WSS 95

WWW.WSSMAGAZINE.COM // KARWANSARAY PUBLISHERS no.
95
Late Roman infantry and cavalry

V
appearing on the arch of Galerius,
dedicated in AD 303 to commem-
orate the emperor's victory over
the Sassanids.
MAR / APR 2018

WARGAMES, SOLDIERS &
STRATEGY 95
UK £ 4.95
>
95
ROME UNDER PRESSURE FEATURES:

9 772211 503038
Plucky Brits against Italian fanatics

in the Libyan Desert near Bir Achin
THE SLOW DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE IN THE WEST Can Burgoyne hold his ground?
Gaming in the chaotic third century AD // Aurelian versus the Juthungi New gear for Maximillian 1934
Surviving the AD 455 sack of Rome // Protecting the Late-Roman limes Let's play Gangs of Rome
THEME: Rome under pressure
38 CHANGING TO SURVIVE
The Late Roman Empire: history and wargaming
44 AURELIAN AND THE JUTHUNGI
Northern Italy AD 271 - A mini campaign
Publisher: Jasper Oorthuys 48 ESCAPE FROM ROME

Editor: Guy Bowers Don't make the Vandals angry...
Copy editor: Naomi Munts and Helen Hull
Layout, design: Christianne C. Beall 51 CROSSING THE BAR
Maps: Rocío Espin A barbarian raid beyond the Limes
© 2015 Karwansaray Publishers
54 AGAINST THE FALL OF NIGHT
Contributors: Mark Backhouse, Ian Beal, Steve Beckett, David Building a Late Roman army
Davies, Jamie Gordon, Ara Harwood, Tony Harwood, Sascha
Herm, Henry Hyde, Steve Jones, Eoghan Kelly, Chris King, Mi- 58 THE BATTLE OF ADRIANOPLE
chael Leck, Dread Lunn, Dan Mersey, James Oram, Chris Payne, Painting the cover diorama
Rick Priestley, Harry Sidebottom, Lon Teal, Rossco Watkins
Illustrations: Georgie Harman

https://www.facebook.com/redfoxillustrations
FEATURES
Print: Grafi Advies BV
14 TAKING THE CROSS
Editorial office
PO Box 4082, 7200 BB Zutphen, The Netherlands
Bitesize action in the Holy Land
Phone: +31-575-776076 (NL) A FICKLE FLANKING FORCE
18
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A hypothetical AWI scenario
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24 IF DRIVING FAST CARS YOU LIKE, ANYTHING GOES
Customer service:
New goodies for Maximillian 1934
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Website: www.wssmagazine.com 26 BIR ACHIN
A fictional scenario in the Libyan Desert
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64 WEATHERING THE RASPUTITSA
Distribution Painting a Russian SU assault gun
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is sold through retailers, the in-
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Copyright Karwansaray BV. All rights reserved. Nothing in this

DEPARTMENTS
publication may be reproduced in any form without prior writ-
ten consent of the publishers. Any individual providing material 6 MINIATURE REVIEWS
for publication must ensure that the correct permissions before Our usual roundup of new releases
submission to us. Every effort has been made to trace copyright
holders, but in a few cases this proves impossible. The editor 12 THIS GAMING LIFE
and publishers apologize for any unwitting cases of copyright Dedicated dabblers
transgressions and would like to hear from any copyright holders
not acknowledged. Articles and the opinions expressed herein 32 TABLETOP TACTICS
do not necessarily represent the views of the editor and/or pub- Horse and Musket-era cavalry
lishers. Advertising in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy does not
necessarily imply endorsement. 62 THE IRREGULAR
Tracking the troops
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is published every
two months by Karwansaray BV, Zutphen, the 70 LET'S PLAY GANGS OF ROME
Netherlands. PO Box 4082, 7200 BB Zutphen, Skirmishing in the streets of an ancient city
the Netherlands.
76 GAME REVIEWS
ISSN: 2211-503X Outremer, Wars of Insurgency, 'Nam, and more
Printed in the European Union 80 BOOK REVIEWS

More books reviewed by the WS&S team
82 PARTING SHOTS
Tips, tricks and laughs for every wargamer
4 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Editorial
“He, therefore, who desires peace, should prepare for war. He who
aspires to victory, should spare no pains to form his soldiers. And
he who hopes for success, should fight on principle, not chance.”
— Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus
As this issue approached, I dusted off my 28mm Late Romans with

the aim to rebase them and touch up the minor damage that some
fifteen years of play and several house moves had taken on them.
Mine was a very flexible army, playing as Late Romans, Arthurians
and allied to Saxons in numerous games back when Armies of An-
tiquity and Age of Arthur were en vogue. My minis deserve to see the daylight again
and maybe even gain a few friends. The models were based for use with Warham-
mer Ancient Battles, but I'll change them to work with Swordpoint and Hail Caesar.
Vegetius is one of my favourite military authors (with Sun Tzu still occupying the
#1 slot). The quote shown above is very fitting in a wargaming context: we must
prepare our soldiers for battle (in other words, get those models painted because
as we all know painted miniatures fight better). From collecting and painting to
making sure you know the rules – players always hate when there are constant
breaks to look things up. Learn how rules work and what tactics are most effective
within those rules. Yes, there is a lot that Vegetius can teach us, even today.
In our next issue, we return to the American Civil War, specifically looking at the
raids which took place during that great conflict.
Guy Bowers
[email protected]
Now available online: And coming in the next issue:
AN EMPIRE DIVIDED A VERY UNCIVIL WAR

In the battle of Mursa Major, fought in AD 351, the forces of We take a look at raiding actions during the American Civil War.
the Eastern and Western Roman empires face off. Often bloody and barbarous, they nonetheless played an impor-
(http://www.wssmagazine.com/wss95_extra) tant role in both Union and Confederate operations.
Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

5
MINIATURE REVIEWS A look at some of the newest miniatures, terrain
MINI REVIEWS
pieces, and more from across the wargaming world.
The M60 Patton was Following up from its

M60A3 Tank first introduced in 1961. 1980s Soviet West and East Germans,
Motorised Infantry Under Fire Miniatures
Company: Plastic Soldier Company Armed with a 105 mm ri-
Size: 15 mm or 1/100 scale fled gun, it served as the Company: Under Fire Miniatures has released four packs
Era: World War II United States’ main bat- Size: 29 mm ‘foot to eye’ or of Soviet motorised in-
32 mm tall
Price: £21.50 for five tanks tle tank for two decades. fantry. Carried in BMPs
Era: Cold War
Even with the introduc- or BTRs, these troops
www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk Price: £8.00 for a pack of four
tion of the M1 Abrams would have been in the
www.underfireminiatures.com forefront of any Russian
in 1980, the M60 would
have stayed the main invasion of the West
battle tank for the US in (or, of course, defenders
any Cold War clash until against western aggres-
the mid ’80s. The kit builds the M60A3 (modernised) sion!). Their kit is typical of that worn in the height
version. As with most PSC models, the kit fits together of the Cold War in the late 1970s and ’80s. The four
smoothly and is an easy build. The detailing is very packs consist of a command pack with SVD sniper,
good. As the M60 was widely sold amongst US allies, one armed with PKM machine guns and Kalashnikovs,
it has participated in dozens of wars, notably the Yom one with RPK LMGs, and one with an RPG-7 and load-
Kippur War, the Iran–Iraq War, the Lebanese Civil War, ers plus AKs. Both the detailing and casting are very
and even the current Syrian Civil War. This model is good, with the models themselves being accurate and
essential for many if not most modern wars. Expect well posed. These will make excellent opposition for
more modern releases from Plastic Soldier Company Cold War scenarios and skirmishes, serving as opposi-
in the run-up to the release of Battlegroup NORTHAG. tion for NATO or Mujahideen troops.
Shiloh Church
Company: Charlie Foxtrot Models
Size: 1/56 scale or 28 mm
(approx. 20 cm W x 14 cm D x
16 cm H)
Era: Eighteenth or
nineteenth century
Price: £13.25
www.charliefoxtrotmodels.com
The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6-7 1862, in bag, but there are clear step-by-step instructions. The
southwestern Tennessee. One of the iconic buildings model also comes with cardboard roof tiles, which
from the battle was the Shiloh Church, fought over on really add to the realism of the finished kit. The doors
the morning of the 6th and on the afternoon of the are separate and can be glued in the open or closed
7th with the Union counterattack. The model is an ac- position. The model was very easy to construct with
curate reconstruction of the building and is made of standard PVA glue. The roof is removable, so models
thick 2 mm and 3 mm MDF. Once constructed, it is a may be placed inside the building.
pretty sturdy building. All the parts come loose in the

BY GUY BOWERS
Amazing! I never thought One of the latest plastic

Victrix Limited I’d see a hard plastic el- Albion’s Knights releases from Fireforge
Company: Gripping Beast ephant in 28 mm. The kit Company: Fireforge Games Games is a set of Fantasy
Size: 28 mm. Elephant & howdah comes with two sets of Size: 28 mm tall Medieval knights. Albion’s
stand 69 mm tall, with crew frames. The first has the el- Era: Medieval Fantasy Knights are an adaptation
82mm tall.
ephant, the howdah, and Price: ¤27.00 for twelve knights of their existing Medieval
Era: Ancient
a choice of decorations to www.fireforge-games.com Knights with the addi-
Price: £29.95 for two elephants
customise the beast. The el- tion of fantasy helmets,
www.victrixlimited.com ephant itself comes in two cloaks, pauldron shoulder
halves, with two left sides plates, and weapons. The
and one right side, plus kit gives you enough mod-
two trunks. This theoreti- els to field twelve barded
cally gives four variations. The second plastic frame has the knights from the one box. There is a good selection of
howdah crew with a selection of javelins and a pike, plus weapons, including swords, lances, maces, and the odd
the mahout. Crews are provided for Carthaginians, Ptole- flail and axe. The eight head variants consist of fantasised
maic Successors, Numidians, and Republican Romans. versions of medieval helms, including winged and horned
The heads are separate and fully compatible with the other helmets. The shields are of typical heater design but could
Victrix ancients ranges, allowing further customisation. The be swapped for more fantasy shields easily enough. All
spare models can always be converted into rank and file. the knights wear chainmail. This set is good value and will
The finished model is lightweight and sturdy, with all of the provide classic Fantasy Medieval knights to the tabletop
parts fitting together very well. Little Big Men Studios also for games such as Dragon Rampant, Oldhammer, and
offers a good range of transfers for the howdah. possibly the up-and-coming Oathmark.
Foxholes and
fire positions
Company: Ironclad Miniatures
Size: 28 mm
Era: 20th century and modern
Price: £2.00 to £3.50 per piece
www.ironcladminiatures.co.uk
Wargamers are always faced with a challenge when it well cast in resin with no mould lines visible. They are
comes to trenches, foxholes, and fire positions on the well made and ‘look the part’ as dug-out terrain features.
board. Such features either have to be part of a bespoke Size-wise, the foxholes will fit round bases up to 25 mm
terrain board built into the gaming table or they will stick and the gun position will hold most medium-sized guns
out above the surface as separate terrain pieces. Some (a 28 mm Pak 40 or equivalent gun) nicely. The smaller
compromises will have to be made. Ironclad Miniatures single foxhole is £2.00 while the double foxhole and the
has released a section of trenches and fire positions for gun position is £3.00. This range will be a useful addition
28 mm with this compromise in mind. The models are for 20th-century and modern gamers.

7
The Opium Wars of 1839– Following on from the Brit-
Opium Wars British 1842 and 1856–1860 saw Plastic Zulus ish redcoats (reviewed in
Company: Gringo 40’s Great Britain go to war Company: Perry Miniatures WSS 90), the Perrys have
Size: 28.5 mm ‘foot to eye’ or with imperial China in or- Size: 28 mm ‘foot to eye’ released plastic Zulu war-
34 mm tall to top of shako der to extort trading agree- or 31 mm tall riors. While primarily of
Era: 19th century ments and the right to Era: 19th century use for the Anglo–Zulu war
Price: £1.60 per miniature, sell opium to the Chinese Price: £20.00 for a box of 38 of 1879-80, it should not
£1.85 for the officer figures plus four casualties
in exchange for Chinese be forgotten that the Zulus
www.gringo40s.com goods. Gringo 40’s has www.perry-miniatures.com fought neighbouring tribal
released imperial Manchu nations and the Boer Voor-
infantry & cavalry, Taiping trekkers. These Zulus come
rebel infantry, and British on two different sprue
infantry & cavalry for the Second Opium War. The range frames, one with five warriors to a sprue with separate heads
of British infantry has six infantry in advancing, firing, and and arms, and a second with firearms and casualties. There
marching poses, plus one foot officer, one mounted offic- is a good choice of heads, both for unmarried (plain heads
er, and ‘Chinese’ Gordon himself. The models are armed or with decorative headdress) and married men (with ring
with Enfield rifles and wear sun helmets. The sculpting is headpiece). Weapons include the assegai, javelin, and knob-
good and crisp, with accurate detail. While primarily for kerry. The firearms include long and short muskets (enough
the Opium Wars, these models could be used for British to make ten musket-armed warriors). This set will be a must-
soldiers in other theatres of war (Great Britain was involved buy for all Zulu War aficionados and will also be useful for
in dozens of small wars at the time) and will be a must for gamers wanting a good supply of African tribal warriors for
gamers into Britain’s forgotten gunboat diplomacy past. Death in the Dark Continent, Congo, or similar games.
Lorenzo’s Rams
Company: Battlefront Miniatures
Size: 15 mm or 1/100 scale
Era: World War II
Price: £54.50 for eight tanks
and four guns
www.flamesofwar.com
Following on from its Desert Rats and Afrika Korps re- da 100/17 howitzers, all in plastic. Tank commanders
leases for Flames of War Mid-War, Battlefront Miniatures and artillery crews are provided as standard. The kits are
has released plastic Italian armour and artillery. The ‘Lor- made of durable hard plastic with very good detailing.
enzo’s Rams’ boxed set offers gamers an inexpensive way They were easy to construct, and the parts fitted together
of starting an Italian army. The name of the set must be smoothly. Lorenzo’s Rams also contains unit cards, trans-
inspired by the famous Ariete (‘Ram’) Armoured Division. fers, special Italian dice, and a fourth edition Mid War
The set contains eight M14/41 tanks (which can be al- mini rulebook. All in all, these will be a welcome addi-
ternately built as Semovente 75/18s), plus four Cannone tion to 15 mm WW2 Axis Desert War gamers.

The Yìhéquán movement Bad Squiddo Games has
Boxer Rebellion Chinese (Fists of Harmony and Jus- Shieldmaidens recently run a Kickstarter
Company: Victorious Miniatures tice), known to westerners Company: Bad Squiddo Games called ‘Freyja’s Wrath’ to
Size: 28 mm “foot to eye” as the Boxers, attempted Size: 28 mm ‘foot to eye’ release a range of Viking
or 31 mm tall to remove foreigners from or 31 mm tall shieldmaidens. Given
Era: 19th and early 20th century China, causing the Boxer Era: Dark Ages the recent archaeologi-
Price: £5.00 for four miniatures, Rebellion (1899-1900). Price: £12.00 for four miniatures cal evidence from Birka
£12.00 for the gun
Victorious Miniatures has www.badsquiddogames.com in Sweden and references
www.victoriousminiatures.com released Chinese suitable in Norse literature, female
for this period. The current warriors weren’t uncom-
range consists of six Boxer mon. This is a full Viking
packs (muskets, swords, range including hearth-
polearms, and command). The range includes five dif- guard (with axes, spears, and swords), warriors (with axes,
ferent types of Chinese cannon (from light to double bar- bows, crossbows, slings, spears, and swords), and ber-
rel cannon to ‘dragon’ and ‘tiger’ decorated heavy can- serkers. Also included are several character models (in-
nons), a Chinese ammunition limber, and three different cluding Norse myth) and animals (bears, beavers, ravens,
gun crews (Imperial regulars and Boxer). The models are and wild cats). The Norse myth models include Skalmöld
nicely sculpted and well cast. Size-wise, these are mid- the Valkyrie (shown, centre), the goddess Hel, and Freya
dle of the range for 28 mm and should be compatible herself. The models are cast in metal – the mould lines are
with most existing miniature ranges. Of course, these hard to spot. The detail is very good, and the poses realis-
models will also be suitable for earlier periods, including tic. These releases will be a welcome addition for Viking
the Opium Wars, and might be useful for Pulp settings. & Dark Age players and fantasy gamers alike.
Napoleonic Spanish
Voluntario Infantry
Company: Offensive Miniatures
Size: 28 mm ‘foot to eye’
or 33 mm tall
Era: Napoleonic
Price: £10.00 for six command
models or £8.00 for six infantry
www.offensiveminiatures.com
After the attempted annexation of Spain by France, and packs have a mixture of tailless jackets, tailed jackets,
despite three-quarter of the country being conquered, trousered infantry, and gaitered infantry. The casting
Spain fought on, allying with Britain. The British pro- is very good with no flash or mould lines present. The
vided uniforms and weapons, which the Spanish partly posing is good, looking lifelike and natural. This is an
used to equip Voluntario (militia volunteer) units. Of- excellent addition for the Spanish forces in the Penin-
fensive Miniatures has released eight packs of Volun- sular War. The Spanish did a lot of hard fighting against
tario Spanish infantry in its Follow the Drum range. the French but are often neglected or passed over by
The soldiers wear round hats typical of these units. The wargamers in favour of the British or Portuguese.

9
Dark Ops has released a Footsore Miniatures has
MDF Boulangerie series of 28 mm-scale Nor- Viking Bondi released a new range
mandy kits for its ’Over- and Characters of Vikings. The models
Company: Dark Ops
Size: 28 mm lord’ range, which includes Company: Footsore Miniatures reviewed are part of its
Era: 1900s a blacksmith, a town- Size: 28 mm ‘foot to eye’ Bondi range but include
(World War I, World War II) or 31 mm tall
house, a great house, and the Viking warlord and
Price: £27.00 Era: Dark Ages
a church. The kit reviewed standard-bearer. The
Price: £6 for four models
www.darkops.co.uk is the boulangerie (a typi- or two characters
range currently consists
cal French bakery). The kit of six packs of Bondi
www.footsoreminiatures.co.uk
is highly detailed and has models, so there’s a lot
several customisable op- of variation to choose
tions, including roofing from – most are bearded
tiles, guttering, and a drainage pipe. The roof is designed and most have helmets, but some are clean-shaven,
to be built with push-out panel sections so you can repre- bareheaded, or wear caps. The models can be armed
sent battle damage. The ground floor wall can be made in with spears or with swords and axes (supplied sepa-
brick or covered in plaster, or half and half, where battle rately). To arm the Bondi with a sword or axe, simply
damage has worn the plaster away. The instructions for this cut the right hand off (very Viking!), drill the arm, and
kit come in the form of a YouTube video (a clever idea), add the new hand weapon. The warlord and standard-
which is easy to follow. The interior is fully accessible, with bearer are excellent; the pose of the warlord is very
first floor and attic space removable. There is even optional Danish (“alas, poor Yorick!”). The models are well cast
shelving for the store. Thanks to the video, construction and require a minimal amount of cleaning. Size-wise,
was straightforward, and the finished kit looks very good – they are ‘middle-of-the-road’ 28 mm, so should mix
it’ll look even better painted. Impressive! perfectly with most existing ranges.
PaK 38 and Crew

Company: Rubicon Models
Size: 1/56 scale (28 mm)
Era: World War II
Price: £15.00 for
the gun and crew
www.rubiconmodels.com
The latest releases from Rubicon include fencing, two ers are also included. The detailing is excellent, and
Sherman variants (Firefly and M4 Hybrid), plus two all the parts fit together well. The assembly instructions
German guns, the PaK 38 and the PaK 40. The model are easy to follow, and construction is straightforward.
reviewed is the 5 cm PaK 38 (first used in 1941), which Size-wise, the crew are scaled realistically to the gun,
can also be built as the 7.5cm PaK 97/38 (a French gun so are middle of the range for 28 mm. Rubicon will
mounted on the PaK 38 chassis). The kit comes as one soon be releasing a range of resin vehicles and prom-
main frame with the gun and three small frames for the ises a Flak 36/37 AA gun with Sd.Kfz. 7 prime mover.
five crew (in mid-war uniform). Ammunition contain-

The latest release from Ar- Three Armies is a new
Soviet Naval Infantry tizan Designs is a squad 1806 Napoleonic Prussians company producing min-
Company: Artizan Designs of Soviet naval infantry. Company: Three Armies iatures for the Napoleonic
Size: 28 mm ‘foot to eye’ During the Great Patri- Size: 28 mm “foot to eye” period. Its ranges include
or 32 mm tall otic War, over 350,000 or 34 mm tall in hat French 1800-06, French
Era: World War II men served in the naval Era: Napoleonic 1812-15, Spanish 1808,
Price: £14.00 for ten men infantry, mainly drawn Price: £7.00 for six fusiliers and Austrian. The mod-
www.northstarfigures.com from the Marines or from www.threearmies.co.uk els reviewed are from the
ships’ crews. They fought Prussian range for 1806,
in dozens of naval land- covering the War of the
ings but primarily saw Fourth Coalition, which
service as infantry. Sev- led to Prussia’s defeat at
eral brigades were awarded Guards status, and the na- the hands of Napoleon. The range currently consists of
val infantry were recognised for their bravery and elite Prussian fusilier and grenadier infantry with command
status. This pack represents a ten-man squad equipped in bicorne. There is a choice between Brandenburg cuffs
with Mosin-Nagant rifles, a PPSh submachine gun, and and the simpler Swedish cuffs (yes, I had to look that one
a DP light machine gun. They are dressed in naval uni- up too!). The models are well cast with no mould lines
form, with most in sailor caps. All the models received visible. The detailing is very good. Size-wise these are
were well cast with a little flash to remove from cast- middle of the range and realistically sculpted but should
ing vents. The detail is excellent as we’d expect from fit with most existing ranges. Three Armies has recent-
Artizan. Size-wise, these are erring towards the heroic ly done a Kickstarter for Napoleonic British (including
side of 28 mm but nevertheless should be compatible British in full dress with shakos with cords, plumes, and
with most existing models. brass plates, and in wet weather gear and greatcoats).
Begleit StuG Riders

Company: Warlord Games
Size: 1/56 scale
Era: World War II
Price: £8.00 for the five-man
squad or £25.00 for the squad
and a StuG IIIG
www.warlordgames.com
The Road to Berlin campaign book introduced (on page gun at no extra cost. There are five metal infantry models
24) rules in Bolt Action for the begleit (‘escort’) assault in the set, all in winter kit. Their armament consists of Kar
gun riders. The story goes that as StuGs lacked a turret, 98s, an MG 42, a MP 40, and a MP 44 (which, curiously,
they could be vulnerable to enemy tank-hunting squads. according to the lists, the Begleit can’t have!). Apart from
Therefore, at Kursk, assault guns were assigned begleit being a cool option for the game (turning the StuG into
infantry to protect them and ride on their rear decks. In a free transport), the models would look good for prone
game terms, this unit counts as a regular infantry squad troops or in a diorama. Now how about some Fallschirm-
with basic options (no anti-tank), carried by the assault jäger models on a King Tiger?

11
© Georgie Harman
THIS GAMING LIFE
COLUMN
DEDICATED DABBLERS
The cupboard space that lies beneath my wargames table opens to
reveal something that resembles one of those cars that has been
through the crusher: pounded and squashed into an approximate-
ly cuboid solid. Nowhere, I find, is there a void sufficient to allow
a hand to even begin to untangle the defiant mass within. It is an
amalgam of boxes and books, of loose bags, of models and myste-
rious containers, of faded magazines and curiously old-fashioned
biscuit tins. In other words it is your typical wargamer’s ‘stuff’,
By Rick Priestley and, not untypically I suspect, there is an awful lot of it.
T
he great thing about cupboards, that es- stand in serried rows beneath their colourful stand-
sential cupboard quality that they all have, ards, altogether untroubled by the rigours of battle.
is the ability to close the door upon things
that we don’t especially need but like to My collecting friend may have attained a focus
know are there. Whether I’ll ever need that that transcends actual wargaming, but I know oth-
pair of flared jeans at the back of the wardrobe, ers who have amassed forces and correspondingly
those colourful cases of vinyl LPs under the stairs, impressive set-ups simply by concentrating their
or the jar of pickled walnuts hiding in the recesses efforts on a single subject or period. Inevitably,
of the kitchen cupboard (best before June 1996), they also become somewhat expert at whatever
I can’t honestly say. Probably not, if I’m honest. it is they devote themselves to. I was fortunate to
Partial as we all are to a pickled walnut. visit the home of a chap who had turned his entire
house into a museum of the Anglo-Zulu War, com-
When it comes to a wargamer’s stuff, though… well, plete with antique weapons, uniformed manikins,
obviously I’ll get round to that lot one day, won’t I! and a library that would put most academic insti-
Those tins and boxes full of unpainted miniatures tutions to shame! As well as a huge collection of
are not, as might foolishly be imagined, testament forces for the conflict, all tucked away in carefully
to endless abandoned projects. Perish the thought. labelled drawers, there was the complete scale rec-
Sometimes it’s good to just take a break from one reation of Rorke’s Drift, which pretty much filled
thing and tackle something else. A change is, as one room. I don’t doubt there was plenty of un-
they say, as good as a rest. No matter that those finished or as yet unemployed ‘stuff’ tucked away
Lamming Byzantine cataphract cavalry have been somewhere. I bet it was Zulus. Thousands of ‘em.
resting comfortably since 1976 – their day will
surely come. It’s just that day is not today, that’s all. Many wargamers are happiest concentrating their
efforts along these lines, but are also prepared to
I don’t know any wargamers who don’t have ‘stuff’, indulge in other projects to some degree. In fact, I
but I do know many whose collecting and gaming think most of my regular gaming associates fall into
habits are far less tolerant of the sort of diversity that this category: folks who one instinctively thinks of
generates ‘stuff’ in the first place. In other words, as Napoleonic gamers or World War Two gamers,
they stick to their guns – or pila, muskets, or what- but who are happy to collect and field forces for the
have-you – and concentrate their efforts on a sin- English Civil War or Colonial battles too. The trick
gle thing. That might be World War Two gaming in here, it seems to me, is to amass sufficient forces
20 mm, or even one aspect of that conflict – the war for your chosen subject to allow others to join in
in the Western Desert or a German force for Opera- without having to provide further forces themselves.
tion Barbarossa. A friend of very long standing has Then there is all the terrain, of course, and what-
narrowed his hobby down to collecting and paint- ever paraphernalia might be required, such as rules
ing only forces of the War of the Spanish Succes- and any special markers, dice, or templates. In other
sion. Furthermore, when I say ‘collecting’ I mean words, if it’s your period you might as well go the
this quite literally, as none of these forces have ever whole hog and make sure you can not only play a
graced a wargames table to my knowledge. They game but put on a game that others can play too.

What often marks out a gamer’s prime interest, the it on, and use the proceeds to fund their next project.
thing that distinguishes it as such, is often terrain rather How disciplined is that! Perhaps this is the ultimate
than armies. An American Civil War aficionado will secret to a stuff-free existence. Economical too. It’s
have shelves of period buildings, many yards of fenc- just that I know I couldn’t do it and I’m sure that’s
ing, and features we might readily recognise from the true of most of us. All that stuff, every element of it,
battlefields of the day: the sunken road from Antietam, represents an idea unrealised, an itch that was never
the tangle of boulders at the end of Houck’s Ridge quite scratched, a time and enthusiasm – no matter
known as the Devil’s Den from whence Confeder- how momentary or diffuse – that has us in its grip and
ate sharpshooters harried Union troops at Gettysburg. will not let go. That box of telescopic magnetic rods
Then there are the incidental pieces: the civilians, mu- that I picked up at a car boot sale will surely come
leteers, carts and wagons, the surgeon’s tent, encamp- in handy when it comes to designing that World War
ments, supply dumps… the list goes on! The point is One air combat game! Those stacks of Zvezda plastic
that for many of us our core period is not just an army Sarmatians are destined to come out of their boxes
that we might roll out to compete in a tournament. It’s and spread mayhem across the battlefield one day.
an expression of a far wider and deeper interest in his- Cartons of exquisite hand-made 10 mm trees await
tory and warfare. Our forces and their attendant terrain plantation, watched over by similarly-scaled armies
and ancillaries are realisations of a world in miniature, of the Seven Years’ War that have never left the bags
more akin to model railway layouts than anything else. they arrived in. And so it goes on.
So far so good, but what about all those side projects, A few weeks ago I was cramming yet another plastic
those momentary or sporadic interests? Therein lies kit into the carefully tessellated contents of yet another
the source of most of that ‘stuff’ lurking in cupboards, cupboard – pausing to admire the Mondrianesque
squatting on shelves, loitering in garages and, most result – when the radio turned to something called
insidiously of all, lying doggo underneath the bed be- döstädning. This Swedish word might be translated as
hind your slippers. This is where hobbyists turn into ‘de-cluttering’, but the more literal translation is ‘death-
hoarders, and I suspect none of us are immune to the cleaning’, and it appears to be every bit as morbid as
lure of new games, models, or subjects. Indeed, for it sounds. Nonetheless, one Swedish lady called Mar-
some I suspect that half the hobby is flitting from one gareta Magnusson is sufficiently enthusiastic about the
thing to the next like a butterfly flitting from one blos- notion to have written a book called The Gentle Art of
som to the next. I would point out that a whole genre Swedish Death Cleaning, which was the subject of the
of ‘skirmish’ gaming has grown up in recent years, radio interview. Basically, the idea is to get rid of eve-
buoyed upon such enticing if fleeting enthusiasms. rything you don’t need, that you might have hoarded
Small, self-contained, and intentionally transient pro- over your lifetime, primarily so that your children don’t
jects can be extremely appealing, and I don’t mean have to sort everything out and are spared having to
to disparage such games or those that play them – of decide whether or not to keep family memorabilia and
which I count myself one. But I am beginning to sus- such-like ‘stuff’. On the radio, the author explained
pect that the main advantage of this new style of game that she found this liberating on a personal level too.
is that they don’t end up as half-finished armies, un- It all sounded rather clinical. I suspect that such a cold
painted units, and other forms of ‘stuff’. Having said and ruthless asceticism would be hard to live with un-
that, I’m sure I have a good few of those wee Osprey less you were bent that way to start with.
rulebooks – insidiously slim and unthreatening, but
surely ‘stuff’ if ever there was. The interview came to an end and I cast my eyes
over those cupboards full of promises unfulfilled
I have to admit to a sneaking admiration for those and the sparks of ideas as yet unrealised. Perhaps
who are happy to put together a project – maybe an one day, I thought to myself, but that day is not to-
army for a particular rules system – game with it, sell day – and closed the cupboard door. WS&S
SAYING GOODBYE TO YOUR BABIES

Selling your wargames figures is heresy, surely? Sometimes, however, we all need
to practice some döstädning. One option is giving them away, helping new play-
ers enter the hobby. If you plan to sell unwanted mins, the three main ways are
to sell to friends & club members, on a Bring and Buy, or via Ebay (or similar).
Remember that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay!
Unpainted models will generally only sell if they are cheaper than the retail price.
Painted models can fetch higher prices depending on their quality. For a quick
sale, price lower than what you think the models are worth. Otherwise, use the
internet to compare pricing and set what you think is reasonable, have a clear
The Bring and Buy at Crisis 2017.
description of what you are selling and display your models well.

13
BITESIZE ACTION IN THE HOLY LAND
FEATURE
TAKING THE CROSS

Back in 2016, when I first sat down and began penning the set of rules
that would become Outremer: Faith & Blood, I knew from that start that
I wanted it to be both campaign focussed and narrative driven. My goal
was for the player’s warbands to develop their own unique backgrounds
and personalities as time progressed. I decided that the best way to
achieve this was through the utilisation of an eclectic range of scenarios
in which the individual characters within each warband would be given
ample opportunity to play to their strengths (provided their owning play-
er deployed them correctly) and create a legend of their own.
By Jamie Gordon for players to try out with their war-

bands. Whilst it has been playtested
T
within my dedicated group of Outre-
he rulebook itself contains six mer players, it hasn’t been as heavily
different missions, and these run through as the scenarios featured
have enough variety within in the book, so if players find any is-
them to last a fair old while; sues then feel free to contact me on
that being said, it was always my blog (details at the end of the arti-
my intention to expand this set of sce- cle) for clarification or feedback.
narios, both to keep the game fresh
and to present new challenges, as
NEW SCENARIO: DEATH OF HEROES
players build their reputation in the
As those of us with even a fleeting fear of a killer’s blade… just ask Ju-
Holy Land. Within this article I have
interest in history are aware, assas- lius Caesar: “Et tu, Brute?”!
included a completely new scenario
sinations have been a tool of the po-
litical elite and military command- Things were no different during the
ers since time immemorial. Even in time of the Crusades, and many key
the days of Rome, the figures fell to the knives or poisons
powerful and influ- of their political opponents. On 28
ential had to watch April 1192, Conrad de Montferrat, an
their backs for Italian nobleman who had just been
elected as the new king of Jerusalem,
was slain on the streets of the
Holy Land by two hired
killers. Under torture,
these professional assas-
sins apparently revealed
that they had been hired
by none other than
Richard the Lionheart. In
fact, the provenance of these
killers is a good demonstration
of how prevalent assassina-
tion was during this time, for
they were both Nizari Ismai-
lis (more commonly known
as the Hashishin), a sect
whose warrior caste (the
V Fida’i) specialised in as-
sassinations and sabotage.
Illustration of knights from the
14 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95 Morgan Bible, created in France
during the mid 13th century.
Templars clash over who will take Jerusalem! Crusading Franks join the action.
Those of us who have served in the mil- get’ for the game. Each player MUST ers until all of their warbands are de-
itary know that it is not always the com- write down the name of their target ployed. All fighters must set up with-
mander of an enemy army who has to model and keep this hidden from their in 12” of their corner. In three-player
die in order to achieve the greatest stra- opponent until the end of the battle. games the extra warband will set up
tegic advantage. In fact, in many cases The fun bit here is that neither player in either of the remaining corners.
the death of a key sub-commander knows who the opponent’s target is…
or specialist can achieve far more in it may well be the leader of their force, Objectives
the long run. For example, in modern but it could just as easily be a seem- The objective in this scenario is sim-
warfare, the slaying of a one-star gen- ingly unimportant militia archer! ple: each player must kill the ‘tar-
eral in a theatre of operations would be get’ model(s) in their opponent’s
unlikely to cripple a task force’s capac- This battle is suitable for multi-war- warband(s). ‘Taking them down’ is not
ity to fight, whereas the elimination of band games of up to three players, enough; they must be slain outright. If
a trusted negotiator or political officer and this adds an extra layer of strategy both players achieve their objectives
who is critical to establishing links with and challenge to the scenario. If the then it is possible to get a draw overall.
host-nation forces could create far multi-player option is used, then play-
more disruption. This is an effect that ers must choose a primary ‘target’ from Finishing the battle
I have tried to reflect in this scenario. one enemy warband and a secondary The game ends when any of these
‘target’ from the other warband. criteria are met:
Here, two warbands have engaged • All fighters on one side have
each other, and each side possesses se- Set-up been ‘Taken Down’
cret orders to kill a specific member of A 4'-by-4' battlefield is ideal for this • The game reaches the end of
their opponent’s force. Players need to scenario. Players roll a D6 and add turn eight
agree that they are playing this scenar- the ‘Presence’ value of their Com- • One player voluntarily concedes
io beforehand and then draw up their mander. The player with the highest defeat and flees the battlefield.
army lists for the coming battle. Once score chooses a table corner and
complete, they swap these lists and pri- then places his first model; his oppo- Rewards
vately nominate one model from their nent takes the opposite table corner; The following rewards are awarded
opponent’s force who will be their ‘tar- players then alternate placing fight- to all fighters, whether or not they

15
Knight and pauper alike fight to liberate the holy city. If God wills it, we shall be victorious!
are on the winning side, unless it • Slay a secondary target: the fact that they need to be re-hired
specifically says so. - 8XP + 65 Livres (this is before each battle. The book itself
cumulative with the contains the rules for hiring sell-
• Fought in a battle and not
standard rewards for slay- swords and profiles for two merce-
‘Taken Down’ when the game
ing an enemy). naries (a Varangian Guardsman and
finishes: 5XP + 8 Livres
an Assassin), so I won’t repeat that
• ‘Take Down’ an enemy: If the same model slays both a Pri-
information here; however, below I
- Warrior – 2XP + 6 Livres mary and Secondary Target then
have included stats for a new hired
- Commander – 5XP + 7 this fighter will earn an additional
fighter that you can use to reinforce
Livres 6XP and 30 Livres.
your warband.
• Slay an enemy outright:
- Warrior – 2XP + 8 Livres NEW SELL-SWORD Hopefully this new scenario and new
- Commander – 5XP + 10 Another key element of Outremer: character will add an extra layer of fun
Livres Faith and Blood is the use of well- to your games of Outremer. WS&S
• Capture an enemy: equipped and skilled mercenaries to
- Warrior/Commander – 1XP bolster your force. These are particu- If anyone has any comments or wants
+ 3 Livres larly useful when your warband is first further reading, then pop over to my
• Slay a primary target: starting out, as its fighters will lack the blog at https://outremerfaithand-
- 10XP + 100 Livres (this is punch of more experienced veterans. blood.blogspot.co.uk/ where I’ll be
cumulative with the collating all up-to-date information
standard rewards for slay- The drawback to these warriors is about the game and occasionally re-
ing an enemy) their comparatively high cost and leasing extra material for players.
It wasn’t just idealistic Crusaders and Pilgrims MERCENARY FOOT KNIGHT

that flocked to the Holy Land following the pa-
pacy’s call for Crusade; those knights who pos- Cost Faction Move Shoot Atk Def Wounds Faith Tough Pres Save
sessed little wealth in the West but were quick
with a sword and had little qualms about kill- 60 Livres All 3.5 (6) Nil D10 D8 2 D10 5(3) 4 3+
ing for gold swiftly recognised that there was per battle
profit to be made in Outremer. Soon the East
Character type: Mercenary Foot Knight Experience level: Sell-sword
was filled with disinherited nobles who would
sell their sword to the highest bidder. Some of Heavy Armour (stats included), Full Helmet & Long Shield (stats included), Bastard Sword
these formidable warriors found places in the
household retinues of the newly formed nobil- Swordsman: This warrior has learned how to use his bastard sword to parry an enemy’s blows.
ity of the Crusader States, whilst others led a In any round of combat in which the warrior wields his sword, he may force his opponent to
more transient existence, moving from master reroll his Attack or Defence Dice.
to master in the search for wealth. Some even
Steady Fighter: This warrior may reroll any failed Faith check when attempting to charge
found themselves serving as ‘advisors’ in the ar-
an opponent.
mies of the Saracens if the price was right.

A HYPOTHETICAL AWI SCENARIO
FEATURE
AFLANKING
FICKLEFORCE
This scenario does not describe any particular histori-
cal action, but does take inspiration from a couple
of different battles and merges elements of these to
present a challenging situation to recreate on your
wargames table with your own collection of figures.
The Crown's men block the rebels from crossing the ford.
By Steve Jones
T
he basic situation consists of a small engagement rebel leadership saw Horatio John Burgoyne
concerning a mixed force of regular and militia Gates take command in the
infantry defending a ridge from a similarly sized north, and a significant battle
force of marginally better quality. The defenders was fought around Freeman’s
do have the hope that a small flanking force will Farm on the 19th September
arrive behind the enemy flank and tip the balance in when Gates’s men responded
their favour. The flanking force has issues of its own, to Burgoyne’s probing with a
however, as it has been ambushed by irregular forces fierce counterattack.
who are allied with the attackers.
Following the battle, Bur-
When playtesting the scenario I used my collection of goyne fortified his encamp-
American War of Independence troops, and I present it ment in the hope of be-
initially for this period, before considering how it could ing reinforced by a British
be adapted for other armies and conflicts. army driving up from New
York City. Such support failed to materialise as General
THE SITUATION: LATE SEPTEMBER 1777 Howe’s campaign to capture Philadelphia from Washing-
NEAR SARATOGA IN PRESENT-DAY NEW YORK ton took priority. Burgoyne’s situation became ever more
One of the key elements of the 1777 British strategy in desperate and a break-out was necessary before his sup-
North America was an invasion of the rebel colonies from plies ran out and his army was starved into surrender.
the direction of Canada. Accordingly, an army was placed
under the command of General John Burgoyne, consisting Our scenario postulates a hypothetical attempt by Bur-
of British regulars, contingents from Brunswick and Hesse- goyne to escape his position.
Hanau, some loyalist settlers, and various
native warbands. Burgoyne Objectives
Horatio Gates invaded in June and met The Crown objective is to clear the ridge of rebel
with initial success, seizing troops. The Rebels are seeking to prevent this. One
Fort Ticonderoga from Gen- side or the other will win; there cannot be a draw,
eral St Clair’s garrison and honourable or otherwise.
compelling the commander
of the rebels’ Northern De- Balance
partment, Philip Schuyler, If adapting these orders of battle it might help to bear
to fall back. Gradually, the following in mind. For the main battle to capture the
however, the campaign ridge, the attackers should have an advantage in num-
lost its momentum and the bers, quality, or both. This should not be overwhelming,
resistance increased in its but they can be confident that with care they can suc-
effectiveness. A change in ceed even if losses might be high.

The British are coming! The British are coming!
In the woods, however, the ambushing force should be All of this means that at some point, part of the flanking
inferior to the flanking column. There should be a very column will cross the bridge and the attackers will have to
low likelihood that the column will be stopped, but it divert a unit or two to deal with the threat. The variable fac-
will be delayed and it will take losses. tor is the size of that threat and when it will actually turn up.
THE BATTLEFIELD
The battlefield is divided by a river
running from the northern to the
southern edge. The river can only be
crossed at the bridge shown close to
its northern end. To the west of the
river the ground is densely wood-
ed, with the only open areas being
along the road, which enters from
the southern edge before curving
around towards the bridge, crossing
the river, and heading off eastwards.
The eastern side of the battlefield

is more open with a few patches of
woodland. The dominant feature is a
ridge running west to east and lying
closer to the southern edge of the bat-
© Rocío Espin
tlefield than the northern.
The woods reduce visibility to short

musket range (six inches for my terrain features as you see fit. Build- march having just entered the bat-
battle) and will reduce the move- ings should not be a significant fac- tlefield and encountered the am-
ment rate of formed infantry. Lim- tor in the scenario so should only bush. The ambushers can be placed
bered artillery cannot enter the be used for aesthetic effect. anywhere on the western side of the
woods other than by moving along river but not closer than short mus-
the road. If unlimbered it can be The Rebels’ main force is deployed ket range of the column. The main
pushed through the woods at a slow on and around the ridge, while their Crown force is placed close to the
rate. Feel free to add other minor flanking force begins in column of road on the eastern side of the river.

19
fantry brigades, while in the woods Rus-
sian Jägers of dubious quality prepare to
surprise some gunners!
If that doesn’t fit the bill, then how about

northern Virginia in 1864? Somewhere
around the Wilderness, a small Union di-
vision is defending a ridge overlooking an
important turnpike. Part of the division and
its artillery became detached on the march
and are attempting to rejoin. On the far side
of the road stand elements of Robert E. Lee’s
counterattacking army, while a further bri-
gade has occupied the woods to delay the
Federal reinforcements.
Hessians contest the ford with the Revolutionaries.
Don’t like horse and musket? Then fast for-

ALTERNATIVE SETTINGS ward to the Ardennes in 1940, with a couple of French
While this scenario plays very well in the American War infantry platoons atop the ridge defying a Wehrmacht
of Independence setting, it should prove readily adapt- company, while they wait for the rest of their company
able to other periods, and I consider a few here. and a Char B tank to turn up in support if they can
break through some German squads detached to de-
Firstly we could transport ourselves forward a few fend the woods. Moving on to 1944/45, the Germans
years into the age of Napoleon, specifically the 1812 might find themselves on the ridge while US infantry
campaign. Perhaps we find a ridge in Russia defended attempt to dislodge them.
by a couple of French infantry brigades, one veteran
and one conscript. They hope that a further conscript These are just a flavour of the different ways to use
brigade and the divisional artillery will reach them the scenario and I hope you have fun coming up with
soon. Opposite the ridge are Russian and Austrian in- some of your own. WS&S
ORDERS OF BATTLE
These orders of battle are constructed to suit my own col- Flank Guard
lection and rules, which rate unit quality through five lev- Native allies
els running from Levy (the worst) to Elite (the best). The • Native Warband (12) (Militia)
numbers in parentheses indicate the strength of the units • Native Warband (12) (Militia
I used to play the scenario myself. The command quality • Native Warband (12) (Militia)
of each army should be similar. • Native Warband (12) (Militia)
Hessian units most appropriately represent troops from Rebel Army

Brunswick. The rebel rifleman units are armed, as expect- Main Force
ed, with rifles, as are the Hessian Jägers. Other infantry Militia Brigade
are armed with smoothbore muskets. • Militia Battalion (30) (Militia)
• Militia Battalion (30) (Militia)
If player wish, add a section of field artillery (e.g. six- • Militia Riflemen (12) (Militia)
pounders) to the British and Continental brigades. • Militia Riflemen (12) (Militia)
Continental Brigade
Crown Army • Continental Battalion (30) (1st Line)
Main Force • Continental Battalion (30) (1st Line)
British Brigade • Continental Battalion (30) (1st Line)
• Regular Infantry (25) (1st Line)
Flank Force
• Regular Infantry (25) (1st Line)
• Regular Infantry (25) (1st Line) Militia Column
• Regular Light Infantry (12) (1st Line)
Hessian Brigade • Militia Battalion (18) (Militia)
• Hessian Infantry (30) (2nd Line) • Advanced Guard Riflemen (12) (2nd Line)
• Hessian Infantry (30) (2nd Line) • Rearguard Riflemen (6) (2nd Line)
• Hessian Jägers (12) (Elite) • Artillery 3pdr (1) (2nd Line)

NEW GOODIES FOR MAXIMILLIAN 1934 BANG-STICKS
FEATURE
For a dirt-farmer wanting

If Driving Fast Cars You Like… to make a little extra raid-
ing the weekly supply run
Anything Goes!
from Koo Wee Rup, the
cost of mounting a ma-
chine-gun on their Model
T may seem outrageous.
One of the major enjoyments in playing Maximil- But the one thing every
lian 1934 is letting the imagination run wild when self-respecting Jackaroo
has in a shed somewhere
it comes to designing and modelling vehicles for is a crate of dynamite… The basic bang-stick is simply an
the game. We’ve seen players plonk suspension old tin can filled with explosives mounted on the end of
a pole. The safety-conscious might also construct an im-
and wheels onto the fuselage of WW1 planes.
pact trigger, while others may make do with a long fuse.
There are boats with wheels and topside steer-
Hurled at enemy vehicles, these cheap and cheerful
ing that can trundle around the battlefield/race- weapons have a reputation for being just as dangerous
course. Old rustbucket trucks and gleaming state- to their users.
of-the-art 1930s speed vehicles – all have their
Cost: $15 each Attack Dice: 2
place in this world of Pulp-age road-rage gam-
ing. In the words of Cole Porter, “Anything Goes”. Damage: 1+ Successes: Ka-Bang! The target takes
one hit to its armour and one Critical Hit to
a random location.
By Lon Teal and Ara Harwood
Unlike rockets, bang-sticks do not have an
I
area-of-effect, and do not use the Wildly In-
t is even more fun when one discovers that the accurate rule.
real-world inventions of this age are even crazi-
Up to four bang-sticks can be placed in each Hard
er! Who in their right mind would stick 24 sol-
Point. Once the slot is damaged, the bang-sticks are
id-fuel rockets onto a car and race it at 143 mph
lost. In addition, when a Hard Point is damaged that
(230 km/h) on Berlin’s AVUS race track in 1928?
holds any unused bang-sticks, roll a single Fate dice
Fritz von Opel of course! Why would anyone want to
for each: on a 5-6 it explodes! The vehicle takes
experience the effects of ‘gerbiling’ in a monowheel
one hit to its armour on a side chosen by the owner.
vehicle? (If the monowheel driver brakes or acceler-
Needless to say, bang-sticks are one-use weapons. As
ates too hard, the rider is sent spinning around the
each is thrown, cross it off the Blueprint.
inside of the wheel.) How is it that motorcycle chariot
racing was a ‘thing’ in the 1920s and ’30s??? Thrown: Unlike other weapons, bang-sticks are not as-
signed to a mount and do not have a default facing.
We would like to encourage players to come up with Instead, as they are hand-thrown by the crew, they al-
wacky ideas for their vehicles and for the game. A way ways have a 360° arc-of-fire. Because they are thrown,
of supporting this is by providing ideas for new equip- however, they only have a maximum range of 6" – the
ment and vehicles. Outlined below are some things length of a cornering template when fully extended.
we think could be added to Maximillian 1934. Of A vehicle can launch up to two bang-sticks from each
course, there are many more ideas that are still gestat- Hard Point during its Activation.
ing in our fevered imaginations: mechanics that can
crawl around on a speeding vehicle, fixing damage
to armour and engines; pitstops with a pitcrew; steam
tractors; integrating aircraft into the game (12-inch
HALF-TRACKS
movement templates?); and so on. While not as nimble as a wheeled vehicle, a half-track
has huge advantages over difficult terrain.
In the meantime, enjoy our addi-
tions outlined below. Feel free Chassis cost: $100 No Hard Points
to come up with your own
wacky inventions and/or Half-tracks ignore the Fate rolls normally required
variations of vehicles. WS&S when crossing rough, boggy, or soft ground. Unfortu-
nately they just don’t handle as well as fully-wheeled
vehicles: when making any Amber or Red turn, add one
V
Manic monowheele extra Fate die to the roll. As this item is not assigned to
r
carrying a spar a Hard Point, it cannot be damaged during the game.
torpedo.

MONOWHEELS Short Ranged: Harpoon guns have a max range of 12".
Seriously considered by
Spiked: When the harpoon punches home and the
inventors of the ’20s and
wire cable snaps taut, both vehicles must immedi-
’30s as a serious mode of
ately make a roll to stay in control: the number of
transportation, monow-
Fate dice used in the roll is equal to the vehicle’s
heels unfortunately suf-
Speed x2. Against this, the player rolls Fortune dice
fered from several rather
equal to Driver Skill + Vehicle Size.
serious problems. Among
them were an inability to Failure causes the model to lose control exactly as if
brake efficiently, a severe it had failed a Turning Test. Roll a dice to determine
lack of stability, and oc- the direction of the vehicle’s spin: 1-3 clockwise, 4-6
casional ‘gerbiling’ – a fault that sent the rider spinning anticlockwise. Just as when a failing a Turning Test, this
around the inside of the wheel… Ridiculous and possibly could cause the vehicle to roll.
deadly to the rider? Perfect for Maximillian!
After the vehicles have made their control tests, both
lose two points of Speed – to a minimum of 0.
Monowheels are a new chassis available for Maximillian
1934. We will eventually make a proper blueprint for After the control tests and Speed reduction, the har-
them, but until then, just use the Motorcycle blueprint poon tears free of the target – it is no longer Spiked.
with a couple of minor adjustments.
Chassis cost: $400 Size: 1

SPAR TORPEDO
Handling: 2 Max speed: 5 Hard points: 4 Take a high-explosive
Monowheels cannot use Hand Braking to slow their charge, rig up an impact
movement. Aside from running into things, they can detonator, stick it to the
only decelerate by one per Movement Action. end of a long pole at-
tached to the front of
Monowheels are considered Motorcycles with regards your car, and then ram
to the equipment that can be built onto them. it into the bad guys.
Dreamt up by a couple
of ex-sailors from Bon-
HARPOON GUNS nie Doon who were
When you’re hitting a fat probably drunk, the spar torpedo has become a favour-
convoy stuffed with all ite of those short of cash but long in courage. In some
that’s good, the last thing areas they are known as Jousting Sticks.
you want is to annihilate
your target. As times got Chassis cost: $50 No Hard Points
worse, it didn’t take long
Mounted externally, spar torpedoes take up no Hard
for folks to hit upon the
Points. A vehicle can only have one spar torpedo
idea of a harpoon… (NB:
mounted on it.
cannot be used on motor-
bikes or monowheels.) Spar torpedoes automatically detonate when the carry-
ing vehicle rams or is involved in a head-on crash with
Chassis cost: $150 each Attack Dice: 2 another model or piece of terrain (the target).
Just before working out the damage caused by the
Damage: 0-1 Success: Glanced off. The target takes
collision, roll a Fate die to see what happens when
one hit to its armour.
the torpedo explodes:
2+ Successes: Thar She Blows! The target
takes two hits to the armour, and one Criti- • On a 1-4 everything goes as planned. The tar-
cal Hit to a random location that bypasses get suffers a Direct Hit, causing one Hit to
any remaining armour. In addition, it is its armour on all four sides, plus one Critical
Spiked – see below. Hit to a random location that ignores armour.
The vehicle carrying the torpedo is also struck by
Slow Load: Due to having to be wound in, harpoon
shrapnel and takes one Hit to its front armour.
guns can only be fired every second turn. When fired,
mark the check box beside the weapon (or alternatively • On a 5-6, the detonator ‘hangs’ momentarily.
place a marker on the vehicle’s Blueprint). During the Both vehicles catch the full force of the explo-
model’s next activation, remove the marker. In the fol- sion and suffer a Direct Hit (as above).
lowing Activation it will be ready to fire.

25
A FICTIONAL PLATOON-LEVEL SCENARIO IN THE LIBYAN DESERT
BIR ACHIN
FEATURE
In Operation Compass, launched in December 1940, British and

Commonwealth troops launched a series of attacks against Italian
troops in Egypt and Cyrenaica. The British Western Desert Force
launched a lightning raid against the Italian Tenth Army around
Sidi Barrani in western Egypt. Organised into fast-moving ‘Jock’
columns made up of tanks and motorised infantry, the British cap-
tured over 100,000 prisoners while only suffering light casualties.
By Mark Backhouse play smoothly, but is not a prereq-

uisite. The British column has one
T
understrength platoon of cruiser
he following scenario at Bir tanks and one platoon of motorised
Achin hopes to capture a infantry mounted on trucks. The
fairly typical experience of Italians have one platoon of infantry
one of those British columns with a few additional assets as well
when they came up against as a number of prepared positions.
some fiercer resistance than nor-
© Michael Perry
The exact figures can easily be sub-
mal. The scenario could be played stituted to fit your specific avail-
out using whichever platoon-lev- able figures; indeed, with a small
el WW2 rules you want and can amount of tweaking to the setting,
be easily converted for Crossfire, they could be altered to represent easily overwhelm these poorly mo-
Cross of Iron, Bolt Action or Chain different nationalities. tivated defenders, however.
of Command, to name just a few,
with some simple tweaks. It is also Lieutenant Timothy Forsyth-Smith
THE BRITISH PLAYERS
not restricted to 1940 and could be Pltn. commander of the cruiser tanks
The British have been given orders
tweaked for one of the later British A budding law student from the
to attack Bir Achin, a small Libyan
offensives from 1941 to 1943. Home Counties before the war, Tim-
village about thirty miles outside
of Sidi Barrani. The village is being othy is a well-spoken product of the
The game is designed to be played public school system. He tends to
held by just a single platoon of Ital-
by two players per side, although view the Italians as a cultured but soft
ian troops, but has made some prep-
can easily be broken down into sort who will happily surrender once
arations for her defence. The speed
more commands if more people reminded firmly. He has a fondness
and ferocity of your attack should
want to play. A games master will be for good-quality Italian wine and
a helpful asset to help the scenario gramophone records of operatic mu-
sic. His platoon has suffered two lost
tanks, both from breakdowns, but
has so far come through the war with
little in the way of seri-
ous combat save for the
occasional attack from
Italian aircraft. He is a
cautious commander who is keen to
make sure his tank, ‘Arabella’, and
his crew of likeable chaps makes it
through the war unscathed. He has
a grudging respect for Sergeant Ed-
wards and the experience he has
gathered in his earlier campaigning.
V
A British 6-pdr anti-tank gun

26 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95 and crew in the Western Desert
during November 1942.
Sempre Avanti Italia! Credere! Obbedire! Combattere!
Personal victory points: Sergeant Eric Edwards Personal victory points:

• +1 for every Italian prisoner who Pltn. commander of the • +1 for every Italian killed, cap-
can be captured rather than motorised infantry platoon tured, or injured.
killed or injured. A member of the Territorial Army • +5 if his platoon conducts itself
• +5 if he can ‘liberate’ any fine before the war, Eric is a no-nonsense well under fire and is praised at
wines or Italian opera records. and resourceful platoon command- the end of the game by Forsyth-
• -10 for every tank lost from er from Birmingham. He took com- Smith. This can be doubled to
his platoon. mand of the platoon after the recent +10 if Edwards comes in for
• -5 if any tanks in his platoon death of the respected platoon com- personal praise.
come under direct and accu- mander Lieutenant Smedley in an
• -10 if any section in his pla-
rate Italian anti-tank gun fire toon breaks under fire or in
Italian aerial attack. He regards the
(regardless of whether this pen- close combat.
Italians as poorly led, and his expe-
etrates the armour or not). • +3 if his inexperienced sec-
rience of them in early encounters
• +5 if he can use his skills as a is that, while their men will put up
tion gains some useful expe-
trainee barrister to negotiate a rience without heavy losses.
a fierce fight if forced to, they will
peaceful solution to any stale- Examples of this might be that
surrender when pressed. His pla-
mate situation. they receive and return
toon has suffered some early losses,
fire, engage in melee
but fresh replacements have been or the cap-
Under his command he has:
sent to fill most of the gaps. He is a
• ‘Arabella’ – a cruiser tank led
capable platoon commander who is
by Forsyth-Smith himself
respected by his men and by the at-
• ‘Badajoz’ – a cruiser tank led
tached tanks of Lieutenant Forsyth-
by Sergeant Thompson
Smith, but feels a successful action
• ‘Betsy’ – a cruiser tank led by
Sergeant Macdonald. against the Italians here at Bir Achin
would do wonders to cement his
All cruiser tank crews are inexperi- position and build the confidence of
enced with average morale. the fresh replacements.

27
ture of Italian troops, or com- two to three trucks. They may choose
plete a tactically challenging to dismount prior to the game if the
manoeuvre such as cutting British player wishes.
barbed wire entanglements or
making a passageway through THE ITALIAN FORCES
a minefield under fire. The Italian garrison at Bir Achin is
well led and has the capacity to hold
Under his command he has: out and defeat any overconfident
• Command section British attacks. The NCOs and some
Sergeant Edwards, SMG, with of the platoon have fought in the
radio operator and two riflemen;
subjugation of Libya and also Abys-
Two-man ‘Boys’ anti-tank team;
sinia, gaining valuable experience of
One man with 2" mortar.
tactical movement under fire. Their
• 1st Squad platoon commander is a confident
Corporal Tyrone, rifle, with five-
and ambitious political zealot who
man rifle team;
will not allow his men to dishonour
Lance-corporal Telford, rifle, The only British he fears are the wild
their reputation as fighting men.
with two-man Bren team. and tough Scots troops who terrify his
• 2nd Squad nightmares (not that he needs to let his
Lieutenant Antonio Bruno
Corporal Rackham, rifle, with troops know this!) He has been given a
Pltn. commander of the
five-man rifle team; radio warning of an impending British
Italian infantry platoon
Lance-corporal Gilbert, rifle, attack from a small mechanised group
An enthusiastic blackshirt member of
with two-man Bren team. and has energetically started to pre-
the Fascist Party from Milan, Antonio
• 3rd Squad pare the defences around Bir Achin.
has been newly promoted to a com-
Corporal Shipley, rifle, with
mission in the army. He has been
five-man rifle team;
a Balilla youth leader and is keen to Personal victory points:
Lance-corporal Bury, rifle,
show his fanaticism to inspire his brave • +1 for every British soldier
with two-man Bren team.
men. Some of his men don’t quite killed or injured, and +3 for
All troops in the platoon count as show the same degree of enthusiasm every British soldier captured,
experienced with good morale, with for ‘El Duce’, but with the correct in- because it re-enforces his be-
the exception of 3rd Squad who spiration will fight well. He has heard liefs about soft English troops!
count as inexperienced with shaky that the English are soft tea-drinkers • +10 if he can inspire his pla-
morale. The platoon is mounted in and will have no stomach for a fight. toon with a suitable act of
DEPLOYMENT
Two squads of the Italian troops
should be deployed in and around
the buildings in Bir Achin along with
any number of supporting sections at
position A. The Italians may place up
to one of their infantry squads with
a supporting section along the high
ground within 24" of point B. They
may prepare their position with con-
cealed slit trenches and foxholes.
Up to two sections or supporting
sections may be kept off table and
brought in as a reserve guarding the
rear route into the town. They may
© Rocío Espin
be brought on from point C. The Ital-

ian troops deployed in each section
should be allocated in each area, re-
gardless of the rule system you use navigation is not always so straight- away from your chosen point along
to actually ‘show’ them on the table. forward! Roll 1d6; on a roll of 5-6 the table edge in either a clockwise
any troops deploying this turn have or anticlockwise direction (roll 1d6;
The British forces will arrive from any become a little lost and have attacked 1-3 clockwise, 4-6 anticlockwise).
point of their choice along the Brit- along a slightly different axis of at- This might allow them to enter from a
ish baseline, although in the desert tack than expected. Deploy them 24" completely different board edge.

The Royal Corps of Colonial Troops. A 'mighty' column of Italian armour advances.
personal heroism, e.g. leading Sergeant Giuseppe Esposito Lieutenant Bruno (even if he
a bayonet charge, personally Experienced NCO of dislikes his orders!)
sighting an anti-tank gun that the Italian infantry platoon
destroys a British tank, or cap- A southerner and a conscript dur- Under his command he has:
turing a British section in handing the war with Abyssinia, Ser- • 2nd Section
to-hand fighting. geant Espocito was never a natural Sergeant Esposito, SMG, with
• -10 if he displays a lack of military soldier; he was poorly edu- ten-man rifle team;
courage or leadership at the cated and disliked army discipline. Lance-corporal with eight-man
critical moment, e.g. running In Abyssinia, however, he found rifle team including two LMGs.
away or being captured due he had an aptitude for tactics and • HMG section
to a morale failure. for understanding the natural ter- Lance-corporal Conti, with
rain to the best advantage, and was three-man HMG team.
Under his command he has: quickly promoted. He lacks the en-
• Command section thusiasm for the fascist regime that
All troops in the platoon count as
Lieutenant Bruno, SMG, with experienced with average morale.
Bruno has attempted to create in
radio operator and one rifleman; the platoon. Esposito’s cynicism is
20 mm anti-tank gun and shared by the majority of his men, TERRAIN
crew, commanded by Corpo- who are peasant recruits. The Brit- Bir Achin is a small village made up
ral Sicililiano. ish are tough enemies who com- of half a dozen adobe-style build-
• 1st Section mand his respect; they will prove ings. There is a well and a flagpole
Sergeant Gabbiadini, rifle, considerably tougher opposition boldly flying the Italian flag in the
with ten-man rifle team; centre of the town. The buildings
than the Abyssinian tribesmen he
Lance-corporal Russo, rifle, provide good cover for infantry de-
has fought in the past.
with eight-man rifle team fenders, but are not loop-holed.
including two LMGs.
Personal victory points:
• Tank support • +2 for every for British soldier A dusty track runs from one end of
Corporal Fazio with a single the board through the town out to the
captured or broken due to mo-
M13/40 tank.
rale failure. other side. Off the tracks, the land is
All these troops count as experi- • +1 for every two men from arid and littered with small rocks and
enced and confident (or fanatical if his squads in the platoon that bushes that will provide occasional
Bruno has attached himself to them). he manages to keep alive and spots of light cover for infantry.
uninjured during the battle.
(Note, they may be captured About a third of the way on to the
alive by the British and still table, the terrain raises into a steeper
claim the points.) rugged ridge that would give a con-
• +5 for keeping intact and un- siderable vantage over the village.
captured his luxuries from The large number of rocks provide
home, including his ‘col- light cover for troops along this
ourful’ postcards, per- ridge. The rugged terrain on the ridge
sonal letters, and gram- is very difficult going for tanks due to
ophone collection. how steep it is and the large number
• +3 for maintaining of big rocks. Tanks should roll each
outward obedience towards turn to see if they can move, with

29
Enemy column successfully engaged by British Armour. © Michael Perry
a roll of ‘1’ on a d6 indicating that supporting section, turning it from must try again next turn. British re-
they have become stuck. good cover into a fortified position. serves need to dice to see if they
arrive in the correct place (see de-
Dig in one section into camouflaged
A dry riverbed runs from the hillside ployment rules earlier). Italian re-
rifle pits and foxholes. These can be
down into the town. This provides serves arrive from point C.
detected only when British soldiers
good cover for infantry but provides
come within close rifle range or the
an obstacle for tanks trying to cross troops in them open fire. WINNING THE GAME
it, as again they might become stuck. I would suggest playing for as many
Give one section improvised anti-
turns as you have time for, but set-
tank bombs or Molotov cocktails.
SPECIAL RULES ting a pre-decided time limit for your
Prepared ground – Bruno has heard rules will help. The Italians win if they
Bruno the fanatic - Any section that
reports of the British advance. He manage to break the British morale
Lieutenant Bruno is attached to will
may choose to do any two of the fol- and maintain control of Bir Achin.
improve their morale to fanatical, rep-
lowing things before the game: The British win if they manage to
resenting his blood-curdling war cries
Place two 6"-long sections of and fascist rhetoric inspiring his men. break the Italian morale and capture
barbed-wire entanglements guard- the town. Having a British infantry
ing the approach to the town. These Gramophone records and ‘colour- section lower the Italian flag in the
can be secretly mapped and are ful’ photographs – Allocate one centre of the town is a symbolic ges-
deployed once British troops come building (or possibly tent model) ture that the town has been captured!
within ‘rifle’-effective range of them. close to where Sergeant Esposito de-
They may not block the road. ploys from. This houses his personal Any other result with a still-con-
collection of luxuries, which are sig- tested town by the end of play is
Secretly deploy one 4" x 8" section of considered a draw.
nificant for some of the personal vic-
anti-personnel mines or 4" x 4" section
tory points in the game.
of anti-tank mines anywhere ‘reason- More importantly, players should
able’ on the table. (This cannot be in also try to work out their own per-
Reserves – Either side may bring in
the town itself and it cannot block the
reserves later in the game, which sonal victory points. They might
main road as the Italian army will need
have been kept off table. If a player find that their character has been
to be using it for themselves!)
wishes to bring them on, roll 1d6. on the losing side but has won a
Loophole and dig in to a building pro- On a roll of 4+ they may deploy personal victory by the way that
viding enough cover for one squad or that turn; if the roll is failed they they have played! WS&S

TABLETOP TACTICS
TABLETOP TACTICS
© Georgie Harman
HORSE AND MUSKET-ERA
CAVALRY
You will recall that the rapidity of cavalry on
the battlefield is a critical advantage of this
arm. On the other hand, it also depends what
you do with it once you get where you’re go-
ing. The Marlburian era was an interesting one,
because it featured the last outing of the ‘cara-
cole’ style of shooting from horseback at close
range, still employed by the French, compared
By Henry Hyde to the British tactic of charging with cold steel.
L
et’s refer to the great David Chandler for a cavalry reverted to a more
brief overview (The Art of Warfare in the Age dramatic and forceful bat-
of Marlborough, pp. 50-51): [Writing about the tle role. However, as the
French] “...For most of the first half of the sev- years passed, many of their precepts began to be mis-
enteenth century, the advocates of fire-action applied by lesser commanders, and towards the end
had carried the day. Cavalry usually moved to the at- of the century a compromise between the ‘fire’ and
tack, two squadrons at a time, on the frontage of a ‘shock’ schools of thought was becoming increasingly
single compagnie, the remaining five troops advanc- the fashion. The French cavalry – usually massed on
ing one after another behind the flanks of the infantry and guns – still advanced at
the leader. Moving the trot to fire, but this it now gave in three ranks all at
forward at a slow once. [Fraught with peril for the front rank, I imagine!
trot to within carbine HH] Following the discharge of pistol and carbine,
or pistol range, each the squadrons spurred through the smoke to engage
troop would in turn rein in the mêlée, swords in hand. There was, however,
in, discharge their fire- relatively little attempt to press home the attack with
arms, and then trot to the ruthless vigour of a Gustavus or Cromwell.”
the rear of their six-troop-deep
formation to reload; meanwhile the James Falkner describes the charge of Marlborough’s
second troop moved up into the newly cavalry (Marlborough’s War Machine 1702-1711,
vacated space to fire in their turn. p. 110): “In a well-ordered advance, the pace would
be gentle at first, conserving both the strength of
“This type of ‘perpetual mobile’, the horses and the good order of the riders, but this
however impressive on the pa- would steadily and progressively build from a walk,
rade ground, sacrificed practi- to a trot, then to a canter – rarely a gallop, as this was
cally all the advantages of both exhausting and too hard to control – at the mo-
shock action. The exam- ment of impact. The charge, conducted en muraille
ples of Gustavus Adol- [literally like a wall, boot-to-boot] in this way, saw
phus of Sweden, and to a lesser the rider lean forward over the neck of his horse,
extent Prince Rupert and Oli- sword arm outstretched in front of him, ready for
ver Cromwell, who all advo- the deadly stroke against his enemy. In this highly
cated and practised la charge disciplined and drilled manner, mass shock effect
sauvage, eventually caused was achieved, albeit at the cost of having to exercise
a considerable shift in French great skill, determination and horsemanship.”
military opinion. As a result,
in the days of Turenne and the You may also recall that in issue 94, I stressed the
Great Condé, much of the French importance of keeping a cavalry reserve. Falkner
V
A trumpeter from the Gardes du corps du Roy,

out of a book on the French army published in 1721.
A glorious sight – a powerful cavalry reserve can save or win the day.
states (p. 111) that “Marlborough was careful always Together with other aspects of cavalry tactics men-
to hold some cavalry in reserve, no matter what lo- tioned last time, let’s now turn our attention to how
cal success or reverse took place in the opening well a well-known ruleset reflects the reality.
and middle phases of a battle [...] The holding back
from the general fray of a strong mounted reserve CAVALRY IN BLACK POWDER
was, on crucial occasions, regarded as the battle- We’ve encountered the Black Powder/Hail Caesar ap-
winning stroke. Even though the duke’s cavalry was proach before in this series. It owes its lineage to Rick
heavily engaged for much of the afternoon’s fight- Priestley’s Warmaster, a fast-play gaming system that
ing at Blenheim, and also at Ramillies, the strength abstracts certain aspects of play in order to achieve a
of both horses and their riders was conserved by plausible result in a relatively short real timeframe –
careful positioning of infantry supports and rein- quite substantial games can be played in an afternoon
forcements at important moments.” or an evening, without recourse to energy drinks or
ibuprofen! The question, of course, is always whether
I also mentioned the unfortunate tendency of head- this adversely affects the ‘granularity’ of the period.
strong cavalry – especially the British, sadly – to throw
away their successes by needlessly pursuing the en- I think most players who know the rules are proba-
emy cavalry off the field, often to their own destruc- bly familiar with their application to Napoleonic-era
tion. Falkner again (p. 112): “Tight discipline had to games, but for the purposes of this article, I want to
be maintained in the handling of cavalry, as headlong stick to the Marlburian era, for which we have given
pursuits were discouraged because they were tiring you a brief historical primer, for the very reason that
for the horses and, with no commander able to exer- it is on the cusp between two quite different eras.
cise command and control properly, would jeopard-
ise any success. At Blenheim the British cavalry went Movement in Black Powder (BP) is, as we have seen
on too far in their repulse of the French Gens d’Armes before, predicated by the ‘command and control’
and were badly cut up for their trouble.” system of the rules. First, you must issue your or-
ders, stating what you intend to do with your units.
I’m sure you can think of many more examples Units within 12" of the enemy – you might adjust
from other periods: the Scots Greys going too far this if you are using miniatures other than 28 mm
in their pursuit of D'Erlon’s men at Waterloo in size – may act on their own initiative, because they
1815, only to be counter charged and nearly an- are in such close proximity to the enemy that they
nihilated by French lancers; or the Royalist cavalry are deemed to be able to make up their own mind!
at Naseby who galloped after their opposite num- For the rest, however, precisely how far they can
bers towards Northampton. move is determined by the command roll.

33
For each commander on your side – usually brigade com-
manders first, and then the C-in-C only if needed or for
troops they have specifically under their own hand – you
roll a pair of d6s, add them together, and compare them
to that commander’s rating. Those Staff Ratings can be
found on p. 11 of the BP rulebook, but in essence range
from 5 for a total nincompoop up to 10 for a military
genius. Most of your tabletop commanders will have a
rating of 7 or 8, being average-good which, unsurpris-
ingly, coincides nicely with the average roll on 2d6. The
higher the number, the easier it is to pass the command
test – the requirement is to roll less than or equal to that
number; anything higher fails the test. A double 6 results
in a Blunder. Trust me, you don’t want one of those!
A fail means that the unit can’t move unless it qualifies for
a single ‘free move’ under certain circumstances. A score
equalling the commander’s rating or one less means the
unit can carry out one move, two less permits two moves, Austrian cuirassiers from the Wars of the Spanish Succession.
and three or more less (such as a leader rated 8 throwing
5 or less) allows three moves in succession.
gave heavy cavalry a standard move of 9" compared to infan-
try in line with 6" – again a two-thirds proportion – but the
The actual maximum move distances in a single move are
horsemen were permitted a 12" ‘battle’ move for every rest
12" for infantry, foot artillery, and wagons; 18" for cavalry
move they had taken previously. By this means, a rested re-
or limbered horse artillery; 6" for manhandled artillery; 12"
serve could quickly outdistance other cavalry that had been
for battalion guns; 36" for commanders on foot; and 48" for
active throughout the battle. Personally, I’d be inclined to
commanders on horseback. Obviously, there are modifiers
trim the infantry move somewhat for the early- to mid-18th
for troops moving across rough terrain and so on.
century, a time at which a great deal of attention was given
to correct dressing of lines and parade-ground appearance
Now, this is interesting on three counts. First of all, it
– perhaps 8" would be appropriate. I’d rather do this than
means that no distinction is made between heavy and
extend the cavalry move, which we’ll come to in a moment.
light cavalry in terms of movement – only their fighting
value differs. Certainly, early in the 18th century, I would
My final point here is that, given the right command roll,
contend that particularly the heavy horse and cuirassiers
it is possible for your cavalry – any cavalry – to launch
should have their movement curtailed compared to the
themselves 3 x 18" = 54" across the tabletop and, assum-
relatively few light cavalry of the time, who would rarely
ing you’re playing on a table of normal proportions, i.e.
appear on the battlefield proper at all.
no more than six feet wide, right into the heart of the
Secondly, the infantry is permitted to move at two thirds the enemy’s formations, in true ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’
rate of cavalry. If we look at my opening remarks about their fashion. I’ve done so myself in a Crimean War game at
comparative speeds, this would seem to be a little out of kil- the home of Warlord supremo John Stalled, throwing the
ter. In his famous book The War Game (1971), Charles Grant Heavy Brigade at Balaklava into the hordes of Russian
cavalry opposite, just as happened historically.
This is interesting, of course, because it does produce those

exciting episodes in battles that we all remember. Moreo-
ver, just as we read about the very incidents I’ve mentioned
– Marlborough’s cavalry charging at Blenheim, or the Scots
Greys at Waterloo, or the Light Brigade at Balaklava – it
becomes possible to reproduce them, under the right cir-
cumstances and with the dice gods behind us.
Interestingly, Black Powder gives no charge bonus to

movement, though under these circumstances of po-
tentially tripled move distance, you hardly need one!
However, you must have ordered your troops to make
physical contact with the enemy.
Crash or bang - Different armies When it comes to combat, the main Black Powder rule-
used firearms or swords.
book gives (on p. 176) a fairly comprehensive list of all the

Don't be fooled by the figures – most heavy cavalry moved at a stately trot.
cavalry types you are likely to need – Cavalry, Heavy Cav- fantry; cavalry pistols DO NOT get +1 for short range, but
alry, Cuirassier, Hussars/Light and Warband. There is even they do get +1 for closing fire; and only cuirassiers may use
a hint – on p. 51 – of how the caracole could be addressed, the Heavy Cavalry rule (+d3 combat results on a charge).
under the heading of “Closing Fire with Cavalry”: “Cavalry Furthermore, caracoling cavalry may not countercharge,
armed with pistols could – and sometimes did – receive though they may fire and charge at -1. All eminently sen-
a charge at the halt and instead deliver closing fire upon sible and the rules work well. Perhaps the most important
their enemies. This generally proved disastrous when put change, however, is that the move sequence is changed to
into practice, but for those who wish to buck the trend, we Initiative–Firing–Command–Melee. Try them and see!
shall permit closing fire to cavalry with a shooting value
as an alternative to the Cavalry Countercharge (page 63).” Now, what about those notoriously impetuous cavalry that
scamper off into the distance after a fight? This seems to fit
On p. 176, under the Cavalry Regiment, we find another the BP notion of the ‘Sweeping Advance’ (rulebook p. 69),
clue: “Shooting is ignored, being assumed to take place and I suggest a special rule in which cavalry deemed to be
only as part of hand-to-hand fighting – but for earlier cav- ‘Impetuous’ (especially British cavalry) must do this, and
alry and smaller actions use a value of 1 to represent fire pursue the defeated enemy. There is also (p. 90) the ‘Fero-
from the saddle.” Aha! This gives us our caracole. cious Charge’ rule, which could be used to favour especially
aggressive or elite cavalry. To be honest, I was enormously
In The Last Argument of Kings supplement, designed to cov- surprised to see that no such rule already existed in the
er the 18th century, I was disappointed to find no mention Black Powder canon – it needs a sort of Determined Charge
of rules for the caracole, and indeed the only cavalry given a (p. 89) but only after having been victorious in melee.
shooting factor are Dragoons when dismounted. Moreover,
the only stats given are for the British and Allies – no French! Finally, look at the rules for supports on p. 67 of Black
However, on p. 18 it does have a useful suggestion for cav- Powder. Here’s where those separate squadrons of cav-
alry charging infantry, pointing out that the foot of this era alry come into play. “A unit can support a single engaged
was highly disciplined and affording them the benefit of se- friend within 6"…” The way it works is that a unit fighting
cure flanks (+1) and that any roll of 6 thrown by the infantry to its front may add +1 to its Combat Result if it has sup-
during closing fire will disorder the cavalry. port to either flank or rear – a potential maximum of +3
if it has friends on both sides and behind. Moreover, the
So, I went to the Thirty Years’ War supplement, The supporting units are unaffected morale-wise unless the
Devil’s Playground, which is where I found plentiful unit they are supporting actually breaks.
stats (pp. 16-21, 52-57, 72-75, and 86-91) for cavalry
showing a 1 for shooting. The same is true for the ECW As you can see, with a bit of work and thought, and perhaps
supplement To Kill A King. a few tweaks, Black Powder can indeed meet the needs of
the dedicated Marlburian player so that the cavalry tactics
In fact, there is an unofficial supplement written by Ian of the period can be accurately portrayed on the tabletop.
Hopping, known online as The Last Hussar, called ...&
Blenheim Palace, which you can download free from Next time, I’m going to head back in time to much earlier
http://bit.ly/BlenheimPalaceRules. Here, the ruling is that periods and examine the use of cavalry in ancient and
cavalry may not charge the front of ordered, unshaken in- medieval times. WS&S

35
THEME
Emperors stood an excellent

chance of getting hurt by other
Romans, as in this depiction of
the wounding of Gallienus during
the siege of the Gallic emperor
Postumus at Lugdunum (AD 265).
© Igor Dzis

THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE: HISTORY AND WARGAMING
CHANGING TO SURVIVE
In the later fifth century AD, the northern frontiers had been
breached, and the Western Roman Empire was overrun by barbar-
ians. A lonely Roman cohort still holding the town of Batavis on
the Danube, its regular supplies having broken down, decided to
send a squad to Rome for their pay. The garrison first knew that
their companions had been massacred by unknown barbarians
when their bodies washed up on the banks of the river.
By Harry Sidebottom In many ways Rome had brought the

crisis upon itself. In the east, repeated
O
Roman attacks on the Parthian Empire
lder scholarship saw had fatally undermined its ruling Ar-
the army of the fourth sacid dynasty, and been instrumental
and fifth centuries as in its replacement by the much more
in terminal decline. Its aggressive and far more militarily dan-
troops, largely of bar-
gerous Sassanid Persians. In the north,
barian origins, were portrayed as
centuries of Roman trade, diplomacy,
badly equipped, suffering from ill-
and punitive campaigns had provided
discipline and low morale, and in-
the preconditions for the many small
creasingly ineffective on the battle-
Germanic tribes to coalesce into a
field. Reassessment by more recent
number of large and threatening con-
historians paints a very different
federations, notably the Franks, Ala-
picture, stressing much continu-
manni, Goths, and Vandals. Indeed,
ity and enduring professionalism,
Rome may have been responsible in
and arguing for sustained, if not
another more direct way for its north-
enhanced, military efficiency. Yet
ern problems. Scandinavian archaeol-
no one doubts that, as the Empire
ogy suggests that, in the second cen-
turned from its previous limited ag-
tury, Rome had created a powerful
gression to desperate defence, the
client state from the tribes around the
army changed.
Baltic, centred on modern Denmark.
This may well have served as a blue-
THE THIRD print for other hostile tribes to form
CENTURY CRISIS their own confederations.
The assassination of
the emperor Alexan- After the capture of Valerian, his son,
der Severus by his own the emperor Gallienus (AD 260-268),
troops in the spring of improvised wildly to try to preserve
AD 235 ushered in fifty what remained of his embattled em-
years of endemic civil wars pire – at times little more than Italy
and several catastrophic Ro- and Africa. An ad hoc mobile field
man defeats at the hands of ex- army was created, comprised of small
ternal peoples. In AD 251, Decius units newly raised or detached from
became the first emperor to die in the frontiers. A significant proportion
battle with the barbarians, when of the field army was mounted, and
he was killed by the Goths at Abri- an independent cavalry formation
tus. In AD 260, Valerian won the was founded. Military command was
dubious distinction of becoming entrusted to professional officers from
the only emperor ever captured the equestrian order, rather than ama-
alive by barbarians, when he teurs from the Senate, and a cadre of
was taken prisoner by the Sassa- Protectores – part bodyguards, part
nid Persians near Edessa. staff officers – was set up.

39
The innovations of Gallienus made it
© Jastrow / Wikimedia Commons

Diocletian says: possible for a series of short-lived ‘Il-
lyrian’ soldier emperors, many risen
WARGAMES RULES
from the ranks, and almost all from the
Any set of ancients rules can rec- border provinces south of the Danube,
reate battles between armies, in- to crush the rebel empires based in
cluding Hail Caesar, To The Strong- Palmyra and Gaul, and to restore the
est, Sword & Spear, and Mortem frontiers. Almost miraculously, by the
et Gloriam. Simon Macdowall’s end of the crisis the Empire was once
Comitatus games are specifically again unified, and the only territories
designed for the Late Empire. lost were the Agri Decumates (the
lands between the headwaters of the
Rhine and Danube), and the provinces
of Dacia north of the Danube.
Gallienus says:
SOURCES THE LATE ROMAN ARMY
The army that emerged from the crisis
The ‘dark tunnel’ of the third
of the third century was different from
century is notoriously poor for
primary sources. Things are bet- that of the early Empire. The changes
ter in the fourth century with Am- are usually associated with the em-
mianus Marcellinus, but narrative perors Diocletian (AD 284-305) and
historians again are largely lack- Constantine (AD 307-337). Yet it is
ing for the fifth century, especially difficult to determine which emperor
for the West. Two superb modern was responsible for which measure,
overviews are Peter Heather, The and also to judge the extent to which
Fall of the Roman Empire (2005), the reforms were radical, or merely
and Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall systemised practices that had grown
of Rome (2005). in the chaos of the third century.
The army of the Principate (the con-

ventional name for the period 31 BC-
AD 235) had been based on the fa-
mous Roman legions. These were
longstanding units of c. 5,000 heavy troops, and it is pointed out that units
infantry, composed of citizens. The could be transferred between field
other component were the auxiliaries. and frontier armies. The comitatens-
The latter were regular formations of es were paid more than the limitanei,
circa five hundred, or sometimes a but this can be explained as akin to
thousand men. They comprised the overseas pay, to recompense men for
supporting infantry, equipped for serving away from their homes.
combat either hand-to-hand or with
missiles, and cavalry of different types. Some things had changed. Units
The vast majority of auxiliaries were were smaller, between five hundred
non-citizens. The distinction between and a thousand men (thus similar to
citizens and non-citizens disappeared the old auxiliaries). Even the legions
in AD 212, when the emperor Cara- that survived now had no more than
calla granted almost all inhabitants of a thousand under their standards.
the Empire citizenship. There was different equipment and
an altered tactical role for the in-
The principle distinction in the fantry. The pilum, the heavy throw-
army of the Dominate (the term for ing javelin, was gone, replaced by
AD 284-476) was between the comi- the spiculum, a spear that could be
tatenses (troops of the field armies) thrown or used hand to hand. Foot
and the limitanei (those stationed soldiers also carried throwing darts,
along the frontiers). Modern writers the type employed in the fifth cen-
used to denigrate the latter as little tury being called a martiobarbulus.
more than barely trained and ill- The short sword, the gladius, had
armed peasants. Nowadays they are given way to a longer blade, the spa-
V
seen more positively as professional tha. In combat, Roman infantry now

Dating from the mid-3rd century AD, this
40 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95 shield from Dura Europos is one of the very
few that survive from the Roman era.
The Ludovisi Sarcophagus from 251/252 AD shows a combat between Roman and Germanic soldiers.
often stood on the defensive and armour, carried large shields, and
awaited attack, rather than charging formed up in close order.
into contact. Cavalry had assumed a
greater importance as a percentage BATTLE
of armies, especially of the frontier
In the late summer of AD 357 the
armies. There were more units of
future emperor Julian confronted the
cataphracti (heavily armoured men,
Alamanni near Argentoratum (mod-
wielding lances, and sometimes rid-
ern Strasbourg). The thirteen thousand
ing barded horses). On the battle-
Romans were outnumbered by thirty-
field, mounted troops often played Gallienus says:
five thousand Germanic warriors.
a more significant tactical role, fre-
quently employing feigned retreats. SKIRMISHES
After a long approach march, Julian The big pitched battles and sieges
Yet much remained the same. The urged his army to pitch camp and post- catch the attention of the ancient
majority of regular troops were still pone battle until the next day. Both the sources. But these were played
recruited within the Empire. It is esti- men and the senior officers clamoured out against a ‘background noise’
mated that no more than one in four to be led into battle straight away. As of continuous low-level raiding.
soldiers of armies in the West, and a Julius Caesar had before him, Julian A favoured Roman tactic was
lower number in the East, ever came bowed to the will of the army. to try to catch barbarian raiding
from beyond the frontiers. Roman ar- parties on their way home laden
mies still mainly consisted of infan- Julian drew up the majority of his in- with plunder. Any universal set of
try. As we will see, at the Battle of fantry in the centre, with a reserve, skirmish rules can be used. Gane-
Strasbourg in a Roman army of thir- and a detachment guarding his left sha Games’ BattleSworn is fun.
teen thousand, just three thousand flank. All his cavalry were on his right SAGA: Aetius & Arthur is set at
were cavalry. Roman heavy infantry wing. Seeing his deployment, the the close of the period.
still wore metal helmets and body Alamanni, who had already set am-
thousand dead on the field, in addi-
© Olaf Tausch / Wikimedia Commons

tion to those claimed by the river.
THE FALL OF THE WEST

For all its proficiency, the Roman
army ultimately failed to prevent the
fall of the western half of the Em-
pire. The conventional turning point
is the crushing defeat by the Goths
of the emperor Valens at Adrianople
(AD 378). Some two thirds of a Ro-
man army estimated at forty thou-
sand strong died in the battle. It is
argued that so many trained casual-
ties could not be replaced. Yet the
army that was beaten at Adrianople
was the field army of the East, and it
was the West that fell.
The eastern half of the Empire had

A late-3rd century fresco of senators gathered before the
imperial throne. From a church built by Roman soldiers several natural advantages. Wealth-
inside the already ancient Temple of Luxor in Egypt. ier and more populous, it produced
greater tax revenues. Most of its ter-
bushes for Julian’s left wing, sent their ritory was protected from the north-
horsemen, supported by light infan- ern barbarians by the Black Sea, the
try, to oppose the Roman cavalry. The Bosporus, and the Aegean. It was
majority of the Alamanni faced the also fortunate that throughout most
Roman infantry in the centre. of the fifth century, Sassanid Per-
sia was distracted by enemies else-
An exchange of missiles opened where, allowing the Eastern Empire
Diocletian says: the battle. While the Roman left ad- to concentrate its forces on Constan-
vanced cautiously, suspecting the tinople and the lower Danube.
CAMPAIGNS presence of the hostile ambushers,
Any table-top battle is more im- the mounted Alamanni charged the The West, by contrast, had no such
mersive if played as part of a cam- Roman cavalry. The latter retired advantages, and was unlucky at the
paign. Board games can generate towards their infantry. Halting to re- end of the fourth century to be em-
encounters. Two great games set form, the cavalry saw the leader of broiled in a series of costly civil wars.
in the third century are Lest Dark- their cataphracti fall wounded from The losses suffered by the western
ness Fall (Decision Games) and his horse, and they turned to flee. Ju- army at the Battle of the Frigidus in
Time of Crisis (GMT). Innumer- lian rode across to rally them. AD 393 had still not been made up
able games take the fall of Rome over a decade later at the time of the
as their theme. An old favourite is With the Roman cavalry in disarray, great barbarian invasions of AD 406.
Decline & Fall (WRG). the Alamanni warriors on foot fell on Even so, despite the numbers of bar-
the Roman centre. Two units of Ro- barians within its territory, perhaps it
man reserves came up, but the fight was not doomed until the AD 430s,
was fierce and evenly balanced. A when the Vandals crossed to Africa.
Gallienus says: band of Alamanni nobles penetrated The loss of its one great, previously
the Roman line, but were held by a largely untouched, tax-bearing prov-
GAME BALANCE household unit. Finally Roman disci- ince condemned the western army
With the new interpretation of pline prevailed, and, wearied and dis- to wither away, and forced its com-
the late Roman army, once again pirited, the Alamanni turned and ran. manders to rely on enlisting one set
a small number of professional of barbarians to fight another.
troops can be pitted against a The Romans pursued them to the
horde of barbarians. Sam Musta- Rhine, where many of the barbarians The cohort at Batavis, with which we
fa’s innovative Aurelian rules take were shot in the water or drowned. began, never received its pay. The
the process further by giving the Roman casualties were recorded as soldiers disbanded, melting away
Romans and barbarians different two hundred and forty three sol- into the civilian population. The
victory conditions. diers, and four senior officers. The town they had defended was sacked
Alamanni were said to have left six by the barbarians. WS&S

NORTHERN ITALY AD 271 - A MINI CAMPAIGN
THEME
AURELIAN AND
THE JUTHUNGI
In the third century, the borders of the Roman Empire came under in-
creasing pressure from a wide variety of external and internal threats.
Competition between competing Roman generals vying for power, as
well as more powerful foreign tribes such as the Goths, Vandals, Ala-
© Nathan Vinson
manni, and Sarmatians, meant there was a period of near-continual
crisis for fifty years. These problems were further compounded by
outbreaks of plague and an economic depression. Following the death to stem the incursion. The Juthungi
of the emperor Septimus Severus in 235, over 26 different people learned that Emperor Aurelian was
claimed to be emperor, and the Empire was briefly divided between approaching and started to head back
towards their homeland. At the Ister
different claimants. Claudius II began the Roman recovery by defeat- River(the modern day Danube) in
ing a Gothic invasion in the late 260s. His untimely death of plague AD 270, Aurelian engaged a sizeable
left his cavalry commander Aurelian as the next emperor in AD 270. force of Juthungi and defeated them.
It seemed that the German threat was
destroyed, and again Aurelian was
By Mark Backhouse Genialis. A decade later the Juthungi
forced to return to the thinly spread
were to launch another attack into
T
defence of Pannonia.
the rich and fertile regions of North-
he Juthungi were a German-
ic tribe that originated from ern Italy. The area was initially poorly Unfortunately for Aurelian, the Jut-
modern-day Bavaria. Assisted guarded, and was badly looted by hungi were far from beaten, and the
by the Alamanni they had the Germans. Hearing news of the following year they crossed the Alps
already crossed into Italy in attack, Aurelian left Pannonia where and again launched a raid into the Po
AD 260 but were heavily defeated at he had been campaigning against Valley. Again, Aurelian rushed back
Mediolanum by Marcus Simplicinius the Vandals and rushed back to Italy to counter this new threat, only to be
SCENARIO 1 SETUP AND TERRAIN

A Roman road stretches across the
centre of the table between the
two longer edges. The rest of the
table should be made up of light
agriculture (no movement penalty)
and some areas of heavier agricul-
ture such as vineyards and high
crops (these should be classed as
half movement for all troops ex-
cept skirmishers and warriors, and
provide a penalty when attacking
troops in them with missile weap-
ons). Scattered across the table
might be country villas and small
farms. At least three areas of dense
© Rocío Espin
woodland should be placed within

a single move of the road.

© Nathan Vinson
Barbarians probe the Roman vanguard. A Roman commander surveys the scene.
ambushed by the Juthungi outside viving Juthungi limped back to their • 1 Foot Companions with
of Placentia. The Roman force was homeland beyond the Alps. leader @ 5 points
badly demolished by the Germans, • 2 Noble Warriors
although Aurelian himself survived GAMING THE CAMPAIGN @ 5 points each
the attack and presumably managed Aurelian’s campaign against the Jut- • 4 Ordinary Warriors @ 3
to extricate enough of his forces to hungi in AD 271 is a small and eas- points each
continue the campaign. The Juthungi ily contained mini campaign ideally • 1 Foot Skirmishers
then continued further south along suited to three interlinked scenarios. with bows @ 1 point
the Via Aemilia to Fanum Fortunae While I suggest adapting Osprey’s
• Ambush strategy (see special
on the Adriatic Coast. Aurelian was rules) @ +4 points
Arthurian-era rules Dux Bellorum as
able to shadow this force, and at-
a very suitable set for running this as
tempted to engage them once more
a quick campaign, I’m hoping that
Special rules:
a few miles west of the city on the
you could adapt the suggestions to
• The Juthungi in this scenario
Metaurus River by the winter of AD count as the aggressors.
the rules of your choice.
271. The closely fought battle only • The Juthungi may deploy up to
swung in the Romans’ favour when three units of skirmishers, war-
Aurelian’s men were able to push SCENARIO 1: riors, or riders in ambush in
the Germans back into the Metaurus BATTLE OF PLACENTIA the wooded areas or areas of
River. The desperate Germans had Situation: Aurelian’s Roman army heavy agriculture close to the
nowhere to go, and were slaughtered have rushed back to intercept the road. These can be mapped
on the riverbank or drowned attempt- Juthungi, who have prepared an am- secretly before the game. They
ing to swim the freezing waters. bush for Aurelian’s forces. will be exposed and placed on
the table if they move or shoot,
For the Juthungi the defeat at the Me- • Roman force at Placentia or if Roman troops come with-
taurus River was a turning point, and (Leadership points 8 in one move of their presence.
their weary warriors started to head @ +4 points) • The Roman force must
northwards towards safety. Outside • 1 Mounted Companions with initially deploy in col-
the city of Ticinum (modern-day Pavia) Aurelian @ 5 points umn along the road.
the Juthungi were caught once more, • 1 Noble Riders (superior Ro- Some of the their
and groups of Germans intent on plun- man cavalry) @ 5 points
dering the region for supplies were • 2 Ordinary Riders
attacked by Aurelian’s pursuing Ro- @ 3 points each
mans. The swift defeat of the Germans • 3 Ordinary Shieldwall @ 3
heralded the end for the Juthungi’s points each
raids in Northern Italy and cemented • 1 Bow @ 3 points
Aurelian’s reputation as a strong mili-
tary leader capable of protecting the • Juthungi force at Placen- © Phil Hend
ry
Empire from external threats. The sur- tia (Leadership points 6)

45
troops may not fit within their • 2 Noble Shieldwall
deployment area and therefore @ 5 points each
may be kept in reserve to be • 1 Ordinary Riders
brought on in later turns with @ 3 points each
the use of leadership points. • 2 Ordinary Shieldwall @ 3
points each
Victory conditions: • 1 Bow @ 3 points
A major victory is defined as one • 1 Foot Skirmishers with bows
side routing with the other having @ 1 point
less than 25% casualties. A minor • Juthungi force at Metaurus River
victory is defined as one side routing (Leadership points 6)
with the other having suffered more • 1 Foot Companions with
© Nathan Vinson
than 25% casualties. leader @ 5 points
• 2 Noble Warriors
Impact on campaign: @ 5 points each
If a major Roman victory, reduce • 4 Ordinary Warriors
@ 3 points each gage is destroyed by the Romans
the number of Juthungi available in
the next scenario by 5 points. • 1 Ordinary Riders @ 3 points it counts as being looted. This
• 2 Foot Skirmishers with bows counts as three units being lost
If a minor Roman victory, reduce the @ 1 point instead of one for testing morale.
number of Juthungi available in the • 1 baggage element @ 0 points Any Roman unit who destroys
next scenario by 3 points. (see special rules) the Juthungi baggage must test
If a major Juthungi victory, reduce for bravery in future turns to stop
the number of Romans available in Special rules: looting the baggage.
the next scenario by 5 points. • The Romans in this scenario
If a minor Juthungi victory, reduce
count as the aggressors. Impact on campaign:
• The River Metaurus is cold If a major Roman victory, reduce the
the number of Romans available in
and fast-flowing. Any units number of Juthungi available in the
the next scenario by 3 points.
forced back into the river next scenario by 5 points.
count as destroyed.
SCENARIO 2: • The Juthungi baggage is deployed
If a minor Roman victory, reduce the
number of Juthungi available in the
BATTLE AT THE METAURUS RIVER next to the banks of the Metaurus
next scenario by 3 points.
Situation: Aurelian’s army have shad- River. It represents the women,
owed the Juthungi and caught them children, slaves, wagons, and If a major Juthungi victory, reduce
while heavily laden with plunder on booty that has been plundered the number of Romans available in
the banks of the Metaurus River. in the campaign so far. It is sta- the next scenario by 5 points.
tionary and has a bravery of 7. If
If a minor Juthungi victory, reduce
• Roman force at Metaurus River attacked in melee it has the same
the number of Romans available in
(Leadership points 8 @ +4 points) statistics as foot skirmishers. It
the next scenario by 3 points.
• 1 Mounted Companions with may shoot like foot skirmishers
Aurelian @ 5 points armed with javelins. If the bag- In addition, whoever has the Juthungi

The table should be made up of light
agriculture (no movement penalty)
and some areas of heavier agricul-
ture such as vineyards and high crops
(these should be classed as half move-
ment for all troops except skirmishers
and warriors, and provide a penalty
when attacking troops in them with
missile weapons). On the Juthungi
right wing is the town of Fanum Fortu-
nae, although this does not need to be
fully represented. The Via Aemilia road
should run horizontally through the ta-
ble to this. Trailing along the Juthungi
© Rocío Espin
deployment area is the River Metau-

rus, which they have camped around.

© Nathan Vinson
Roman light cavalry scout ahead. Disciplined legionaries hold the line.
baggage element at the end of the • Juthungi force at Ticinum each side. Score 3 points for a major
game may gain an additional +1 lead- (Leadership points 6) victory and 1 point for a minor vic-
ership points in the next scenario. • 1 Foot Companions with tory. If one side has 3 or more points
leader @ 5 points more than their opponents they may
SCENARIO 3: BATTLE OF TICINUM • 2 Noble Warriors claim a major victory; if they have
Situation: Aurelian’s army have harried @ 5 points each a 1 or 2 point advantage they can
the Juthungi as they retire from their • 4 Ordinary Warriors @ 3 claim a minor victory.
raid towards the Alps. They have start- points each
ed to form up to beat off the persistent • 1 Ordinary Riders @ 3 points ADAPTING TO HAIL
Roman attacks outside of Ticinum • 2 Foot Skirmishers with bows
@ 1 point CAESAR AND SWORDPOINT
while the rest of their troops retreat.
These scenarios can be easily adapt-
• Roman force at Ticinum (Lead- Special rules: ed to other gaming systems by using
ership points 8 @ +4 points) • The Romans in this scenario the units above. Assume each unit
• 1 Mounted Companions with count as the aggressors. is a standard unit of 24 infantry or
Aurelian @ 5 points • The battle has a time limit and 12 cavalry. For Swordpoint use the
• 1 Cataphracts @ 6 points lasts for 12 turns. If the Juthungi Gothic and Vandal lists from page
• 1 Noble Riders @ 5 points each are not routed within this time 8 and the Late Imperial Roman lists
• 2 Ordinary Riders period they may claim a minor from page 10 and of the Dark Age
@ 3 points each victory as they have covered Armies book. Players wishing to use
• 2 Mounted Skirmishers with the rest of their army’s retreat. Hail Caesar should use the Goth
bows @ 2 points each lists from page 12 and the Late Ro-
• 2 Ordinary Shieldwall @ 3 Impact on campaign: man lists from page 16 and of the
points each This is the last battle of the campaign. Late Antiquity to Early Medieval
Tally up the number of victories for army lists book. WS&S

Most of the table should be empty
with light agriculture. Ticinum can
be represented in the left-hand
side of the Roman table edge, with
a Roman road leading out of it.
The Juthungi army should be split
evenly into two groups. Half of
their force can be deployed fac-
ing towards the Romans. The other
half need to be arranged in a rough
column facing away from the Ro-
mans and may not be grouped
when deployed.
© Rocío Espin

47
DON'T MAKE THE VANDALS ANGRY...
THEME
ESCAPE FROM ROME

During the summer of AD 455, a Vandal fleet under the command
of King Genseric arrived by the Italian western coast with the aim
of attacking Rome. It all started when the new emperor Petro-
nius Maximus broke the engagement between the Vandal prince
Huneric and Eudocia the daughter of the former Roman emperor
Valentinian III, and let his own son Palladius marry Eudocia.
By Michael Leck central Europe during the last years

of the fourth century and the begin-
T
ning of the fifth century, it started an
he Vandals that sacked Rome avalanche of migrations of Germanic
for fourteen days during June of tribes across the limes and in to the
AD 455 were the descendants Roman Empire. The Vandals were, of
of the Vandals that had migrat- course, affected just as much as the
ed from modern Poland some other German tribes, and they man-
50 years earlier due to the threat of the aged to cross the river Rhine with
westward-migrating Huns. As with the their Alan and Suebian allies in AD
Goths, who sacked Rome in AD 410, 406 by defeating the Frank foederati
the Vandals are believed to have mi- that were guarding the eastern bor-
grated during the second century from der for the Romans.
Scandinavia to the area of present-day
Germany and Poland. There are even During the next three years, the Van-
scholars who claim that the origin of dals moved west through Gaul, plun-
the Vandals’ name is connected to the teamed up with the Romans but were
dering all that stood in their way. By utterly defeated by the Vandals in AD
Vendel area outside the town of Upp- the end of AD 409, they had crossed
sala in the Uppland region of Sweden. 422 at the Battle of Tarraco.
the Pyrenees into the province of
Hispania. At this point the Roman au- The Vandals continued to be hard
When the Huns’ raids and incur- thorities chose to handle the Vandal
sions started to push forward into pressed in Hispania by various fac-
threat by granting them land as foed- tions, so they crossed over to North
erati on the Iberian Peninsula. Africa in AD 429, where they started
to fight their way eastward along
This was by no means the end station the African coast toward the city of
of the Vandal migration. They stayed Carthage. It is said that the Vandals
in Hispania for about 20 years, try- managed to capture Carthage in AD
ing to keep their new land from other 439 without a fight as they entered
Germanic tribes such as the Visig- the city while the population was at
oths and their the races at the Hippodrome.
former allies the
Suebians, who The Vandal leader Genseric declared
himself King of the Vandals and Alans,
creating the Vandal Kingdom of North
Africa. With the help of the substan-
tial maritime resources captured in
Carthage, the Vandals continued
their war on Rome, and man-
aged during the following
years to capture Sicily,
Sardinia, Corsica,
and the Balear-
ic islands.
V
The Vandals crossing the Medi-

© Radu
Oltean
terranean to North Africa.
Hold the line against the barbarians!
In AD 442 the Roman emperor Val- have put together a small scenario man emperor as a sitting duck – the
entinian III managed to secure a for my favourite wargaming rules, duck hunt can begin...
peace treaty with the Vandal king by Lion Rampant (published by Os-
promising to marry his daughter Eu- prey). There should not be any dif- Order of battle – Vandals
docia (then five years old) to the Van- ficulty in using this scenario with Vandals by this time would be con-
dal prince Huneric, son of Genseric the excellent Dux Britanniarum sidered a hard-hitting mounted force,
and heir to his kingdom. rules from TooFatLardies, or any but due to the sea transportation I’m
other rules of your liking for that not sure how many horses they might
Valentinian III was assassinated in AD matter. It could be scaled down to have been able to bring across; in
455 in revenge for his murder of Fla- a skirmish (Gangs of Rome might short, I decided to just let the nobles
vius Aetius (the defeater of Attila and work) if you just want to re-en- and their hird be mounted while the
victor of Châlons), leaving the schem- act Maximus’ attempted escape remaining Vandals fight on foot.
ing Petronius Maximus to claim the through the mobs. Command 1
title of emperor. He broke the engage- • Prince Huneric and hird (Mount-
ment between the Vandal prince Hu- When the scenario starts, Emperor ed Men-at-Arms) @ 6 points
neric and Eudocia in order to let his Maximus and his bodyguard have • Two units of Vandal infantry
own son Palladius marry the princess, just left Rome and are on their way to (Aggressive Foot Serjeants,
while he himself married Licinia Eu- a stable outside the city walls, where i.e. no Schiltron special rule,
doxia (Valentinian III’s widow). they hope to gain horses in order to and exchange the values for
be able to flee more quickly from Attack and Defence, i.e. At-
A Vandal army under the command the area. Several Roman citizens are tack value: 4+ and Defence
of King Genseric was shipped over also fleeing, and when they see their value: 5+) @ 4 points each
to the Italian mainland and ad- new emperor on the run they soon
vanced on Rome. turn into a furious mob that wants to Command 2
lynch the cowardly emperor. At the • Godsric and hird (Mounted
THE SCENARIO same time, a force of Vandals are Men-at-Arms) @ 6 points
Inspired by the failed escape of in the area seeking loot, and quite • Two units of Vandal in-
the Roman emperor Maximus I, soon realize that they have the Ro- fantry (Aggressive Foot

49
Serjeants, i.e. no Schiltron spe- • The attacker always moves first.
cial rule, and exchange the val- • Mob of Rome – each of them
ues for Attack and Defence, i.e. is a unit of Fierce Foot, and
Attack value: 4+ and Defence as a ‘third player’ they will
value: 5+) @ 4 points each move forward towards,
and charge if possible,
Order of battle – Romans the closest unit from
For the Romans I decided to field either the Vandals or
the emperor and his son as two units the Romans; they are
guarded by their loyal and well- just angry and don’t care who HISTORICAL OUTCOME
trained soldiers with the best arms they take out their anger on. As the Vandals approached, the Ro-
and armour. The second command Both units have a chance to man emperor Maximus and his son
is composed of ordinary Roman activate even if the first one Palladius with some loyal soldiers
soldiers, without armour but fast fails its activation. tried to escape from the city, but were
and good if using the terrain to their • To capture the emperor or his killed outside the city wall by an an-
benefit. They will be reinforced by a son, a Vandal unit must rout gry mob of Romans before having the
unit of Roman heavy cavalry that has the unit they are with in close chance to break through the Vandal
rushed to aid their Emperor. combat. vanguard. Maximus’ body was muti-
lated by the crowd and flung into the
Command 1 – Emperor Ending the scenario Tiber. Pope Leo I managed to negoti-
Maximus and entourage Keep playing until the Roman em- ate with King Genseric that he would
• Emperor Maximus and bodyguard peror Maximus and his son Palla- not burn the city or kill the popula-
(Foot Men-at-Arms) @ 6 points dius have managed to escape from tion if the city gates were opened
• Palladius (Maximus son) and the northern board edge, or have and the Vandals could loot the city
bodyguard (Foot Men-at-Arms) been captured or killed. of Rome, which they obligingly did.
@ 6 points
While the city was not burnt, the
Command 2 – Centurion Meridius
Victory conditions Imperial Palace and several temples
The Vandals gain Glory for:
• Two units of Foot Yeomen with were looted and many Romans taken
javelins @ 4 points each
• 4 points: Capture the emperor as slaves back to Africa. WS&S
• One unit of Drilled Mounted • 2 points: Capture Palladius
• 2 points: Emperor Maximus is killed The term Vandals became synony-
Men-at-Arms @ 7 points (arrive
• 1 point: Palladius is killed
as reinforcements by a move mous with destruction after the sack-
action in turn 2) The Romans gain Glory for: ing of Rome. As the story goes, they
• 4 points: Emperor Maximus defaced murals in the temples and
Special rules manages to escape even stripped the bronze roofing from
• Play the scenario on a 120 cm • 2 points: Palladius manages the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maxi-
x 120 cm table. to escape mus during their rampage for plunder.
SET-UP AND DEPLOYMENT

The scenario takes place outside the
city of Rome, and terrain is set up ac-
cording to the map on a 4x4 table.
The Roman player deploys one command
each at Points A and B. All minis must be on
the road in some kind of ‘march’ column that
has the last man touching the table edge.
The grey groups of circles on the map
are the ‘Mob of Rome’; deploy these
two groups before the game starts.
The Vandals arrive along the west-
ern board edge in turn 1 using
move actions; if successful the
unit performs a ordinary move
onto the gaming table.
© Rocío Espin

A BARBARIAN RAID BEYOND THE LIMES for the limitanei to block or bar
THEME
crossing points with garrison units
CROSSING THE BAR

in times of trouble, with more mo-
bile reserves ready to respond when
contact occurred. At least, that’s the
basis for this scenario.
Despite the title, this scenario has nothing to do with Alfred Lord Ten- It hardly needs saying that although
nyson, although it is about impending death! It involves a small Late this scenario is written with a Late
Roman theme, any campaign involv-
Roman limitanei force blocking the path of a larger ‘barbarian’ raiding ing in-depth defence or ongoing raid-
party on its way home, with reinforcements for the Romans on the way. ing could easily have this scenario
reworked to suit. British Commando
raiders versus German defenders? An
By Daniel Mersey from the Picts crossing, or rowing English Civil War or American Civil
around, Hadrian’s Wall in northern
R
War raiding party meeting local re-
Britannia, through the many and sistance? Boers attempting to pass by
aiding parties on both small
varied Germanic and Gothic tribes the British without being caught? The
and large scales were a
travelling across the continent, choices are pretty much open-ended.
problem for the Late Roman
to weird and wonderfully mobile
Empire. Limitanei troops
garrisoned specific areas of desert raiders in North Africa. Al- OBJECTIVES
the empire (both frontiers and inner though historically nonsensical (the
The raiding party has successfully pil-
zones), tasked with patrolling and limitanei would surely have known laged the local farms and villas, and is
policing work, and of course being who was raiding their land!), I think returning home full of wine and good
the first into action against unfriend- it makes for a pretty fun game if the food. The Romans have barred the
lies and ne’er-do-wells. In the past, Roman player doesn’t know what main crossing point of a major dyke/
the limitanei were often considered kind of ‘barbarians’ he or she is fac- river to block the raiders’ path, and are
little more than soldier-farmers or ing. I’ll leave you to decide whether rushing extra units to engage them.
low-grade militiamen, but modern that’s a good idea or not…
historians have generally revised The aim for each side is:
their views on this and envisage Alongside forts and other defences,
• Romans: To delay the raiders
them as a useful fighting force. That Roman armies used terrain to their
until reinforcements arrive and
said, they’re still not as glamorous advantage. Rivers, dykes, and similar
then defeat the raiding party.
as the comitatenses (more mobile linear features provided bottlenecks
Prevent raiding units from exit-
field armies) and many wargame that heavily-laden raiders would
ing the table to safety.
have had difficulty crossing except
rules still downgrade the ability of • Raiders: Exit as many units
the limitanei. at well-known crossing points. As a from the table to safety as pos-
consequence, it would sible. Roman casualties
Raiding forces were many and varied have made mil- are a bonus.
in the Late Roman Empire, ranging itary sense
The winner is de-
termined by the
V
Romans brace for

the barbarian charge! Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95
51
Barbarians raid a Roman barracks.
highest number of Victory Points ac- Raider special rules experienced raiders, so no units are
cumulated when the scenario ends Each of your units has successfully over-laden with loot as that would
(see later for Victory Points). raided the local Roman farms and vil- make them too vulnerable in combat
las, and your loot is divided out even- and easy to catch – this means your
The uncertainty of the raiding par- ly between all units. Unlike many units move at their normal speed and
ty’s exit point and the timing of the raiding scenarios, this means that you fight at full strength too.
arrival of Roman reinforcements do not need to track which units car-
mean that your objectives are not ries what loot – all of your units are Your units move onto the table in Turn 1
as easy as they may first look! of equal value here. Your warriors are anywhere along the table edge shown
TABLE SET-UP
Table size is quite important in this
scenario – too small and the Ro-
mans will have too easy a time of it,
and too large benefits the raiders –
so you’ll need to work out a reason-
able table size based on movement
rates in your chosen rules.
Across the middle of the table, place a

linear barrier of some kind – a dyke or
river seems best suited to a Late Roman
game, but any kind of barrier suitable
to your own setting is just fine. There
should be three well-defined crossing
points – a central one, which all units
may cross without penalty, and two
more as shown in the diagram, which
© Rocío Espin
are harder to cross.
At the two harder crossing points, units

give the defender a small bonus, but (don’t put a Roman fort on the table!).
must stop when they contact
remember that it’s not the wall of a Depending on the rules you’re us-
the crossing point, and then
fort or a purpose-built defensive wall. ing, you may wish to set a limit to
move across at half speed
the number of turns being played.
until clear of it.
Other terrain may be set up as you However, the nature of the scenar-
wish, but avoid placing anything that io usually means that the raiders
The barrier may not be
will significantly affect movement crack on at a fast pace to attempt
crossed at any other point. In
(except for the dyke/river) or provide to exit the table before the Roman
combat, the barrier should
too strong a defensive point to hold reinforcements arrive.

A Roman patrol is ambushed in the forest. Romans versus barbarians beyond the limes.
in the diagram. You hold the initiative/ on Turns 3-7 (see below). Write of Late Roman and Arthurian Britain
are the first player in this scenario. down the sequence of their arrival, (such as the Romano-Britons, Saxons,
using the method shown in the fol- and Picts) I provide lists for land and
Before the start of the first turn, write lowing example: sea raiders, which I feel are so evoca-
down whether your force will be tive of the period. Goths may easily
exiting from Exit Point A or B (see • Turn 3: Reinforcement group 1 be extrapolated from the Romano-
the diagram). Your units may move will arrive from area B. British list, Franks from the Saxons,
off the table via your chosen point, • Turn 4: Reinforcement group 4 and so on. There is, of course, a Late
earning you Victory Points. You will will arrive from area C. Roman army included.
not earn Victory Points for units ex- • Turn 5: Reinforcement group 2
iting the table elsewhere. Don’t tell will arrive from area E. However, to make this scenario as
your opponent which area you have • Turn 6: Reinforcement group 3 utilitarian as possible, I’ll list my
chosen until you exit your first unit. will arrive from area D. suggested deployments in more gen-
The areas and reinforcement eral terms. Depending on the rules
Raiders will score two Victory Points groups can of course be changed you’re using, you may find that you
for each unit they exit from their cho- by you, but you cannot use any need to do a little work to balance
sen point of exit, and one Victory area more than once and may only things up between the two sides.
Point for each Roman unit destroyed. bring on one reinforcement group Roman limitanei at Point A
per turn. Don’t tell your opponent Three Average infantry units
Roman special rules the sequence you’ve chosen. Let it
During setup, deploy a small force of be a nice surprise! Roman Reinforcement Group 1
garrison infantry near to the central Two Average cavalry units
crossing at point A on the diagram. (Depending on the rules you’re us-
These troops will be reinforced by Roman Reinforcement Group 2
ing or your table size, you may wish Two Average cavalry units
friendly units who are moving with to tweak the turn in which each unit
haste from the surrounding area enters – the key here is to keep the Roman Reinforcement Group 3
– now that the ‘barbarian’ raiding scenario’s balance on a knife edge Two Veteran infantry units
party has been located, all available with Roman reinforcements arriv- Roman Reinforcement Group 4
units move in to attack. ing ‘just in the nick of time’, or ‘just Two Veteran infantry units
that moment too late’, making things
Before the raiding party enters play Raiding force
tense for both players.)
in Turn 1, decide which reinforce- Four Veteran infantry/cavalry units
ments will enter from which areas Four Average infantry units WS&S
The Romans will score three Victory
Points for each raider unit destroyed
or routed from play. A NOTE ON THE RULES
Players wishing to use Hail Caesar should
SUGGESTED FORCES use the Late Romans army lists from page
16 and the Goths from page 12 of the Late
Naturally enough, I use Osprey Pub- Antiquity to Early Medieval army lists. For
Swordpoint use the Late Imperial Roman lists
lishing’s Dux Bellorum rules for this from page 10 and the Gothic and Vandal lists
scenario – because I wrote them! In from page 8 of the Dark Age Armies book.
these rules, alongside the core armies

53
BUILDING A LATE ROMAN ARMY
THEME
Against the
Fall of Night
The decline and final fall of the Roman Em-
A&A Miniatures 28mm
Range: Comprehensive
Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or
31mm tall; cavalry are 40mm tall
Armorum & Aquilla has an
excellent range of Middle
Imperial and Late Imperial
Romans. In the Late Roman
pire is a fascinating period. It is filled with civil Price: £8.99 for 8 infantry or 3 range, there are thirteen
cavalry packs of cavalry, plus six
wars and invasions of barbarians. Eventually, packs of armoured infantry.
the once great Empire collapsed under these
pressures, leaving a long shadow on Europe.
By Guy Bowers
F
or the wargamer, it is a time of great conflict, where
troops can be used as allies in one battle and en-
emies in the next. Barbarians, likewise, can be Essex 28mm Essex’s Roman range covers
fighting your troops in one encounter and useful Range: Comprehensive Middle and Late Imperial
allies side by side with your troops (as settled foed- Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or Romans, including cata-
erati) in the next. It is also an interesting period as the once 30mm tall; cavalry are 42mm tall phracts, cavalry, armoured
Price: £1.40 per model legions, and auxiliaries.
mighty Roman Empire is teetering on collapse. Most gam-
ers baulk at facing the Imperial legions. This is the period
where that fear is gone; barbarians win battles.
As Harry Sidebottom said in his introduction, the army

of Late Imperial Rome is still a professional one, with
numerous interesting units. Who does not like the
power of cataphract cavalry, the mobility of mounted
archers, or the look of the Late Roman legion, com-
bining spears with archers?
What follows is a brief guide to the models available. We Foundry 28mm Foundry’s Late Roman
use our familiar classifications which show the size and Range: Near Complete range consists of 22 packs
extent of the range of miniatures and accessories. Space Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or of infantry (including bal-
31mm tall; cavalry are 41mm tall lista and casualties), plus
and time prohibit us from covering every single manufac-
Price: £12.00 for 8 infantry, 7 nine packs of cavalry.
turer; we are using what has been kindly supplied in time command, or 3 cavalry
for our deadline. Notable exceptions are Crusader, Black
Hat and Khurasan whose samples unfortunately did not
arrive on time, but they will be featured on our website.
Where possible, we’ve asked for infantry and cavalry, so
you can see a good selection. We classify
ranges as follows: Basic (a few random
or specialist packs); Standard (has the
essentials in infantry and cavalry);
Comprehensive (as standard, but
with commanders); and Near
Footsore 28mm Footsore’s range of Late Ro-
Complete (you’d have to
Range: Comprehensive mans consists of thirteen
think hard to come up with packs of infantry (including
Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or
units they don’t have). WS&S 33mm tall; cavalry are 44mm tall ballista and casualties), plus
Price: £6.00 for 4 infantry; £10.00 seven packs of cavalry.
c A Late Roman
cavalryman from
for 3 cavalry
Gripping Beast.

Gripping Beast 28mm Gripping Beast’s range covers Lancashire Games 15mm Lancashire Games’ Late Ro-
Range: Near Complete infantry (armoured & unar- Range: Comprehensive man range consists of eleven
Size: 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or moured), cavalry (including Size: 17mm ‘foot to eye’ or packs, including infantry (ar-
31mm tall; cavalry are 44mm tall cataphracts), and war ma- 19mm tall; cavalry are 26mm tall moured and unarmoured),
Price: £6.50 for 4 infantry or chines. They also make plas- Price: £2.60 for 10 infantry cavalry, and command.
£10.00 for 3 cavalry; £22.00 for 44 tic Late Romans, with Late or 4 cavalry
plastic infantry Roman cavalry coming soon.
Newline Design Both Newline’s 28mm and Legio Heroica 15mm Legio Heroica has ten packs
28mm and 20mm 20mm Late Roman rang- of cavalry (including cata-
Range: Near Complete
Range: Comprehensive es consist of infantry (ar- Size: 16mm ‘foot to eye’ or 19mm phracts), and fifteen packs of
Size: (28mm) 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or moured and unarmoured), tall; cavalry are 26mm tall infantry (armoured and unar-
30mm tall; cavalry are 44mm tall cavalry (including cataphra- Price: ¤5.50 for 8 infantry moured), including com-
Price: £6.00 for 6 28mm infantry; cts), and command models. mand, and artillery.
£1.90 for 4 20mm infantry
Old Glory 25mm Old Glory’s Late Roman Magister Militum 15mm Magister Militum’s 15mm
Range: Comprehensive range consists of twelve Range: Comprehensive Late Roman range includes
Size: 27mm ‘foot to eye’ or packs, covering infantry (ar- Size: 15mm ‘foot to eye’ or infantry (armoured and
31mm tall moured and unarmoured), 18mm tall; cavalry are 25mm tall unarmoured), cavalry (in-
Price: £26.00 for 30 foot cavalry (including cataphra- Price: £3.50 for 8 infantry cluding cataphracts), and
or 12 cavalry cts), and war machines. or 4 cavalry ballista artillery.
Essex 15mm The Essex 15mm range has The Baggage Train 10mm The Baggage Train has thir-
Range: Comprehensive a good selection of infan- Range: Comprehensive teen packs of infantry (ar-
Size: 14.5mm ‘foot to eye’ or try, cavalry, and command Size: 10mm ‘foot to eye’ or moured, unarmoured, and
17mm tall; cavalry are 25mm tall for the Middle Imperial and 11mm tall; cavalry are 17mm tall command) and seven packs
Price: £3.85 for eight infantry or Late Imperial periods. Price: £3.90 for 12 infantry of cavalry (including cata-
four cavalry or 15 cavalry phracts) in their Late Impe-
rial Roman range.

55
Magister Militum 10mm Magister Militum has eleven Pendraken 10mm Pendraken has thirteen packs
Range: Standard packs in their Late Roman Range: Comprehensive of infantry (unarmoured, ar-
Size: 10mm ‘foot to eye’ or range. These include infan- Size: 10mm ‘foot to eye’ or moured, and command) and
12mm tall; cavalry are 17mm tall try, cavalry, and command. 12mm tall; cavalry are 17mm tall five packs of cavalry in their
Price: £5.80 for 30 infantry Price: £5.25 for 30 infantry Late Roman range.
or 12 cavalry or 15 cavalry
Old Glory 10mm Old Glory has nine packs Baccus 6mm Baccus has eleven packs
Range: Comprehensive in their Late Roman range. Range: Comprehensive in its Late Roman range,
Size: 10mm ‘foot to eye’ or These include infantry, cav- Size: 6mm ‘foot to eye’ or 7mm including infantry, cavalry,
12mm tall; cavalry are 17mm tall alry, and command. tall; cavalry are 17mm tall and command.
Price: £13.00 for 100 infantry Price: £7.20 for 96 infantry
or 30 cavalry or 45 cavalry
THE NOTITIA DIGNITATUM : INVALUABLE SOURCE FOR THE LATE ROMAN ARNY
The Notitia Dignitatum is a bit of For the wargamer, the attraction of this
a double-edged sword. It is a mar- document lies undoubtedly in the fact
vellously detailed source for Ro- that it consists of richly illustrated lists -
man civil and military dignitaries familiar territory indeed. It enumerates
- hence the (shortened) name - from the composition of various Roman
both the eastern and western parts armies with their shield designs, and
of the Roman empire. Those digni- that would make for attractive units.
taries are listed complete with the That the designs in the Notitia are de-
units under their command and the picted as round instead of oval, that
units' shield designs. Considering they get noticably less complex the
how poor our sources otherwise are further the author got into his list and
for the period, that makes the Noti- that there is virtually no corroboration
tia the most important document for of the designs shown, probably won't
the later Roman army. bother too many. One way or anoth-
And at the same time, it's problematic. er, it's the only practicable source to
We don't know with certainty who, work from for Roman armies of the
when, where or for what purpose it fourth century. Roughly.
was put together. It may be an admin-
A page from a 14th-centuy copy of the Noti- Further reading
tia Dignitatum, produced in France or Italy. istrative document, or it may be an
For more on the Late Ro-
For wargamers seeking visual inspiration image of what the world would have man military, be sure to
for their Late Roman armies, the Notitia been like at a time of chaos. Further- check out Ancient Warfare
Dignitatum is particularly useful due to magazine (Issues II.6, VI.5,
the inclusion of a number of contemporary more, there are plenty of discrepan- and IX.1 are a great place
shield motifs that can be connected to ac- cies, spelling errors in the names of to start your journey).
tual units. This kind of information is oth-
erwise very rare in ancient sources. functionaries and place names, and to www.ancient-warfare.com
top it off, the document is incomplete.

a scene that would show a desperate last stand of the
PAINTING THE COVER
THEME
remains of the Roman army during that fateful day. I
THE BATTLE OF
imagined some steadfast soldiers and command rally-
ing around their draco (late Roman standard), crowded
together amongst their fallen comrades, with some evi-
ADRIANOPLE
dence and debris of a vicious battle all around them.
THE MINIATURES
Before any painting can begin, you always need to clean
and prep the figures. I removed all metal bases from the bot-
toms of the figures, drilled holes into their feet, inserted steel
Contributing to the cover of the late Roman pins. Then, I secured them onto wine corks to make them
themed issue of WS&S was an exciting prospect. easier to handle when painting. The pins would also help to
place the figures onto the base securely, once painted.
Apart from some Arthurian subjects, I had not
painted any figures from that particular era be- I always use GW ‘Abaddon Black’ to basecoat my fig-
fore, so was thrilled to accept the challenge of ures, as I find it covers perfectly and is also quite a hard-
wearing wargaming paint. It dries to a semi-gloss so to
creating something a little bit different. I chose counteract this minor issue, I usually give the figures an
some appropriate packs from Footsore Minia- additional layer of Scale75 ‘Matt Black’.
tures’ wonderful late Roman range, as I wanted to
Painting the face
create a dramatic scene that could be the centre- I approach the painting of my 28 mm-scale figures the same
piece for any army or even a single display base. way as I did when I painted the larger-scale miniatures, i.e.
54 mm. I always start with the face, as I believe that it can
positively impact on the look of every figure when you get
By Sascha Herm it right as it can give life to it, and a well-executed painted
A
face is motivation enough for me to complete the rest of the
s with every project I do, I began with some re- figures to the same standard. I usually take some more time
search into the history. During the search, I came to get it right and I sometimes go back over it several times,
across a painting by the late Angus McBride to make sure it looks acceptable.
with the title “The Battle of Hadrianopolis,
378 AD” (also known as Adrianople), This is one of the reasons I use Foundry’s ‘Ex-
and was imme- diately inspired to represent pert Flesh 127’ (EF) on all my figures. There
are six different shades in this particular set
and they are perfect for creating gradual lay-
ers, to produce smooth transitions with-
out a real need for any further mixing.
The Battle of Strasbourg (357) was

one of the last great Roman vic-
tories against the Germanic tribes
before the catastrophic defeat at
Adrianople in AD 378.
© Igor Dzis
I always look to improve my painting; therefore I decided
this time to start by painting the eyes onto the black base-
coat, which would make it easier to reduce the eyes
into acceptable sizes for that scale, by ‘blocking’
them in with some black. Once that was completed,
I used EF shade ‘A’ to cover all remaining flesh parts.
I next used EF shade ‘C’ to draw two vertical lines

underneath the eyes to represent ‘eye bags’. The
rest of the face was then ‘filled in’ using EF shade
‘C’, leaving a thin line of the basecoat showing
around the eyes, mouth, and jaw area.
The top of the cheeks were then

lightened by drawing a thicker
line (from nose to ear) with EF
shade ‘D’; also the nose, brows, up-
per lip, chin, jaw, and ears were
defined again using the ‘D’
shade. The same parts were then
lightened further by using EF
shade ‘E’. I used EF shade ‘B’ only
as a thinned glaze, to increase the shad-
ow and depths under the cheekbones, jaw, and forehead. uniform look, but used additional shading by adding
Vallejo’s ‘Burnt Umber’ and ‘English Uniform’ to the
The most extreme highlights were applied using EF shade
shade colour ‘Stained Ivory’. I also added some edging
‘F’ in the areas of maximum light, i.e. upper parts of the
stripes, using Foundry’s ‘Madder Red’ triad.
nose, lips, top of cheekbones, brows, ears, etc.
Finally, I tidied up the face area and blackened all Painting the cloaks
parts that I had painted over again. Additionally, I used As two of the three figures with cloaks belong to the com-
a very dark brown to detail the mouth. I also painted mand group, I decided to use colours that would stand
the bottom lip with Foundry’s ‘Brick Red’ shade. I fin- out a little bit on the base. The officer’s cloak was paint-
ished the face by applying the ‘five-o’clock shadow’ ed with two sets of red triads, first using Reaper’s MSP
with a glaze of a 2:1 mix of EF shade ‘D’ and the base ‘Blood’, followed by the ‘Fire’ triad. These complement
colour from Andrea’s ‘Field Grey’ paint set. each other perfectly in consecutive layers and work well
without any further need to intermix for more transitions.
Painting the helmet, scale armour, and chainmail
As the helmets and chainmail are such a predominant
part of these late Romans, I wanted to make sure I got PAINTING THE FACE
this right. I basecoated them with GW ‘Leadbelcher’
and used a much-diluted 2:1 mix of Andrea’s Black 1 2
and Brown Ink to shade the metal parts. Once dried,
I carefully drybrushed (especially around the helmets)
all of the metal parts with Vallejo’s ‘Oily Steel’.
I applied some highlights using a 1:1 mix of GW ‘Iron-

breaker’ and Vallejo’s ‘Oily Steel’, especially on the scale
armour. I then used Coat D’Arms’ ‘Black Ink’ to black-
Base colours added. First highlights added.
line and redefine the helmets, scales, creases, and seams.
Then I applied GW ‘Runefang Steel’ as a final highlight to
the sharpest edges of the helmets and scales.
3 4
The chainmail was painted in the same way, but after a dry-
brush with ‘Oily Steel’, I gave it a diluted wash of Tamiya’s
‘Smoke’, which gave it a slightly darker / tarnished look.
Painting the tunics

I used Reaper’s ‘Ivory Bone’ triad for the tunics of the Final highlights added. Black outline redrawn.
Roman soldiers, as I wanted to give them a bit of an

59
PAINTING THE METAL
1 2 3
Base metal added. Black wash over metal. Final highlight.
PAINTING THE CLOAK
1 2 3
Base colour. First highlight added. Final highlight applied.
I started with ‘Splattered Crimson’, followed by ‘Gory ASSEMBLING THE BASE

Red’ and ‘Fresh Blood’. I added a further light with ‘Fire Now with the figures finished, it was time to attach them
Red’ and added the final highlight using ‘Phoenix Red’. to the base. As I had taken pictures of the first composi-
For the other two cloaks, I used Reaper’s MSP ‘Martial tion, this made it easier for me to attach them back onto
Blue’ and ‘Camouflage Green’ triads. the base, but I did not glue them as yet. I took pictures first,
to see if the positions of the figures were perfect enough to
The arrows, spears, and shields ensure visibility of all figures on the base. I changed or re-
As I wanted to add quite a few discarded items onto the positioned a few of the figures and, once satisfied, I finally
base to give a realistic impression of a battlefield, I either glued them into their permanent positions.
had to scratch-build the arrows or raid my ‘bitbox’ for suit-
able parts, i.e. swords, round shields, and additional spears. Once the glue was dry, I started adding patches of static
grass with PVA glue and various sizes of self-adhesive tufts.
To create the arrows, I used 50 mm steel spears as shafts. I then placed the discarded shields, weapons, and spears
These are perfect, as they are a little thinner and are sup- onto the base, always ensuring that they looked randomly
posed to be used as javelins for 15 mm figures. I added a dropped, yet balanced enough for the perfect composition.
band of ‘Green Stuff’ to the top of the spear and divided The last bits I added were the arrows to really give an im-
it roughly into three sections, which would become the pression of a besieged and hard-fought defensive position.
three arrow fletchings. Once dry, I used my rotary Mul-
titool to sand down the putty and shape it into feathers. To add a more realistic look to the groundwork, I applied
a dusting of ‘Dark Mud’ pigment from MIG Productions
For the Roman shields, I used some fantastic transfers from onto the base and used their ‘Pigment Fixer’ to ensure
Little Big Men Studios and applied them as described in the that the dust would not come off once applied.
instructions. It is important, however, to paint the shields
white before adding the coloured transfers. Once the transfer It has been a pleasure to create my very own contribution to
is attached, I use Foundry colours to tidy up the white edges WS&S magazine. It took me some time to finish the figures
as they usually match faultlessly the coloured transfers and base, but I really enjoyed it and would like to paint more
from LBM. I also added some more battle damage, from this era in the future. I hope that any reader will find
blood splatters, and dirt to finish off the re- something useful in the information I have provided. WS&S
alistic look. All shields were pinned either
to the figures or to the ground to ensure If you would like to see some more tutorials and pic-
that they were all securely attached. All tures of my work, please visit my Facebook page at
figures and accessories were then var- SaschaHerm.MiniatureFigurePainter, or my website at
nished, first with GW ‘Ardcoat’ followed www.sascha-herm.com.
by AK Interactive ‘Ultra Matte Varnish’.

© Georgie Harman
THE IRREGULAR
COLUMN
TRACKING THE TROOPS

To put you in the picture, like many gamers of my age (I’ve passed the
best bits of my thirties now) I got started in early-90s Games Workshop,
let it die for a few years, rediscovered it in my early twenties, managed
to get married and start a family despite this, and then – with bur-
geoning maturity and tightening purse-strings – discovered the joy and
the fiscal benefits of historical wargaming, so forsook the Grimdark for
World War 2, with maybe a wee bit of sundry dabbling on the side. I’m
By Chris King fairly settled at the moment on gaming in 28 mm and 15 mm.
A
s my eyes were opened to the glorious So I started with Flames of War and then, by turns,
possibilities of gaming in multiple systems Bolt Action, Chain of Command, and more recent-
with the same historical miniatures(!), I be- ly the Battlegroup series… With the transition to
came aware of the need to actually try to Bolt Action, I simply scaled up my forces: a 15 mm
organise the models I’d suddenly acquired: rifle company of 4KSLI became a 28 mm rifle pla-
to rationalise what toys I had, what I could use them toon. Easy. But then came discount sales, and the
for, and – most vitally – how painted they were. sore temptation of Perry Miniatures’ Desert Rats...
I couldn’t resist, and in a nod to some of my child-
I’m no rivet-counter. I do, however, like to at least try hood Sikh friends, I opted for their wonderful tur-
to field historically likely forces, and this has meant baned figures to create my early-war desert Sikh
that I have had to pay closer attention to ‘trying to get force: fun and characterful! More recent expan-
it right’. In terms of the historical formations I choose sions (i.e. sales) have seen me creating a late-war
to represent, I’d love to lay claim to the historical Heer force and their early-war equivalent, and –
war service of generations of my bloodline, but in with my growing love for the under-represented
truth, fiscal responsibility won through again: Bat- – a small platoon (flight?) of RAF Regiment.
tlefront at the time had a free pdf download of rules
for the British 11th Armoured Division in 1944-5, This, of course, is complicated further by that ir-
and it seemed a great way in to the 15 mm hobby, resistible draw that so many of us feel: to expand
so I enthusiastically embraced these hard-fighting our forces. Another support option here, an ear-
troops. The excellent background information in the lier version of the same formation there, a ‘small’
Battlefront pdf, coupled with some essential reading enemy force purchased – just so I can introduce
of The Black Bull: From Normandy to the Baltic with the game to others and I got them at a really
the 11th Armoured Division by Patrick Delaforce good price so it’s okay and I’ve no intention to
(Sutton, 1994), led to a growth of deep admiration buy any more support options for them honest…
for my adopted sub-units in particular: the lorried in- Ah, the sweet lies we tell ourselves. Sometimes
fantry of 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (4KSLI) in the face of hobby temptation we have the
and 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3RTR). Always I’ve breaking strain of a soggy Kit Kat.
tried to the best of my ability to stick to historical
ORBATs: halftracks might be more ‘fighty’ but they And where does this lead? To even more models
were called ‘lorried’ infantry for a reason… and I from even more armies to track across ever more
play to tell stories, not just to ‘win’ games! disparate systems. And that’s without additional
Real Life encumberment: awkward shift work,
Collecting a force should be easy. A British infantry time on military deployment – a wide range of
section for such-and-such a setting requires a Junior things. In my case I have no established space in
NCO (inevitably Sten-toting), a Bren team, and a our small, damp cottage in which to pursue my
total of ten men, right? Well, yes… but game X as- hobby, so everything must always be packed away
sumes two Brens, whereas game Y only allows one. into storage at the end of every painting or mod-
Oh yeah, and for games Y and Z they ought ideally elling session. Often this is easily enough to dis-
to be individually based. And, er, game Z suggests suade me from even starting, so I’ve just had to
different ways of identifying the NCOs... get my painting and modelling organised. This is
why I started using colour-coded MS Excel spread-
Aaaaargh! sheets to track my models.

Not being much of an IT whiz, I keep it very sim- similar things for those with more technical nous
ple, but this has absolutely revolutionised the or- than me. But for all that, I find it a simple system
ganisation of my hobby – with no need for com- and one that’s significantly better (and far easier to
plicated formulae or anything like that, I can see update!) than my old method of writing everything
at a glance the following: out neatly in pencil on squared paper.
• What formations I have available; There are inherent human problems too, such as
• How they’re generally organised; marrying up the abstract to the reality. For example,
• Which models are not yet constructed;
all the planning and tracking in the world apparently
• Which models are fully painted;
still won’t account for why I have an extra lone Ger-
• Which models are armed differently.
man MG42 gunner, or why I seem to have a super-
Please note – this is not really designed to be a play- numerary model for my Perry Miniatures desert Sikh
ing aid, but it works very well as a planning aid, force in a fantastic pose, kneeling with a Tommy gun.
thus: if I know I’ll have three hours of an evening in Every time I think I’ve worked out where he slots into
which to do some modelling, I can tell quickly that the order of things, there he is again. So it goes.
(for example) I have some Fallschirmjäger that are
as yet unconstructed, but I know exactly what load- Spare Sikhs aren’t my only human problem ei-
out I intend them to have and how they’ll fit in to ther: the temptation to print out hard copies of
my existing forces. In those three hours, with luck, my stark, blocky painting charts for quick refer-
I’ll get a squad of ten stuck together and some filler ence at the desk has caused me worries before
on their bases too, all ready for rattle-can priming when I’ve left them out, risking discovery and in-
(if the sun ever comes out again) and a change in evitable awkward spousal conversations involv-
colour-fill on the spreadsheet. ing phrases like “How many?!” and “I thought
you only collected British…”. Amazingly, only
Another advantage for someone like me who doesn’t one of them has been seized and used by a four-
get a lot of hobby time at home is that, if I can grab year-old for drawing on, and – to her credit – she
ten minutes here or there, I can bring up the spread- had the good grace to use the reverse.
sheet and drive myself nuts by trying out different
ways of organising (or even constructing) the troops Overall, though, it’s a working system and a system
without needing to physically dig out and then stare that works. It’s had years of trial and error, and natu-
at an intimidating pile of unyielding grey plastic. rally I use my own codes and shorthand, but I feel
I’d be lost without it these days, and I hope that this
Is this a flawless system? No, of course not. I’m or something similar might be useful for some other
also under no illusion that it’s unique: over the past hobbyists to keep track of the painting mountain.
nine years I’ve shared my ideas and files with about One model at a time… WS&S
three dozen interested fellow hobbyists, and I’m
sure there are mobile apps that will do all sorts of The editor uses a similar system for planning WS&S!
EXAMPLE OF A DIAGRAM FOR TRACKING ARMIES All Germans - Blitzkrieg and LW Heer; Jan '18
work in progress
BLITZKRIEG HEER based and ready

o med r r r 34 ldr ldr MMG 34 Md Sp
o FAO N r r r r boys MG34 Mortar FlakV36 constructed only
Sn r r 34 ldr r r r 34 ldr F/Bren [e] Kfz. 13 'Adler' Horch painted; finished
Lt r r r r N r r r r Lt AT; LMG P-M MMG Hvy Field Car not yet constructed
HEER GRENADIERS STURMPIONEERS

ldr Pzr- r r r 42 ldr r r r 42 ldr vet flam ldr 42 ldr
o Sn Shrk N pf pf pf r N pf pf pf r N pf pf vet vet
Md Sp Nebelwerfer r r r 42 ldr r 42 ldr Pz. IV Ausf. H
Mortar N pf pf r r N r r Hvy AT; MMG
Sd. Kfz 251/10/C Sd. Kfz 251/D Sd. Kfz 251/D Pz. V (Panther) Pz. V (Panther) E-50 [Tiger 1]
Light AT Gun;MMG 2xMMG 2xMMG S/hvy AT; MMG S/hvy AT; MMG S/hvy AT; [MMG]

63
appearance and only take approxi-
PAINTING A RUSSIAN SU ASSAULT GUN
HOBBY
mately 20 minutes to complete.
WEATHERING THE RASPUTITSA After the putty has cured, I give the
model a coat of car primer, which I
I’ve always been interested in WW2 gaming, especially the Ostfront, still find is the best thing to use on
playing pieces as they will be handled
which does not seem to get as much attention on the table-top as a lot during play and I find it gives the
the western theatres. Over the last few years we have been spoiled toughest base coat to work on.
for choice regarding rules and miniatures for this period, with such
At this stage we are ready to get
companies as Rubicon Models, Warlord Games, and Heer46 (to name some of the first base colours down.
but a few) providing us with some very nice models to build. I have chosen to start by modulat-
ing the base colours to simulate
tion line. It is no problem to build light and shade on the model. This
By Dread Lunn popular approach to painting has
and paint these kits simultaneously,
A
as this allows you to work on dif- crossed over from scale modelling,
dmittedly, my first choice ferent tanks while the others in the as the demand from table-top gam-
when collecting WW2 batch are drying. If this is your first ers grows for more realistic-looking
forces is always the Waffen- time building this kind of kit, I’d sug- finishes on their models.
SS, quickly followed by gest you work on just one until you
their Soviet counterparts. I know your way around the model, as Modulation can seem pretty daunt-
always collect both forces for any batch painting for the novice can be ing at first to the beginner, but trust
game, as I find this the best way to quite overwhelming when it’s all on me, there’s nothing to be scared of;
try new systems with friends. the bench in front of you. it’s just a kind of pre-shading from
a dark base to a top highlight to
My choice of vehicle for this arti- Before applying primer, I scuff the simulate light on the model. If you
cle is the Rubicon Models Soviet surface, creating tiny scratches and are having issues deciding where to
SU-85/SU-122 kit. I’m building the indentations across the model with shade, place a lamp around the mod-
SU-85 tank hunter to give my units a Dremel. This breaks up the soft, el to cast shadows, take a picture on
more stopping power against Ger- smooth surface of the injection- your phone or camera for reference,
man ‘cats’. The vehicle paint scheme moulded plastic and will give you and work from this picture, trying
I’ve chosen is where winter turns to a good foundation for creating a to simulate the light spread across
spring. The remnants of the previous more realistic vehicle. Tanks are not the vehicle with your base tones. In
white wash is still visible in places, smooth in their finish. Next, I use scale modelling this process tends
accented with some mud effects to Mr Surfacer 1000, a liquid putty, to be done in several stages, but
represent the spring thaw, the Rus- which adds further texture to your for table-top gaming good modula-
sian Rasputitsa, where roads literally vehicle to give it a more realistic tion can be achieved with just three
turn into a ‘sea’ of mud. look. Mr Surfacer comes in vari- colours: a dark, a mid-tone, and a
ous grades allowing you to tailor top highlight. My choice of paints
The Rubicon kit has crisp detail on the the finish to your specific require- for this is a selection of paints from
moulding, and simple, clear instruc- ments. Both prior stages are really the AK Interactive modulation set
tions. Decals are included and there down to personal preference; you for Russian vehicles. Before I do the
is plenty of variation to choose from. can still achieve a very nice-looking modulation, I’ve got into the habit of
After about 30 to 40 minutes’ con- model at the end. However, I giving my tanks a hull red undercoat
struction, the model is totally built and believe that they give the to represent the red oxide paint
sanded and ready for the next stage. model a more real- metal is primed in
istic cast-metal before
I tend to build vehicles in groups
most of the time, like a produc-
DID Y0U KN0W:

Production of the SU-85
V
was stopped when the

T34/85 was introduced.
Production was then
switched to the SU-100.

1 2 3
Breaking up the surface with a dremel. Using Mr Surfacer. Applying the red undercoat.
4 5 6
Adding modulation to the basic colour. Chipping to expose the red undercoat. Adding decals and a pin wash.
painting. This gives me the option of work so far. Once dry, I add all the the natural wear patterns that you get
chipping the first few coats of paint required decals and then coat the from a tank in use.
to reveal the oxide under the main whole vehicle in a green filter to help
paint scheme. This is done with blend the previous modulation. For During the whole process so far, I've
chipping fluid or hairspray, whatev- this tank, I used the Lifecolor Detail kept the tracks separate from the
er you prefer. This is also a stage you Emphasizer set, choosing the burned main body as they are much easier to
can drop from the process and can olive green for the main filter, then paint off the vehicle. The wheels are
be painted on by hand later; I just blended some of the burnt umber in treated in the same way as the rest of
prefer to chip them first then touch smaller areas to add more contrast. the tank. The track links themselves
up with a brush as needed. Once dry, any excess is removed us- are given a base coat of Tamiya Flat
ing white spirit with a brush and cot- Earth, one of my absolute favourite
For all of the stages above I prefer to ton buds before sealing again with paints. I just love Tamiya – a great
use an airbrush, but you could use more satin acrylic varnish. tough paint to work with. Once dry,
a paintbrush; it just takes more time I give them a thinned wash of Mig
and the finish is not quite as soft, but Now we are ready for the final Track Wash to help pick out the de-
it is still achievable. touches to the main paint job. As I tails and tone down the base colour.
have placed the vehicle in the early When dry, I paint the rubber on the
After priming the vehicle black, let- spring as the season is changing from road wheels with Panzer Aces Ger-
ting it dry, and giving it a coat of winter, I wanted to add the remnants man Track Black.Before I move on to
Tamiya Hull Red, I apply a light coat of the winter white wash in certain the next step, I’d just like to mention
of MIG Ammo chipping fluid before areas of the tank. First, I masked off that, when working like this, there are
base coating with the first shade of the decals with some masking fluid a lot of stages that need to be sealed.
green, which is AK Interactive’s Rus- as I wanted them to look like they This is important as, if you don’t seal
sian base from the modulation set. had been painted round when the your previous work, it will all just start
After all three base tones for the white wash was applied so you can to blur together, which is something
modulation are complete, I sub- still see the tank number and Soviet you don’t want. Sometimes when
tly chip back to the red oxide star. Once this was dry, the tank was sealing models a lot with satin or matt
primer in areas I want to draw coated in the areas where I wanted to varnish, your model can start to ap-
attention to or in areas that add the wash with Mig Ammo Heavy pear matt and a bit foggy looking. If
would get worn while the Chipping Effects. Once dry I applied this should happen, give it a coat of
tank is in action. a thinned mix of white paint to the gloss varnish over the top. This will lift
areas required. As soon as it was dry, the matt look from the vehicle.
After all this is done, I seal I removed and chipped it all back
the model with an acrylic with water and a brush, just leaving We are now ready to add the more
satin varnish to protect all the it in the areas required to represent extreme weathering elements to the

65
7 8 9
Pin washing the tracks. Using the Life Colour Detail Emphasizer. Applying mud to the tracks and body.
10 11 12
Adding the white paint chipping effect. Muddying up the tracks with pigments. Dirt applied to the main body.
model. I selected a couple of suit- similar mix but in a dark tone to rep- our to simulate where the tank has
able pigments to simulate the earth resent the wet mud that has recently been chipped and scratched in use.
and the environment where the tank accumulated on top of the already- This just helps to draw the eyes’ at-
is in service, in this case Russia. encrusted dry mud and dust. In this tention to areas of detail you want
Selecting two tones from the life- build all I did was take some of my to enhance and make more realis-
colour mud set, I set to work adding previous mix and add a darker pig- tic. With these final stages of just
dry mud to the undercarriage and ment to it until I was pleased with tweaking the vehicle to your own
the wheels and tracks. I wanted this the colour. Then I added to this mix requirements and needs, I call
to represent the accumulation of dry some AK Wet Effect Fluid to give the the process done, giving us a nice
mud that has collected in certain fresh mud a shine like wet earth has. mucky tank ready for service on
areas. I mixed the first lighter pig- I followed the same process as I had the Russian front.
ment with some AK Dust and Dirt done with the dry mud, but only
paints to act as the bonding agent applied it in certain areas so I had Most of these approaches to paint-
for the pigment. Without this, the a nice but subtle contrast between ing are from scale modelling. To
pigment will not stick, so it is im- the two. Any areas I was unhappy some, this may seem a lot of hassle
portant to use a binder. White spirits with, I re-worked with thinners and to get your tank on the table. In my
can be used for this too. I also add an old brush to give it a softer look opinion, there’s nothing that looks
casting plaster to the mix to thicken in places. For those of you that don’t quite as nice as a well-made gam-
and add volume, making it in to a own an airbrush, you can use an old ing table with lots of nicely painted
paste.Once you are happy with the paint brush and a small stick to flick chaps and tanks to set the scene.
mix, start to apply it to the model the brush against to simulate a pretty As I’ve previously stated, don’t be
using an old paint brush. I gently good splatter pattern. It is a bit more afraid to drop stages or add stages
blow the bristles of the brush with time consuming, but it works and is and formulate your own approach
my airbrush as this gives a nice a lot cheaper than an airbrush. to things. As I’ve always said to my
splatter pattern to your mud work. friends, the more tools in your bag,
If you should get a little too much Once all the mud work is dry, I clip the easier the job becomes. WS&S
in areas you don’t want, it can be the tracks to the main body and fin-
cleared off using white spirit to thin ish the vehicle with a few accents More online
and remove the mud. I also add it here and there, adding a few fuel You can check out Dread
to areas of the main tank to simu- and oil stains using a couple of the Lunn's YouTube channel,
Solvent Abuse, for much
late where the crew have clambered products available from AK Inter- more on terrain build-
across the vehicle and where the active and Mig Ammo. My final ing, weathering and
tracks would kick up mud and dust general figure painting:
touches to the vehicle were some
in action. After allowing the dried small scuffs and scratches in cer- http://bit.ly/2E6kkfi
mud base to cure, we then make a tain areas in a metallic metal col-

on/off switch (which are not includ-
A STEAM-POWERED BEAM ENGINE
HOBBY
ed in the later models).
BUILDING A NEWCOMEN The beam engine kit is a model that

has to be built up in many sub-assem-
blies and cannot be brought together
until a very late stage. I wanted a static
I think by now regular readers will know that I don’t do simple or ordi-
model – but I can confirm that it does
nary terrain pieces – in fact, the more ‘off-the-wall’ the better. The Airfix indeed work as a moving model.
beam engine is one of the earliest Museum Models and first appeared
I wanted to mount the model onto
in the Airfix catalogue in 1966. In fact I can remember the first release,
a stone or brick plinth, something
which featured an electric motor and could be built as a working model! I had seen while researching beam
engines on the internet. The plinth
this fifty-one-year-old kit still delivers is 200 mm long x 115 mm deep.
By Tony Harwood
a treat for the patient modeller. In addition, I added some Slater’s
S
I started with the main flywheel as I plastic letters to the beam and the
ince then the kit has gone main pivot support. This is a feature
was conscious that I needed to ensure
through three re-releases: I had seen on ‘real’ beam engines
I could make a simple plastic kit look
the white box in 1977, the and I thought it would add some-
like cast metal. I glued the two halves
green box in 2008, and the thing to the final model.
together and, after sanding the main
latest red box in 2012. I
joins with soft sanding pads, added
picked up mine from a Modelzone Following the box-top artwork, I
some surface texture to mimic rough
closing-down sale for less than cast iron. This texturing was done brush-painted the main parts ‘in-
£10.00. Different versions can be with acrylic medium, which was stip- dustrial green’ (a mix of three differ-
found on ebay for between £15.00 pled on with a large stiff brush. ent green paints I had on my work-
and £20.00, but I would recom- bench), and, to give some variation,
mend searching through the dusty The wheel was painted with acryl- I ‘sponged’ on some lighter areas of
shelves of your local modelling ic red paint – Red Gore as a base, green to the upper parts. The stone
store for discounted bargains. If all then Bloody Red, and finally a Hot slab base was painted in a variety of
else fails, there is a similar although Orange/Bloody Red mix. The metal creams, and once again lighter cream
simplified version sold by Academy rim was painted with a mix of steel, colours were sponged on top. The red
as a water-pumping engine and an silver, and gold, which was paint- parts add a spot of much-needed col-
educational toy – kit no. 18131. ed on in watered-down layers and our – apparently moving parts were
then varnished with gloss varnish to painted in brighter colours for safety
The Airfix beam engine kit has been which I added a tiny reasons. It makes them easier
referred to as both 1:32 scale and 1:40 drop of dark brown to see. With the
scale, but anyone who knows anything and black wash.
about these early engines will know
that they were built in great numbers The main body was
in a variety of sizes, from the huge Cor- also textured with
nish tin mine engines to small desk-top acrylic medium. I also
or display models. In 28 mm or 1:56 closed up the two slots
scale this would make it a large en- for the electric
gine, but far from the biggest. The main motor and
wheel is 92 mm across, which makes it
over 5 meters across when scaled up.
This is the first Airfix kit I have built

for some years, and the thought of
building this iconic model brought
back many fond memories of ‘slap-
ping’ these kits together in my grand-
father’s shed. With my rose-tinted
glasses removed, I realised that there
was quite a bit of preparation work
that needed to be done on this kit.
The plastic is rather soft and I don’t
think I encountered a single part that
didn’t need some cleaning up, but

1 2 3
Adding texture. Painting the wheel. Checking the parts fit together.
4 5 6
Painted industrial green. Adding dirt and weathering. The finished dirtied up model.
main beam painted – the Slater’s indi- parts are very delicate and can be it would survive extended running. Fi-
vidual letters really look the part. easily mixed up – believe me, I had nal weathering was done by brushing
to prise a number of superglued on weathering powders and superglu-
I modified the drive wheel by add- joins apart; luckily the kit does in- ing the odd static grass tuft to the base.
ing a larger belt drive drum, con- clude spare plastic rivets!
structed from the barrel of a pen. I This was not a simple “shake the box
found that removing excess paint Attaching the working arms to the and make”; it has many flaws (although
and rubbing a graphite pencil on main beam was another case of for a 51-year-old design, I think I can
all moving parts allowed the plas- working slowly and carefully – once forgive most). I have added loads of
tic-on-plastic parts to move more again those spare rivets came to the small additions or customized parts to
freely. The base has been detailed rescue. I added some additional make it fit in with the 28 mm wargame
with washes and I painted the edges pipe-work from plastic rod and ‘dirt- scale, but I can confirm that it was a
as black engineers’ bricks. The first ied up’ the base and mechanisms great kit to build, and, although not the
stages of weathering have been with a black paint and gloss varnish first thing that comes to mind when
added by ‘splating’ the parts with a mix. Additional weathering was done thinking of wargame terrain or gaming
wet brush, sponging with a piece of with a graphite pencil rubbed along objectives, I am sure that it would work
scouring pad, and light drybrushing. exposed edges and with watercolour well as a prop in many skirmish-style
pencils scribbled on in a haphazard games – I hope that it will make oth-
The main piston to the right was fashion – a trick I picked up from var- ers look at similar plastic kits and ask
painted with a mix of metallic paints ious model railway magazines and if they could be converted or modified
then washed with various washes forums. The watercolour pencil ef- for use as gaming scenery.
before a 7B graphite pencil was run fect is particularly noticeable around
around exposed edges. The repro- the top of the piston, where I used a I hope you have enjoyed reading
duction of oily metal is very diffi-
white Conté à Paris pencil. about how I built and painted this
cult to achieve convincingly but
iconic piece of Airfix history and
the graphite pencil does help. At
The finished beam engine is 180 mm converted it to act as another piece
this stage the upper beam sup-
long x 90 mm deep and 160 mm tall. of unusual wargame terrain. Get-
port, beam, and drive arm are
It sits on a 3 mm-thick plastic card ting back into ‘olde-school’ Airfix
still not attached properly.
base that is 200 mm long x 115 mm has certainly been a lot of fun and
deep, and represents a large steam- something that I can thoroughly
One of the most difficult parts
powered beam engine that would be recommend. WS&S
of the build was constructing
at home in the open air or as part of
the main piston and related
an indoor factory. I can confirm that Beam engines were used for several
metal arms. I had to work slow-
the moving parts do work, but I would tasks including pumping water and
ly and with great care as these
not want to motorize it as I’m not sure powering steam ships.

69
LET’S PLAY
using special attacks against them,
SKIRMISHING IN THE STREETS OF AN ANCIENT CITY while another had ‘nimble’, which al-
LET’S PLAY GANGS OF ROME

lows them to re-roll a failed agility test
once per turn. None of them are
over-powered but all help to
give your fighters a real sense of
Gangs of Rome is a skirmish game based around the seedy underbelly character and a unique identity.
of Republican Rome in the first century BC. Each player is meant to
You only need a 3' x 3' area
represent a dominus who is trying to secure greater influence in the city to play the game on. The sort
and maybe even a position in the Senate! Your gang engages in a wide of terrain you will need var-
range of scenarios with between three and ten gang fighters per game. ies from scenario to scenario,
and you might need a platform
to carry out your sacrifices
By Mark Backhouse mend Footsore for putting
on, or wagons and
a free PDF of the rules on
carts, in some of the
G
their website. Printed cop-
iven the small amount of fig- different scenarios. For
ies will be available for a
ures in Gangs of Rome, it many gamers, this might
very reasonable £8.
should be very quick for each not be scenery you have regularly to
player to paint up their figures hand as it’s not the standard woods,
The character cards with each figure
and get them on the table. rivers, and hills you will need for
are completely unique and random.
However, you’ll need between three most games. With all the wonderful
No two should be the same, even if
and six mob bases for most scenarios Sarissa scenery, I have to say Rome
you purchase the same figure! The
in the rules, each consisting of five ci- was really brought to life and looked
cards include the fighter’s name,
vilian figures on a round sabot-style fantastic. The scenarios are quite cre-
some background about them, and
base. The gang fighter figures for the ative and tend to avoid the ‘line them
a series of statistics, including a spe-
game retail at £8 per figure, although up and kill everyone on the other
cial fighting skill. It also includes their
they are substantially cheaper if pur- side’ fights in favour of slightly more
place of origin. There are ten different
chased as larger sets. Each fighter interesting missions. Sarissa produces
variables on each card and therefore
figure comes with a unique charac- a magnificent range of MDF buildings
the variety of options is absolutely
ter card, a set of four denarii MDF in 28 mm that includes over 20 dif-
huge. All of the statistics for the fight-
counters and their cards, a dice with ferent structures, ranging from villas
ers are slightly different but within a
Roman numerals on it, a special base, to insulae blocks and rows of shops.
small variation, therefore you don’t
and a set each of wound and number Warbases have also produced anoth-
tend to get really amazing fighters that
counters. All of this is of a very high er beautiful range of MDF buildings
completely dominate play or terribly
quality and makes the game look very that will complement them. Rome re-
weak fighters that are absolutely use-
well presented. The figures are nice ally can be built in a day (well, OK,
less. Fighters with slightly worse sta-
and come with a selection of heads several days!).
tistics cost a few less points and this
and different weapons. The premium allows you to spend more points on
price may well put off a lot of play- denarii tokens, which give your gang GAMEPLAY
ers, but with only a small number of additional bonus weapons and other Deployment and activation in the
figures required per gang your outlay advantages. We played our first game game follows a model similar to the
will be something similar to a Saga with 100 points each which equated activation system in Test of Honour
warband (albeit with about a fifth to just four fighters per side. and Bolt Action. A small coloured
of the figures!). The mobs are much pebble is placed into a bag for each
cheaper, with five figures for £8 with a One of my fighters had ‘intimi- gang member. When your pebble is
sabot mob base. I must com- dating’, which restricts drawn out, it allows you to deploy
opponents or activate one of your gang mem-
bers. Once all the pebbles have been
taken out of the bag, they are all re-
turned, and you start the
process again.
Movement in the game

is very straightforward.
You move a num-
ber of inches equal
to the ‘health’ statis-
tic for that fighter on their
Roman gang members rush to a fight outside the forum.
card. This starts at a score of between ios. Maybe I need to get some of that explain what advantage this gives
five and seven inches. As your fight- nice scaffolding from Sarissa? your fighter. Additional denarii cards
ers take wounds their movement is can be held in your hand and allocat-
therefore reduced down to a crawl! There are 40 different denarii cards, ed during play at key moments. This is
When you charge to engage an en- which can be allocated to individual a very clever idea and keeps you and
emy, you use your attacking combat fighters to give them additional ad- your opponent guessing. If you have a
statistic even if you have already been vantages in fights, such as a spear or wide variety of cards I expect it would
wounded. There are also simple rules a gladius, ranged weapons such as mean that you don’t know what the
for climbing and jumping, which al- slings, additional armour and equip- make-up of your rival gang is going to
low you to scale your scenery in a ment, or even an additional ally such be, enhancing replay value.
truly three-dimensional way. You roll as a gladiator or a fighting dog. The
a number of dice depending on the denarii cards are classed on their rar- Fighting is very straightforward. The
agility of the fighter and need to get ity and this limits the number you can gang member who launches the attack
a number of successes based on the allocate within your gang. Common rolls a number of dice equal to their
difficulty of the action. A success is denarii cards like clubs can be allo- combat attack statistic – somewhere
classed as a roll of 4+ on 1d6. The dif- cated multiple times to different fight- between five and seven dice, requiring
ficulty of the climb or jump is deter- ers in your gang, while the rarer cards a 4+ to hit (modified by any bonuses
mined by the number of inches you are more restricted. Your opponent for a special weapon). Your opponent
need to move – so a 1" climb onto a will not see what equipment you have then rolls defence dice equal to their
allocated to your fighters until you re- defence statistic and cancels any hits
waist-high podium would only require
on a 4+. Any uncancelled hits cause
a difficulty of one, whereas scaling veal it for the first time. This is not a
wounds on your target. Once you have
up the side of a 5"-tall insulae block ‘what you see is what you get’ game,
attacked, your opponent may at-
would be a dramatically more difficult and you may well be surprised when
tempt to attack back. If you
challenge! If you fail your agility test a model appearing to be armed with a
are fortunate enough
then your movement stops at the edge spear and shield is revealed to actually
to cause two or more
of the terrain, although if you were be armed with a bow and arrow! Your
wounds on your op-
trying to jump over a gap then your gang fighter model has up to one MDF
ponent than you have
fighter falls and suffers damage based denarii coin placed upside down next
caused a ‘gusher’, which
on the height of the drop. These are to it. The denarii coin can be turned
means a wound so bad that
clever and fun rules, although in the over when the fighter is activated, or your opponent is attempting
smaller games we played we found in combat, to reveal the special ad- to stem the blood rath-
players didn’t take full advantage of vantage you have, and the relevant er than fighting back.
the options available in most scenar- denarii card can then be read out to

71
tle idea that sets this set of rules apart.
Campaign systems have been prom-
ised, so keep following the Gangs
of Rome Facebook site for the latest
downloads and information.
When I first heard about the game

system I must admit to being a little
sceptical. Gang fighting in Rome
in the first century BC was often
a mass affair with personalities
like Clodius commanding several
hundred fighters at a time rather
than a handful. If a very seri-
ous historical recreation of gang
Will the mob take the side of the ambushed poltical agitator? violence in ancient Rome
is needed, or you simply
This means they miss the opportunity additional synergy much prefer mass battles,
to counterattack. When wounds are bonus to reflect their this is one set to avoid. It
scored, an increasingly dripping blood closer bonds and un- is rather stylised and com-
token can be changed on the base to derstanding of each other. Each char- ic-book-like to play. If, however, you
visually monitor the wounds. The sys- acter also has a patron god to whom loved the gang fights in HBO’s Rome
tem is vicious and certainly favours the fighters can pray to gain additional or the even more outlandish Spartacus:
piling in and acting aggressively. We bonuses depending on which god it Blood and Sand series, this is for you!
enjoyed it, but did find a tendency for is. These were easily forgotten playing
it all to end up as one great big scrap in the basic game, but add another di- The game is certainly a fun and en-
the middle of the table! mension of depth to the gang-creation joyable romp. The rules are simple
stage. While you might just settle for and intuitive to get the basics, and
The mobs of civilians play an interest- purchasing half a dozen packs of fight- very quickly you won’t need to look
ing role in the game and help to bring ers, I wonder if power players will buy them up but can just enjoy focussing
the city to life. They activate before the more packs hoping to get the optimum on playing. The rules and support ma-
normal activation of fighters, and a set of cards, like in a collectable card terials are beautifully presented and I
dice is rolled for each mob base. On game such as Magic: The Gathering? can even imagine non-gamers being
a roll of 4+ they move in the direc- converted to this game, as it captures
tion of the Roman numeral ‘V’ on the The individual games we played lasted some elements of a board or card
dice. The mobs also react to violence around an hour, with the first one tak- game combined with a traditional
from your gang members if they are ing about twice as long as we learnt wargame. It is a cleverly produced
close by. They randomly either stand the rules. Games can be played in iso- and innovative product that does
and watch, run away, or even join in lation or as part of a campaign, which away with many of the traditional el-
with fights that take place. This came can add elements such as if you defeat ements of wargaming and throws in
as quite a shock to one of our play test- an opponent, you are meant to receive a healthy challenge to rules conven-
ers as his carefully prepared plan un- from them a personal influence mark- tions. Judging by the huge level of
ravelled very quickly after the untimely er, which is like an ‘IOU’ note that they support it has been getting from the
intervention of an angry mob of Plebe- sign. These can be cashed in before a wider gaming community on its Face-
ians just before he had completed his future game with that opponent to give book site, it will appeal to large num-
main objective! The mobs are useful to you a small additional bonus for your bers of you! So grab your club, sharp-
block line of sight and can also slow side or to gain influence towards join- en your daggers, and we will see you
movement. One clever feature of the ing the senate. It is another clever lit- in the forum at nightfall! WS&S
rules is the way a gang fighter can
move into a mob base and reappear Gangs of Rome
in a different mob further away. This
Authors: Adam L. Dobbyns, Darren Evans, and Andy Hobday
is a clever tactical innovation that will Published by: Footsore Miniatures
really make players rethink their tac- Format: 36-page full colour softback
tics. Two parts of the game we forgot Dice: D6
about on our first play-through until Activation: Random activation (pebbles drawn from a bag)
pretty much the end of the game were Price: £8.00
prayers and the origins of your fighters.
If your gang fighters all come from the www.footsoreminiatures.co.uk
same area of Rome they are given an

GAME REVIEWS
GAME REVIEWS New and recent wargaming rulesets, reviewed

by the Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy team.
and can perform two actions (move, tack, typically a 5+ on a D6. Most
hide, shoot, melee, rally and rest). models have a single would but
some have two or more wounds.
The rules cover skirmishing pretty
thoroughly, with rules for climbing, Melee combat is interesting, as a
ladders, obstacles and leaping gaps. model has to make a Faith test to
The hiding rule is clever; you can close and fight an enemy model,
only successfully hide if you can’t based on their Presence stat. No
be seen by an enemy model when character usually has a presence
you hide (makes sense). For shoot- higher than 3, so most lesser char-
ing, the model can fire in a 180 de- acters (with a low faith of a D6)
gree arc. Models, however, have a may baulk at the idea of going toe
360 degree arc for spotting, and so to toe with a Crusader Lord, but
on. Shooting requires a roll of 5+, very brave characters (faith of D12)
with modifiers for aiming, range are unlikely to think twice about
Outremer, Blood and Faith: and cover. Once hit, a weapon’s decapitating a peasant. If contact
Skirmish Level Crusading power rating is rolled against the is made, both players roll dice
By Jamie Gordon model’s toughness (increased by based on the attack skill for the
(Osprey Wargames, 2017) armour). So a compound bow with attacker, and defence skill for the
£11.99 a power of D10 would have to roll defender. The winner of this con-
D4 to D20, Playing Card Activation over a target’s toughness (typically test scores a hit on their opponent,
5+ to wound with armour). Shields rolling to damage in the same way
Outremer, Blood and Faith is a skir- offer a ‘saving throw’ against an at- as for missile combat above (weap-
mish game set in the time of the
Crusades. It pitches small bands of
Crusaders (Franks or military or- harmoniously, together, the game
ders) against Saracens or against pitches many gangs against each
each other; after all, fellow Crusad- other. Gangs can be of mixed races
ers often did fall out. My immedi- or not; players are pretty free to do
ate thought was the film Kingdom as they please and recruit whoever
of Heaven or perhaps the new TV they want into their gangs.
drama Knightfall. The game is de-
signed to be played with 28mm Most of the fantasy archetypes are
miniatures, but there’s little reason listed (Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, and
why you could not use smaller min- so on) including what seems to be
iatures (as long as you can move the current fashionable evil min-
them individually, so perhaps ion, the Kobold. Although you will
15mm would be the limit). You find yourself able to use almost
could, of course, go bigger; maybe any fantasy model you may find
54mm crusaders would look good? in your collection, the book does
It’s always a good sign when a new Kobolds & Cobblestones state some basing requirements.
game gets you thinking about what Although I’m not a big fan of the
figures you’re going to use. By Robert Burman logic that states, “You can use
(Osprey Wargames, 2017)
£11.99 the figures you already have, but
The game mechanism is simple: the you might have to rebase them”, I
No dice, Card-based activation
better the character the higher the found that the requirements prob-
dice he or she rolls. So a mediocre ably aren’t far off how you would
Kobolds & Cobblestones is a gang
warrior might only get a D6 while normally base ‘that’ figure anyway
warfare game in a fantasy setting.
a mighty warrior rolls a D12. Be- and, if not, you should be able to
The game can be played with a work around it.
fore the game starts, each individual
model has a playing card assigned few models per side and is de-
to them. So your leader, for exam- signed to accommodate factions The game abandons the trusty tape
ple, might be given the king of clubs. of up to 20 figures. Set in the measure and dice completely! In-
These cards are shuffled together city port of Ordinsport, where all stead, play requires two decks of
and drawn in sequence. When the races of the world live, not always standard playing cards. One deck
model’s card comes up, it is activated

on strength dice versus target’s and are acclimatized, so have no in the Holy Land but it has poten-
toughness). Once a model is taken penalty for wearing light armour. tial for expansion. The Assassins or
down, a foe may have the chance Mongols would be good. With a lit-
to kill the model outright (taking an Factions are bought by choosing sides tle adaptation it could be used with
action) or leave them. Taken down to an agreed points cost (measured Northern Crusades or for other me-
models have a risk of long-term in- in livres, the old French currency). A dieval skirmish settings.
juries. There are rules for mounted typical quick battle will involve 500
combat as well, including lances livres and take about four models a In summary, this is a step up from
and shooting from horseback. side, while a big game of 1,000 livres your average skirmish game. There
may require seven to ten models a are elements which will be recog-
The three factions (Crusader, Mili- side. Where the game truly shines is nizable to most skirmish gamers
tary Order, and Saracen) each have in the comprehensive experience and but there are also some clever ide-
their own distinct flavour. Crusad- campaign system. Each model can as here which provide a flavour of
ers have a more balanced choice earn experience (if they survive) and the period. It feels like a medieval
of troops (from peasants to knights) gain skills. There are comprehensive skirmish game, rather than a game
and have bonuses to charging tables for these, including some inter- adapted for medieval times. As not-
mounted. Military Orders are more esting ones for merchants and crafts- ed above, the campaign progres-
organized, but must charge a foe men. Six scenarios are provided with sion is particularly good. The book
if they are able to. Some also have the game (and an additional one pro- is a reasonable price too. If gaming
unshakable faith, which means vided this issue, Ed.). the Crusades is of interest to you,
they don’t hesitate when charging a this one is worth picking up. Deus
foe. Saracens are more adept with The game currently only covers Vult! We will take Jerusalem!
the bow, are faster in the saddle the basic factions for the Crusades – David Davies
becoming your Combat deck whilst cards plus any extra cards dictat- wargame, along with magic, theft,
the other becomes your Events ed by their boss from the Combat special abilities that affect oppo-
Deck. All actions in the game are deck and players then draw a card nents in combat, campaign rules,
executed on the 52 standard cards. each from the event deck; the play- some really nice scenarios, extra
Movement, deployment and poten- er with the highest value card has equipment and so on.
tial spell effects are measured us- the initiative for this turn. Players
ing the decks’ joker cards. then alternate activating their mod- Kobolds & Cobblestones is the
els until each has been activated. 21st stand-alone rule book in the
Gang creation is a simple affair: se- Each model has a movement allow- ‘Osprey Wargames’ series and, as
lect a leader (free) and then spend ance of either ‘L’ or ‘W’, describing such, you know exactly what you
whatever gold you have on the low- whether a model moves a playing are getting; a well-produced, well
lifes and ne’er-do-wells listed in the card by length or width. presented, easy to read and follow
book. Each different type of gang rule book. I’ve noticed that as Os-
member comes with their own Combat is a little trickier. Kobolds prey release these books, unless I
strengths, weaknesses and skills to & Cobblestones requires players to have a particular interest in the sub-
aid your gang in their endeavours. build the best poker hand they can ject matter, I become a little less ex-
There are the obvious ones, such as from the five cards in their hand; cited with each release. The books
those handy in melee, sharpshoot- the player with the best hand wins, have become somewhat ‘formulaic’
ers and Magicians. But some come and the difference between play- and, dare I say it, generic, even if
with additional skills such as pick- ers’ hands resolves the outcome of the systems are not. As much as
pocket or locksmith, making them the combat. As someone who has it’s nice to know you are getting a
handy in other aspects of game not played a lot of poker I found quality rule book, I’ve always en-
play. Members are not customiz- this somewhat laborious. I like to joyed the individuality and quirki-
able, you get what you get, and I see innovative and interesting ways ness that is often part and parcel
have to say I quite like that. It cuts to ‘change up’ our games but un- of our great hobby. That, coupled
down on preparation time and gets fortunately this one didn’t quite with the poker element which I felt
players playing more quickly. work for me, although I suspect somewhat distracting, meant that
those who enjoy poker will. Of I didn’t enjoy Kobolds & Cobble-
Getting started is relatively simple: course, Kobolds & Cobblestones stones as much as I had hoped.
each player draws a hand of five includes rules to round it out as a – Rossco Watkins

77
as small arms, LMG, and RPG – there There are political schemes and per-
is deliberately no distinction for cali- manent institutions. Political schemes
bre. Support weapons appear in the represent an ability that is available
form mortars and HMGs appear, and pre-game to a faction. There may,
there are rules for unarmoured and ar- for instance, be foreign advisors that
moured vehicles, but the heavy weap- improve the quality of one of your
onry again limited to only two catego- squads. Schemes are available to fac-
ries. This is not a game of tank versus tions depending on their level: thus the
tank combat. Combat is resolved by tribal militia may start out with ‘carry
a “roll to hit” and then the target gets out atrocities’, whereas these aren’t
“defence dice” to cancel those hits. available to the superpower-backed
client faction until they reach major
Move order is determined by num- powerbroker level. Permanent institu-
bered initiative chits – players place tions are aspects like newspapers, ra-
chits with their squads without re- dio stations, or UN recognition that a
Wars of Insurgency vealing their initiative number and faction might obtain as the campaign
By Mike Demana alternately reveal them in ascending progresses. These can provide bonus-
(First Command Wargames, 2017) order. Split a squad and you end up es in the campaign depending on the
PDF - $8. Printed (Lulu) - around £14 with one less chit than you need. Each outcome of the battle. The campaign
(depending on exchange rate)
side has a leader that enables some system is based upon victory points af-
D6, Order chit activation alteration of the turn order for the unit ter a battle and a radio station, for ex-
that they are with. Lose a squad and ample, gives you points as if you had
Subtitled “Skirmish Warfare in the you lose your highest-number chit. achieved one higher level of success.
Modern World” this set of rules has Cover is rated differently for conceal-
its heart in the low intensity, post co- ment and protection from direct fire There are a few aspects reflecting the
lonial conflicts of the modern world and indirect explosive fire. heart of the rules in the post colonial
and units of infantry with some sup- era in Africa: there are no real rules for
port versus each other. At 40 pages, Nine pages are given to a campaign helicopters, minefields, IED’s or clay-
over half of which are campaign or system, four to force organisation mores, cavalry (I’m thinking here of
scenario rules, this does not com- charts, and five to scenarios. The ab- Grey’s Scouts), snipers, and ultra-elite
prise a complex set of rules. stract campaign system is the real special forces (SAS, Delta Force).
gem of the rules and worth buying the
Troop classification is between Mi- book for alone. Starting factions range If insurgency warfare is your 'thing',
litia, Regular and Professional. Con- from political movements through then you might want to try out these
centrating on troop quality rather than European troops (either colonists or rules. They're a low-risk investment.
technology, equipment is classified superpower-backed) to tribal militia. – Chris Payne
Gooood morning Vietnam! Here’s The rules sections stands at roughly

something fresh from home straight off sixty pages, with the book set out in
the chopper. Battlefront and Osprey a very logical step-by-step format. The
Games have come together to bring us mechanics of the game are tried and
in country players something to swark tested, using the humble D6 and the
about. The ‘NAM book is comprehen- standard alternative turn (IGO-UGO).
sive, you’ve got everything from the Each player moves and shoots with
Delta to the DMZ! That’s right, there each of their units before handing play
are rules for helos, skyhawks and even over to the opponent. Rules-wise, what
the brown water navy. you have here is simple, fast, and very
effective. There is even an index, laid
But we’ve seen this all before with out in the military phonetic alphabet!
Flames of War Vietnam, right? Wrong!
All the units and the rules have been Beautiful, with illustrations and pic-
updated to Team Yankee. It covers tures throughout, Battlefront and Os-
‘NAM the boys from back home (Airmobile, prey have gone to a lot of trouble to
By Mike Haught and Phil Yates Black Horse and Tropic Lightning, produce a really good book with the
(Osprey Wargames, 2017) plus Marines and Riverline), the Dig- flavour of ‘NAM on every page. Better
£29.99
gers (ANZAC), ARVN and, of course, buy this before you go Dinky Dau!
D6, Alternate turn Charlie (VC and NVA). – Guy Bowers

BOOK REVIEWS A roundup of recent books on wargaming,
or of special interest to the wargamer.
I had no idea of the scale of this op- Some of the photographs have never
eration until this book arrived on my been published and they add a lot
desk, but it involved the British 6th to the text. For gamers, these would
Airborne Division along with the US provide interesting details, as even
17th Airborne Division. As many as some of the nose art of the planes in-
540 transport aircraft and 1,000 glid- volved are pictured, along with many
ers were involved, making it the larg- people involved, including a WAAF
est single-day airborne drop in his- officer; there are also photographs of
tory. The author has gone into great action and parachute drops.
detail to include orders of battle,
individual memories and accounts Written more in the style of a novel,
of the operation, along with loads of the book is engrossing, gripping and
photographs split into two sections. thrilling. There are lots of references
and notes for further reading as well.
The book is written in such a way I enjoyed it and am already planning
Air War Varsity that the historical narrative and the a few bolt action (other rulesets are
personal accounts naturally lead available) scenarios based on sec-
By Martin W Bowman
ISBN: 978-1-4738-6310-1 into each other, making the book tions of this book.
(Pen and Sword Books, 2017) - £25.00 entertaining to read; but there is a
depth of knowledge in there and To sum up, enjoyable reading and I
Operation Varsity–Plunder was the some of the accounts would pro- would say essential reading for air-
last large-scale, Allied airborne op- vide great wargaming scenarios borne gamers. Lots of detail and in-
erations of the Second World War; for small-scale actions on the ta- formation in one place, and the tie
‘Varsity’ being the airborne part ble top. Having said that, if anyone ins with the amphibious part of the
and ‘Plunder’ being the amphibi- ever felt like fighting the major ac- operation are also explained and ex-
ous operations carried out by the tions in 1/300 scale, for instance, amined in detail.
British Second Army. I’d be fascinated to see it. – Ian Beal
plemented with material onits back- of the Civil War) and, of course, Ger-
ground, with conclusions, a glossary many (including the Second World
and bibliography. Most pages have a War), the pistol has seen widespread
photograph or an illustration, either use. There are some interesting pho-
of a weapon, or its components or tographs reproduced here, although
usage in warfare. space constraints disappointingly lim-
ited giving much about the context.
The background and development
section covers the period leading The section on the pistol’s impact cov-
up to the 1895 patent, and how the ers a variety of topics, from imitations
six-shot revolver was challenged by (mostly Spanish and made for the
the box-loading magazine Mauser. Asian market) to criminal usage, and
It includes many photographs and deals with its use by anarchists at the
drawings of variants and the internal turn of the 20th century, giving rise to
workings. The author works at the the nickname of “Peter the Painter” af-
Broomhandle Mauser Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, ter a famous anarchist. The pistol then
and this is reflected in the many pho- seems to have become a favourite in
By Jonathan Ferguson
ISBN: 978-1-4728-1615-3 tographs of items in their collection. the early years of the IRA, followed
(Osprey Weapon #58, 2017) - £12.99 by usage during the Irish War of Inde-
The section on usage covers the many pendence and Irish Civil War.
The Broomhandle Mauser was one of variants of the pistol, often for export
the iconic pistols of the 19th and 20th to the Asian market (and its imita- Like most books on specific weapons I
centuries, probably most famous as a tions), and their appearance around found this to be a very interesting read
sidearm of Winston Churchill. In 80 the world. From Africa (and Winston but possibly not one that you will re-
pages the book covers the pistol’s Churchill and the Boer War), the Mid- turn to in a hurry; or if you do it will
development (14 pages), usage (40 dle East, Russia (Revolution and after- probably be to look at the photographs.
pages), and impact (16 pages), sup- wards), China (Warlord Era to the end – Chris Payne

He starts his military life as an offic- poor behaviour by both British and
er in the 52nd (Oxfordshires) Light Portuguese troops noted candidly.
Infantry. After service in 1810 and
1811 he is promoted and transferred Hay seems, at times, to gloss over
to the 12th (Prince of Wales’s) Light events where he was certainly heav-
Dragoons – coincidently Wellington ily involved. For example, Fuentes
started out as a subaltern with the de Oñoro, where his regiment was
latter in 1789 – seeing service in the in the thick of things, gets a line or
latter part of the Peninsular Cam- two, whereas the bet he makes with
paign and then the Hundred Days, a fellow officer about a horse race
serving at Waterloo under Ponsonby. warrants two pages.
Hay is very much the focal point of The editor does note that Hay’s
the book, and when you note that he daughter originally edited these pa-
wrote much of this many years after pers in 1901, and that this is an edit
Reminiscences 1808 – 1815 the events, with the likelihood of some of an edit, and that Hay’s account of
Under Wellington: The Peninsular embellishment, these are still an enter- the Hundred Days was possibly less
and Waterloo Memoirs of William Hay taining set of memoires. He seems to than accurate – but it makes for some
By William Hay, notes and commen- be incapable of passing up a chance almost ‘Boys Own’ style reading.
tary by Andrew Bamford to gamble with fellow officers, and he
ISBN: 978-1-9115-1232-5 certainly likes to chance his arm when The book itself is nicely laid out.
(Helion and Company, 2017) - £25.00
it comes to blagging luxuries, yet he There are illustrations, many of
doesn’t complain too much when he which are contemporary to the
This is a collection of the memoirs of is sharing privations with his men. narrative, and some helpful maps
William Hay, a young, newly com- He certainly doesn’t hide some of the to support the campaigns. Well
missioned officer, as he embarked more unpleasant behaviours seen, es- worth the read.
on what he saw as a great adventure. pecially behind the front lines, with – Eoghan Kelly
Country farmer and brewer who rose an event he wouldn’t forget. This mu-
through the ranks of Parliament’s tiny also helped to put him front and
Army during the English Civil War to centre for the second Civil War and
become one of Cromwell’s fixers. His the long-awaited promotion to Colo-
purging of the House of Commons nel, becoming one of Cromwell’s most
meant the ‘Rump’ parliament would trusted assistants. Following the end of
be biddable and duly deliver the ver- the Civil War he served in the Scottish
dict on Charles I that was most desired Wars, the Dutch Wars and finally he
by the Puritan zealots in the Army. secured a seat in Cromwell’s House of
Lords and entered government.
The author details Pride’s life before
the Civil War, through to his actions He survived Cromwell by a short pe-
leading troops in the first Civil War, riod of time, being one of the signa-
where he served as a Captain (and tories that appointed him to the post
then Lt Colonel) in Harley’s Regiment of Lord Protector, but he died before
Cromwell’s Buffoon: The Life and of Foot. Pride served in some of the the return of Charles II.
Career of the Regicide, Thomas Pride better known campaigns – Lostwithi-
By Robert Hodkinson el, Bristol, West Country, Naseby, I really enjoyed this book; it gives
ISBN: 978-1-9115-1211-0 West Country again – and became an insight into an important per-
(Helion and Company, 2017) - £25.00 known as a reasonable leader of sonality of the Civil War who isn't
men. The narrative then details how often covered in detail. There are
This book is part of a series from He- he seized the initiative and opportu- also some great summaries of ECW
lion covering the 17th and early 18th nity presented to him when the New campaigns – more than enough to
centuries. Before I read this, I knew Model Army mutinied over political whet the appetite of anyone either
one thing about the Englishman Colo- and religious interference (and pay, new to the period or looking for an
nel Pride – he lead the troops who of course), and how this brought him excuse to start a new game.
purged Parliament. Pride was a West into direct conflict with Parliament – – Eoghan Kelly

81
PARTING SHOTS The last hurrah – with tips, tricks
PARTING SHOTS
and laughs for every wargamer
Blu Tac, the modeller’s flexible friend

I love Blu Tac. It is my truly my As an extra hand
flexible friend when it comes to When I’m attempting to join some-
modelling. It is so versatile that thing together with superglue, I’ve
every modeller should have some. learnt to support the piece I’m glu-
I’m sure there are other putties out ing with Blu Tack and have a second
there which you could use with piece of Blu Tack to rest the model
the following suggestions, but I’ve on. This saves me messing around
found Blu Tack the best, better than by waiting for the superglue to dry
Play-Doh or Plasticine. Plasticine or using a ‘kicker’. I’ve also used it Keeping it real
is almost as good but not as sticky to support a model as it’s drying to In my career as a wargamer, I
and small bits can stick in the crev- a base so it does not tip over at an have seen far too many cases
ices of your model, while Play awkward moment. A word of cau- where terrain is just thrown down
Dough dries out after a few days. tion however, Superglue and Blu randomly on the wargames table,
I’ve even heard of people ‘making tack don’t mix well, so make sure and it has begun to annoy me:
their own’ with white glue and liq- you don’t glue the Blu Tack to your houses without fenced borders,
uid starch, but I’ve never tried it. So model! A knife usually will remedy villages without roads, woods
what can it be used for? the situation but it’s best avoided. and other natural features obey-
ing grid patterns, have all started
Making camouflage patterns Support for cutting to irritate. Nature as a rule does
Blu Tack can be used to cover parts This article was inspired by an old issue not follow straight lines, so a war-
of a model to mask them off while of WS&S where I read the editor used gaming table shouldn't either.
it is sprayed with paint. This protects Blu Tack as a rest when he cuts plastic. Use the real world as your guide:
the layers underneath. This way, suc- It allows a smooth cut while support- Your games will look better and
cessive layers of camouflage can be ing the part you’re cutting and means the tactical choices you make will
added. The technique can also be the two pieces don’t fly off in random become far more interesting.
used on armour (knights). Coat the directions after the cut. It works for cut-
– Guy Bowers
metal miniature with a black wash ting lead too and cuts down on the
and then once dry, cover the metal amount of plasters you’ll get through.
areas with blu tack before applying ing up printed pictures or painting
an undercoat spray. The realistic As a temporary glue guides of what you are painting.
metal look is protected underneath. I like converting models and plas-
tics. So I used Blu Tack to temporar- Old Blu Tack can get a bit hard, but it
Supporting your model while painting ily stick a model together to see what is invigorated with mixing it with new
I marvel at people paying £5 for a it’ll look like. I can then modify the Blu Tack. It also can get 'non sticky'
grip to hold one model. I almost expose of the model as needed. No if it gets too wet, so just let it dry out
clusively use old paint pot lids (Tami- more stupid poses! a bit before reusing it. Another tip to
ya are the best) and bottle tops with remember is to wait until your paint
Blu Tack to create dozens of minia- As the Lord intended has fully dried before applying a layer
ture holders (as I paint my units in I hear some people use it for stick- of Blu Tack. It should not leave any
batches). I have literally a score of ing things to walls too. Who’d have stain or mark if done properly.
these ready for when I need them. thought… This is great for hang- – James Oram

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WWW.WSSMAGAZINE.COM // KARWANSARAY PUBLISHERS no.

Late Roman infantry and cavalry

MAR / APR 2018

ROME UNDER PRESSURE FEATURES:

Plucky Brits against Italian fanatics

Publisher: Jasper Oorthuys 48 ESCAPE FROM ROME

Illustrations: Georgie Harman

The exclusive distributor for the UK and the Republic of Ireland is

Copyright Karwansaray BV. All rights reserved. Nothing in this

Printed in the European Union 80 BOOK REVIEWS

4 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

— Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

As this issue approached, I dusted off my 28mm Late Romans with

Now available online: And coming in the next issue:

AN EMPIRE DIVIDED A VERY UNCIVIL WAR

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

pieces, and more from across the wargaming world.

The M60 Patton was Following up from its

6 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Amazing! I never thought One of the latest plastic

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

8 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

PaK 38 and Crew

10 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Begleit StuG Riders

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

12 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

SAYING GOODBYE TO YOUR BABIES

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

TAKING THE CROSS

By Jamie Gordon for players to try out with their war-

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

It wasn’t just idealistic Crusaders and Pilgrims MERCENARY FOOT KNIGHT

16 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

18 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

The eastern side of the battlefield

tlefield than the northern.

The woods reduce visibility to short

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

If that doesn’t fit the bill, then how about

Don’t like horse and musket? Then fast for-

Hessian units most appropriately represent troops from Rebel Army

20 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

For a dirt-farmer wanting

24 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Chassis cost: $400 Size: 1

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

In Operation Compass, launched in December 1940, British and

By Mark Backhouse play smoothly, but is not a prereq-

A British 6-pdr anti-tank gun

Personal victory points: Sergeant Eric Edwards Personal victory points:

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

be brought on from point C. The Ital-

28 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

30 Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95

A trumpeter from the Gardes du corps du Roy,

Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 95