters but you never know?

The best bet would be to paint a section of Tempests, as I have the models already, but I'm not sure if this isn't an unnecessary diversion from the painting that I should be doing for the 1943 game? I have to convert and base eight more Fw-190's for this, then paint a minimum of twenty planes for the scenario, not to mention an E boat and various markers, so the sooner I start the better!

Bag the Hun Back Up Plan B

 

If the S-boat Strike scenario doesn't work when I play test it or if it just isn't much fun, I have a Plan B. This will be to use one of my scenarios from the 2014 TFL Summer Special, which is a semi historical escort mission set in Malta in 1941, aptly titled Special Delivery. It has been played a couple of times at the club and so I know that it actually works!

The aim for the RAF is to escort a flight of light bombers into Malta while the Italians have to knock as many down as possible before they get there. It's gone both ways when I've umpired it before, so it is ideal for a participation game as both sides can win. I hope I won't have to use it but it's there as a Plan B, just in case. 

https://toofatlardies.co.uk/product/2014-summer-special/

Cruel Seas Kriegsmarine

It looks like Cruel Seas is going to be a club thing this year and, as it's my birthday in January, I thought I'd add a Kriegsmarine starter fleet and a copy of the rules to my wish list, against my better judgement. I thought about just doing the 5th Sbflt. of half a dozen S-100 class E-boats but the minesweeper and VP boat models look really fun to paint, so I think the starter set is a good option. I have a freebie sprue of E-boats anyway so I have enough for a rotte to start with. Here we go again.

Magasin de Presse

As usual, I've been to the newsagents to check out the military and aviation magazines while on holiday. There wasn't a copy of Vae Victis available, which was a shame, but I did find a special issue of Normandie 1944, which is focused on the Battle for Rauray. As this involved the 8th Armoured Brigade, which also supported the Wessex Division, I thought it would be interesting. It's got some excellent battle reports including photos taken by drones from different angles to show the positions of the units involved, which really would be brilliant for platoon and company level scenario design.

Come And Have a Go If You Think You're Lard Enough!

The reason I've been working out the Bag the Hun scenarios over the holidays is that I've volunteered to run a couple of games at the Sarisbury Green club Lard Day in March. The organiser, Mark Backhouse, invited me to attend so I thought it would be only fair if I offered to run a game for the day, as he was looking for a few more to fill some gaps. It now looks like he's got more then enough games and plenty of players, so I'm sure it will be a splendid day out, especially if you are a Chain of Command or Sharp Practice fan.

There's another separate Bag the Hun game running on the day but I'm hoping that I'll get some players for my scenarios, if only for one of the two sessions. I'll definitely be umpiring the Berlin '45 game, which I may well re-name 'Bogeys Over Berlin' or something similar, just to make it more funky. If there's demand, I will also run a second game which will be either the 'S-Boot Strike' scenario or, if that doesn't work out in playtesting, an off the shelf scenario from my archives, most likely the 'Special Delivery' Malta game that is published in one of the Too Fat Lardies Specials. 

Tally Ho!

BTH Scenario Playtesting

I'm setting up a couple of sessions at the club to play test the Bag the Hun scenarios, both to check they are balanced and to make sure there are no unforeseen gremlins. The first session is pencilled in for January 8th, as this will be a repeat of the Berlin 1945 multiplayer game that I ran back on 2017, so it doesn't require much preparation. 

I will be producing some re-designed aircraft record sheets and new cheat sheets and checklists for movement, as the ones I have used are a bit ad hoc. The official TFL record sheets aren't bad but I'd like to have my design laminated and set up with all the aircraft stats already printed, so that players only need to fill in a few details with dry wipe pens.

I will also aim to get a couple of my Museum Miniatures Fw Ta-152's painted up, both to add some additional options and to give the Luftwaffe some high altitude, high performance capability without using jets. They've been hanging around for ages and are really excellent models, so it will be great to get them finished off properly.

BTH S-Boot Strike Scenario Scribbles

I've been scribbling away at the scenario notes for the Bag the Hun scenario over the last few days. It's not very exciting, unless you're  into scenario writing, but I have made some good progress with the mechanisms and different elements that I need to make it work.

In no particular order, I have now:

Worked out the character cards and flight leaders for 263 squadron, 129 squadron and 9./JG2. I have two characters for each side and I'm also thinking of adding one for the S-Boat commander - who will probably be Obltzs. Hinrich Ahrens of S142.

Worked out the formations that will be used together with how the flight leaders will command them. The RAF will only have flight leaders and no section leaders, which is a bit different but should work with the number of aircraft involved and the scenario set up.

Devised a new target table for the S-Boat and fine tuned this with the strafing rules so that it works. This was needed as the Fire Factors of the Whirlwinds and Spitfires won't work with the existing table, which isn't specifically designed for an E Boat anyway.

Decided on Top and Junior Ace ratings for both the RAF and Luftwaffe. I'm keeping the Top Ace ranking for the JG2 leader, adding a Veteran schwarm leader for the other four fighters, but also rating the 129 Squadron CO as a Junior Ace to balance the scenario.

Worked out all of the cards I will need for the deck and all of the various briefing sheets, cheat sheets and other bits of paper that I will need to make the game less intimidating! I've managed to give the RAF and Luftwaffe an equal seven cards, not counting the bonus cards or the E Boat cards in the deck, so that's just about right.

Phew!

Ardennes 1944

I've just endured a five hour, seven course Christmas  lunch in true French style, so I'm definitely fighting the Battle of the Bulge this evening. To get over this festive food marathon I've been lying down and reading Ardennes 1944, which really is rather good even by Anthony Beevor's usual high standards.

I've always thought about wargaming this in 15mm, having already had a go in 28mm using Bolt Action, so may well have another look at IABSM again over the holidays, as I already have a stash of Flames of War US Winter figures from last year's birthday. Nice figures and I do realky enjoy painting AFV's in snow camouflage!

Merry Christmas

A Stocking Full of Lard

I was disappointed not to see the TFL Summer Special this year but it has now been replaced by an annual Lard Magazine, which has just been published instead of the Xmas Special. It's an interesting idea but I will miss the bi-annual format, which coincides with my holidays. 

I have contributed to several of the Specials in the past, with scenarios and articles for Bag the Hun, but haven't been organised enough this year to get anything submitted. I have no excuse not to get my act together now that there's a full twelve months to sort something out!

It's a sad fact that I have drifted away from Too Fat Lardy based projects this year, apart from What a Tanker! and Bag the MiG. This was partly a response to the total domination of the TFL stable by Chain of Command and Sharp Practice. 

I am genuinely  interested in both of these rules, particularly Chain of Command, but will probably never get round to using them due to my phobia of 28mm figure painting, not to mention my almost complete disinterest in Napoleonics. It's horses for courses I suppose?

I'm sure they are brilliant rules but I'm more of a naval and air wargaming fan, so they will always be another one of those 'if only I could find the time' daydream projects. I think there may well be something under the Xmas tree tomorrow to focus my mind, I'll just have to wait and see?

The new magazine does have quite a lot of content dedicated to these juggernauts of wargaming but also has some other material for some of the 'lesser' rules like Bag the Hun and I Ain't Been Shot Mum, which is a breath of fresh air. I get the impression that there's an effort underway to give these older rules systems a much needed boost?

There's also some good stuff for What a Tanker but not the anti-tank gun rules that I was hoping for. The best article, from my point of view at least, is a revised spotting system for BTH which looks very interesting indeed. This uses a dartboard wheel thing which looks intriguing!

Anyway, for just under seven quid you can't argue with the value for money, even if all of the content might not be you cup of tea. 

BTH S-Boote Strike Luftwaffe Leaders

Lt. Josef 'Sepp' Wurmheller
'Ace in a Day'

I've been working on the options for both the flight leaders and character cards for the Luftwaffe players today. I have been thinking of using the Staffelkapitan of 9./JG2 as one of the two schwarm leaders, with both a character card and a Top Ace card in the deck. This would give the Luftwaffe a lot of tactical options, especially if the cards were dealt in a favourable sequence.

A Top Ace flight leader would be a powerful combination but is the only realistic way to stack it, as Lt Josef 'Sepp' Wurmheller was a highly experienced pilot with almost seventy victories under his belt. He had been promoted to squadron leader rank on 1st April 1943, so I would expect him to be leading the pack on the 14th, when the scenario is supposedly set.

If I did go for this option, I'd probably only have one character card for the 9./JG2 formation and give Wurmheller both schwarme to co-ordinate, rather than have a second flight leader character card. I think a Top Ace would tip the scenario in the Luftwaffe's favour, however, so I'm also looking to identify a couple of alternative flight leader pilots of Junior Ace level and below instead.

Polystyrene Stocking Fillers?

We arrived in France yesterday and did the usual last minute Xmas shopping at the local out of town centre. To kill some time I popped into the new DIY store and had a look around for useful wargaming things. 

I was after some tools, glue, paint and the like, but instead found some high density expanded polystyrene insulation foam sheets, about 60cm x 150cm x 2cm in size, in a slightly disturbing shade of purple. 

The best bit was the price of only 2.50€ each. I'll go back before we leave and get a few sheets for terrain building, assuming they will fit in the car with all the other stuff. I just have to persuade the other half that they are a stocking filler?

BTH S-Boote Strike III/JG2

I've been a bit stumped when it comes to developing the Luftwaffe aspect of the Bag the Hun scenario, although I haven't really had the time to do enough detailed research. I have some aspects covered, however, including the type, number and formation of aircraft involved. There will be eight FW190-A4's of III/JG2 in two Schwarm finger four formations, both of which will enter simultaneously from the southern short table edge, probably in Turn 2 or Turn 3. The exact Staffeln is a bit of a grey area but I have been thinking of 9./JG2, which was based in Vannes and operated over the Channel in the Spring of 1943.

Ideally, I'd have a unit located closer to Cherbourg, but I have seen evidence that clearly places both 8./JG2 and 9./JG2 over the Channel Islands area at the time, primarily in the form of combat losses and missing pilot reports. It doesn't really matter, to be perfectly honest, as unless you are a Luftwaffe nut you'd probably not know which unit was where or even care! I like to get things at least close to historical accuracy, however, even if the actual scenario is a 'what if?' encounter. I also need to narrow down some suitably experienced pilots to use as the Schwarm leaders and for the character cards, although none more experienced than a Junior Ace in order not to swing the scenario too far one way.

BTH S-Boote Strike Scenario Character Cards

S/Ldr G.B.Warnes DFC DSO

'high qualities of leadership and outstanding keenness'

As with any decent Bag the Hun scenario there really should be a couple of character cards for either side, both to add some historical flavour but also to stack the deck with additional options in each turn. In the 4th April S-Boote anti-shipping scenario I'll be adding a couple of these characters for the RAF and Luftwaffe, although one of the latter may well end up allocated to the Kriegsmarine, which would make things a bit different to say the least.

S/Ldr H.A.C.Gonay CDG(B) CDG(F) DFC

'an exceptional pilot'

The RAF will have Flight Leader character cards for No.263 Squadron Leader G.B. Warnes DFC DSO and No.129 Squadron Leader A.C. Gonay CDG(B) CDG(F) DFC which will give the opposition something to worry about. They will be rated as Veterans rather than Junior Aces, despite their collective experience, but I may give at least one of them a special characteristic as well, perhaps for 'ship busting' expertise in the case of S/Ldr Warnes.

I have yet to work out appropriate character cards for the JG2 flight but that shouldn't be too difficult, after some further research online and in the reference section of my private library! I may make one of these a Junior Ace, as I'm sure I can find a suitable candidate to fill the role. I've also been thinking of allocating one of the two character card roles to the commander of the stricken S-Boote, with a different set of possible actions available on the turn of the card. These might include a 'Skilled Manoeuvre' option to avoid the strafing attacks or perhaps a flak bonus that would work as the 'Flak Experten' card in the rules. 

It all needs a bit more thought and some serious book bashing...but I'm getting there. Tally Ho!

Bag the Hun Scenario No.129 Squadron ORB / Form 451

No.129 Squadron Spitfire VC

I've located the Operational Records Book Form 451 records for No.129 Squadron from the National Archives and have downloaded the relevant entries for April 1943. If you didn't know about this facility, which costs only £3.50 per document, then you've missed a trick, as it is a brilliant resource for WW2 air wargaming scenario development. You can even download combat reports and flight logs to complement the details recorded in the Form 451 entries, so it's a very useful mine of information which can provide loads of inspiration and a solid element of historical accuracy.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2082

To cut a long story short, here are the relevant Form 451 entries for the  4th April and 14th April 1943, which provide details of the pilots and aircraft involved, as well as useful little details that complement the parallel entries for No.263 Squadron:

04/04/1943 (1)

04/04/1943 (2)

14/04/1943

This has helped me to make up my mind about which date to focus on, so I'll be working up the 14th April scenario as the basis of the game, rather than the much larger 4th April action, as the latter involved a full squadron strength of twelve Spitfire V's compared to a far more manageable six for the later clash. I was surprised to find out that 'A' Flight was a six aircraft formation, expecting the more conventional unit of four, but it actually makes the scenario a bit more flexible in terms of game play and player numbers.

Tally Ho!

Bag the Hun S-Boote Strike Scenarios

Supermarine Spitfire Vb No.129 (Mysore) Squadron 1943

I've been rooting around for an historical operation on which to base the Bag the Hun anti-shipping strike scenario and have come up with two possible options, based on the Operational Record Books of both No.263 (Whirlwind) and No.129 (Spitfire) Squadrons. In both instances, which took place in April 1943, no actual attacks on S-Boats happened but they could easily have done so and would be entirely feasible, based on similar anti-shipping missions c1941-43.

The first option is a Roadstead (anti-shipping) operation on the 4th April, involving six Whirlwinds and a full squadron of Spitfire V's, although I would scale back the latter to two flights of four aircraft:

This would be a far larger game than I originally planned, with up to four players on the RAF side and a similar number for the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, so it's a bit too big for what I am intending. It would make a splendid multiplayer game, however, so I might draft it out anyway. It does have the advantage that I know some of the Spitfire pilots identities but I'd also have to sort out a couple more 'Whirli-bombers' to make up the numbers.

The second option is a smaller Armed Ship Reconnaissance mission on the 14th April by a flight of three Whirlwinds, escorted by a single flight of Spitfire V's. This is far more manageable and would be ideal for a two or three aside game, without any slowing down due to an excessive number of cards. It also requires no additional aircraft to be based and painted, in addition to the ones I've already mounted on flight stands and undercoated, and I would avoid any fiddly bombing.

Ideally, I'd like to find Form 541 entries for No.129 Squadron rather than just the ORB's, as they'd give me the names of the Spitfire pilots involved, as well as additional details to work on. However, I've got enough to make a start, assuming I can find some pilots to fill out the JG2 ranks, as they will otherwise remain anonymous. The Kreigsmarine 5th S-Boote flotilla numbers also need some sort of historical identification but I'm narrowing that down too, based on the various books that I have on the subject.

Tally Ho!

Bag the Hun Schnellboote Strike

I've been mulling over what to do with the freebie 1/300th scale plastic E-Boats that I acquired from Wargames Illustrated last week. I'm not going to get involved with Cruel Seas, as I already have plenty of 1/600th scale models for coastal warfare, so I've decided to use the plastic kits for Bag the Hun. This fits in nicely with some existing ideas I've had for anti-shipping strikes by Westland Whirlwinds of No263 Squadron, for which I was originally going to use my 1/600th scale models.

The 1/300th scale S Boats are a bit more impressive on the table top and, as the Whirlwinds usually attacked shipping targets at very low level, I don't think the scale issue will be a big visual problem. I have done some research and have yet to find a suitable historical scenario to use as a template, so I'll be devising my own semi-historical set up instead, based on typical operational actions. This will feature real pilots and aircraft, with realistic scenario objectives to replicate a typical anti-shipping strike in late 1942 - early 1943.

I need another four of these FW190-A4's

I just need to paint the Whirlwinds

And the Spitfire Vb's

The initial idea is to have two S Boats caught on an early morning return journey from a coastal convoy attack off the Cornish coast, with one towing the other which has broken down or suffered battle damage. The aim will be to sink the E Boats before they can exit the far end of the table, which would represent a successful escape to the Channel Islands and fighter cover. The Luftwaffe would be sent out to escort the E Boats back to base and to shoot down the RAF fighter bombers.

The RAF would be represented by four cannon armed Whirlwinds of No263 Squadron in the anti-shipping role, with top cover from four or eight No129 Squadron Spitfire V's. The Luftwaffe would be represented by eight FW190-A4's of JG2 'Richtofen', with an additional four added to the line up if I increased the number of players. The umpire or the German players would also control the E Boats, which would have their own cards in the deck as well as flak capability for self defence.

I think this would work?

I think this would work really well and would be a good scenario to introduce players to Bag the Hun and to the rules for anti-shipping attacks. I would not equip the Whirlwinds with bombs to keep the game as straightforward as possible and would probably cut down the variety of manoeuvres that could be carried out in order to simplify the game play but, other than that, it would be a good intermediate level scenario. I could also make some lovely pyrotechnic explosions and strafing markers to jazz it up a bit!

I may well get cracking on this over the holidays!

New ACW Ironclads

CSS Albemarle

USS Sassacus

One of the naval things I'm planning to have a go at next year is an American Civil War Ironclads project in 1/600th scale, using a combination of the Peter Pig range with a few of the more expensive but much more detailed Thoroughbred Miniatures ships alongside them. I was very pleased to add two more of these to my small collection of kits, when I won an inexpensive bid on eBay for unmade models of CSS Albemarle and USS Sassacus. I already have the former as a Peter Pig resin model and the latter as another Thoroughbred kit, but the resin CSS Albemarle can be replaced by the metal model and the USS Sassacus had several sister ships, so can be used for the USS Miami, for example. These really are beautiful kits and will build up into equally impressive model ships, as long as I don't muck them up!

Jebali Popular Liberation Front

I now have an identity and some background fluff for my Arab nationalist rebel movement that the British and Royalist forces will be fighting in the Sandbox Skirmish campaign. This is the Jebali Popular Liberation Front, which as the name suggests is an insurgent movement based in the mountainous hinterland of the fictitious Arabian Sultanate that the British are attempting to prop up by direct military support and more clandestine means. The JPLF is known to the British and Royalist forces as the Adoo, which in Arabic translates as 'The Enemy' but also in official terms as Ta'ir which is the Arabic equivalent of insurgent. This is an anti-colonial, Marxist liberation movement, so the religious aspect will not be a major feature of the campaign.

The JPLF is supported by a neighbouring Arab nationalist dictatorship, which provides military supplies, military advisors and propaganda support for the movement, in an attempt to destabilise the region. I haven't yet worked out any background details for this unnamed state but, if you think of Egypt under Nasser as a model, you won't be far off. The USA may also be involved in an Olly North clandestine CIA capacity, not directly backing the rebels but throwing the occasional spanner in the works to frustrate the British, in an effort to kick them out of the region (yes, they actually did that!). Not forgetting the Soviets and the Chinese of course, who indirectly supply the weapons, finance and political support for the JPLF.

The War That Never Was

I really enjoyed reading In the Service of the Sultan, which has given me some really good ideas for the fictional back story of my Sandbox Skirmish project. In particular, I now have an identity for the rebel movement, who will be officially known as the Jebali Popular Liberation Front or JPLF, and unofficially as the 'Adoo', which translates as 'enemy' in Arabic.

To give me some more inspiration, I'm now reading this book, which is about the clandestine involvement of ex-SAS soldiers for hire in Yemen in the 1970's. I'm not a big fan of these Who Dares Wins type books but this one isn't as Gung Ho as usual, so might actually be worth the time. I might even include an SAS team in the project, albeit a very small one.

Imperial Commander Redemptionists

I've been busy doing the Xmas shopping today so haven't done anything very productive at the garage workbench, which is freezing anyway so less than an attractive option in the first place. Instead, I had a tinker around with a couple of old army lists that I wrote for Imperial Commander way back when I ran the Laserburn Yahoo Group. This is still around as far as I'm aware but I'm not involved anymore, having passed the job on after I lost interest in the project.

I had to dig around to find them but eventually unearthed one for a Redemptionist Scouting Force, complete with trikes, scouts, snipers, pioneers and skimmers. The 15mm TTG figures for this are some of my favourites, so I tried to include as many of the range as I could. I thought I'd tart it up with the original font, Data 70, for the headings and post it here, just in case anyone was interested. I also located a pdf download of the rules but I won't link to that just now, as they are still copyright and are sold by Alternative Armies, although I'm sure if you do your own search you could find them too.

The Football War Scores

I've had some feedback from Chris Russell, author of the Wings at War rules, via Paul Sulley of Tumbling Dice, for the set of rules that I modified for the Football War. The feedback is very positive and, subject to some sensible tweaks for playability and aircraft performance, it could well be added to the Wings at War series as a new set of rules, complete with a starter selection of Tumbling Dice model aircraft. 

I have yet to reply to Chris and Paul with my thoughts, as I only received the letter yesterday and haven't had a chance to go through it properly, but I will get round to that over the weekend. I'm pleased that my ham fisted efforts seem to have been well received and I'm encouraged to have another crack at rules mangling. I also have a good incentive to get the FAS and FAH planes painted too!

Give Us The Ships

Back in March I set out some ideas for naval wargaming projects that I hoped to tackle and possibly even complete in 2018. I was then unexpectedly side tracked into What a Tanker! before returning to the naval wargaming theme over the Summer. In the end I managed to make some really good progress with my 1/2400th scale ironclads, with which I even played some games (!), and also my 1/700th scale modern fast attack craft, although these only got to the basic assembly stage. 

I didn't start my 1/2400th scale pre-dreadnoughts or finish off any more of my 1/600th scale WW2 coastal forces models, but that's fine as they were not the main focus. I really enjoyed the Broadside and Ram games that I played in the Summer holidays, so I'm going to make the French and British ironclads a painting priority in 2019, perhaps also getting the Prussian and Danish ships painted as well, which was the original aim of the project. 

I also want to complete at least one more naval wargaming project next year, whether that's the modern coastal forces or the WW2 convoy and escorts. Who knows, I might even get the pre-dreadnoughts underway, assuming I have the time and don't get side tracked yet again? The priority, however, will be the 1/2400th scale mid-Victorian ironclads, so that I can set up a solo 'what if?' campaign of my own, using Broadside and Ram or Dahlgren and Columbiad for smaller actions.