I spotted this on eBay yesterday and thought that it was a good deal. The hexes are either a bit too big or much too small but, having said that, I'm sure I can use it for something naval or aerial. My old blue Hotz mat is getting a bit tatty and faded after twenty years, which means a replacement will be very handy, especially for Algernon Pulls It Off! and the Finest Hour campaign for Bag the Hun. Tally Ho!
I can now get to my workbench after the builders have cleared their gubbins from the garage, which means I was able to make a start on the militia unit for the FB group build. So, here we have three old second hand Skytrex T34/85 tanks, two built as normal 'old tanks' and one with a surplus Peter Pig nebelwerfer rocket launcher, although it will be rated as a tank like the other two. I added lots of stowage from The Scene and Debris of War, with figures chopped about to fit from the newer Peter Pig militia range. I'll start painting them at the weekend!
I was looking for a scenario to write for the Algernon Pulls It Off! group today, something suitably festive for the run up to Christmas, when I came across an account of a clash between Sgt.James McCudden of 29 Squadron and no less than Baron Manfred von Richtofen of Jasta 2 on the 27th December 1916. You can read itr for yourself here:
https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/mccudden-meets-the-red-baron/
With a bit of additional research and some imagination, this would make an excellent scenario for Algy, with five Albatros D.II scouts up against three Airco DH2 'pushers'. I'd read about it before but hadn't considered doing anything with it, until the article caught my eye. The RFC pilots are all identifiable and easy to assign skill levels to, but the German pilots need a bit of guess work to be allocated to the Jasta 2 'kette'. I've got some likely candidates lined up, however, so it's really just a question of balancing the scenario set up and objectives, perhaps adding a few special rules for fun. Tally Ho!
I finished the Albatros D.II models today by adding the decals from Dan at Flight Deck, which means I've wrapped them up by the deadline despite not having access to the workbench for two weeks. I'm quite happy with how they came out in the end but I'm taking a break from tiddly planes for the run up to Xmas!
The Finest Hour solo campaign re-boot for 2026 needed some impetus, which I've added by ordering two sets of 1/600th Battle of Britain squadron decals from Flight Deck. These are for No.609 Squadron (Spitfires) and No.238 Squadron (Hurricanes) both based at Middle Wallop, which I drive past every day after work. The original solo campaign revolved around a fictional Hurricane equipped squadron based at the same airfield, which I will continue to use for my games, but I liked the idea of adding the historical units as well. Tally Ho!
A few months ago I asked Dan Arute of Flight Deck Decals if he could produce some broad band cross insignia in 1/600th scale, primarily for the Fokker DrI. I was looking for something else on the website today when I noticed that the Fat Balkenkreuz have now been added to the 1/600th scale range, albeit just with narrow white bands. Tally Ho!
On a whim, I have ordered some Gotha G.V bombers in 1/600th scale from Paul at Tumbling Dice. I'll probably paint them up as G.IV's, as there were few visual differences, so I don't have to attempt lots of lozenge camouflage and can use them for daylight bombing raids. I've read some interesting accounts of attempts by RAF home defence scouts to shoot down these bombers, both in the day and at night, so I'm sure I can devise some good scenarios, historical or otherwise, for Algernon Pulls It Off! I'll post some photos when they arrive in the post, as here are none on the TD website.
I was asked to create some generic blank aircraft record sheets for Algernon Pulls It Off! yesterday, based on the ones I produced a few months ago that included data for specific planes, so here they are. They are available to download as proforma in both .docx and .pdf format, the former to enable them to be edited in WORD and the latter to be printed out and filled in with a pen or pencil. You can get them from the Facebook group files. Tally Ho!
I posted a query on the Bag the Hun FB group yesterday, to see if anyone is actually actively playing the rules, given the low profile of the system in most if not all Toofatlardies Lard Days, the Lard Mag and the the Lard Forum. The response was interesting and mostly revolved around people having the occasional game but failing to drum up interest at club or event level, which was what I expected. It seems the general consensus is that Lard Days are dominated by Chain of Command or Sharp Practise, as you'd expect. Nothing wrong with that but it is a shame to see good rules go unloved.
One 'tounge in cheek' suggestion that caught my attention was to have an alternative Lard Day dedicated to older or 'vintage' rules including Bag the Hun, Algernon Pulls It Off!, Kiss Me Hardy, Through the Mud and Blood, Triumph of the Will and many more. The premise would be to just focus on these classic rules rather than the more recent Chain of Command et al, so that equally vintage wargaming 'grognards' could enjoy playing older systems and also to encourage new, younger players to have a go. The tentative if less than serious event title might be 'Hipster Lard' which made me chuckle...
...but it's worth some thought?
After posting a scenario on the Algernon Pulls It Off! group the other day and getting very little response, I wondered if I was barking up the wrong tree when devising historical scenarios based on actual events. It's a suspicion I've had for quite a while now, not just for Algy but also Bag the Hun, for which I've written lots of stuff but with little sigh of it being played.
I was thinking that a more productive approach would be to devise a simple scenario generator, to allow players to roll up a 'pick up and play games' rather than overly restrictive historical dogfights. Not that this wouldn't produce accurate match ups or outcomes, as it would be based on typical actions and be as realistic in set up as possible.
The template for this would be the sortie generator in Finest Hour, the Battle of Britain supplement for Bag the Hun. It wouldn't be a complete campaign system, just a means to roll up engagements for either side, based on a squadron strength pool of scout aircraft for the RFC or RNAS, with German Jasta and French Escadrille as a further development once the initial system has been hammered out.
I may or may not tie it in to a specific year or include tables to roll up fighter types, the option being to leave it open to interpretation albeit with the caveat that contemporary aircraft should be a historical match. I'd leave out two seater observation types apart from having them as an object to escort, but would include two seater offensive aircraft like the Brisfit as an option.
It's very early stages at the moment but I'm planning to work something out over the holidays, ready to post on the Facebook group as a Xmas bonus. The framework would include patrols, escort sorties, balloon busting, offensive sweeps and possibly strafing or ground attack missions, but that's all a bit sketchy at the moment, so I'm not going to get too bogged down in specifics.
Tally Ho!
The new group build competition on the AK-47 Facebook group is to assemble and paint a Militia unit of more than 60 points. After some farting about I've decided to use two old Skytrex T34/85 tanks and a handful of the new Peter Pig militia crew figures to do a rusty, clanky and probably dysfunctional armoured unit. The idea will be to go to town on the weathering and detailing, which is what I really enjoy, but keeping things as stripped down as possible. Lots of rust, oil leaks, junk and a splash of colour should do the job nicely, I reckon. This will be my project for next month, when I have a couple of weeks or so before the holiday break.
A couple of years ago I started work on a Bag the Hun Finest Hour solo campaign project, featuring a fictitious RAF Hurricane squadron, No.27, based at Middle Wallop, which is about twenty minutes from where I live. The Luftwaffe fighter opposition was represented by another fictional unit, 7/JG31, which gave me the opportunity to flesh out the counterfactual background in some detail. I devised rosters of pilots and started painting a load of 1/600th aircraft but then drifted off course, as full time work commitments wiped out any time to either paint or play any games.
At this time of the year, my thoughts turn to projects for the year ahead, and I am keen to reboot the Battle of Britain campaign, especially as I've already invested a lot of time and effort into the background. As a change of pace, I may even use the first edition of Bag the Hun, as it is almost identical to Algernon Pulls It Off! and will give me some insight into a potential campaign set up for the Western Front.
Tally Ho!
You can read all about my campaign ground work here:
http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/search?q=Finest+Hour
I had an email from Wiley Games this evening with an updated version of the Arena of Blood gladiator rules, which I was going to try out when they were originally published but never got around to. My eldest is now back home and he's been keen to get some wargaming going, so I've suggested we might dip into some gladiator combat using my decent collection of 28mm figures. I'm going to print off the revised rules and try then out, as soon as we can find some time.
I have written up a scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off! set in late November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai. It is based on an old scenario I devised for another set of rules but has been adapted and amended to make it compatible with the rules. It's available to download from the Facebook group files. Tally Ho!.
