International Naval Wargaming Day 2024

Holiday Napoleonic Naval Wargaming

           

We're on holiday in Brittany again for a couple of weeks, so I've brought along my 1/2400th scale French and British Napoleonic fleets and a couple of sets of rules for a few games. The rules are Far Distant Ships and Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail, both ideal for fast play, large scale games. I've played the latter before but not for a long time, while the former use similar mechanisms to the other Long Face Games naval rules, so I'm hoping to be able to get a grip on them without too much head scratching!

Missing in Action

Beriev MBR-2

I've been really busy with DIY and other domestic stuff this week, so very little time has been available for hobby stuff. One thing I have done is to sketch out the aircraft I need for this summer's Bag the Hun project, both in terms of the models and also the aircraft data. 

For the scenarios and accompanying introductory article, I'll need to work out the numbers for both the Finnish Curtiss Hawk 75 fighter, the Finnish Fokker CX reconnaissance aircraft and the Soviet Beriev MBR-2 seaplane, the former being used in every scenario and the latter probably featuring in one of them. 

The Hawk shouldn't be very difficult to adapt from the Tomahawk apart from the numerous and slightly confusing variations in armament. The MBR-2 could possibly be adapted from the Supermarine Walrus but I'll probably just work it out from scratch. I have no idea about how to sort out a Fokker CX, so will have to think about how to make one from something else. 

Drat and Double Drat

I've started the assembly stage of the Get the Goeben! project with the Austro Hungarian forces, consisting of two Tegethoff class dreadnoughts, two Admiral Spaun class light cruisers and six Tatra class destroyers. Unfortunately, one of the battleship models is missing the two funnels, which are supplied as separate parts, so that one will have to wait until I get replacements from TD. I've also ordered the other Austro Hungarian post 1900 battleships and an armoured cruiser to expand this force to a more impressive fleet. 

Continuation War Aircraft

I've been reading through the potential scenarios for the summer Bag the Hun Continuation scenario writing and project and have identified at least a dozen for the shortlist. These all feature the Curtiss Hawks of LeLv32, which is the theme I'll be following rather than a smorgasbord of aircraft types. 

I've sorted out the 1/600 scale Tumbling Dice models that I'll need for playtesting, all of which I already had in the lead pile. The Finnish look like they're heavily outnumbered but that's just because the scenarios feature a range of Russian aircraft including I-16, MiG3, LaGG3 and I-153 fighters. There's also some SB-2 bombers but I'll have to convert or scratch build the MBR-2 seaplanes the I'll need, probably by adapting some Westland Walrus models.

La Retour

We're heading back to the UK over the next couple of days but will be back over here in Brittany next month. This means that I'll be back at the workbench, home repairs and maintenance aside, for about a week, during which time I'll be cracking on with some of the three projects I have lined up. The initial plan is to get the Spanish Napoleonic fleet assembled, so that I can take it to France to paint, but the Get the Goeben! ships are also on the 'to do' list, so we'll see what grabs my attention first. I'll also start doing some background reading for this year's Bag the Hun article, which is looking like a Continuation War set of scenarios. 

Oi Navarcoi!

A couple of years ago I tinkered about with an ancient naval project which didn't go very far as I moved on to other things. This set of free rules, however, has reignited the project, especially as I have quite a lot of the Tumbling Dice 1/2400th trireme models in a box somewhere under the workbench. The rules look elegantly straightforward but firmly grounded in the period, the author being a fan of the 'play the period, not the rules' philosophy when it comes to design. This will be a project for next year, as I already have other things on the go, but think it's a really good prospect for something a little bit out of my comfort zone.

Magasin de Presse

Lentolaivue 32

I've been looking for a suitable summer holiday scenario project for Bag the Hun the last couple of days, so have been rereading my various Osprey books with a focus on the Continuation War. This is a subject I've touched on before but this time I have narrowed down the focus to one Finnish squadron, Lentolaivue 32, which flew the Curtiss Hawk from July 1941 onwards. 

This is an ideal subject for scenario development, with at least a dozen potential actions identified for potential scenarios. It's also very manageable from a miniatures point of view, both in 1/600th scale and 1/285th, as I already have most of the Finnish and Soviet models required and the camouflage and markings are relatively simple. Tally Ho!

Wooden Ships and Iron Men

As we're only in Brittany for a week this time, I didn't bring any of the projects that I've lined up for the summer holidays, so instead have opened up Wooden Ships and Iron Men for a few games. I haven't played this Avalon Hill classic before so will be kicking off with a famous historical encounter, Scenario 9: HMS Nymphe versus Cleopatra, which looks like a good starting point. As you can see, the backdrop is entirely in keeping with the game, including a full sized replica frigate anchored offshore. As this is a boardgame, I'll post my after action reports on my other blog, Tea and a Wad Wargaming, which I've neglected far too much this year:

http://teaandawad.blogspot.com/