Yes, we have no bananas..

I'm back from the holiday at last, which means I can also get back to the workbench, once the unpacking and tidying up is done. One thing I'll be looking into is the Plan B Algy article for the Lard Mag, which is going to focus on the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922. I now have the relevant Helion Publishing book for this and, together with some sage advice from Nick, I'm hoping to be able to scrabble together a few scenarios, at least one of which will feature the eponymous ace himself. It's early days but I think I can write up a decent submission, especially if I add some semi-historical 'What If?' twists, the working title being 'Algy Goes Bananas' 🍌 

Bag The Hun Lard Mag Break

                

After some more thought I've also decided not to submit an article for Bag the Hun to the Lard Mag this year. I've had articles and scenarios published in several magazines and specials over the last few years but I think I need a break, as it takes a lot of time to research, write, play test and draft each submission. I do sometimes wonder if it's worth it, to be honest. Not that I don't have some good material to work on, which I will save for later issues. Anyway, time for a break from Bag the Hun...hopefully someone else will take up the challenge? 

Cromwell's (Mad for War)s at Sea

The last book of the holidays is a re-read of this excellent book on the English Civil War and Anglo Dutch War naval theme, which I have previously dipped into for wargaming inspiration. This might give some clues about what I'm thinking of doing this autumn as far as naval wargaming is concerned, as I've had enough of air wargaming for the moment and want to focus on nautical projects instead. I've not had a crack at Mad for War yet, despite having the rulebook and lots of model options in several different scales, so it's one of the things at the top of the list once I get back home in a few days. 

Algy's Aeronautical Almanac Grounded

After some considerable thought and based on what I've collated thus far, I don't think that it's the right time to put together the Algy Aeronautical Almanac article for this year's Lard Mag. As a result, I'm going to bump it over to the following issue, by which time there should be enough additional material to make it worthwhile. A big thank you to Mervyn Douglas and Chris Stoesen for contributing their ideas and resources, which will be stored for later development. Don't panic though...there will be something submitted for Algy this year that I have up my sleeve. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on an article for Bag the Hun instead, for which I'll be able to dedicate more time for research, writing and play testing. 

Tally Ho!

Napoleonic Naval Spanish Frigates

I'm almost at the end of the assembly line for the 1/2400th Napoleonic Naval ships, the penultimate launch being these sixth rate 34 gun Spanish Mahonesa class frigates alongside an unrated 18 gun Xebec, which as yet has no name. I really like the Tumbling Dice 28/32 gun frigate model (ASN11) which comes with an integral base and is easy to assemble. I've used it for the 34 gun frigates as it is just about the right size and layout compared to contemporary illustrations, as you can see from the painting. 

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.