Corsairs and Cavaliers Play Testing

I played another game of Corsairs and Cavaliers today, mainly to test drive the transport aircraft rules but also to give the game a proper run through. In the end I realised that the Victory Points needed a complete overhaul, so I have made the necessary tweaks to fix the problem of games ending too quickly. The end result, using the revised VP's, was a narrow win for El Salvador, with one Salvadoran Mustang Cavalier shot down but the damaged C-47 transport successfully crossing the table. The Hondurans lost a Corsair and the other two both ended up with gun jams, so made a run for home rather than get shot down by the remaining Cavalier. It was a really enjoyable game despite the marginal end result and I'm planning to run another one tomorrow, this time with a mix of trainer aircraft and fighters for some more ground attack play testing.

Warbases Strength and Honour Units

These have just been added to the Warbases range under the Antonine Miniatures label (look under Figurines on the tabs at the top of the page). I mentioned Mark Backhouse's up and coming 2mm scale mass battle rules, Strength and Honour, a while back and these new units make it an easy task to put together a Roman Imperial army if you live in the UK and don't fancy scratch building. I am going to order a couple of bases to see how they look in advance of the rules being published in a few weeks time. This is a really exciting concept even for a non-Ancients player like myself, so I'm thinking of adding a Strength and Honour solo project to my list of 'things to do in 2022'.

Antonine Miniatures (warbases.co.uk)

Far Distant Ships

It's Friday and pay day, so I have splashed out on a proper copy of Far Distant Ships from Long Face Games, as the original I had was just a draft that David sent me to have a look. This set of rules is specifically designed for 1/2400th scale fleet actions but can also be used for smaller, tactical games so it's ideal for what I'm doing with the Tumbling Dice ships. I'll also be using Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail from A and A Games Engineering, which I've played before several times and really like as a set of fast play, large scale rules and may also dip into a few other sets for smaller games including Kiss Me Hardy and Signal Close Action.

October-November Napoleonic Naval Project

Here's some I made earlier

In a change of plan (again) I've decided that the next couple of months will be spent painting my 1/2400th scale Tumbling Dice Napoleonic ships, starting with a French squadron that I assembled and based last year but didn't get round to painting. This will consist of a 118 gun flagship, five 80's, three or four 74's, a couple of frigates and a brig. The plan is to do the French first then follow up with a similar sized squadron for the Royal Navy. If I can work out a standardized painting approach it shouldn't take too long to turn them out, with the aim of playing some games using Far Distant Ships before Xmas.

1/1200th Ark Royal Miniatures Frigates

I doubt mine will looks as good as these!

I ordered a set of three generic frigates from Ark Royal Miniatures last week and they arrived in the post today. They are nicely detailed models yet solidly built to withstand handling, with the bowsprit and mizzen mast cast on to the hull but separate main and foremasts with cast on sails. They come with a set of ships boats and a small bowsprit sail to attach to the hull. I also ordered three sets of etched brass ratlines that are made to measure for these models. The casting quality is excellent and they are good value for money at about eight quid a pop including the etched brass extras. I am definitely going to order another pack of two from the range, probably some of the smaller ships to form a privateering flotilla for the late 1640's.

1/1200 scale wargaming ships | League of Augsburg

Red Assault

This book is currently on sale for £3.99 in the Kindle book store, which is pretty good value, so I decided  take a closer look. The author also wrote the Khalkhin Gol book that I used as a source of information for the Bag the Hun project. This book doesn't have any colour plates or profiles but does feature plenty of photographs, technical details and historical notes, so there may well be something of use for wargaming. It will be an interesting read, as it is a fascinating and unusual subject, with some extraordinary aircraft and technological innovations that were well ahead of their time. Not bad for the price of a fancy sandwich.

Chilean Ironclads Blocked In

 

Despite a busy weekend, spent literally feeling sick and tired, I have managed to get the blocking in done on the handful of Chilean ships for the War of the Pacific project. The two torpedo boats are a bit crude but the Huascar is shaping up quite nicely. I will aim to get the highlighting done tomorrow then finish them off by the end of the week, hopefully in time for a game or two at the weekend.

Down in Flames?

I've had a lukewarm response to the Knights of the Sky game that I wanted to run at the club, so have decided to shelve it for the foreseeable. It's a real shame as its always good fun but I guess that aerial wargaming isn't everyone's cup of tea. The club in general seems to have shifted focus a bit so it's not a big surprise that the game hasn't taken off. C'est la guerre! 

Wargames Illustrated Naval Rules

It's been a very wet weekend and I've come down with a sore throat, but have cheered myself up by reading the old Wargames Illustrated magazines that I acquired earlier in the week. These are all from 1999-2000, so have lots of nostalgic resonance for me, even including the old adverts for figures and rules. Of greater interest, however, are some of the articles with three really good naval ones standing out. 

The first is a set of linked scenarios by David Manley for the CSS Arkansas, of which I have a scratch built 1/2400th scale model. The second is a set of DBN inspired pre-dreadnought rules by Colin Standish, which look very useable, while the last is a set of fast play rules for the Anglo Dutch Wars, again by the esteemed Mr Manley. It's all really good stuff and hasn't seemed to have aged at all, which is more than I can say for myself over the last twenty two years! 

The Battle of Chipana - A scenario for Dahlgren and Columbiad

I'm hoping to have time to play this game at the weekend, if all goes according to plan, although I'll be using a smaller area due to the dining room table being buried in paper work. If I can clear it off it will still be only a 3' x 5' area, but I think that will be fine as I'm using 1/2400th scale models rather than the more common 1/1200th scale for this particular conflict. I'm looking forward to the Peruvians repeating history and making a ham fist of it, or redeeming themselves by capturing the Magallanes!