Algy's 'Bang On' Bombing Raid Generator

I've devised scenario generator rules for dogfights and balloon busting games but not for reconnaissance or bombing raids, so I'm going to start working up the latter for the Lard Mag article. This shouldn't be difficult as the bombing rules in Algernon Pulls It Off are very simple, making it a straightforward job to add the mechanics to set up a tactical bombing sortie. As always the proof will be in the pudding, so some play testing will be required to firm things up and iron out any wonky bits. Tally Ho! 

Magasin de Presse

 

A bit of a desert at the newsagents now, as the publisher of all of the excellent air, land and naval military magazines has gone under, leaving Vae Victis as the only magazine that is worth it. This month's issue includes a game based on the Paris Commune which looks good, as well as an article with scenarios for Indochina... not bad at all! I've been thinking about rebooting my 10mm or 15mm French Indochina war project recently, so this is a good result, once I've translated the text with my dodgy French! 

Napoleonic Naval Spanish Heavies

 

I'm onto the Spanish Fleet now, starting off with three 112 gun second rates, Santa Ana, Principe de Asturias and Mejicano, alongside the 130 gun Santissima Trinidad, as you can't really have a Spanish fleet without her. The models are the Tumbling Dice First Rate (ASN1) and Second Rate (ASN2) which do the job nicely. Next will be some third rate 80 and 74 gun sloggers, before I wrap things up with a couple of sixth rate frigates. 

Fighting Ships

Quite possibly my penultimate book of the summer holidays, one which I've read before in parts but which deserves more focused attention, something that I don't usually have time for outside the occasional weekend. This is a very well written and concise study in two halves, the first detailing the ship designs, crews, tactics and day to day fleet organisation of the period, while the second explains the principal campaigns and significant battles of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The emphasis is on the Royal Navy but that doesn't detract from the overall narrative or from a balanced, objective discussion of the French, Spanish and Dutch. A good read! 

Firing Arcs in Algernon Pulls It Off!

 

Original BTH diagram

 

First Edit

Second Edit

Final Edit 

I've been thinking about errata and optional rules to include in the Lard Mag Algy's Aeronautical Almanac article lately. One thing that has bugged me for ages is the defensive firing arc diagram, which was lifted unchanged from the original Bag the Hun rules, despite being designed for aircraft with tail and waist gunners. As a result, it makes no sense when applied to First World War aircraft, so I've worked up an alternative. This amalgamated the rear and waist gunner firing arcs, while removing the tail gunner position, replacing it with a 'dead zone' blocked by the tail. I did consider narrowing this down to the hexes immediately to the rear of the aircraft, giving the observer a wider field of fire to the rear, but I am wary that this makes tracing a clear line of hexes to the target a bit tricky. I'm waiting for some feedback from other players first before I make up my mind. 

Winchester Shieldwall

I'm very pleased to have booked myself a ticket for this wargaming event in November, which is taking place in my home town and an easy walk from my house to the venue, which makes a welcome change. The local club is running a game but I'm not involved in that, which frees me up to grab a slot on something else, my first choice being Chivalry and Honour, a spin off set of medieval rules based on Strength and Honour. I expect that will be a popular choice, so I had better get in there as soon as the options are made available! 

Solo Napoleonic Naval Campaigning

This campaign system for Age of Sail games, specifically for use with Firm Line of Battle but also other rules, is now available from Long Face Games via Wargame Vault. I've wanted to do some more solo naval campaigning after really enjoying my What If? South American pre-dreadnought campaign a couple of years ago, so this looks like just the ticket. 

A while back Nick Jones was working on a Napoleonic campaign set up based on the Caribbean, which I thought sounded really good fun, so I may well take a leaf out of his book and run a small solo campaign myself. This would involve a limited number of ships but could expand to include full squadrons, should things escalate. 

The rules would probably be Far Distant Ships as I'm sure these will be compatible with Gales, Guns and Glory, as the author has written both. David also has a set of rules for frigate actions in the works, so that might also be an option for some of the games in the solo campaign. I just need to download a copy of the campaign system and work out how to set things up! 

INWarD 2026 Today

Napoleonic Naval Royal Navy Sixty Fours

Continuing the expansion of my 1/2400th scale Napoleonic Royal Navy fleet, I've added two more fourth rate two decker 64's to the existing complement of one, namely HMS Diadem. The two new models represent HMS Africa and HMS Polyphemus, both of which had long and successful service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. I was going to include the equally famous HMS Agamemnon but discovered that I didn't have an mdf base in the correct size, so she will have to be launched at a later date. The models are ASN6 from the Tumbling Dice range and very nice too! 

INWarD 2026 Napoleonic Naval Game

A few photos of my Napoleonic Naval game for INWarD 2026 this year, using Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail. This is a great set of rules and I'd forgotten how much fun it is to play, even for small solo games like this one. In the end it was a convincing, if not decisive victory for the Royal Navy, with the French sent packing and the 74 gun third rate Pluton battered into a wreck. In return, the British suffered minimal damage, while the French had some repairs to carry out back in Toulon. Admiral Lord Wensleydale is pleased to inform his lordships that duty has been done in the highest traditions of the senior service - Huzzah! - but Contre Admiral Roblochon will have a few questions to answer on his return...Zut Alors!