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. 

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! 

Algernon Pulls It Off! Lard Mag Almanac

I had a good idea today, probably, but I need to give it some more thought before cracking on. Over the last year or so I've written quite a lot of additional material for Algernon Pulls It Off! and it would be a shame not to make use of it for the Lard Mag. There's a variety of stuff to bung in, including pilot characteristics, dogfight generators and alternative rules for strafing and wing mounted guns amongst other things, and I can also add some extras including a page of errata to help players navigate the rules. All this would be bundled together as a single article with an introductory blurb to explain what's what. The working title is Algy's Aviator Almanac, which I think sums it up very well. Tally Ho! 

INWarD X Game Plan

It's International Naval Wargaming Day Ten on Thursday and I'm planning ahead to do a Napoleonic Naval game in 1/2400th. This was going to be a frigate game but I'm going back to my original idea of using Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail for a small ship of the line clash. There will only be half a dozen ships per side, to keep things manageable as I'll be playing solo, but I don't think that will matter too much. The game is scheduled for Wednesday as I will have the place to myself, so jumping the gun a bit, but plenty of time to enjoy some naval wargaming without interruptions. 

Pointe de Espagnols

A nice day out to visit the defences of the Pointe de Espagnols opposite Brest today, which I last explored about ten years ago before the site had been restored. It's an impressive site, made eveb more do by the addition of a massive 32cm coastal artillery piece, recovered from a test range and positioned in an original emlacement, albeit on a different gun mounting. It's much more accessible than before and we'll worth a visit if you are in the locale. 

Sopwith Pup Scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off!

 

A while back I went on a hunt for historical material involving the Sopwith Pup, with the aim of writing up a few scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off! I did pin point some potential dogfights but then moved on to other things, specifically the Jasta 18 project, leaving the ideas unrealised. As things are now a bit less frenetic here, I've got a bit of a window in which to revisit my notes and actually get some scenarios up and running, or at least written out properly rather than scribbled down in draft. Tally Ho! 

INWarD 2026

It's hard to believe but this year is the tenth International Naval Wargaming Day on Thursday 6th August. I've been playing a naval wargame of some description almost every year since the beginning of INWarD, apart from the last couple of years when I couldn't fit one in, so it would be rude not to celebrate the ten year anniversary with a Napoleonic Naval fleet action. This was what I planned to do last year, so I will dig out my scenario and brush up on the rules, either Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail or Far Distant Ships, although the latter seems most appropriate for the occasion! 

The Battle of Quiberon Bay 1759

We went down to see some of the French relatives in Quiberon yesterday, which was a very enjoyable thing to do, especially as my wife's uncle took us out on his boat around the bay after lunch. Despite getting a bit soggy, this was great fun and, as you'd expect, started me thinking about wargaming the battle. Rather than 1/2400th scale, which would require a lot of time and cost, I was wondering about switching to 1/4800th scale for the mid-1700's, including the Seven Years War and War of Independence. The Tumbling Dice 1/4800th scale range is very nice and also requires no assembly, so much quicker and cheaper for large fleet actions. I'll have to work out what I need but this is another potential project to expand my Age of Sail wargaming this year.