£ 4.

25

WSS 54 apr11.indd 1 27-03-2011 21:37:54

WSS 54 apr11.indd 2 27-03-2011 21:37:56
WSS 54 apr11.indd 3 27-03-2011 21:37:58
 COLOPHON CONTENTS
Publishers: Rolof van Hövell tot Westerflier
Editor in chief: Jasper Oorthuys THEME: 1688 – THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION
Editor: Guy Bowers
Copy editor: Dirk van Gorp
Marketing & media manager: Christianne C. Beall
30 Historical introduction
Contributors: Mark Backhouse, Paul Burkin How James II was ousted by the Dutch William III
(WSS online), Richard Clarke, Benedict Coffin,
Javier Gomez Valero, Barry Hilton, Eoghan Kelly,
Chris Payne, Rick Priestley, Jon Sutherland, Craig
34 The Glorious Revolution for
Woodfield. wargamers
Battles and tactics of the late 17th century
Illustrations: Georgina Pymont Harman,
georginaharman@gmail.com
41 1688 and all that
Design & layout: © MeSa Design, A campaign system for the Glorious Revolution
www.mesadesign.nl
Print: PublisherPartners,
www.publisherpartners.com 46 Fighting Monmouth’s rebellion
Suggestions for Black Powder
Editorial office
PO Box 4082, 7200 BB Zutphen, The Netherlands
Phone: +31-575-776076 (NL), +44-20-8816281
(Europe), +1-740-994-0091 (US)
Email: editor@wssmagazine.com
FEATURES
Customer service:
service@karwansaraypublishers.com
Website: www.wssmagazine.com 16 Assassinate Caligula
A game of murder and mayhem!
Contributions in the form of articles, letters, reviews,
news and queries are welcomed. Please send to the
above address or use the contact form on www. 22 Clash of the Titans
wssmagazine.com. Interviewing the designers of new and upcoming
‘Ancients’ rules
Subscriptions
Subscription price is € 33.50 euros plus
postage surcharge where applicable. 25 Hnefatafl and Burgred’s flight
Subscriptions can be purchased at A hypothetical Dark Age scenario
shop.karwansaraypublishers.com,
via phone or by mail. For the address see above.
60 Let’s play… Operation Squad
Distribution Playing the new squad-level World War 2 skirmish game
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is sold through
retailers, the internet and by subscription. If you
wish to become a sales outlet, please contact us at
service@karwansaraypublishers.com.
REGULAR DEPARTMENTS
The exclusive distributor for the UK and the Republic
of Ireland is Comag Specialist Magazines, Unit 3,
Tavistock Road, West Drayton, UB7 7QE, United 6 Hobby news
Kingdom. Phone: +44 01895 433600. Our pick of recent news and some more information about
WSS ‘new style’.
Copyright Karwansaray BV. All rights reserved.
Nothing in this publication may be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent of the 8 Miniature reviews
publishers. Any individual providing material for The latest crop of miniatures get a critical once-over
publication must ensure that the correct permis-

14
sions before submission to us. Every effort has been
made to trace copyright holders, but in a few cases This gaming life
this proves impossible. The editor and publishers As an introduction, Rick Priestley relates his own history
apologize for any unwitting cases of copyright
transgressions and would like to hear from any
copyright holders not acknowledged. Articles and 64 Hit or Myth
the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily Richard Clarke considers the relation between history,
represent the views of the editor and/or publishers. wargaming and rules
Advertising in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy
does not necessarily imply endorsement.
70 1688 and all that
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is published every A campaign system for the Glorious Revolution
two months by Karwansaray BV, Rotterdam, the
Netherlands. PO Box 1110, 3000 BC Rotterdam,
the Netherlands. 72 Book reviews
Relevant books reviewed by the WSS team
ISSN: 2211-503X

Printed in the European Union

WSS 54 apr11.indd 4 27-03-2011 21:38:01

 EDITORIAL
WSS new style
“It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war

© Georgina Harman
who can thoroughly understand how to gain from waging war.”
(Sun Tzu).
It is truly an awesome feeling, putting together this new issue of
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy. I use the word ‘awesome’ very
gingerly, as it is overused these days. Everything seems to be describedGuy Bowers
in such terms. I mean it in the true sense of the word,
I am truly in awe. After what seems like ages of deliberation and waiting, Wargames, Soldiers
and Strategy magazine returns. The result, I hope, is as interesting and inspirational as it looks.
For me personally it has been a steep learning curve, with new ways of working and stringent
new standards. This old dog is thankfully proving he can still learn new tricks. Now to the Sun
Tzu quote at the beginning. For me, history has always been important in my gaming: research-
ing a period and remembering the price of real warfare is in blood. That’s why I combined
my recent WAB tournament with a visit to the Arnhem Airborne museum and to the Airborne
cemetery to pay my respects. But we don’t want the history to dominate too much either;
a long piece of history with a scenario tacked on at the end is really not acceptable to us.

Over the last year, I’ve bothered every wargamer I met (and who would listen!) with questions
about what they wanted in a wargaming magazine. In the end, the best summary came from
one of my good friends who told me: “I want a
wargames magazine about war gaming.” That’s
what I plan on and I hope that’s what we’ll
deliver with every single new issue.
© Karwansaray Publishers

Guy Bowers

PS: If you have any feedback,

Contemplating the next move. Myself and Jan Willem
at Militia Brabantia’s recent tournament in Uden,
The Netherlands.
comments or critique, please write me at
editor@wssmagazine.com
You may also send your ‘letters to the editor’
there or via our postal address.

1688 – The Matrix Game 41 HOBBY

THEME:

28 Must-read novels:
the Dark Ages
Recommended reading to get some inspiration from
historical fiction

50 William at The Boyne

‘El Mercenario’ explains how he created the cover vignette

66 Making snake fencing

An American battlefield feature on the cheap

A campaign system for the Glorious Revolution

WSS 54 apr11.indd 5 27-03-2011 21:38:05

 NEWS By Guy Bowers

Wargames, Soldiers and

Strategy returns!
Yes, it is a shameless plug! We think you

might know this small bit of news by now

as you hold a copy in your hand, but perhaps

it is time to explain how this new version of

magazine came about, and what it hopes to be.

The English version of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy

started in 2003. It soon set standards in the wargames
press for quality, though it could be a little quirky at
times. It became famous for its good articles and the oc-
casional ‘Spanish English’ slipping in. It also introduced
the themed-issue concept. Netherlands. Jasper then secured a last-minute stand at
Salute, which left us with precious little time. Normally
The recent history of WS&S has admittedly been tur- we’d have a good two months to plan each issue, this
bulent. Almost a year ago now, we had to make the one has been done in much less. So while we are triple
heartbreaking decision to stop the English edition. Before checking everything, we are bound to miss something!
the June issue of 2010, what would have been number
54, the Spanish publisher, Revistas Profesionales, pub- So what’s new in WS&S? Apart from the new look, we
licly announced the magazine was put ‘on hold’. Within have two inspiring columns by Rick Priestley and Rich-
hours of that message, I received a short note via email... ard Clarke. There is our theme for the issue, the Glori-
It came from Jasper Oorthuys, editor of Ancient Warfare ous Revolution. Having listened to the feedback of our
magazine. He asked me a simple question, “Was anyone readers, the theme will no longer dominate an issue as
else interested in taking up the challenge?” it did before; we plan for no more than a third of each
issue to be theme related. Our future issues will also be
Jasper, a trained historian and wargamer was indeed influenced by you, the reader. So please do tell us what
interested in taking up the challenge. To my shame, I had you like, what you don’t, and do be in touch if you’d
to admit I wasn’t familiar with Ancient Warfare which like to contribute to the magazine. Mail me at editor@
he ran and still runs. That was soon remedied however, wssmagazine.com!
and while negotiations with Revistas
Profesionales began, we had a series of
meetings in the UK and Holland. There
the new magazine was born. We did
not want to lose what was essentially
the old flavour of WS&S. Our aim has
always been to look back at what was
good about the old issues and try to
improve on them.

While these meetings were very fruitful

on the ideas front, it took a long time
until we could really do something
concrete. It wasn’t until February last
that the contract was signed and WS&S
formally moved from Madrid to the Me-
dieval Hanseatic town of Zutphen, the

WSS 54 apr11.indd 6 27-03-2011 21:38:16

 The Rumour Mill

New Napoleonic rules? News from Plastic

WS&S was fortunate enough to catch up with Chris Peers who
told us of his new rule set. Chris’ interests have always gone
back to 19th Century Darkest Africa, but his latest set, called
Tremble you Tyrants, is for the Revolutionary and Napoleonic
era. Based on the successful mechanisms in In death ground
and Death in the dark continent (both designed by him as well),
this rules set should be available from North Star soon. More
news as we have it.
New Gripping Beast Plastics?
Gripping Beast revealed their next set of plastics. Darren at the
Beast described the new yet to be named set as “unarmoured
generic hairies.” These will fit the bill for any Dark Age warriors
with beards, from Saxon Ceorls, Viking Bondi, Arthurians, early
Saxons… the list is nearly endless. This will be one useful set to
look out for, given the possible uses.
Also… Gripping Beast plan to release a series of paints, in con-
junction with Army Painter. The first set will be a Dark Age paint
set to supplement the Army Painter boxed set. The release was
described as imminent, probably as soon as Salute 2011. At the
same time the remoulded Gripping Beast Saxons will be avail-
able.
Finally there’s the Beast’s long awaited miniatures game… Saga.
WS&S should have a full report on the new game with some
notes and thoughts from the designer in our next issue.
Soldier
Plastic Soldier are proving one to watch as
they speed ahead with several new releases.
It’s hard to keep up! In April-May, their next
plastic tank will be released – a Panzer IV with
the necessary extras to equip it as a F1 (short
75mm), F2 (Long 75mm) and G/H variants
(with schuerzen). This will be released first in
15mm, with the 20mm version following soon
after. Also on the cards is the first of the heavy
weapons packs (machineguns, mortars etc).
Starting with the Russians in 20mm, they will
also receive a plastic 45mm anti-tank gun,
with parts to convert it into the 1942 long bar-
rel version and the 76mm infantry gun variant
as well. One pack and three guns... impres-
sive!
For the summer, WS&S has been told to expect
a plastic Sdkfz 251 with early and ‘Neu’ vari-
ants. Also planned is an accessory sprue to al-
low every variant of the 251 they can fit on the
sprue, including command (251/10), Flame-
thrower (251/16), 75mm ‘Stummel’ (251/9)
and Pioneer (251/7) variants.
If that wasn’t enough… we can expect their US
GI infantry in 20mm around July. With them
will follow a Sherman and M3/M5 Halftrack.
Plastic Soldier will initially release new infan-
try in 20mm firstly and new vehicles in 15mm.
They will follow up with releases in the other
scales.

Wargames, Soldiers and

Strategy goes digital
You can now easily stay in touch with WS&S online, on
Facebook and via our newsletter (our Twitter feed is still a
bit quiet). One thing I always regretted about the old WS&S
was the lack of a decent website. Now thankfully we have
one with bells and whistles! In the future, we hope to
expand it into becoming a full and proper news site with a
database of reviews which have appeared in the magazine.
We also have plans for a website forum, so you the reader
can comment and give feedback on the magazine as well
as other hobby related issues.
Check us out at:
www.wssmagazine.com

WSS 54 apr11.indd 7 27-03-2011 21:38:19

 REVIEWS
Warlord 28mm British
Crimean War infantry
Crimean British Command Crimean British
Warlord Games recently bought Radetzky Miniatures’
Crimean range. Now their range of Crimean War British
infantry is available as a boxed set. The Crimean War
(1853-56) saw Turkey allied with Britain and France
against Russia. The allies invaded the Crimean Peninsula,
with the intent of taking the port of Sevastopol. The sol-
diers faced the hardships of the hot summers and the bit-
ter Russian winters. Sculpted by the talented Paul Hicks,
these models represent the British line (20 models) and
Bolt Action 28mm Plastic
British Infantry
Tasty! We like these… Warlord has released their boxed
set of 28mm plastic British infantry, replacing their original
range of metal Bolt Action infantry. The British ‘Tommy’
was the backbone of the British Army in the Second World
War. So it is the natural choice for Warlord to follow on
from their Germans. This is Warlord’s second set of plastic
infantry and it shows; the overall sprues are that bit bet-
ter thought out. The weapons are thicker, more durable
(although we understand Warlord have replaced their
German weapon sprue with thicker weapons now). Each
head looks it was part of a Battle or Valliant comic hero.
Helmets are separate, allowing bare head or helmeted
variants. The backpacks even come with tea mugs! There
are some mould lines, which can be cleaned up with a
sharp knife. There are five basic body poses: Walking,
crouching, running advancing and braced. Arms are pro-
vided for each of the many weapon options. The weapon
sprue contains everything from a Webley to a 2”mortar
and PIAT, plus useful extras like shovels and ammo packs.
There is also a very useful reference sheet explaining what
each piece is for (do not lose this!). Round 25mm bases
are included on the sprue. The only (mild) critique would
be that the crouching pose is the only one suitable for an
WSS 54 apr11.indd 8
flank (8 models) companies, including 4 com-
mand, including 4 command. The models are
well cast, with little flash and some tags to be
removed around the bayonet. The basic pose is
the same for all the models, a marching pose.
There is a selection of different heads, some
are clean shaven, others bear moustaches and
others still have beards. The casting is crisp
with minimal mould lines visible. Each box
contains some brief information on regiments
which fought in the Crimea and includes ten useful flags on the
reverse. Size wise, the models are 27mm foot to eye, or 34mm
to the top, of the Shako. This places them in the middle of the
range for most 28mm miniatures. The price is £35.00 (€41.28)
for the set, which is pretty good for 32 metal figures, enough
for a typical regiment for Black Powder. This is the ideal boxed
set for someone wanting to start a Crimean British army or
expand an existing force.
www.warlordgames.co.uk
Warlord British
officer, as that is the only one with no ammo packs. Assembly
is relatively straightforward if taken in stages, we found it use-
ful to glue the weapon to the right hand and let it dry before
continuing assembling the models. Also available are a set
of higher command, engineers, 3” mortar and Vickers HMG,
to complete the British. The box is priced at £20.00 (€23.58)
which is pretty good value for 25 multipose models, consider-
ing the amount of miniatures. This makes an ideal starter for
any British force or a use-
ful addition to an existing
army. Size wise, they are
28mm from foot to eye,
so compatible with the
vast majority of ranges.
Recommended.
www.warlordgames.co.uk
Bren gun and Thompson
27-03-2011 21:38:33
 REVIEWS
Gripping Beast 28mm
Plastic Saxon Thegns
lines. The models assemble cleanly, fitting together well with a
good polystyrene cement. There is a choice of weapons from
spears to swords and axes with plenty of variations with the
heads. The inclusion of two command sprues means that two
units of 22 models could potentially be made up with this set.
Overall, this is a very good buy for the Dark Age player, one
which WS&S has no trouble recommending. Compatibility is
good, the models being some 28mm tall, so the models will fit
in with most existing 28mm Dark Age ranges. Priced at £20.
www.grippingbeast.com
Saxon Command

After the successful plastic Vikings, Gripping Beast has

now released the Saxon Thegns; the elite warriors of Anglo
Saxon society. Armed with spear, axe and sword, clad in
chainmail and with a large protective shield, these men
would have fought for their lord against all enemies.
The box contains a massive 44 models, four sprues of 10
warriors and two sprues of command with two miniatures
on each. They are well cast and have minimal mould

Saxon Thegns

BEF Miniatures 28mm

WW2 Belgians
Belgians! BEF miniatures, who specializes in miniatures
for the early campaigns of the Second World War, have
released a range of Belgians for this period. The models
shown are Chasseurs Ardennais; regular Belgian troops are
also available.
The Belgians fought hard in the ‘Campaign of 18 days’
against the might of the German army. It was always going
to be a one sided fight, given the strength the Belgians
faced, even with the help of the allies.
Chasseurs Ardennais
Chasseurs Ardennais
The models are sculpted by Mark Sims of Artizan Designs,
so you know they are going to be good. Casting is well
done, with mould lines hard to spot and with minimal
flash. The poses are excellent and full of character. Of the
eight models provided, six have rifles, one has a Browning
Automatic Rifle and the NCO has a Submachine gun.
Size wise, the models stand some 32mm tall (being 28mm
‘foot to eye’), making them middle of the range and com-
patible with other ranges (we cannot say most existing
ranges as there aren’t that many Belgians in this scale out
there). The price is £12.00 for 8 models. Recommended.
www.befminiatures.co.uk

WSS 54 apr11.indd 9 27-03-2011 21:38:51

 REVIEWS
Plastic Soldier Russian
and German Infantry in
15mm, 20mm and 28mm
Now here’s a clever thing. Imagine a range of miniatures
available in a scale to suit your gaming tastes. 15mm?
20mm? 28mm? No problem, just choose the size of box
you want. Plastic Soldier does exactly that in hard plastic.
They currently do Russians in all three scales with the
German range partially available and British to follow
shortly.
A review of the Plastic Soldier T34 Tank is on the WS&S
website. Support weapon packs will follow shortly as well
as a special new range.
While the models at different scales are basically identi-
cal, the models do subtly change with size. For example,
the 15mm ones have slightly thicker gun barrels.
20mm Germans
The models are well produced, have no flash and little
in the way of mould lines. The poses are generally good
with a little compromise to mould design, which means
one or two of the poses may seem a little flat. However
this is made up for as some other figures are multipart.
They assemble easily and give the models more satisfying
poses. The design of these is carried off well, it is hard to
tell these figures from their metal counterparts without
Size comparison: 15mm – 20mm - 28mm
10
WSS 54 apr11.indd 10
close examination. Some of the poses also have separate
heads; an unusual idea in 15mm, but pretty satisfying. As
these figures come in hard plastic, conversions and alter-
ing of the poses & heads is easily achieved.
The Russians have a good mix of rifles, submachine guns
and light machineguns. The Germans also have a good
mix of weapons, with perhaps a few too many subma-
chine guns. Some of the poses also have the infantry grip-
ping the barrels of their weapons, something they would
not do after a few rounds had been fired through them!
Painted 28mm Russians
Size wise, the 15mm are ‘foot to eye’, standing 18mm
tall. The 20mm are 22mm from foot to eye and the
28mm are ‘from foot to eye’ or 32mm tall. Each of these
are compatible with their respective size ranges and will
fit with most ranges. Price is where Plastic Soldier truly
excels, 15mm are £18.50 for 130 infantry, 20mm £11.50
and 28mm £18.50 (for 57 models). This is very good
value for your money. Recommended.
27-03-2011 21:39:00
 REVIEWS
RPG Manufacturing
Cromwell Tank RPG Cromwell

Miniature Figurines through RPG Manufacturing

have released a range tanks available in 1/100,
1/72, 1/60, 1/56 and 1/48.
The A27M Cromwell was a cruiser tank designed
in 1942, which saw service in Normandy
and beyond, mainly in the 7th Armoured
Division and as recce in other armoured
divisions. It had a good balance in armour and
speed, if lacking in firepower with its 6lber gun.
The later A30 Challenger and A34 Comet (both based
on the Cromwell) had versions of the 17lber, which did
much to redress the balance of firepower. The detail is very good. Also impressive is the fact the model is a single
cast, or rather it looks like it is a 3D model print. The material of which it is made, is robust and very elastic, meaning
it’ll take some effort to break. The model requires no assembly whatsoever, just take out of the box and paint! Again, it is
interesting that model makers are using the most of modern technology. While the model supplied for review is 1/60, the
models for 1/72 and 1/100 are equally as detailed. The tank stands some 38mm tall and is priced at £25.
RPG Manufacturing offers several variants. The range of scales means you should be able to find one that fits your models.
www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk

Offensive Miniatures
28mm Fallschirmjaeger

28mm Fallschirmjaeger

Following on from their US Airborne, Offensive have
launched their new range of Fallschirmjaeger, Hitler’s elite
paratroopers. Fighting throughout the war, from the Low
Countries, to Crete, Africa, Russia, Italy, France and finally
defending the Reich itself. The models reviewed are from
the Offensive Minis Elite range. The sculpting is well
proportioned and well posed. Casting is very good: it is
hard to spot any mould lines and there was no flash. The
weapons are proportionately sized and there are no tree
trunk rifles here. Posing is good with most of the troopers
in light kit but the machine gunner laden down with extra
ammo belts and boxes. This is a bunch of lean fit individ-
uals. The Fallschirmjaeger come in squad packs of eleven
models, with separate command and support packs of
typically six models. The majority are armed with Kar 98s
with MG42s in support and the occasional MP40.
The models stand some 31mm tall, being 28mm ‘from
foot to eye’, so should fit in with most existing ranges.
The price is £11 for eleven models or £10 for a six model
command group or £12 for a support pack. These have
the look of an interesting range, definitely a must for any
German player.
www.offensiveminiatures.com

11

WSS 54 apr11.indd 11 27-03-2011 21:39:11

 REVIEWS
Perry Miniatures 28mm
ACW Plastic Zouaves
The models themselves are what we’ve come to expect
from Perry Plastics. These are well made with few mould
lines, easily cleaned up. The basic Zouave comes with
options for either marching or attack poses. The command
includes two standards, an officer and drummer. A wide
variety of heads are provided including fez and turbans.
All the poses are realistic and well done. Assembly is
straightforward. The models measure 28mm ‘from foot
to eye’ or 31mm tall in turbans, so should be compatible
Zouave Command with most existing ranges. The price is very good at £18
for the boxed set (€ 20.95). Recommended.
The Perrys have released their plastic Zouaves, first seen as www.perry-miniatures.com
‘3 ups’ at Salute 2010. Their boxed set contains a magnifi-
cent 42 models, 40 Zouaves (on eight sprues of five) and two
command (on a separate sprue). Full assembly and painting
instructions are provided along with bases and a selection
of flags. This boxed set promises to bring much needed rein-
forcements to 28mm American Civil War players and to add
a colourful force to the tabletop. The Civil War Zouaves were
based on the military fashion of the time, namely the French
Zouaves, so with a little adaption and simple conversion, Zouave rank
these miniatures may do for other types of Zouaves. and file

Relic Miniatures 28mm

Carthaginian Veterans
on the infantry has the spear held underarm and can be
positioned with the spear anywhere from the vertical to the
horizontal, which is a nice touch. The infantry are wearing
chainmail and have oval scutums. The helmets include ones
with feather plumes. The command are nice, with the leader
being particularly good. Size wise, the models stand some
33mm tall (or 28mm ‘foot to eye’), making them middle of
the range and (thus) compatible with most existing ranges.
The price is $17.95 Canadian for 8 models (roughly £12.60)
Relic Carthaginian Command or $9.95 Canadian (£6.30) for the three command. The
quality of these miniatures is reflected in their price.
Relic is a new company which specializes in miniatures for www.relicminiatures.com
the Punic and Hellenistic wars of Ancient times. They have
released an excellent range of Carthaginians. We previously
reviewed Relic’s Hannibal on the WS&S website. His vet-
erans were the scourge of Rome in the 2nd Punic war, as
Hannibal won victory after victory. Only Rome’s ability to
put army after army in the field saved it from destruction.
The models are cleanly cast, mould lines are hard to find.
There is a little flash but this is easily cleaned. The right arm
Relic Carthaginian Veterans

12

WSS 54 apr11.indd 12 27-03-2011 21:39:29

 REVIEWS
Wargames Factory 28mm
Plastic MarlBurian Infantry
might not satisfy the ‘button counters’ but are certainly
good enough for rank and file. The idea of providing
enough parts to cover pretty much all the possible varia-
tions in troops for this period (on a single sprue!) is very
ambitious, but is generally done well with this set. By
using the basic hats and trimming the socket bayonets,
the models would suit the earlier Glorious Revolution
period (this issue). The tricorn and mitre provide the
headwear for musketeers and grenadiers throughout the
Marlburian period. These would also be suitable for any-
one wanting Government troops for Pirate games. Overall
the models are well produced; the heads are particularly
well detailed. Almost ever space on the sprue bears extra
heads, arms, drums or flagpole (which cleverly doubles
up as a pike). There a a few criticisms; the firing pose
looks a little odd and we had to reposition the pikeman’s
hand to make him hold his pike vertical, but these are
minor points. The marching poses are fine. As plastics
Command consisting of officer, standardbearer and drummer. go, these are a great improvement on earlier sets from
Wargames Factory. Size wise, these are middle of the
range, being 28mm ‘foot to eye’ or 31mm tall (taller with
The latest release from Wargames Factory is their Horse and mitres). These should be compatible with most existing
Musket range plastic infantry, designed for the War of Spanish ranges of Marlburian miniatures in 28mm. The price is
Succession, or Marlburian period. The models can be readily very good, given 36 troops for $19.95 (retailing at around
adopted for the earlier Nine Year War (League of Augsberg) and £14-£16 or €20).
possibly later conflicts. So what do you get in a box? 36 figures, www.wargamesfactory.com
each neatly arranged on 12 sprues of 3. Each sprue contains
a dazzling array of options with 16 separate heads, allowing
hat, tricorn, barehead and five mitre variations. Two march-
ing poses are provided. The third model can be made up with
the various torsos (four in total) as either an officer, drummer,
grenadier, standard bearer, pikeman or ordinary musketman (in
firing or marching pose). As only one set of legs was provided
per sprue, we were left wanting more legs, given the plethora s to
u ’ d like u ts,
of extra arms and heads! The models are fairly generic, so they If y o roduc
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Grenadiers and Line

74 13

WSS 54 apr11.indd 13 27-03-2011 21:39:44


© Georgie Harman
By Rick Priestley
This Gaming Life
With the passage of years some things are, if not exactly axi-
omatic, commonly acknowledged to be inevitable. Thus it is
that gentlemen of a certain age understand instinctively when
it becomes necessary to forever eschew the wearing of pale-
coloured trousers, and embrace instead the enduring and
gratefully concealing properties of tweed. In this manner life
flows forth, and the rewards and vicissitudes of time come to
us all. It is in like vain that I pen these words; the first of what
is intended to be a regular column on the gaming life, doubt-
less to be crammed with entertaining anecdotage, piquant
observation, occasional misplaced reminiscence, and not a lit-
tle vigorous prognostication. Lest the sensitive reader become
unnecessarily alarmed at the prospect, this last is promised to
be neither as painful nor as intrusive as it at first sounds.
There being no better place to start than the beginning, it is
probably wise to say a little about myself. First and foremost,
there are – inevitably - many years experience as a gamer
stretching far back to the days of fulsome flares. Then there
are many more years spent earning a crust in the world of
wargames, as well as continuing to enjoy what for me has
always been a hobby and never just work. If readers recognise
my name at all it will probably be on account of my near three
decades at Citadel and Games Workshop, where I worked
on the Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 science-
fiction series of games, and therefore primarily as a writer and
designer of tabletop wargames. There have been other things
along the way though: card games, board games, role-playing
games, and even a stint on computer games, but my greatest
and enduring enthusiasm has always been tabletop wargam-
ing in one form or another.
© Karwansaray Publishers
The author at Warhammer World, contemplating his next move.
14
WSS 54 apr11.indd 14
COLUMN
Though Games Workshop is a pretty large corporation these
days – at least by the standards of the average wargames fig-
ure manufacturer – it was not always so. When I joined Citadel
way back in the early 1980’s, the company looked and smelled
distinctly strange. It had about a dozen or so employees work-
ing out of part of a grubby Victorian factory. Not necessarily
the nicest part either. It was certainly an interesting and very
‘hands on’ experience, during which I got to run mail order,
learned to cast, made moulds, and set-up the first studio with
artists John Blanche and Tony Ackland. It was my privilege to
work for what was a very small and personal company, and
watch it grow bit-by-bit, year on year, for almost three dec-
ades. All of which was a very edifying adventure. Along the
way I leaned a great deal about not only designing and writing
wargames, but also the commercial realities of helping to run
a games business, designing figures in metal and plastic, and
manufacturing and distributing them all round the world. Not
surprisingly, during the course of events one sometimes learns
how not to do things – and those lessons are often the most
valuable ones of course!
Aside from an all too familiar predilection for the fantasy
and science-fiction genres, my main interest has always been
in the ancient period, and primarily in the days of the early
Roman empire. It was probably watching Spartacus, Antony
and Cleopatra, and Ben Hur on TV at a dangerously unripe
age that did it. Or possibly it was Carry On Cleo and Up
Pompeii. One does sometimes wonder. Having admitted a
certain bias towards ancient history, few historical eras have
entirely escaped attention over the years. However, no special
expertise is claimed when it comes to the armies of Napoleon,
Victoria and Lincoln. It is true that I once led a charge of
Chasseurs a Cheval against the Scots Greys in the mistaken
belief that the former were heavy cavalry and the latter mere
dragoons. Needless to say it did not end well. I would also
like to confess that, beyond the choppy waters of Salamis and
the novels of Patrick O’Brian, my knowledge of naval warfare
remains sadly pitiful. Still, I’ve always believed that something
intensely informative can be drawn from the perspective of
unsullied ignorance, and very much look forward to bringing
its benefits to a wider public awareness.
On the plus side of the balance sheet I can point to no lit-
tle experience designing and helping to design and publish
games. Like most wargames rules writers, I am a keen collec-
tor of other people’s rules sets and good ideas. Now it is com-
mon knowledge that one man’s ideal wargames rules may be
another’s notion of indescribable balderdash. One must make
allowances for taste and write for your chosen audience. I’ve
always taken the view that such differences of approach pale
27-03-2011 21:39:48
 © Karwansaray Publishers
Scotland Forever! Scots Greys charge to death or glory.

besides the ability to present, explain and enthuse about a
game in a comprehensible and, hopefully, entertaining man-
ner. Just as a musician may aspire to be a virtuoso performer
regardless of whether he plays classical, jazz or rock music,
so a games designer must master certain principles of his craft
regardless of how it is to be applied. Never mind that the sub-
ject of your game be the second world war, a medieval joust,
or battling spaceships, the same attention and rigour can
tastical. So what does it feel like starting our new column?
Well –obviously - it feels like a well earned change of trousers.
And not before time either.
Rick Priestley, the man behind Warhammer, a legend.
The editor takes pride in the fact that Mr. Priestley
calls him by his first name.

profitably be brought to bear upon all. Naturally,

© Karwansaray Publishers

a feeling for game play and the interaction of par-

ticipants may be partly instinctive, but most things
can be learned, and most gamers will have a go at
writing rules at one time or other.

I very much look forward to sharing my thoughts

on gaming past, present and future and would
welcome any suggestions from readers – so long
as they are on the whole sanitary and not too
physically demanding. I’m also looking forward to
exploring some new games, and have a few firmly
in my sights for further attention in the coming
months. One thing is for certain, there’s never
been so many people producing so many new
models and games for the tabletop gamer whether
historically inclined or determined upon the fan-
French Columns of Attack close on the British line.

15

WSS 54 apr11.indd 15 27-03-2011 21:39:54

 scenario
By Mark Backhouse

A fast paced game of murder and mayhem!

assassinate
Caligula

© Mark Backhouse
The emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more
commonly known by his childhood nickname of ‘Caligula’, came
to power following the death of his adoptive father Tiberius
in 37AD. In theory he was meant to have shared power with
Tiberius’s real son Gemellus, however the latter was quickly
removed and disposed of, leaving Caligula as the sole empe-
ror. Initially he seems to have been a popular choice. He earned
the support of the Praetorian Guard by offering them bonuses, and won over the plebs
through restoring public elections, and investing in public reform. Suetonius even claims
that the Roman people even gave him new nicknames of their ‘chick’ and their ‘babe’!

“Infamy, infamy. They’ve all got it
in for me!”
Unfortunately the infatuation with
the young emperor did not last long.
After the first two years of his reign
© Mark Backhouse
he became increasingly despotic. His
personal life was filled with sexual
scandals and incest. He took advantage
of his position of power to send the
army on ludicrous campaigns. He led
one expedition to Germany in search
of new German prisoners to fill the
ranks of his bodyguard. The campaign
was a fiasco, but finding no suitable
Germans to capture he disguised his
own bodyguards and then proceeded to
capture them with his Praetorian Guard

as if this was a real battle. After this he

celebrated a full triumph as if he were a
great general and encouraged Gauls to
dye their hair red and to be paraded as
if German captives. Even more infa-
mous was his favourite horse Incitatus,
who, Suetonius reports, was fed golden
barley and drank from golden goblets.
Caligula even claimed that he would
make the horse a consul.

Several unsuccessful attempts were

made on Caligula’s life, but in early
41AD a plot was hatched to remove
the emperor once and for all. It was led
by Cassius Chaerea, and officer in the
Praeteorian Guard, and clearly had the
support of several other officers in the
Guard who had become disillusioned
with Caligula. Josephus claims that

16

WSS 54 apr11.indd 16 27-03-2011 21:40:02

 © Mark Backhouse
Chaerea had a grudge against Caligula
because the emperor mocked him for
his high pitched voice in front of his
men, and Cassius Dio mentions that
Caligula forced him to use suggestive
watchwords every day. If ever Chae-
rea tried to kiss the emperor’s hand
in thanks, Caligula would at the last
moment move his hand to an obscene
gesture! Cassius Chaerea managed to
persuade several other members of the
guard to support him along with a large
number of senators keen to remove the
tyrant from office.
The plotters hoped to strike Caligula
when he was at the celebration of the
Palatine Games. A temporary theatre
was erected next to the Imperial Palace
and thousands of people would be
there. This would have made it easier
for the assassins to approach the empe-
ror and made it a difficult environment
for his German bodyguards to protect
him in. Caligula arrived and watched
the show in the morning. The assassins
were planning to attack Caligula when
he went for a midday bath and lunch.
The plan nearly failed because Caligula
had an upset stomach from excessive
partying, and was not really sure if he
wanted lunch at all. In the end hunger
obviously got the better of him and
the small Imperial party made up of
senators, praetorians and the emperor
and his bodyguards started to make
their way back to the Palace. At some
point he became separated from the rest
of his party and took a short cut down a
WSS 54 apr11.indd 17
scenario
narrow passageway back to the palace.
On the way Caligula stopped to talk to
a group of performers rehearsing for the
show.
What happened next is open to some
debate. Suetonius writing some time af-
ter the events recounts two differing ver-
sions of the murder. The first explained
that as Caligula was talking with the
boys, Chaerea came up behind, and
gave him a deep cut in the neck, having
first cried:
“‘Take that,’ and that then the tribu-
ne Cornelius Sabinus, who was the
other conspirator and faced Gaius,
stabbed him in the breast. Others
say that Sabinus, after getting rid
of the crowd through centurions
who were in the plot, asked for the
watchword, as soldiers do, and that
when Gaius gave him ‘Jupiter’, he
cried ‘So be it,’ and as Gaius looked
around, he split his jawbone with
a blow of his sword. As he lay upon
the ground and with writhing limbs
called out that he still lived, the
others dispatched him with thirty
wounds; for the general signal was
‘Strike again’.”
Suetonius, Life of Caligula 58
Cassius Dio dryly remarks that Caligula
received a practical demonstration that
he was not a god after all.
17
Several of Caligula’s litter bearers were
meant to have run to his aid and tried
to beat off the attackers with the poles
used for carrying the litter. They were
rather belatedly joined by his enraged
German bodyguards, who went on a
rampage killing anyone nearby inclu-
ding several innocent senators as well
as some of the assassins. Most of the
assassins, however, escaped to the
House of Germanicus, one of the hou-
ses that made up the palace complex.
Several of the assassins were saved
from the German guards by a physician
called Alcyon who, while tending the
injured at the scene, smuggled out some
of the assassins at the same time.
The reaction to Caligula’s death was
rather mixed. There was no instant
ecstatic jubilation as the assassins had
hoped. Many in the palace believed
that the Emperor’s death had been
staged and was a test of their loyalty.
The Germans were eventually calmed
down, but not before several of the
assassin’s heads had been placed on a
nearby altar. Soon afterwards another
assassin – Lupus, was sent to murder
Caligula’s wife Caesonia. She was stab-
bed to death and their daughter Drusilla
was murdered by having her head
smashed against the wall. After the con-
fusion of the assassination, Caligula’s
uncle – Claudius – was meant to have
been found cowering behind a curtain
and seized by the Praetorian Guard. He
was acclaimed as emperor and thanks
to the support of the Praetorian Guard,
the senate also approved the decision.
Gaming the murder
Gaming the assassination provides for a
short and fun skirmish game. The fight
requires few figures, and can involve
potentially quite a large group of play-
ers each with rather different objectives.
The rules for the game are down to
you! In playtesting I used a variation
of Legends of the Old West with some
Roman modifications. A version of
this should be being published in this
esteemed magazine in the none too dis-
tant future. In the meantime any set of
Gladiator, Ancient or Medieval skirmish
rules will probably work well.
The terrain must have a long and fairly
thin corridor. Mine was about 6” wide
27-03-2011 21:40:11

and 14” long. Rooms in the palace
might also be depicted but this will
depend on the size of your tabletop
and availability of resources. Initially
I played out the game using dungeon
floor plans, later on I made a 3D palace
area using foamboard walls on a hard-
board base. I made the rooms and cor-
ridors separate to vary the design and
allow more variation when replaying
the scenario. This was not the daunting
job it sounds! I used an internet image
search of Roman mosaics to get the
patterns I wanted and scaled them to fit
my floor area. I used images of Roman
wall paintings from Pompeii to decorate
my walls. I made simple doors out of
balsa wood and decorated them using
thin card strips and pins pushed through
and then cut off at the back to look like
iron rivets and re-enforcements. If you
are feeling lazier, Grand Manner makes
a Roman palace and theatre complex.
Start re-mortgaging the house now
though, you have been warned!
The figures for this game might take a
little imagination. Caligula probably
would have worn a toga and sandals,
although Suetonius mentions he also
liked to wear the dress of a Hellenistic
general including full armour at public
occasions. He also seemed to like
dressing up as a woman as well, which
conjures up a lot of ideas of how you
might scratchbuild him or use a variety
WSS 54 apr11.indd 18
scenario
of proxy figures. I used an emperor from
the Foundry gladiator range for mine.
The Praetorian Guard probably wore to-
gas and carried swords while in Rome.
Foundry produces several Praetorians
thus armed, but a few spare gladii can
always be added to toga clad figures
for more variation. They might possibly
have worn the full military regalia –
and if this is the case a wider variety of
figures depicting the Praetorian Guard
in the field might be used. Foundry and
Warlord both spring to mind in 28mm,
but I am sure there are others!
The litter bearers are best depicted as
wearing tunics and sandals. The litter
poles will probably have to be added
with a piece of wire. Most Ancient
Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman ranges
will have suitable figure for conversion
here, or to serve as simple proxies if
you cannot be bothered to go to extent
of converting figures specifically. The
performers just need to be figures in
tunics – some sources mention them
as boys, but quite what they did as
entertainment is unsure... I just used
some Roman civilian figures I had lying
around.
The German bodyguard should proba-
bly look like tall unarmoured Roman
legionaries. To distinguish them as
Germans they should have bearded or
moustached faces and red or blonde
18
© Mark Backhouse
hair. This might mean a few head swaps
with an Ancient German range, or
maybe careful application of greenstuff
or other sculpting material. Again, they
probably should be armed just with
swords and daggers, but feel free to use
fully armed Imperial Romans if that is
all you have.
The scenario
The scenario attempts to recreate
elements of the assassination without
making it a complete done deal. De-
pending on the rules you are using you
may need to modify the scenario to suit
them so that it is reasonably balanced.
Our sources on the assassination do
not give a perfect picture of all of the
details, so a little bit of tinkering to
make them fit your rules will not really
be making the game any less historical!
The game starts just at the point where
Caligula goes down the corridor and the
assassins draw their swords for the kill.
Setup
The game should start in the long corri-
dor. There should be doors at each end,
one leading to the theatre, the other
leading to the palace.
Place Caligula about 6” down the cor-
ridor away from the theatre end and
heading towards the Palace. This should
be about one move away from the as-
sassins. He is talking to a group of three
27-03-2011 21:40:19
 scenario

to six performers in a group about an The Plotters

inch or two away.
At the theatre entrance, place five as-
sassin Praetorian Guards, one of which
should be Cassius Chaerea. Cornelius
Sabinus, the assassin-tribune, should
also be present. Outside the theatre
entrance (and off table at the start)
should be four litter bearers and a group
of ten German bodyguards. They are
led by their leader (also called Sabinus
confusingly!)
The litter bearers may enter the corridor
from the theatre end at the start of turn
two (assuming that the doors were not
closed by two of the Praetorians in the
first turn – see special rules). The Ger-
mans roll 1d6 at the start of every turn
from turn three onwards. On a roll of
5+ they arrive at the entrance of the the-
atre corridor behind the litter bearers.
Extra rooms
If further rooms are used you can dice
for their inhabitants and their allegiance
as they are entered. Roll 1d6 per room/
corridor:
1-2 Empty.
3 – A German bodyguard. Always pro-
tects Caligula.
4 – A slave, -2 on any allegiance tests.
Use the profile for performers.
5 – A senator. Unarmed if supporting
Character Quality
Cassius Veteran
Chaerea
Cornelius Experienced
Sabinus
Praetorian Veteran
Guard x 4
of your palace this might mean simply
exiting either of the corridor exits or
including several exits further away if
you have included several rooms into
the House of Germanicus where they
are assumed to be kept safely hidden)
The German bodyguards win if they
protect the emperor and kill all of the
assassins. They score a draw if the Em-
peror dies but at least they avenge the
Emperor by killing all of the assassins.
Special Rules
The big doors to the theatre take one
turn to close using two figures. They
take another turn to bar.
To open the doors to the theatre takes
one turn. The doors can be smashed
down once barred, but that will take at
least two turns (depending on your rule
set and the number of figures involved).
Later, the door might be locked and
Equipment Motivation Notes
Sword Fanatical Plotter leader
Dagger Good Plotter
Sword Good Plotter
need breaking down depending on how
mean your GM is! If you are just using a
single corridor in your game rather than
the rest of the palace, then the palace
doors will also be shut and barred. This
should prevent Caligula from simply
running out.
Caligula should get the first turn to give
him a fighting chance. Depending on
how you activate players in your rule
set, either the assassins or the perfor-
mers can go next.
Characters should choose their moving
speed. Running characters should stand
a chance of stumbling or tripping on
their toga in panic. To reflect this any
character running should roll 1d6. On
a roll of 1 the character has slipped,
tripped, or generally made a nuisance
of themselves and must spend a turn
stationary.

© Mark Backhouse
the Emperor, dagger armed if in on
the Plot. Use the profile for Cornelius
Sabinus.
6 – A Praetorian Guard, +1 on any al-
legiance tests if Chaerea is within 6”.
Note: this might mean they actually
protect the emperor as not all of them
knew about the plot.

To determine the allegiance of the other

figures roll 1d6
1-2 Loyal to the emperor. Will fight to
protect him.
3-4 Dumbstruck. Tries to get out of the
way of all fighting.
5-6 In on the assassination and joins the
plot to kill Caligula.

Winning the scenario

The emperor wins if he survives and all
of the plotters are killed or captured.
The Plotters win the game if the empe-
ror is killed and they escape out of the
palace. (Note: depending on the size

19

WSS 54 apr11.indd 19 27-03-2011 21:40:27


The performers might help Caligula by
fighting the Praetorians. A morale check
at the start should determine their level
of support. They might get out of the
way or sell their lives dearly protecting
the emperor!
Balancing the scenario and
alternative methods of play
Depending on the ruleset you use, the
scenario might need some tweaking.
If the emperor continually dies, try
adding four more litter bearers or
doubling the number of performers to
soak up the initial attack. If the assassins
constantly fail, then add another two
more Praetorians or increase the chance
of later figures encountered to also be
assassins by giving an additional +1 on
the allegiance table dice roll. Another
alternative, if the Germans arrive too
quickly, is to make the barred door to
the theatre tougher – so it takes longer
to break through.
If the only Praetorian figures you have
are fully armed and armoured they
might be an even tougher prospect. To
balance this out allow the Germans to
be similarly tooled up and possibly give
the performers something to fight back
with.
An alternative set up approach is
possible if you have a sufficiently
large palace area. A second group of
assassins start in the Palace complex
at the same time with the objectives of
killing Caligula’s wife Caesonia and
daughter Drusilla. These in turn could
The emperor, his entourage and bodyguards
I have tried to use some generic descriptions to explain the characters so that you can convert these to your chosen rule
system.
Character Quality
Caligula Experienced
Performers Inexperienced
x 3-6
Litter Bearers Inexperienced
German Veteran
Bodyguards x 10
* Regardless of the rule set you are using Caligula should be able to take a number of wounds before he is finally ‘killed’.
I recommend three. This will mean that a lucky hit will not take him out in the first turn and you will make a game of it.
I would suggest that Caligula suffers a movement penalty after receiving his first wound.
WSS 54 apr11.indd 20
scenario
be guarded by a small group of German on fire in the confusion, or even pet
bodyguards. Further groups of Prae- lions on the rampage to spice up the
torian Guard of unknown allegiance game as the emperor and assassins run
could enter the palace playing the role through parts of the palace.
of ‘kingmaker’. Claudius could also be
included (and should get a bonus for
hiding behind curtains!), attempting Mark Backhouse is part-time history
to avoid getting murdered himself. A teacher, part-time superhero. At least
creative (or downright nasty GM) might he must be considering the speed and
also place alternative encounters, mobs quality of work he delivers! WS&S will
of supporters, loose gladiators, attractive be seeing more of Mr. Backhouse’s
slave girls, parts of the palace being set work for sure.
Further reading
Ancient Warfare V.2 features a variety of articles dealing with Royal and
Imperial bodyguards in the Ancient World.
The following ancient sources provide descriptions of Caligula’s murder.
The Jewish writer Josephus (Jewish Antiquities) is nearest in time to the
events mentioned, but Suetonius (Life of Caligula), though working almost
a century after the murder, had access to Roman Imperial records. Cassius
Dio, a senator writing in the early 3rd century, provides a broader histori-
cal narrative. All three can be found in translation online. Tacitus’ Annals
did cover Caligula’s reign, but that part has not survived.
In terms of secondary historians I found H.H. Scullard’s From the Gracchi
to Nero a very helpful introduction to Caligula’s reign. For a more detailed
analysis of the murder, see Anthony Barrett’s Caligula – The Corruption
of Power, a first rate analysis. For theatrical inspiration the infamous film
Caligula (1979) is pretty dire (and rude if you like that kind of thing!), but
the death scene is sufficiently brutal and shocking. It does not bear much
similarity to the descriptions in the sources though! A slightly better depic-
tion of events is shown in the 1985 mini-series ’I Claudius’. Both clips were
available on Youtube last time I checked.
Equipment Motivation Notes
Dagger Fanatical Very resilient*
Improvised Moderate Loyal to Caligula
or none
Poles Fanatical Loyal to Caligula
(count as clubs)
Swords Fanatical Loyal to Caligula.
20
27-03-2011 21:40:34
WSS 54 apr11.indd 21 27-03-2011 21:40:36
 INTERVIEW
By Guy Bowers

The new ‘ancients’ rules for 2011

Clash of the Titans!

In the next issue of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, we’ll be taking an extensive look at the

new and emerging rules sets for ‘ancients’ wargaming, in alphabetical order: Clash of Empires,

Hail Caesar!, In Death Ground and War and Conquest. As a little preview, we asked each of the

authors a few short questions. Here are their replies:

find itself in, and the appropriate re-

sponses. “Death ground” is a situation
where you have to fight or die.

What scale and size of game will it

encompass? Skirmish? Battle?

RP: Hail Caesar is a battle game. It

has been designed for playing games
with about ten units a side upwards,
though a unit can be a bolt thrower, an
elephant, or five skirmisher models. So
© Karwansaray Publishers

it’s not limited to ‘big battles’. It’s jolly

good for big battles though!

SMc: We mostly play in 28mm on 6’

3rd Century Armorum and Aquila 28mm Romans from the collection of Phil
Hendry.
So tell us the basics about your rule set.
What’s the title? What inspired you to
call it that?
Rick Priestley (RP): Hail Caesar!. I just
wanted a name that would stand out
as distinctive. And it has overtones of
Carry on Cleo, Up Pompei, Chelmsford
123... all those greats.
Stuart McCorquodale (SMc): Clash of
Empires. You are a bad man! I can blab
for ages. It’s a 192 page, full colour
hardback rulebook for historical war-
gaming. We called it Clash of Empires
because the great battles of antiquity
were mostly between rival imperial
entities struggling for hegemony and
dominance. The cover reflects that, with
the shadow of Rome over the world and
the legions marching to the east.
Rob Broom (RB): The book is called
War and Conquest with the tag line
Epic Battles in the Ancient and Medieval
World. I wanted a powerful title and
cover art to reflect this huge period of
time when individuals took their armies
to war to dominate and bring their rivals
to submission through conquest of their
lands and cities. Using the abbreviation
WAC will also give players an oppor-
tunity for some mirth when arranging
games.
Chris Peers (CP): In Death Ground is a
quotation from Sun Tzu. He describes
different circumstances an army might
x 4’ tables, but have also played in
15mm; the rulebook has guides on
using your 15mm figures. CoE is for
battles that most gamers find accessible,
with 120-160 or so 28mm figures per
side. We’ve played on much larger ta-
bles with bigger armies over a Saturday
afternoon as well and looking forward
to recreating some specific battles. CoE
is well suited to that sort of scenario
play; we ran a group of around 20
gamers (some new to historical gaming)
who started with small armies. These
were 50-80 figures per side.
RB: War and Conquest is a straightfor-
ward game for armies of around 150
models a side arranged into a number
of units, although larger and smaller
forces will work equally well. We used
28mm models in play testing, but so
long as both sides are based the same,
it can work with simple adaptations for
most sizes of miniatures. We intend to

22

WSS 54 apr11.indd 22 27-03-2011 21:40:44


© Karwansaray Publishers
Phil Hendry’s Sassanian infantry, from the same manufacturer,
but with replacement shields.
support that further at our website as
well as in the book itself. Games should
be completed in a couple of hours on
a 6’ x 4’ table with larger or smaller
battles taking proportionally less or
more time.
CP: You can have a good game with
around 200 figures, though you can
easily handle bigger armies if you want
to. It represents a full scale battle, not a
skirmish, though I haven’t specified an
exact figure to man ratio.
What theoretical time range will it
cover? What support do you have
planned for the game?
RP: That’s two questions you sneaky
so-and-so! Hail Caesar covers the entire
ancients and early medieval period,
and we are planning a supplement that
will extend that to cover later medieval
battles. We have a number of supple-
ments underway including army lists,
and we also make some jolly fine
model soldiers to build your ancient
armies with more on the way.
SMc: It will cover the chariot era to the
medieval period, before the domina-
tion of gunpowder. There are some key
evolutionary periods in antiquity: the
rise and demise of chariotry, the devel-
opment of hoplite warfare before being
battered into obsolescence by the Ro-
mans, the introduction of the armoured
knight, and others. Gamers will have
varied, interesting and well researched
army lists for all of the areas that they
WSS 54 apr11.indd 23
INTERVIEW
miniature ranges (including Greeks and
Spartans) so we can further support
those activities by way of prizes and
competitions.
CP: The rules cover the period from
2500 BC to 1300 AD. They contain
some sample army lists, and there are
more coming out at frequent intervals. I
don’t know what the final total will be,
but it will run into hundreds. The lists
can all be downloaded free from the
North Star website, so once you have
bought the rulebook you don’t need to
spend anything else.
What makes your different from other
rules sets? What’s the main idea behind
the rules?
play. Any list not covered in those books
will be free on the web. The first army RP: The distinctive feature that car-
list book is out late summer covering ries over from our Black Powder rule
the Early Achaemenid Persians to the set, is that movement of troops is not
death of Alexander, around 25 army automatic in Hail Caesar as it is in most
lists. wargames: troops are moved according
to a dice result and can move different
RB: The game will cover just about distances and achieve different things
anything from the Stone Age through depending upon how they are com-
to the end of the War of the Roses. We manded.
plan a lot of online support in the way
of army lists and future publications will SMc: There’s a lot that’s good in existing
focus on additional gaming material, wargames that has influenced us and
resources and more detailed army lists we’ve taken some of these and blended
for those that want them. However, it it with our own take on wargaming. In
is worth mentioning that gamers with 2008 I wrote a list of things I wanted
large collections
of other army lists
should be able to
convert them right
away without
much effort. We
already have an
online forum and
yahoo group. We
will of course be
arranging gaming
events as that is
something I have
quite a track re-
cord in and enjoy
doing. Scarab has
released some
© Karwansaray Publishers
War elephants
also painted by
Phil Hendry.
23
27-03-2011 21:40:53

© Karwansaray Publishers
A formation of Roman heavy infantry screened by Lanciarii.
CoE to achieve. The first one was that I
didn’t want to rebase any of my figures
(both 15mm and 28mm). I like using
lots of dice and I like single model ca-
sualty removal. I like to ponder whether
I should increase my warbands to 32
men or stick to smaller units. I like to
weigh the advantages and disadvan-
tages of fielding my auxiliaries as closed
order heavy foot in front of the legionar-
ies or giving them a light infantry role
to exploit enemy flanks. I also like com-
manders commanding and not being
Conan-style killing machines.
RB: War and Conquest is fun to play,
and will give gamers the opportunity to
remember the after action battle report
and remarkable moments during the
game for some time. As with all games
involving dice, those dice can occa-
sionally throw up some most unusual
results! While War and Conquest will
not improve your dice rolling, it should
give you some great gaming memories.
We are bringing history and the char-
acter of battle to life on the table top.
Many other rule sets attempt to do that,
so I don’t think I can honestly say we
will have the ‘Holy Grail’ of wargaming
included within our rules, because no
one group of wargamers will ever agree
on what that Holy Grail is!
CP: I believe that, within reason, the
faster the game plays the more real-
istic, as well as enjoyable, it will be.
I don’t like rigid chains of command
WSS 54 apr11.indd 24
INTERVIEW
and systems of written orders, which
aren’t very appropriate for most ancient
armies anyway. Wargamers want to see
their figures in action, not to sit around
doing paperwork, and anything too
complicated will end up being ignored.
But it’s also important, when you are
selling something as representing a
historical subject, that it has that feeling
of authenticity, with deployments and
tactics having results that feel right.
How compatible is it: can I use the
armies I have already?
RP: Well - I would say absolutely yes,
assuming you have ancient armies of
about the size indicated, and also as-
suming you could use them before of
course, Guy... as I recall it’s an issue
often aired by your opponents over a
half-pint in Bugmans Bar.
SMc: Most armies will change over
very, very easily indeed. With my own
armies - I have nearly 20 - I decided
to redo some of my commanders and
make casualty and disrupted mark-
ers. For example, with my Republican
Romans, I based my general and army
standard together and painted two extra
sub-commanders on circular bases.
Making the markers was fun as those
casualty figures had been sitting around
unpainted for years. My 15mm armies
didn’t change at all - I just use markers
to count casualties until a whole base is
removed.
24
RB: If you are using 28mm armies based
for other popular 28mm Ancient game
systems then you should be able to play
straight away. Indeed chances are some
of your armies will need no change at
all. Units are comprised of individual
or multibased miniatures, so element-
based armies will need a little more
care and we discuss in the book some
solutions to help get you on your way.
Once you have read through the book,
you may well be inspired to paint up
some additional miniatures to round
out your army and make use of some
of those characterful models that often
don’t find a place in regular armies.
Wargaming is as much about the col-
lecting, painting and reading the history
as it is about the playing of the game for
many people. With War and Conquest
we have attempted to combine those
elements together into a high quality
publication that brings your army to life
on the table top and create an enjoy-
able hobby as well as a game.
CP: Yes. The rules will work with any
figure scale. They use multi-figure bases
with a standard frontage, but it doesn’t
matter what that frontage is as long as
players agree. You don’t need to remove
individual figures and the numbers on
the bases don’t affect the game mecha-
nisms, so you can use units of any size.
Look for an extensive combined review
of these rules in Wargames, Soldiers and
Strategy issue 55!
For further information:
Hail Caesar!
www.warlordgames.co.uk
Clash of Empires
www.clashofempires.co.uk
War and Conquest
warandconquest.co.uk
In Death Ground
www.northstarfigures.com
27-03-2011 21:41:02
 scenario
By Benedict Coffin

A hypothetical Dark Age scenario based on Hnefatafl

The king flees

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 874: ‘In this
Have you ever played Hnefatafl? A well attested early year the army went from Lindsey to
Repton and took up winter quarters
medieval board game, it places the king and a group of there, and drove King Burgred across
the sea, after he had held the king-
pawns in the centre of the board, with four groups of dom 22 years. And they conquered all
enemies in the way. The king must reach a corner square that land. And he went to Rome and
settled there; and his body is buried in
to escape and win. This scenario is a shameless homage the church of St Mary in the English
quarter. And the same year they
inspired by a passage in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. gave the kingdom of the Mercians to
be held by Ceolwulf, a foolish king’s
thegn; and he swore oaths to them
and gave hostages, that it should be
ready for them on whatever day they
wished to have it, and he would be
ready himself and all who would fol-
low him, at the enemy’s service.’

ravaging and destruction they could

otherwise expect. As with any extor-
tion, this must have weakened them
while helping their adversaries recover
their strength. The leaders of the ‘Great
Army’ evidently judged that they had
nothing to lose by taking over manage-
ment directly and in 874 they wintered
at the Mercian royal centre of Repton
© Karwansaray Publishers

(Staffordshire), using the minster church

as part of a D-shaped earthwork enclo-
sure by the riverside. The modern vicar-
age garden contains a burial mound for
200 men and 49 women evidently from
the viking occupation.

Saxon Warlord painted by James Morris

© Karwansaray Publishers

M
ercia, England’s ‘middle
kingdom’ had dominated
Anglo-Saxon politics in the
eighth century. Two long-reigning
kings, Æthelbald (716-757) and Offa
(757-796) secured the submission of
East Anglia and Kent, blocked any ex-
pansion by Wessex or Northumbria and
projected their power into Wales. Mer-
cia’s weakness was its dynastic politics:
the deaths of Æthelbald and Offa were
followed by short but bloody civil strife
and the succession of unrelated kings.
Later ninth century Mercia was a
shadow of its former self, calling on
West Saxon support against the ‘Great
Army’ at Nottingham in 868. Follow-
ing the bloody battles of 871 Wessex
was probably in no position to help its
northern neighbour, leaving the ‘Great
Army’ free to occupy London in 872
and then move to Lindsey (Lincolnshire)
in 873. In both years the Mercians
“made peace”, presumably handing
over treasure, food, clothing etc but
sparing themselves the worst of the Boar’s Helmet Warlord by James Morris

25

WSS 54 apr11.indd 25 27-03-2011 21:41:15


An Abbot giving blessings - James Morris
The Great Army’s occupation of Repton
saw them force out King Burgred in
favour of “a foolish king’s thegn” named
Ceolwulf who was willing to meet the
Northmen’s demands as the price of the
throne. Burgred’s expulsion may not
have been violent – there was plenty of
precedent for assemblies of magnates
forcing a king to resign and take up
religious life, especially from eighth-
century Northumbria. Burgred chose to
make the long journey to Rome for his
spiritual retirement rather than retreat-
ing to a Mercian minster, perhaps for
the sake of his soul… or perhaps to put
plenty of distance between him and the
Northmen.
The following scenario is wholly specu-
lative, representing Burgred and his
household travelling into exile, together
with a few Mercian nobles unwilling
to serve the puppet ruler Ceolwulf.
© Karwansaray Publishers
Mounted Arthurian Warlord by Andy Hawes
WSS 54 apr11.indd 26
scenario
© Karwansaray Publishers
However, a party of Northmen and
their Mercian allies are keen to see that
the former king doesn’t have second
thoughts about resigning his crown…
26
Hnefatafl – Tabletop Wargamer
Style
A scenario for Warhammer Ancient
Battles, easily adaptable to other rules
sets.
Armies: 1,000 points of Mercian English
(defenders), which must be led by
Burgred; the only other character the
English may include is an abbot. For this
scenario Ceorls become Uncommon
troops and Geburs become Common –
it would be more appropriate for a king
going into exile to be accompanied by
low-status servants than farmers with
lands to look after.
The attackers have a total of 2,000
points chosen from the ‘Great Army’
and the Mercian English list (with a
© Karwansaray Publishers
minimum of 500 points including one
character from each list). For army se-
lection purposes, treat units as equiva-
lent to their counterparts (Hirdmen and
Thegns are both Common troops etc).
Setup: place scenery as you wish, with
a (Roman) road running through the
middle of the battlefield. It may be
easiest to avoid excessive scenery. The
centre of the board should be fairly
clear, though you could place a small
group of buildings or tents in the middle
where Burgred’s escort have spent the
night.
Deployment: Burgred and his escort are
deployed within 6” of the centre of the
27-03-2011 21:41:28
 scenario

© Karwansaray Publishers
Arthurian Warband by Andy Hawes

table. The enemy army should be split
into four forces, each of roughly equal
size (i.e. 400-600 points, to make viable
contingents). Each of the attacking
contingents should be placed within
6” of the middle of each table edge, no
more than 6” onto the table. Place four
baggage counters with the English force.
Victory: the defending player wins
if he controls three or more baggage
counters at the end of the game. For
these purposes, any baggage counters
which have been moved off the table
at the end of the game count double; if
Burgred leaves the table, he counts as a
bonus baggage counter.
Baggage counters: Burgred is accom-
panied by his family, retainers and trea-
sure, which are represented by baggage
more than 6”, even if it is cavalry or
marching infantry. If a unit controlling
baggage loses a round of combat, the
winning enemies take control of the
baggage. If a unit flees or if it pursues
more than 6”, it automatically drops
any baggage.
Royal oaths: the attackers aren’t actually
trying to kill Burgred – it would cause
too much unrest among the Mercians
– but they would prefer him to end his
days under close supervision in Mercia
rather than risk him causing trouble
abroad. If Burgred loses his last Wound
or is removed while pursuing, use the
model representing him as a baggage
counter for the rest of the game.
Mounted retinue:: as Burgred was set-
ting out on a very long journey, his
While the baggage will slow them
down, the horsemen’s greater mobil-
ity will prove crucial in preventing the
attackers from pinning Burgred into a
battle he cannot win.
Hnefatafl is a challenging game and in
the spirit if Hnefatafl, we would encour-
age players to try this scenario twice,
both as attacker and defender! Victory,
as in the board game, is determined
by how well each player does in each
round as attacker and defender.
Aside from having the coolest name
going, Benedict Coffin studies
Anglo-Saxons with an ulterior motive…
© Gripping Beast

counters (suitably modelled bases offer escort would almost certainly

a diversion for converters!). If baggage
counters are in the way when mov-
ing, simply move them the minimum
distance necessary until they are not an
obstruction.
If a unit from either side is in base
contact with a baggage counter, it may
move normally or march and carry the
baggage with it – but if may not move
have been mounted. For this
scenario, we strongly
recommend that the
English player takes at
least one unit of Thegns
upgraded to ride horses (+8).
Designer’s note:
This would be a very good opportunity
for the English to try out some cavalry! Hnefatafl Board

27

WSS 54 apr11.indd 27 27-03-2011 21:41:39

 inspiration
By Craig Woodfield

Must-read novels for wargamers , part 1

From Page Turner

to tabletop...

© Karwansaray Publishers

A Saxon formation stands ready to defend a river crossing, models from the collection of James Morris.

Wargaming is an exercise in historical fiction. Even the most meticulously planned scenario

complete with exhaustingly researched orders of battle turns to fantasy as soon as the first

die is rolled. And despite the boasts of the odd ill-informed individual, no table-top war-

games rules set is even close to what could legitimately be described as a simulation. So,

since we all regularly indulge in our own historical fiction, it makes sense to also enjoy the

stuff produced by the professionals. It’s almost like being part of a very detailed participation

game, but in the comfort of your own living room.

28

WSS 54 apr11.indd 28 27-03-2011 21:41:48


T
he Dark Ages is a great period to
war game, full of character and
intrigue. For the purposes of this
article I’ve defined the Dark Ages as
beginning with the fall of the Western
Roman Empire in 476 AD to the Battle
of Hastings in 1066.
I’m also an unashamed fan of Bernard
Cornwell, as are many others consider-
ing his sales figures. So I have chosen to
start here. Cornwell has two series set
in the Dark Ages, an Arthurian Trilogy
and an ongoing series set in the time of
Alfred the Great. The Warlord Trilogy
charts rise and fall of Arthur as narrated
by his friend and companion, Derfel
Cadarn. Feuds and politics abound, and
these novels also feature a memorable
interpretation of Lancelot. Despite a
few historical inaccuracies (such as its
depiction of the fighting style of 5th/6th
century Saxons), these books are a rip-
roaring read.
Bernard Cornwell provides us with
many great scenarios in his books. At
the conclusion of The Winter King we
have the battle of Lugg Vale, between
those forces loyal to Arthur and those to
Gorfyddyd, King of Powys. This scenario
has many components that would
make it tremendous fun to design and
play – the initial defence of a ford by
a relatively small number of veterans,
the arrival of reinforcements (including
Arthur’s heavy cavalry), and the treach-
ery of the Blackshield Irish. However,
WSS 54 apr11.indd 29
inspiration
care would have to be taken to balance
these factors.
Cornwell’s other Dark Ages series deals
with another great crisis that faced
Britain, the Danish invasions of the 9th
century. The narrator is Uhtred, a Saxon
raised by the Danes who becomes one
of Alfred the Great’s most important
warlords. Once again, theses books
abound in political intrigue and heroic
battles. Uhtred, a warrior-born and an
incorrigible rogue and pagan is a stark
contrast to the sickly, intellectual and
devoutly Christian Alfred, but the two
find their destinies entwined.
Rules and Miniatures
Almost all widely available wargames
rules systems cover the Dark Ages.
Though well designed, I personally
find Field of Glory and Impetus to be
somewhat bland, lacking the character
that this period deserves. It may be
badly neglected (even abused) by its
new owners, but Warhammer Ancient
Battles still provides an excellent Dark
Ages experience through the Shieldwall,
El Cid, Byzantium: Beyond the Golden
Gate and Age of Arthur supplements.
The imminent Hail Caesar rules set from
Warlord Games will apparently have
much in common with WAB, so there
is hope that it will inherit WAB’s good
points and leave behind its bad ones.
The same argument could be made for
Clash of Empires from Great Escape
Games and War and Conquest from
29
Scarab Miniatures. But the upcoming
Dark Ages rules set that has this particu-
lar writer the most excited is Saga from
Gripping Beast, hopefully to see print in
the near future. It is apparently designed
for battles at the smaller end of scale,
which is perfect for an era of raids and
skirmishes.
Gripping Beast’s range of miniatures is
also excellent and their new plastic box
sets provide a cheap and easy way to
start a Dark Ages army. Also of excellent
quality is the Crusader miniatures range,
and, if you have the budget, Foundry
also covers this period comprehensive-
ly. Wargames Factory’s plastics box sets
are ridiculously cheap, but the quality
is significantly lower than these other
manufacturers. Others include Newline
Design and Old Glory.
Next time I will look at other Dark Ages
authors, such as Stephen Baxter, Alfred
Duggan, Robert Lowe and Tim Severin,
looking at suggestions on how to game
them.
Craig Woodfield is an Aussie and all
round good sport! We expect to hear
much more from him in future issues.
Bernard Cornwell
The Last Kingdom
9th century
The Pale Horseman
9th century
The Lords of the North
9th century
Sword Song
9th century
The Burning Land
9th century
The Winter King
5-6th century
Enemy of God
5-6th century
Excalibur
5-6th century
27-03-2011 21:41:57
 theme
By Mark Backhouse

Historical introduction to the period

the glorious revolution

Battle is joined! 28mm miniatures from Barry Hilton’s collection. © Barry Hilton

In 1685 James II came to the throne of England. Despite his Catholic faith his position seemed
to have been consolidated after he defeated the Duke of Monmouth in 1685 at Sedgemoor.
Assuming his position was now secure he embarked on a series of pro-Catholic policies that
were perceived by many English Protestants as being the introduction of Roman Catholic
despotism.

30

WSS 54 apr11.indd 30 27-03-2011 21:42:11


‘Old Bill’ leads his troops forward, Front Rank miniatures painted by Javier Gómez.
I
n 1687 his Declaration of Indul-
gences relaxed penal laws against
Catholics and Dissenters. He also
attempted to convince Parliament to
repeal the Test Acts - a series of laws
that prevented Catholics from hold-
ing key positions of power. A second
Declaration of Indulgences was made
in May 1688 and was met by ferocious
opposition from within the Anglican
Church led by Archbishop Sancroft.
James ordered Sancroft and seven
bishops to be prosecuted. The court,
however, acquitted the bishops. James
had been defeated for the first time,
and the news was met by widespread
bonfires and burnings of effigies of the
Pope in celebration.
Opposition to James II was stepped up
after the remarkable birth of his son,
James Francis Edward Stuart in June.
Until this point, his 15 years of mar-
riage to Mary of Modena had failed to
produce an heir and James II was well
into his fifties. This was a bombshell for
English Protestants because they had as-
sumed that after James’s reign the crown
would be passed on to one of his Prot-
estant daughters. Instead it looked like
James would be establishing a period
© Front Rank
King James’ Irish Guard make a stand.
WSS 54 apr11.indd 31
theme
of unbroken Catholic rule. Rumours
were circulated attempting to discredit
the birth, claiming the child had been
smuggled into the Queen’s bedroom in
a warming pan.
Enter William III
William III of Orange was the son of the
Dutch William II of Orange and Charles
I’s daughter, Mary. To complicate things
further he was married to James II’s
daughter also called Mary! Despite
being in poor health with a tubercular
lung, he had developed a reputation
as a tough military leader in the Dutch
war with France in the 1670’s. Eminent
English Protestants, nicknamed the
‘Immortal Seven’, led by Henry Sydney
contacted William immediately after the
birth of James’s son. They pledged sup-
port for him if he came to England with
an army. Many within Parliament, how-
ever, remained uncommitted. While
some, such as Halifax and Churchill,
were ill at ease with James’s religious
policies, they were keen to avoid a re-
peat of the Civil War that had happened
only four decades earlier.
William replied to these pleas for help
with the Declaration of the Hague in
31
© Front Rank
September 1688. He promised to help
Englishmen and save them from abso-
lutist power, although made no direct
claim to the throne himself. William
was keen to undermine the close links
between James II and his hated enemies
the French. He was also keen to make
sure that his wife’s claim to the throne
was not upset by the birth of James’s
son.
Fearing for his position James II attempt-
ed to reverse many of his pro-Catholic
policies and removed several of his
key Catholic advisors. Unfortunately
for him, it was a case of too little too
late. At the end of October William’s
fleet set sail and after storms, they were
aided by the so called ‘Protestant Wind’
that allowed him to land in Brixham in
Devon.
James’s naval commander, admiral
Dartmouth, was unable to deploy his
navy to intercept the ships because of
the unfavourable wind. Landing on the
5th November - a day associated with
the foiling of the Catholic Gunpowder
Plot, William’s forces marched towards
London. Despite landing with a smaller
army of 20,000 men, his force attracted
many local Protestant landowners, who
quickly declared their allegiance for
him. James still had a larger army of
around 25,000 men, and potentially
again as many local militia. James
feared that their loyalty was question-
able and was reluctant to commit them
to a pitched battle. James could not
afford for William’s force to grow in size
by delaying action against them, but
equally he could not leave London un-
defended if he could not bring William’s
army to battle.
In the end James dithered. He first at-
tempted to bring his troops to Salisbury
to block William’s route to London. Two
27-03-2011 21:42:19
 theme

© Rod Langton

English ship of the line. 1/1200th scale model by Langton Miniatures.

days later he changed his mind and
retreated back towards the capital. The
situation grew worse for James by the
day as neutrals such as Churchill threw
in their lot with William. Most galling
of all was the defection of his younger
Though over half the defending forces
died, the siege was eventually aban-
doned. At Enniskillen, James’s support-
ers were defeated and James was forced
to withdraw from Ulster to Dublin.
Following these defeats in the north,
James II formed a ‘Patriot Parliament’ in
Dublin in May 1689. A huge number of
Catholic MPs were elected who passed
a string of legislation to repeal Protes-

© Front Rank
daughter Anne. On 27th November
James attempted to recall Parliament to
come to a compromise with Orange.
He was quickly forced to abandon this
attempt and fled in disguise to France to
seek refuge. William arrived in London
on December the 18th. The Parliament
called in January 1689 decided to place
William and Mary on the throne as joint
rulers and they were crowned sover-
eigns in February.

War in Ireland
Support for James had been much
stronger in Ireland where his Lord
Deputy, the Earl of Tyrconnel, had fol-
lowed a thorough process of Catholi-
cisation. Talks between Tyrconnel and
William broke down. In February 1689
James sailed to Ireland from France. He
quickly took over nearly all of Ireland
except for Londonderry and Enniskillen
in the north. A huge siege ensued for
Londonderry which lasted 105 days. Irish Guard versus Dutch and Scottisch infantry.

32

WSS 54 apr11.indd 32 27-03-2011 21:42:27


© Front Rank
Scot’s Guards on the march
tant land seizures and tolerance of all
religions. Despite their overwhelming
support for James, they were unable to
fund his military requirements effec-
tively. While his army in Ireland was
large, it lacked training, equipment and
in places even weapons.
William III was keen to remove this
potential threat quickly. He reorganised
his army quickly, sending many of his
English (and possibly mutinous) troops
to Flanders, leaving many of his Dutch
troops in England, and raising new regi-
ments to fight in Ireland from England
and Denmark. These initially met with
disaster. Arriving in August 1689 near
Belfast, their commander Shomberg
displayed little desire to engage with
James’s troops. Poorly supplied and led
they were hit hard by shortages of food
and shelter and lost over 7,000 men
during the Winter.
William himself arrived with a Protes-
tant force in Belfast in June 1690, en-
larging his army to 36,000 men. James
deployed his 25,000 soldiers to defend
the banks of the river Boyne block-
ing William’s route of march towards
Dublin. On the 1st July, William’s army
forced their way across the Boyne and
James was forced to flee back to Dublin.
Despite James escaping the country,
Irish resistance continued, and inflicted
heavy losses on William’s army in his
failed siege of Limerick.
WSS 54 apr11.indd 33
theme
The last elements of Jacobite resist-
ance were mopped up in Ireland not
by William, but instead by his generals.
John Churchill (later to be the Duke of
Marlborough) conducted a brief, but
effective campaign in Cork and Mun-
ster. Ginkel – one of William’s Dutch
generals, delivered the coup de grace at
Aughrim in July 1691. Limerick was the
last major city to fall, surrendering by
October 1691.
Scotland
In Scotland, attitudes towards William
Dutch Guards give fire
33
and Mary were more mixed. In the
Convention Parliament of March 1689
the Scots eventually backed the new
monarchs, although through a series
of articles asserted their independence
from royal prerogatives. By the Sum-
mer of 1689 the factions in Scotland
had split and supporters of William and
James met at Killiekrankie. Much of the
support for the Jacobite cause came
from the highland clans and was organ-
ised by Viscount Dundee. In the blood-
bath that followed the Jacobites gained
the upper hand, but at the moment of
complete collapse in the Government
ranks, Viscount Dundee was shot and
killed. This somewhat pyrrhic victory
for the Jacobites heralded the beginning
of the end of their cause in Scotland.
Lacking Dundee’s leadership they were
checked at Dunkeld in August and
finally defeated by Government troops
at Cromdale. The situation in Scotland
was further consolidated by William’s
supporters with a forced swearing of
allegiance to William amongst the
highland clans. Final hopes of Jacobite
resistance were brutally crushed with
the ‘Glencoe Massacre’ of 1692.
Mark Backhouse is a regular
contributor.
© Front Rank
27-03-2011 21:42:34
 theme
By Barry Hilton

Battles and tactics of the late 17th century

The Glorious Revolution
for wargamers
Everyone loves a simple story that clearly delineates right from wrong, good from evil, hero
from villain. Such clarity can create lazy reasoning as behind many stark contrasts lie shades
and hues which blur the picture and make things more challenging to interpret and compre-
hend. The British Isles in the 16th and 17th centuries were a constantly bubbling cauldron of
religion, power politics, opportunism and unrest. Religion has become the simplistic legacy
icon by which many people calibrate their opinions, preferences and prejudices. The reality
of Britain’s evolution during those 200 years is somewhat murkier and less spiritual.

Dutch Guards © Barry Hilton

I
t is easy to trace the roots of some
of our residual societal problems to
the sometimes deliberate misinter-
pretation and dangerous oversimpli-
fication of the events of this turbulent
time. Catholics fought for William and
Protestants for James. Nothing is black
and white however. Personally I find a
closer connection is easy to make with
what can legitimately be described as a
Third Civil War: The Glorious Revolu-
tion in which Scot fought Scot, Eng-
lishman fought Englishman, Irishman
fought Irishman and Welshman fought
Welshman. Add in the rest of Europe in
the shape of all these foreign mercenar-
ies and Dutchmen as well and it starts
to sound like the Premiership!
Not ECW and not WSS
Several hugely significant military fac-
tors predate the Glorious Revolution
making the period quite distinct from
the English Civil War era. Many nations
had begun to form large standing
armies. The military were turning pro-
fessional. Of equal significance, flint-
lock muskets slowly began to replace

34

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© Barry Hilton
Luttrell’s Regiment of Foot
matchlocks meaning that no longer did
the musketeer need to maintain the
unreliable, clumsy and dangerous slow
match. Someone had also invented
the bayonet, but in its first form it
plugged into the muzzle of the musket
rather than sliding over it in a ring or
socket. The plug made a ‘short pike’
but of course was almost impossible to
remove in battle once fitted. This made
the decision to ‘fix bayonets’ liter-
ally a potential matter of life or death.
Mackay’s Regiment of Foot
WSS 54 apr11.indd 35
theme
National armies were also starting
to introduce a modicum of unifor-
mity of dress although standardization
of coat colours took a while longer.
Wargames in the period 1666 (The
Restoration) to 1697 (the end of the
Nine Years War) offer engagements
from modest size to biblical epics. In
Tangier (an English colony acquired
from the Portuguese as a dowry) the
progenitors of the legendary red
coated British armies fought with
Moorish tribes and Barbary
pirates. These battles probably
ranged from company level
skirmishes to a 2-3 battal-
ion brigade fielded against
a more numerous enemy.
The same troops lined up
across the River Clyde in Scotland to
battle 5,000 semi-civilian Covenanters
in 1679. In 1685 the small Royal Army
did bloody slaughter against the more
numerous, but civilian mob-like West
Countrymen under Monmouth. British
regiments and men from Britain fought
in Flanders for and against the French.
The Dutch were not consistent allies
of the English and in fact as recently
as 1674 both countries were at war.
Charles II looked more to France as an
ally than to the Netherlanders.
In Europe, fighting was on an altogether
more grander scale. The ‘cockpit’ of the
© Barry Hilton
35
Spanish Netherlands, now known to
the world as Belgium, saw fairly regular
clashes between the legions of Le Roi
Soleil (Louis XIV of France) and the
industrious and revenue minded Dutch
Republic. The Nine Years War (aka War
of the League of Augsburg, aka War of
the Grand Alliance) began in the year
of the Glorious Revolution. It is legiti-
mate to consider the military phases of
the Glorious Revolution as occurring
before and after the actual event of
the King’s replacement. The Protestant
rebellions and dissent in Scotland and
the West country 1679-1685 saw sev-
eral battles and skirmishes take place
at Drumclog, Rullion Green, Bothwell
© Barry Hilton
Musketeer from Churchill's Regiment
Brig, Norton St. Philip and Sedgemoor
to name some of the better known.
These engagements saw the small
Royal Army of Charles II, and later
James II take the field against semi-
civilian insurrections. Many famous
characters whose names would star
billing later made cameo appearances:
John Churchill (The future Duke of
Marlborough), James Scott (Duke of
Monmouth), Patrick Sarsfield (Irish
Jacobite legend) and Tam Dalyell o’
the Binns, ancestor of the ex Father of
the House, MP Tam Dalyell who was
a famous Civil War vintage Royalist
General known to posterity as Bluidy
Tam or the Muscovite D’iel.
27-03-2011 21:42:52
 theme

armies and their style of fighting

During the Glorious Revolution period
infantry were known as Foot. They
were organized into companies vary-
ing in strength from 50 to 100 men.
Several companies formed a battalion.
Some regiments had a single battalion
whilst others had several. Early in the

period pikemen were still present in
some numbers within each battalion in
a ratio of around 1:5 with musketeers.
The massive tercios of the Thirty Years
War were long out of favour as was the
complex Swedish brigade system. Some
evidence suggests that as late as 1704
© Barry Hilton
Scots advance while Dutch troops give fire.
payroll in Ireland during the cam-
paigns 1689-1691. It seems he may
have appropriated the equivalent of
£40,000,000 in modern money and got
away with it! Move over Ronnie Biggs
for the Great Wagon Trayne Robbers!
Tactics used by Foot
Foot almost universally operated in
close order and their tactics were
simple and linear, and very slow com-
pared with later periods. As training
and drill were rudimentary and the line
© Front Rank
in formations of up to six ranks. The
favoured firing method was to discharge
muskets by rank. As time progressed
this was perceived by some armies
as less efficient. It is interesting that
France, the strongest military power of
the age persisted with the older ways
throughout the period. This should
cast at least some doubt over the per-
ceived efficacy of the alternatives. The
French put more faith in the use of the
bayonet than some of their opponents.
The much discussed ‘platoon firing’

predominant, Foot tended to approach method (a favourite wargaming pet of

Dutch Gard te Voet (Blue Guards)
each other at a rate between 20 and 60
paces per minute. Prescribed rates were
faster, but the absence of cadenced
march - movement to the beat of
drums - and the constant need to dress
the lines slowed everything down. The
impact of evolving fire control doctrines
amongst the different protagonists is the
subject of continuing debate. Almost
universally in this period units deployed
Marlborough’s many fans) is thought to
have been perfected by the Dutch and
English during the War of the Spanish
Succession. Its effect was considered
more deadly than the systems used by
other nations. Its basis was a continu-
ous rippling fire delivered by different
groups discharging in sequence, but
from varying positions in the battalion
line. It required thorough training and

the English had some units equipped

with pikes in a ratio of 1:2 with muske- © Barry Hilton

teers. This was more to do with money

than tactics and pikes would have been
present in insufficient numbers to have
affected army level tactical doctrine.
Muskets were expensive, pikes were
not. As time progressed, most armies
phased out the pike. Regiments in sev-
eral European armies fielded more than
one battalion. This was very uncommon
in the British and Dutch armies, except
in Guard units. There was epic level
fraud committed by unit command-
ers because regiments were normally
raised, funded and administered by
their colonels. As an example, I recent-
ly came across some information about
a certain officer called Mr. Harbord
whose ‘troop of Horse’ appeared to
be the guard for the Williamite army English horse

36

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French horse charge!
competent officer control. Often bat-
talions using this doctrine deployed
in fewer ranks and thus longer thinner
lines.
Horse
During this period cavalry were collec-
tively known as Horse. This term covers
the traditional sword and pistol armed
cavalry of most armies. Some nations
retained breast and back armour and
occasionally lobster tail helmets. The
Dutch Dragoons
WSS 54 apr11.indd 37
theme
© Barry Hilton
vast majority however were dressed
much as the Foot in a knee length
coloured coat, broad brimmed hat with
the addition of heavy riding boots. The
French fielded only one or two regi-
ments of cuirassiers, as did the Dutch.
The English after the 1680s did not
field cuirassiers. Often in Germanic
armies all cavalry with the exception
of mounted dragoons were cuirassiers
(Kürassier). The French cavalry of the
line were known as chevau-léger (light
© Barry Hilton
37
horse). In the 17th century this was
a distinction in name only. It dated
back to mediaeval times when lighter
armoured sergeants were equipped dif-
ferently to the heavily armoured gens
d’armes (men at arms) they were tasked
with supporting. Horse were expen-
sive to arm and maintain but between
1660 and 1721 were numerous on the
battlefield and often constituted up to
one third of an army’s total strength.
The basic organizational element was
a ‘troop’ comprising of between thirty
and ninety men. Several troops would
make up a squadron and usually, sev-
eral squadrons would make up a regi-
ment. English regiments were small and
would sometimes muster no more than
two hundred men. In contrast, Austrian
cuirassier regiments often fielded six to
eight squadrons.
Tactics used by Horse
The tactics used by Horse varied
between armies. They also went
through phases of development and
popularity dependant on which com-
manders were in charge at any given
time. Those trained to charge at a rate
between fast trot and gallop tended to
use their swords as the primary offen-
sive weapon. These would have higher
momentum on contact. French 1679-
1698, English & Dutch 1700 – 1715
and Jacobite Horse 1689-1691 were
likely to have operated in this fashion
although often it was down to the indi-
vidual whim of the colonel how a regi-
ment conducted itself in battle. Horse
trained to advance at a slow trot almost
to contact at which point they would
discharge pistols constituted the bal-
ance. They would then close with the
sword or other hand weapons. Through
1688-1697 English, Dutch, Danish and
German Horse are likely to have oper-
ated this way and French from 1700
to1715.
Dragoons
The role of dragoons was evolving dur-
ing the period. Theoretically they were
mounted infantry who rode forward
and dismounted to fight. Often they
would take and hold a position until
reinforcements arrived. Increasingly
they were being used in the mounted
combat role. Often possessed of infe-
rior horses and frequently not trained
27-03-2011 21:43:11

© Barry Hilton
A Dutch Grenadier from the
Heeckeren Regiment
in the cavalry tactics of the day, they
could for a limited time, stand up and
be counted against Horse. When fight-
ing mounted they formed in squadrons
along the same principles as Horse. On
foot they formed in battalions like the
infantry.
Grenadier battalions
This period saw the use of grenadier
battalions which were ad hoc forma-
© Barry Hilton
French gunners at work
WSS 54 apr11.indd 38
theme
tions drawn from the grenadier com-
panies of various units. Each infantry
battalion usually possessed a grenadier
company. In theory, these men were the
biggest and bravest and consequently
received the most dangerous jobs such
as assaulting prepared defences. They
would lob or bowl underarm their sput-
tering, fused granadoes (grenades) kept
in a large pouch slung over the shoul-
der or attached to a waist belt, then
charge forward. Many were equipped
with hand hatchets to chop down
defence works. Units of grenadiers
would be extremely colourful because
of the wide variety of coat and facing
colours which appeared in each com-
posite unit.
Artillery
This period saw the beginnings of pro-
fessional artillery corps which would
come to dominate the battlefields of
the world from the late 18th century
onwards. At this stage however, the
fledgling formations were limited in
their scope by extremely heavy guns
which were not served with an efficient
support network. A few professional
technicians directed operations and
38
utilized a large quantity of untrained
strong-backs to do the manual work.
Artillery was not fully militarized and
so its use was somewhat restricted.
Of dice and men…
Standing armies were a relatively new
concept and some countries such as
France and Holland had by the 1680s,
much more practice than others. The
British Army’s performance under
William III is not particularly notewor-
thy, despite the fact that individual regi-
ments often performed tenaciously. It is
also important to recognize that from
1688 to 1697 and again during the War
of the Spanish Succession, the British
Army did not take the field as a distinct
entity, but worked mostly as part of a
larger Allied army dominated by Dutch
troops, senior officers and doctrine. The
British had to win the respect of their
Dutch Allies and this happened but
slowly. Although many famous British
regiments were present at Steinkerke
(1692) and Neerwinden (1693), the first
battle honour carried by any unit in the
modern army is Namur (1695) largely
because this was their first notable vic-
tory. The gritty behaviour of the British
27-03-2011 21:43:19

© Barry Hilton
infantry particularly at these three
battles did much to create a positive
impression with their continental part-
ners. Ever the arch-political pragmatist,
William’s somewhat negative view of
officers and men did not extend to his
attitude concerning English money
which helped enormously in his war
with France! Up until the union of the
Scottish and English Crowns in 1707
both kingdoms maintained separate
armies. The Scottish Army, although
modest, was a distinct entity and so
talk of a British Army before that date is
inaccurate. To further complicate mat-
ters Scottish regiments existed on both
the English and Dutch establishments
before and after 1707. The profession-
© Barry Hilton
WSS 54 apr11.indd 39
theme
alism of the Dutch, Danish and Swiss
troops of the period is well document-
ed. Louis XIV’s large Maison du Roi
(Household) is conspicuous throughout
and recorded as a formidable battlefield
force deployed in a far more active role
than Napoleon’s Imperial Guard. A
major bonus of collecting wargames
armies of this era is the absolutely stun-
ning spectra of uniform colour and flag
design. It is a riot of colour and amaz-
ing fusion of geometric and heraldic
designs.
Tabletop gaming
Part of the reason I was asked to pen
this piece is I have been studying, writ-
ing about and gaming the period fairly
continuously for 21 years. During that
time I have happily used different sets
of rules and gamed in different scales.
Contemporary rule sets such as Black
Powder will, I am certain, give enjoy-
able games (Note: see elsewhere in
this issue). I have used adapted ECW
rules such as 1644 very successfully
with minor modifications. WRG 1420-
1700 cover the period. I started with
the WHC Marlburian rules adapted
by a friend for the period 1688-1697
and enjoyed those very much for sev-
eral years. Dozens of games steered
me towards developing my own rules
which appeared in 2008 as Beneath the
Lily Banners, the 2nd edition of which
will be released this year.
39
Games are essentially linear and the
movement rates make infantry cumber-
some but to get a real feeling of the
period you must get the proportion of
Foot and Horse correct in your force.
A ratio of 2:1 is perfect. This gives cav-
alry enormous significance and creates
huge swirling melees all over the table.
Without these proportions properly
dealt with the games will be dull, the
cavalry an insignificant irritant and the
infantry fire fights predictable.
I have alluded to many scenarios from
the smallest to the largest in the text so
far but part of the joy of this period is
continually uncovering new informa-
tion about units, uniforms, actions and
organization. Wargaming is a hobby
which allows us to flit from project to
project and this stimulates and keeps
the enthusiasm bubbling over. I am as
prone to this syndrome as every other
gamer but I must confess that I have
never at any time completely dropped
my interest in this amazing period of
political change and military awaken-
ing.
Barry Hilton is the powerhouse behind
the League of Augsburg and the natu-
ral choice for advice on the Glorious
Revolution.
Find out more about the period at
www.leagueofaugsburg.com
27-03-2011 21:43:27
WSS 54 apr11.indd 40 27-03-2011 21:43:31
 theme
By Mark Backhouse

1688 and all that

A campaign game for the Glorious Revolution
I had considered a number of different ways to game this campaign as a bit of a ‘what if?’
The actual historical campaign of 1688 was remarkably bloodless and would not really make
a great set of games. Events in Ireland and Scotland hold greater possibilities when sticking
to historical lines. However the campaign might have become very different if it were not for
a series of key decisions and events that help lead to William‘s eventual victory. What if the
‘Protestant Wind’ had not kept Dartmouth’s fleet in harbour and had challenged William’s
landing? What would have happened if James had engaged with William’s forces at Salisbury?
What would have happened if leading Protestants such as Churchill had not defected? What
would have happened if Londonderry had surrendered to James or Dundee had not been kil-
led in the dying minutes of his victory at Killiekrankie?

it in turn to present an argument that
has an ACTION, a RESULT and three
REASONS WHY.
For example James II might argue in
his turn: “I will march my troops out of
London (ACTION) and intercept Wil-
liam’s army at Salisbury (RESULT). I am
able to do this because:
“I am their king and it is my prerogative
to be the head of the armed forces.
The roads to Salisbury are in good con-
dition because the weather has been
William III © Front Rank dry.
My men hate the idea of a foreign force
invading our land.”
The arguments put forward are then
considered by the umpire. He might
use his own knowledge of historical
events from 1688, his own experi-
ences (of the weather in England during
November!), or just common sense to
evaluate the quality of the argument.
The player is then given a score to
achieve for that ACTION and RESULT to
occur on a dice roll. A really convincing
argument that even has the opposition

A
matrix game seemed the obvi-
ous solution to these unanswer-
able questions. Matrix games
were invented by Chris Engle. In this
game successful arguments allow
events to unfold and campaigns to be
fought out without worrying about the
minutiae of supplies, book keeping and
orders of battle.

Each player is given the role of a key

personality for the campaign. The two
essential roles are William of Orange
and James II, although a number of
other positions can be played by addi-
tional players. One player should act as
the umpire. Each turn the players take Scots Guard Regiment © Front Rank

41

WSS 54 apr11.indd 41 27-03-2011 21:43:37


players nodding in agreement should
succeed on a 2+. Reasonable arguments
should succeed on a 4+ and unconvinc-
ing arguments should only succeed on
a 6. If an argument is clearly implausi-
ble or would completely ruin the game.
E.g.: in turn 1 a player argues that Wil-
liam of Orange has fallen off his horse
in a hunting accident and died which
would pretty much end the game after
two minutes, then the umpire is allowed
to say that at this stage the argument is
impossible and has failed. Arguments
will always fail on a roll of 1. They will
also fail if three arguments cannot be
made to support their action.
Once an argument has succeeded,
then the ACTION and RESULT are put
into play. Marking movements, places,
events and personalities on a large A3
map of England, Scotland, Wales and
Ireland can be helpful to remind play-
ers of what has happened. If you want
to, Holland and France might also be
included. Counters can be used to show
positions as could miniatures depend-
ing on what you have available.
If two players have completely con-
tradictory arguments that have both
succeeded with a dice roll, then the two
players dice off to see which argument
has taken effect. Arguments do not have
to be made about your own character
or side. If you want to, arguments can
be made about the weather, Parliamen-
tary opinion, disease or even the other
side. The existence of new characters or
Dutch Guards engage cavalry.
WSS 54 apr11.indd 42
theme
events might be created by a successful
argument. As events take place a map
can be annotated and counters moved
to show current locations of people,
armies and new events.
Battles can be fought using a simple
matrix system, or if you prefer some-
thing slightly more conventional you
might prefer to use a standard tabletop
system such as Under the Lilly Banners,
Black Powder or Warfare in the Age of
Reason. The army units can be readily
converted up into a number of bat-
talions depending on what miniatures
you have available. I have roughly
estimated a ‘unit‘ as representing about
4,000 men. A popular way of resolving
combats is to match up the number of
units of each side into a series of com-
bats and any left over can be allocated
to make the odds 2:1 on each fight.
Roll 1d6 for each unit fighting. If two
units are fighting against one they can
combine their dice total together. Ad-
ditional modifications might be made
for successful arguments. E.g.: terrain
providing a bonus, or troops led by ex-
cellent commanders. William’s veteran
troops should be given a +1 modifier,
while quickly local raised militas or
poorly equipped troops such as much
of James’s troops in Ireland should be
given a -1 modifier on each dice.
If the scores are even then neither unit
has gained an advantage. If one side
scores more then the other their op-
ponents are beaten. If one side doubles
© Front Rank
42
their opponent then their opponent is
destroyed: remove their counter from
the game. Once all of the combats
have been fought add up the number of
points scored by each army. For each
enemy unit you have beaten add +1.
For each enemy unit destroyed add
+3. Whoever has the most points is the
victor. The players can then argue about
the impact of the victory or defeat in
their turns. E.g.: “William’s men rout
(ACTION) after their defeat (RESULT -
lose an additional unit) because they
have already lost two of their best
Dutch brigades, they are exhausted after
a long march followed by a battle, and
they have a difficult line of retreat cross-
ing the river by a single crossing.”
The players should agree to play for a
set number of turns, although the scale
of each turn might differ considerably
depending on the actions different
players suggest. At the end of the game
victory should be determined by the
characters who have best fulfilled their
objectives.
The Background
This should brief be read out to all of
the players at the start of the game:
The game starts in the Summer of 1688.
James II is on the throne of England.
He is a Catholic and unpopular with
many people within his overwhelm-
ingly Protestant kingdom. Many English
Protestants have tolerated James on the
understanding that when he dies either
his daughter Anne or his niece Mary will
be queen. Despite crushing a Protes-
tant Rebellion three years ago led by
the Duke of Monmouth, there are still
huge tensions. The birth of James’s new
son however will mean that there is no
longer the guarantee of a Protestant suc-
cession, and further conflict in Europe is
forcing England’s neighbours to look to
her as a potential ally.
The Characters
Each character should receive a brief
introduction (in italics) that should be
read aloud to the rest of the group. A
counter or appropriate figure should be
placed on their starting location with
counters representing the troops at their
disposal at the start of the game. The
rest of the information about objectives
is for them alone to read and must not
27-03-2011 21:43:42

Crossing the Boyne
be shared until the end of the game.
Nine characters have been provided.
However, there should be a balance of
Protestants to Catholics. James II and
William of Orange are the essential
ones. The others might be filled by
players or alternately might be used to
develop arguments by the players if they
are not played. If you want to, further
characters could be included with a bit
more research.
James II
“I am James II, the King of England,
Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I have
been divinely appointed by God to rule
these kingdoms. I am of the Catholic
faith, but have allowed a great deal of
tolerance within my kingdoms. My new
son James will rule after me.”
You start the game in London with 5
British Regular army units. You have
navy commanded by Lord Dartmouth
in Portsmouth represented by two ship
counters. You may (on the condition of
a successful argument and dice roll) re-
cruit up to a further five units of county
militia, who are -1 to support you if
the country is invaded by an aggressive
WSS 54 apr11.indd 43
theme
© Barry Hilton
London is your power base, protect the
capital.
2) Unwaveringly protect the Catholic
faith within England and remove the
Test Acts banning Catholics from hold-
ing important positions in government.
3) Try to form a continuing good foreign
policy relationship with Louis XIV of
France.
© Georgina Harman
4) Make sure that James Stuart, your
son, succeeds you.
William of Orange
“I am William of Orange, a leading
figure within the United Provinces. I am
married to Charles II’s daughter Mary. I
have been attempting to look for allies
in my wars with France and am keen
to protect the Protestant faith within
Europe.”
James II You start the game in Amsterdam with
two ship counters, two Dutch veteran
infantry +1 units and two Dutch regular
foreign power. infantry units. You can (on condition
Objectives: of a successful argument and dice roll)
1) Maintain your position as monarch recruit a further Danish and Finnish
in your kingdoms and defend your Protestant veteran unit +1 from you
kingdoms from invasions or rebellions. allies.
43
27-03-2011 21:43:49

© Georgina Harman
William of Orange
Objectives:
1) Gain a Protestant alliance with Eng-
land to keep Louis XIV in check.
2) Place your wife Mary on the throne
of England to make sure England is
ruled by a Protestant.
3) Protect your interests in the United
Provinces from France.
Louis XIV
“I am King Louis XIV of France. I am a
Catholic and will support and uphold
the Catholic faith in Europe. I despise
William of Orange and will do anything
in my power to see that he is defeated.”
You start the game in Paris. Despite
having a colossal army, much of it is
fighting in the Palatinate at the present.
You may have the potential to bring into
play up to three units of French troops
to intervene with events, and one ship
counter. You may, however, only deploy
these on the condition of a successful
argument and dice score.
Objectives:
1) Form a Catholic alliance with
England to keep William of Orange in
check.
2) Try to make sure that a pro-Catholic
monarch is maintained on the throne of
England.
3) Do not spend too much money -
your war in the Palatinate is proving
WSS 54 apr11.indd 44
theme
costly and you cannot afford to commit
to a further huge campaign.
Henry Sydney
“I am Henry Sydney, the 1st Earl of
Romney. I am a leading Protestant
member of Parliament”
You start the game in London. You have
no troops as such, although you have
an important influence over Protestants
in Parliament and should gain a bonus
in any attempt to use an argument to
persuade them of a particular action.
You also have close ties with William of
Orange and are keen for him to take the
throne of England with his wife Mary.
Objectives:
1) Remove James II from the throne and
replace him with a Protestant (prefer-
ably William)
2) Do not allow a Catholic succession.
3) Make sure that you are invaluable to
any seizure of power by William and
Mary so that you are amply rewarded
afterwards.
John Churchill
“I am John Churchill. I am a leading
Protestant Member of Parliament. I
am a loyal supporter of King James II
and have in my youth fought with the
French against the Dutch”
You start the game in London. You
have no troops as such at the start of
© Georgina Harman
John Churchill
44
the game, although as a high ranking
military officer you would expect some
sort of military command. Should you
choose to defect, a successful argu-
ment and roll would allow some of your
troops to follow your lead. You have dis-
played loyalty towards James, however,
you secretly would prefer a Protestant -
either Mary or Anne on the throne.
Objectives:
1) Do not expose you true feelings
about James too publicly until there is
a groundswell of support against him.
Remember the fate of the failed Mon-
mouth rebels!
2) Remove James II from the throne and
replace him with a Protestant (either
Anne of Mary)
3) If this cannot be achieved then do
whatever is necessary to further your
position or rank.
John Graham, Viscount Dundee
“I am John Graham, 1st Viscount of
Dundee. I have fought for both France
and more recently for the Dutch. In-
deed, William of Orange recommended
me for a promotion after I saved his
life at the Battle of Seneffe. For the last
decade I have fought for Kings Charles
II and James II in Scotland suppressing
sedition. I am a Protestant and loyal to
King James II.”
You start the game in Dundee. You
have no troops as such at the start of
the game, although as a high ranking
military officer you would expect some
sort of military command. You may
have the potential to bring into play up
to two units of Scots Jacobite troops to
intervene with events. You may however
only deploy these on the condition of
a successful argument and dice score.
Despite earlier experiences with Wil-
liam of Orange you are loyal to James II.
Objectives:
1) Maintain James II as the King of Scot-
land and England.
2) If James II does lose the crown make
sure that the Stuart legacy continues
with his son.
3) Show everyone what a dashing gen-
eral you are.
Anne Stuart
“I am Anne Stuart, loyal daughter of
James II and wife of Prince George of
Denmark. I am a Protestant, despite my
father’s attempts to convert me. I have
27-03-2011 21:43:57
 theme

James II and the command- England.

er of all of his majesty’s
forces in Ireland.”
You start the game in
Dublin. You have one
unit of troops based
with you. You may have
the potential to bring
into play up to five units
© Barry Hilton
2) Use the navy to prevent any foreign
invasions be they French or Dutch.
3) Deliver a decisive naval victory over
your arch rivals in the Dutch navy.
Mark Backhouse is a regular
contributor.

of loyal Irish Jacobite

troops to intervene
with events. However
due to shortages of
money, training and
equipment they
will be -1 in quality.
You may however
only deploy these
on the condition of a
successful argument
and dice score. You
are loyal to James
II and owe your
position to his
support.
Objectives:
1) Maintain
James II as the
King of Ireland
and England.
Scots Guards’ Colours 2) If James II does
lose the crown make
recently miscarried and am currently in sure that the Stuart legacy continues
a period of ill health.” with his son.
You start the game in Bath recovering 3) Defend the true faith (Catholi-
from your miscarriage. You do not start cism) and take revenge on the
with any troops - although through your small number of
husband will have the ability to influ- Protestants in
ence Danish foreign policy and possibly Ulster and En- © Rod Langton
deployment of troops. As an heir to niskillen.
the English throne you might, with a Dutch Man of War
successful argument, also be able to George legge, Lord Dartmouth
persuade Protestant troops to fight for “I am George Legge, the 1st Earl of
you. Dartmouth. I am a Protestant and the Glorious Revolution
Objectives: Admiral of the English fleet. I am a loyal recommended reading
1) Make sure you are an heir to the supporter of King James II and have
throne and if possible take the throne fought against the Dutch in two differ- - T. Harris, Revolution – The great
for yourself. ent wars.” crisis of the British Monarchy
2) Try to discredit the birth of James II You start the game in Portsmouth. You 1685-1720. London 2007.
and Mary of Modena’s son. If he is ac- have two ship counters also based here, - M. Kishlansky, A Monarchy
cepted and lives he will succeed instead and with a successful argument might transformed – Britain 1603-1714.
of you. be able to muster a third ship counter London 1997.
3) Support Mary’s claim to the throne at another important English port if - E. Vallence, The Glorious Revo-
as long as you will eventually rule as required. You have loyally served the lution, 1688 – Britain’s fight for
queen yourself. Crown and will continue to do so. The liberty. London 2006.
navy is also largely loyal and stands lit- - R. Wilkinson, Years of turmoil –
Earl of Tyrconnel tle chance of defecting. Britain 1603-1714. London 2002.
“I am Richard Talbot, the 1st Earl of Objectives:
Tyrconnel. I am a loyal Catholic to King 1) Maintain James II as the King of

45

WSS 54 apr11.indd 45 27-03-2011 21:44:05

 theme
By Guy Bowers

Using Black Powder for the Glorious Revolution

fighting Monmouth’s
rebellion
James Scott, Duke of Monmouth led an unsuccessful rebellion against King James II in 1685.
He lost the battle of Sedgemoor, which lead to his capture and execution on the 15th July 1685.

(or rather ‘won the night’...). Likewise
his troops proved able to fight and be
the equal of Royalist forces in the skir-
mishes leading up to Sedgemoor.
Campaign
Several skirmishes and small battles
occurred during the campaign, on
the road to Bristol and the retreat to
© Georgina Harman
Bridport (14th June 1685)
Some 400 rebel foot (300 under Na-
thaniel Wade and 100 under captain
Goodenough) and 40 horse (under Lord
Grey) conducted a dawn assault on
Bridport. The enemy militia (some 1200
foot and 100 horse) were disorganised
and pushed back. However once Grey’s
horse routed, the rebels retreated in

James Scott, Duke of Monmouth
Bridgewater. Despite the loss of an able
commander early on (in a pointless
squabble), the Rebels proved to be on
the whole a match for the usually more
numerous Royalist forces.
Black powder
Black Powder is a pretty generic rules
set for the period 1700-1900. With a
little modification, it can be used for
earlier battles. Here are our suggestions
for scenarios, troops and some special
rules.
good order with arms and prisoners.
Wade’s regiment (soon to be known as
the Red Regiment) contained the most
experienced of Monmouth’s forces (so
should have First Fire). The local militia,
while more numerous then the rebels,
performed poorly (we’d recommend 2
stamina for these militia units).Rebel
leaders should be at an 8 while Militia
commanders at a 7.

© Karwansaray Publishers

J
ames Scott was the first illegitimate
male child of Charles II. The history
of his epic attempt has been told
elsewhere in great detail (see bibliog-
raphy), we will only briefly touch on it
here.

Many have portrayed his campaign as

foolish and his army as rabble. How-
ever, Monmouth proved he was an able
and talented commander, making the
best of the limited resources available to
him. Given he landed with barely 300
men, he built this into an army of some
3000 foot and 600 cavalry. Time and
again he used good tactics, terrain and
dawn assaults – had Sedgemoor gone
as planned, he would have caught the
Royalist army sleeping and won the day

46

WSS 54 apr11.indd 46 27-03-2011 21:44:11

 theme

The rebels start on the west bank. A
third of the militia start in the town,
another third across the river. The final
third must be called on the board with a
-2 leadership roll.
Axeminster (15th June)
The Red Regiment under Wade
marched to Axeminster and beat the
This can be easily recreated with the
Royalist attacker having a larger amount
of units while the rebels have a choice
of terrain.
Sedgemoor (6th July)
Sedgemoor was Monmouth’s gambit, a
night attack against Royalist positions. If
successful, he could capture the Royal-

local militias. Monmouth lined the
hedgerows with musketeers. Axeminster
had been the agreed meeting point of
the Devon and Somerset militias – ar-
riving first, Monmouth had successfully
divided the enemy forces.
It is strongly rumoured that Duke Alber-
marle was under truce and in negotia-
tions with Monmouth when sounds of
fighting to the west (the Devon militia)
caused the Somerset militia to panic
(believing they had been betrayed),
abandoning their arms. “Both sorts ran”,
both gentleman and commoner.
Keynsham Bridge (25th June)
Royalist forces tried to dismantle the
bridge to block the Rebel march on
Bristol. A Rebel force of cavalry under
Captain Tyler saw off the Milita and
civilian workers. The Royalists counter-
attacked (under Captain Parker) but ran
into an ambush and a second detach-
ment of horse (under Oglethorpe) had
to charge and break the Rebels to allow
Parker’s horse to retire.
ist artillery train and destroy a good part
of King James’ army. But it relied on
surprise.
Sedgemoor Scenario
Forces should be fairly even, Monmouth
having a slight advantage in infantry but
only a light cannon. Approximately a
third should be scythemen, to represent
the shortage of arms in the Rebel army.
The Royalists should have field guns
(two) and a slight advantage in cavalry.
We deliberately have not given rigid Or-
bats of the forces, as these are available
elsewhere (see Further reading) and this
should not be an excuse for getting as
many models as you can on the table.
You can size the battle to the forces
your local club members have available
(we used ECW for the rebels in ours,
heresy!) We used Black Powder ranges
on a 6ft x 8ft table. Halving the ranges
could give a good game on a 6ft x 4ft.
The Royalist army and its General (Lord
Feversham) are asleep. Roll each turn
for each unit, on a 6 it wakes. This rises
© Barry Hilton
James II’s 1st Regiment Guard
to a 4-6 if shots are fired and the unit
automatically awakens if attacked. The
Royalist Cavalry starts off-table and
must be commanded (with a -2 penalty)
to appear.
Monmouth and his commanders must
roll to get each of their forces on the
board. There is no penalty to these rolls.
The rebels must cross the board and
take the Loyalists by surprise before the
majority of the Loyalist army awakes.
However due to the mist, the units have
become confused and have a random
entry. On a 1-2 they appear on the
right hand side of the board, on a 3-4
in the middle and on a 5-6 on the left
(from the Rebel players’ perspectives
naturally).

This would make an ideal skirmish or

© Karwansaray Publishers
© Karwansaray Publishers

small battle, where troops might be

represented at 1:1 to their historical
counterparts.

Bristol (what if?)

The city was believed to be well gar-
risoned – Monmouth’s council of war
declared it was too risky and so they
retreated. However Royalist reinforce-
ments were still arriving, so the city was
vulnerable.

Philip Norton (27th June)

Monmouth’s retreating army was at-
tacked by Royalist forces. However
Monmouth again used the hedgerows to
best advantage and pinned the Royalist
advance inflicting heavy casualties on
the Grenadier companies sent forward.
The rebel army was able to withdraw in
good order.

47

WSS 54 apr11.indd 47 27-03-2011 21:44:18


Churchill must wake and command the
Loyalist forces until Feversham wakes
up. Churchill may make a ‘rally’ order
to wake up a unit automatically, but as
this will end his turn it should not be
done lightly. The Loyalist players will
have to judge carefully whether to call
for the cavalry or wake up other units.
Monmouth should be a Leadership 9
commander with Leadership 8 and 7
subordinates. John Churchill should
likewise be Leadership 9 but may only
act as an army General while Fever-
sham (leadership 7) is not awake. Other
Royalist commanders should be of
reasonable quality (leadership 7). The
waterway ditch was not steep and only
counts as an obstacle (giving a +1 com-
bat result modifier to defenders).
Further tweaks
One rebel regiment (the Red regiment)
should have first fire. Rebel horse
should be a mix of militia and (regular)
Horse. Loyalist forces should be all
regular with the first regiment of guards
being steady.
Black Powder Rules Suggestions
To fully capture the feel of the ‘linear
warfare’ of the period, the fairly free
orders from Black Powder have to be
slightly altered. Each basic manoeuvre
should be seen as a separate order. So
a straight line move is one order, and
making a turn or wheel is a complete
second order. Brigaded units have to
move ‘as one’ (all moving forward or all
turning) or be ordered individually and
separately. Units out of this rigid com-
mand structure suffer a -1 command
penalty. It should be in the spirit of the
game for commanders to order their
troops in such a manner, not conve-
© Barry Hilton
A militia unit moves not so steadily forwared.
WSS 54 apr11.indd 48
theme
Pike ready for action.
niently forgotten for temporary game
advantage.
Another suggestion would be to make a
single forward move possible and only
as the first order. Any turning manoeu-
vres would prohibit forward movement
in line. See what works best in your
games.
Infantry ‘Shotte’
The standard musketeer was still armed
with the Matchlock. Firelocks did allow
a much better rate of fire and reliabil-
ity, so we have given them a greater
fire factor. Even so, they are relatively
rare in this period, the ‘powers that be’
did not wish to go to the expense of
re-equipping units ‘unnecessarily’ as
they saw it. Firelocks should be limited
by a factor of roughly one unit in three
shot (or worse). Priority for firelocks was
given to artillery guard and naval units,
where the risk of burning matches could
be dangerous.
48
© Barry Hilton
The plug bayonet was also introduced
in this period. ‘Shotte’ infantry and
dismounted dragoons may choose to
give closing fire (reducing their hand
to hand factor by 1 for the duration
of the combat) or choose to use ‘plug
bayonets’ instead (keeping their hand to
hand unchanged). Shot and dismounted
dragoons have two hand to hand factors
listed for this reason.
Some well trained professional units
should have the first fire ability.
Pike
This was the twilight of Pike warfare;
the bayonet would eventually see to
the Pike’s demise. As Black Powder is
designed for big games, we decided
to keep the Pike as a separate unit, not
simply combine it with the shot. Histori-
cal accounts tell us that the Pike did
operate independently from the shot,
for example being emplaced to protect
river crossings or being kept in reserve.
At this period, Pike typically was at
a ratio of five shot to one pike. We
envisage two normal shot units (24-
30 strong) to one small pike unit (16
strong) giving the correct ratio. This can
be scaled down to suit your require-
ments/ratios. Armoured pike would be a
rarity too (perhaps one ‘guard’ unit) but
is included for completeness.
Both Pike and Shot may form square.
One unit of shot may shelter inside a
small square of Pike. Pike have a hand
to hand combat value of 3 per side
27-03-2011 21:44:25
 theme

Unit Type Armament Hand to Hand Shooting Morale Stamina Special

Pike Infantry Pike 6 - 4+ 2 Small
Armd Pike Infantry Pike 6 - 3+ 2 Small
Matchlock Infantry Musket 5/4 2 4+ 3
Militia Infantry Musket 5/4 2 4+ 2 Unreliable
Firelock Infantry Musket 5/4 3 4+ 3
Dragoon Infantry Carbine 4/3 2 4+ 3 Small
Scythemen Infantry Scythe 6 - 4+ 2 Bloodthirsty
Cuirassier Cavalry Sword 7 - 3+ 3 Heavy Cavalry +1
‘Horse’ Cavalry Sword 7 1 4+ 3
Militia Cavalry Sword 7 - 4+ 2 Unreliable
Dragoon Cavalry Carbine 5 1 4+ 3 Dragoon
Light Piece Artillery Light Gun 1 3/2/1 4+ 1
Field Gun Artillery Heavy Gun 1 3/2/1 4+ 2 Immobile

while in square, all other rules ap-
ply normally. Battalion squares were
also practiced. Form square has to be
issued as an order, it is generally done
if the enemy have managed to defeat
friendly cavalry on one flank. Infantry
which don’t have plug bayonets can
be charged by cavalry without penalty
(normally, a unit has to be disrupted or
shaken for cavalry to charge square).
For those wanting further realism, Pike
cannot pursue: they have to redress
their formation before continuing.
Scythe men & Highlanders
We have given these troops a decent
combat value, but a low stamina. While
probably very effective (the Highland-
ers certainly were), they could be shaky
if receiving heavy fire. If they get in
to hand to hand however, they could
potentially be very effective. Militia
units should also have a similarly low
stamina score.
Artillery prepares to fire
Cavalry
Cavalry were still the undisputed queen
of the battlefield. Going by Barry Hil-
ton’s suggestion, there should be a fair
amount of cavalry units, up to a ratio of
one for every two infantry regiments or
around 20% of the overall force.
Cavalry charges were still messy affairs,
drill manuals discouraged a full charge,
so we give them a reduced combat
value for this reason. Most horse were
referred to simply as ‘horse’. As they
carried carbines, we give them a firing
factor, representing the horse firing be-
fore charging. This was a compromise
between the ‘fire’ and ‘manoeuvre’
cavalry schools of thought of the earlier
30 Years War and Civil Wars.
Cuirassier units were rare, there being
only two regiments in the entire French
army.
Dragoons
Dragoons in this period were mounted
infantry and trained to fight in line
formation. They were issued with plug
bayonets. A mounted Dragoon regi-
ment may dismount once per battle, the
figures replaced by infantry – the horses
are assumed to have retired to the rear.
Artillery
Field guns had heavy carriages and so
were pretty unmanoeuvrable. For this
reason, artillery moves at manhandled
speed - and once set up, cannot move
during the game apart from pivoting.
Light artillery pieces (which would
normally count as horse artillery) may
move as foot artillery rates under the
Black Powder rules.
Guy Bowers: modesty prohibits me
from saying anything more about this
charming devil...
Further reading
The following sources were
used for this article.
- J. Tincey, Sedgemoor 1685
– Marlborough’s first victory.
Barnsley 2005.
- D. Chandler, The Art Of
Warfare In The Age Of Marlbor-
ough. New York 2001.
- R. Priestly, Black Powder.Not-
tingham 2009.

See also the overall bibliogra-

phy on page 59.

Web Resources:
http://www.zoylandheritage.
co.uk/zoyland_heritage/the_
battle.htm
© Barry Hilton

http://www.battlefieldstrust.
com/media/139.pdf

49

WSS 54 apr11.indd 49 27-03-2011 21:44:33


How to recreate history in miniature
Crossing the Boyne
William III charging across the Boyne with a cavalry escort consisting of Danish,
Irish and English troopers.
I
n my opinion, placing several well-
painted miniatures on a base would
make a nice command stand for an
army, but that is not a proper diorama.
Whether it is for your personal collec-
tion or a commission, a true diorama
must have a purpose, a leitmotif. Your
scene should convey a story that fits
the period in the same way a painting,
lithograph or even a contemporary
photograph can do.
“Let there Be Boyne”
When the new WSS team commis-
sioned me to do a diorama set in the
Glorious Revolution, my first step was
to read about a period I barely knew.
A quick Google search revealed that,
apart from the Monmouth Rebellion,
the only major clash of the entire
campaign was the Battle of the Boyne.
After some more research, I found a
few coloured versions of a lithograph
depicting William III leading his cavalry
across the river Boyne. Although com-
mon sense would qualify this painting
as Royal propaganda (there is no real
WSS 54 apr11.indd 50
ON THE COVER
z
me
Gó
ier
Jav
©
evidence of William leading the charge,
in fact it seems that he fell from his
horse into the muddy waters), it looks
pretty smart, right?
I then began to look for figures to recre-
ate this painting. This kind artwork is
not known for its accuracy in regards
to uniform details (there are at least
four differently coloured versions of the
same lithograph), so what especially
interested me was the overall composi-
tion and some individuals. First of all,
I would have to choose a miniatures
company with a sufficiently broad cata-
logue to offer the figures I would need,
including William. Front Rank Figurines,
who are developing a fantastic range
on this period, was the obvious choice.
To dive into a catalogue to choose
figures for any purpose (either to make
a diorama or to build an army) is always
a pleasure for me, maybe my favourite
part of this hobby. However, as we’ll
see below, in this case this step of the
process wasn’t as smooth as I thought...
50
By Javier Gomez
Creating a diorama or
vignette involves much
more than ‘just’ painting
the miniatures. The process
should start well before the
first stroke of the brush,
and even before the first
miniature is bought.
A note on how I do things
Before getting straight down to business
I would like to say a few things about
my painting technique. I normally paint
a base colour and two highlights (three
for horses) over a black primed figure.
Nothing new under the sun there then.
I know that these three-shade colour
systems are becoming very popular, but
I like to mix. Call me a romantic, but
honestly I think that to paint is much
more than laying down accurate brush-
strokes. Actually it’s all about colours.
To choose the proper colours, to mix
them to get a correct shade, to add dif-
ferent paints to obtain different highlight
effects...oh my, this is magic for me!
At the risk of sounding old-fashioned,
I still prefer the old way rather than the
faster, but mechanical new standardized
systems.
For photography, all I have is an out-
dated Nikon D-40 and a pretty good tri-
pod, which is even more important than
the camera itself. It certainly suffices to
take good shots of miniatures! As I don’t
27-03-2011 21:44:44
 ON THE COVER

have proper lighting equipment, I try to

avoid using the flash as it creates exag-
gerated contrasts and distorts colours, Step by step: silver and gold thread
especially reds. But it is not always a If you paint historical miniatures, sooner
handicap, I find it useful for the step by or later you will have to paint the gold or
step photos as I think it shows better silver thread embroidered on the uniforms
what I’m trying to explain. Otherwise I of officers and generals. Although many
prefer to turn off the flash to get a more people paint them like metal, they would
natural effect. look more realistic painted with browns
and yellows with just a little bit of metal at
To paint the models, I will use Vallejo the very end. Painting gold: base coat.
Model Color (numeric references), © Javier Gómez
Games Workshop metallic paints (##-
##), Games Workshop Chaos Black Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight 3rd highlight
primer spray, brushes (nos. 2, 1 and 0), Gold thread Beige Brown Cork Brown Yellow Ochre Burnished Gold
empty paint bottles, glue, Andrea Sculpt (875) (847) (913) (61-62)
putty and a sharp modelling knife. Silver thread Neutral Grey Light Grey Sky Grey Mithril Silver
For the terrain I will use a Warbases (992) (990) (989) (61-55)
wooden movement tray, Das Pronto
paste, Vandal textured paste, Vallejo Still
Water, MiniNatur vegetation and pvc
edge banding tape.

Preliminaries
1. Critically inspect the figures and
remove all flash and mould lines with
your knife. It’s really nasty to find this
stuff once you have started to paint.
Luckily for us, Front Rank figures are
always cast pretty cleanly, so this stage
will be quick and easy. Painting gold: first highlight. Painting gold: second and third highlight.
2. As these figures will need some as- © Javier Gómez © Javier Gómez
sembly (separate arms), I recommend
filling all possible gaps with putty as
well as fixing reins to hands. Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight
3. We need a platform to attach the Crimson coat Hull Red (985) + Base colour + Red 1st highlight +
figures to, to allow us to move, turn and Cavalry Brown (982) (947) + White (951) White (951)
manipulate them without touching the Dark blue Black (950) Black (950) + Prussian Blue (965)
miniatures. From now on remember to alternative dress Prussian Blue (965) or 1st highlight +
save your empty paint bottles! White (951)
4. Prime your miniatures in black. Spray
primers have two advantages. They are
faster to apply and have concrete and abstract things, it’s time to even once crowned King of England as
a stronger ‘take’ on the get to work. After all, this is a painting blue came into fashion amongst English
bare metal as they are article! aristocracy in an attempt to copy (or to
enamels not acrylics. please!) William.
A second coat, acrylic William III, champion of Protestantism
this time, should be Let’s start with the king, the obvious
brushed on in order to centre of our diorama. Choosing a fig-
obtain a uniform finish. ure for William was easy... there is only
one! However, the selection of the royal
Old paint bottles make wardrobe was not so simple. Although
excellent temporary most of the versions of the afore-men-
miniature bases. tioned lithograph show the king wear-
© Javier Gómez ing a red coat, there is one that depicts
him clad in blue. That makes sense as
blue was the colour of the Dutch army
Painting uniforms. Moreover, it’s likely that he
Well, having already talked about many would wear his traditional uniform William III, champion of Protestantism.
© Javier Gómez

51

WSS 54 apr11.indd 51 27-03-2011 21:44:52

 ON THE COVER

Nevertheless, as I had already painted Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight
this very same figure in blue before I Brown coat Chocolate Brown Chocolate Brown 1st highlight +
decided to give him red clothes in the (872) (872) + Beige Brown Beige Brown
diorama. Well, not red but crimson, (875) (875)
a colour more in accordance with his Armour Black (950) Black (950)+ 1st highlight +
status. Gunmetal Grey Gunmetal Grey
(863) (863)
The Enniskillen Dragoon
This figure has a long and funny story. I
wanted to represent an Enniskillen dra- Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight
goon, who had been raised just a year Dark blue coat Black (950) Black (950) + Prussian Blue (965)
before the Boyne. The regiment was Prussian Blue (965) or 1st highlight +
only partially uniformed, so civilian, White (951)
irregular and inherited garments and Scarlet facings Cavalry Brown (982) Cavalry Brown (982) 1st highlight +
pieces of equipment complemented the + Red (947) Scarlet (817)
regular scarlet faced white coats. There Yellow lace Cork Brown (843) Cork Brown (843)+ Flat Yellow (953) +
is in fact no evidence that the Enniskil- Flat Yellow (953) White (951)
len charged across the Boyne, but the
dragoon looks cool and the regiment of friends have huge WSS armies. After trumpeter. His open mouth, designed
was present. a few phone calls, I had some WSS for the trumpet, looks great for a charg-
spare cavalrymen ready to convert. The ing horseman!
This figure was not planned in the first WSS figure is by and large correct for
sketch I made for the diorama, so I had this period, although it has only one The cuirassier
to order it separately. I waited and wait- shoulder belt (for the musket) instead of The lithograph shows a couple of ar-
ed, but nothing arrived. Short of time, I the crossed belts typical of the late 17 moured horsemen. I especially liked
asked at the post office only to realize century. However, I checked my sources
that the miniature had been sent back and found examples of single shoulder

Converted dragoon from Front Rank’s Still wearing outmoded body armour, a Trumpeter of the Horse Guard, sho-
WSS range serving as William’s escort. cuirassier also follows William. wing William’s coat of arms on the
© Javier Gómez © Javier Gómez trumpet’s banner.
© Javier Gómez

by mistake. So much for the Spanish
Postal Service! It was Friday and I had
to finish the set during the weekend,
so I had to think fast. Nobody close to
me collected this range, but a couple
Item to paint Base colour
Scarlet coat Cavalry Brown (982) Cavalry Brown (982) +
White facings Light Grey (990)
belts and swords hanging from the waist one wearing a buff coat, cuirass and an
belt. Maybe not very regular but these odd lobster helmet of Continental rather
were the recently raised Enniskillen, than English influence. Body armour
right? What was completely useless was was already out of fashion both in the
his hat, so I swapped heads with a spare English and Dutch armies, so this caval-
ryman could be one of the Danes who
followed William, or even another En-
1st highlight 2nd highlight niskillen wearing equipment inherited
st highlight + from his ancestors. As his helmet cannot
Red (947) 1Scarlet (817) be found in the appropriate range, I
Light Grey (990) + 1st highlight + picked a cuirassier from the WSS set,...
White (951) White (951) but this time voluntarily!

52

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 ON THE COVER

Step By step:
Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight 3rd highlight
horses
Cuirassier’s horse Black (950) + Base colour + 1st highlight + 2nd Highlight +
Many people hate
Mahogany Mahogany Mahogany Tan Yellow (912)
painting horses, but
Brown (846) Brown (846) Brown (846)
I don’t understand
King’s horse Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) + 1st highlight + White (951)
why. I love it! The
White (951) White (951)
technique I use to
Dragoon’s hose Beige Brown Base colour + 1st highlight + 2nd Highlight +
paint horses is the
(875) + Cavalry Flat Flesh (955) Flat Flesh (955) Flat Flesh (955)
same as for men,
Brown (982)
but I reduce contrast
Trumpeter’s Black (950) + Hull Red (985) + 1st highlight + 2nd Highlight +
and add an extra
horse Hull Red (985) Cavalry Brown (982) Cavalry Brown Light Brown (929)
highlight. Once
(982)
again, failure or suc-
White patches Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) + 1st highlight + No
cess will depend on
White (951) White (951)
the colours used.
Black patches, Black (950) Black (950) + 1st highlight + No
manes and tails Neutral Grey (992) Neutral Grey
(992)

Painting the horse: base coat and first Painting the horse: second highlight. Painting the horse: final highlight.
highlight. © Javier Gómez © Javier Gómez
© Javier Gómez

The Horse Guards trumpeter
Given the importance of the two
trumpeters in the lithograph, includ-
ing a trumpeter in the vignette was a
must. However, I didn’t know how to
paint it! I had two different figures, with
and without loopholes. Only one was
chosen for glory while, as you already
know, the other was beheaded in a
very British fashion. I then considered
my options. Yes, of course, he could be
another Enniskillen, but I guess that was
enough. I wanted to use the trumpeter
as an excuse to display William’s coat
of arms on the trumpet’s banner, so he who perished during the first stages of
should be a trooper of the Horse Guard, the battle.
who were also present at the Boyne.
The Dutch casualties
Finally, there is no good vignette
without dead or wounded, right? At the
Boyne, William sent his infantry forward
first. His Dutch Guards fought their way
across the river to be finally trapped by
enemy cavalry. To relieve them and bal-
ance the situation, William ordered his
own cavalry ahead. So it makes sense
that these dead were Dutch Guards,

Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight

Dark blue coat Black (950) Black (950) + Prussian Blue (965)
Prussian Blue (965) or 1st highlight + Two Dutch guardsmen who died cap-
White (951) turing a foothold on the opposite shore
Orange-yellow Beige Brown (875) Base colour + 1st highlight + of the Boyne.
facings Deep Orange (851) Yellow Ochre (913) © Javier Gómez

53

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 ON THE COVER

The base Step By Step: Faces

Here is another universal truth: regard- Like horses, painting faces is a challenge for many. Honestly, it’s not so difficult, it
less the quality of the miniatures, the just depends on following a procedure... and much practice!
terrain is half the diorama. A good qual-
ity terrain can save almost anything, but
you can be sure that a bad job will ruin Item to paint Base colour 1st highlight 2nd highlight
even the most finely painted miniatures. Flesh Beige Brown (875) Light Brown (929) + Flat Flesh (955)
So, at this key stage we should do our or Light Brown (929) Flat Flesh (955)
best. + Hull Red (985)
Mouth line Hull Red (985) No No
Choosing a proper base for the diorama Lower lip Old Rose (944) No No
is also essential. First of all, I decided Dark hair Black (950) Chocolate Brown
against those nice decorative bases (872)
as they would make for a wonderful Brown hair Chocolate Brown Beige Brown (875)
stand-alone piece, but make it impos- (872)
sible to use as a command stand for Blond hair Beige Brown (875) Cork Brown (843) + Flat Yellow (953) +
the army. The second consideration Flat Yellow (953) White (951)
is the size of the base: it can’t be too
small nor too big. Third, the shape. I
like round or oval bases for command
stands or dioramas in contrast to the
troops’ square ones. Finally, as I wanted
to represent the ford in the Boyne, the
base must have different levels to simu-
late the riverbed. Happily for me, one
of the oval-shaped movement trays from
Warbases turned out to be perfect for
my purposes. The upper part can easily
be detached from the lower, cut in two

© Javier Gómez
© Javier Gómez

and glued back together again. Once

fixed, I covered the remaining holes,
levelled the step between both layers of
wood and gave an extra unevenness to
the terrain with Das Pronto paste. I also Painting faces: base colour and eyes. Painting faces: first highlight.
applied some diluted paste to the edge
of the base to conceal the line between
both layers as much as possible.

The terrain
It only takes a few steps to build the
terrain:

Once the paste is dry, sand down the

base edges to eliminate any unneces-
sary paste and paint them in a sand
tone.
© Javier Gómez
© Javier Gómez

To make terrain, I always use a tex-

tured paste called Vandal, although
there are many similar products in the
market. This acrylic paste is white, but
can be easily dyed to get a useful sand Painting faces: mouth and lower lip. Painting faces: second highlight
tone. Figures, stones, etc. can even be and hair.
attached while it is fresh, as it act as a
glue. Once dry, it is hard as a rock!
more compact result, except for casual- that case, position the miniatures on the
I used to glue (with proper glue, not ties, who were lain on the fresh Vandal. base and draw a contour around them,
Vandal) the figures to the base before However, you might like to apply the then leave this space empty when you
applying the paste in order to get a paste before attaching any figures. In cover the base with paste. I also added

54

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 ON THE COVER

© Javier Gómez
Deciding the position of the figures on the base.

some little stones taken from the beach

which were very smooth and round,
similar to stones found in a river.

Once the Vandal is dry (a few hours de-

pending on temperature and humidity,
better if you let it sit overnight), it’s time
to paint it. As it was previously sand
coloured, it just needed a quick brown
wash. However, we have to paint not
only the bank, but also a riverbed, so I
divided the terrain in three parts adding
green to the wash as the terrain receded
into the river.

Once the wash is dry, drybrush only the

riverbank and leave the riverbed as it is.
© Javier Gómez

The water
Let’s now continue with the nightmare
part of this diorama. I have to confess
that I had only used modelling water in After the Vandal has dried and the figures are fixed in place, stones are added to
limited amounts, so I was pretty green decorate the base.
on this subject. Once more I had to trust
my common sense. Modelling water
(that is, Vallejo’s Still Water, water-based
Item to paint Base colour/wash 1st highlight 2nd highlight polyurethane) is very runny, but once
Base edge Cork Brown (843) No No dry is hard and transparent. There are
Bank Chocolate Brown Tan Yellow (912) Buff (976) two ways to apply it: brush layer after
(872) layer (waiting for it to dry between
River bed Chocolate Brown No No coats) or you can try to do it all at once.
(872) + Military The latter is of course what I tried to do!
Green (975) First off, I wrapped the base with
Deeper river bed As above + No No pvc edge banding tape. Why? Simply
Military Green (975) because it was the first thing I found
at home. I secured the wrapping and

55

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 ON THE COVER

© Javier Gómez
The Vandal is already sand coloured, so a quick brown wash will bring out the texture.

covered the bottom of the base with

adhesive tape. Now that I had a proper
pool, I poured the water until it reached
the level of the river bank and then
went off to bed to discover the follow-
ing morning that the Boyne had flooded
my desk! Somewhat discouraged, I
repeated the entire process, but this
time I added a thin line of Blu-Tack to
the edge of the base to seal it properly...
and it worked!

The time required for Still Water de-

pends on the quantity applied, so 24
hours is a good start for the Boyne. I
carefully removed the tape (which was
© Javier Gómez

smoother and easier than I thought)

and... voilà! We have our ford.

Finally, I dripped on more water and

extended it with a brush, taking advan-
tage to ‘moisten’ the horses’ hooves and
added a little to the river bank. Once
the water is completely dry, I added
the vegetation to the bank. Although
the lithograph doesn’t suggest any, it’s
Ireland in July, for God’s sake! So I
decided to use the excellent MiniNatur
“Calcareous tufts summer” (737-32 S)
and their “Tufts with blossoms spring”
(726-21 S). They are really easy to use,
just take the tuft from the tape it’s at-
tached with your fingers and glue to the
base.
Wrapping the base with tape prior to casting the Still Water.
Conclusion
As you have seen, the art of vignette
making requires more thinking than
painting. On the other hand, regardless
of your previous plans you will need
to improvise, so common sense will be
also be welcome. And finally, remem-
ber, do not depend on the Spanish
Postal Service!
Javier Gómez is one of the founders
of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy
and paints miniatures professionally
as ‘El Mercenario’. He would like to
thank Alec Brown and Barry Hilton,
who provided him with information on
the uniforms of the period, and Victor
Tresaco and Roger Aranda, who moved
fast to help with his postal crisis.

56

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WSS 54 apr11.indd 57 27-03-2011 21:45:28
 THEME
By Guy Bowers

How to recreate history in miniature

Miniatures for the

Glorious Revolution
There are a good variety of ranges in several scales for the Glorious Revolution.
Here is a few we’ve chosen to look at in detail.

© Karwansaray Publishers
© Karwansaray Publishers

Front Rank 28mm Matchlock Warfare Miniatures 28mm Pike Reiver Casting Miniatures
Reiver have a large selection of minia-
tures covering English, French, Dutch,

F
or those wishing to start the period
fo the Glorious Revolution, there
are a number of options. 28mm
miniatures do offer the detail while the
15mm and 10mm ranges offer larger
armies at a more economical price.
The choice is often a personal one and
down to what for the wargamer ‘looks
right’.
28mm Ranges
Front Rank
Front Rank miniatures have just released
a range of infantry, cavalry and artillery
for this period. Personalities, dragoons
and casualties have also recently been
added. Front Rank always produces
impressive miniatures and these are no
exception. And, as a reminder, the co-
ver vignette consists of models from this
releases will be infantry command,
shot, pike, artillery crew and casualties.
The models we received were well
cast and of slim, realistic proportions.
Artillery and horse will shortly follow
with French foot promised soon after
that. Packs will be priced at £6 for five
foot models. As this new brand hails
from the League of Augsburg stable, we
expect this to be a large and impressive
range.
www.leagueofaugsburg.com
Jacobite and Monmouth’s rebel forces.
Prices are £10 for a pack of 10 foot or 4
cavalry models.
reivercasting.wordpress.com
Wargames Factory
The recent Wargames Factory plastic
‘Horse and Musket’ boxed set can be
used for the Glorious Revolution. It is
a simple conversion to ‘snip’ off and
remove the socket bayonet. Use the soft
cap hat heads. These could possibly
make a cheap alternative to fill out the
ranks of your units. Be aware however
© Karwansaray Publishers

range. The cost of models is £1.10 for

an infantryman and £2.80 for mounted
miniature. Unit packs of 24 foot models
are also available at £24.85.
www.frontrank.com

Warfare Miniatures
Warfare Miniatures is a new company
launching in late Spring 2011. The first Reiver 28mm Pikemen and Musketeer

58

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 THEME
© Karwansaray Publishers

15mm Selected Bibliography

Magister Militum This Bibliography should save in-
Magister Militum provides a compre- terested gamers a huge amount of
hensive range of infantry, cavalry and frustrating research time. Compiled by
artillery for this period. They are priced Barry Hilton.
at £2.70 for a pack of five horse or eight - D. Chandler, Sedgemoor, 1685:
infantry. From Monmouth’s Invasion to the
www.navigatorminiatures.com Bloody Assizes. Stroud 1999.
Wargames Factory 28mm Pikeman and - J. Childs, The British army of William
Musketeers III: 1689-1702. Manchester 1990.
- J. Childs, The army of James II and
the Glorious Revolution. Manchester
1980.
- J. Childs, The Nine Years War and
the British army: 1688-97. Manches-
© Karwansaray Publishers

ter 1991.
- J. Childs, The Williamite Wars in
Ireland. London 2007.
- S. Ede-Borrett, The army of James II
– Uniforms and organisation. Leigh
on Sea 1997.
- C.S. Grant , From pike to shot:
Armies & battles of western Europe
A size comparison of the models. Reiver, Warfare, Wargames Factory and Front Rank. 1685-1720. Cambridge 1988.
- P. Lenihan, 1690- Battle Of The
Boyne. Stroud 2003.
© Karwansaray Publishers

that the firearms are flintlocks,
not matchlocks. So these
are perhaps not perfect for
the purist. Packs are priced
between £14.00 and £17.00
for 36 models, good for those
on a budget.
www.wargamesfactory.com
Magister Militum 15mm Augsburg Cavalry
Other ranges
The Grand Alliance range from Dixon
Miniatures contains a good selection
of infantry with cavalry and artillery.
The range is advertised as 25mm, so
may be a little shorter than the 28mm
‘average’. The Kingdom of the Sun range
by Copplestone Casting and Parkfield
Miniatures may also be of use. War-
games Foundry have some miniatures
in soft hats in their Marlburian range
which will be useful for the Glorious
Revolution.
Size Comparison
© Pendraken Miniatures
Irregular miniatures also provide some
models in 15mm scale.
10mm
Pendraken League of Augsburg
Another interesting new range is the
Pendraken League of Augsburg range.
Sculpted by the same artist who did
their American War of Independence
range, these should be ready for sale
May 2011.
- N.B. Leslie, The succession of colo-
nels of the British army from 1660 to
the present day. London 1974.
- J.A. Lynn, The French Wars: 1667-
1714. The Sun King at war. Oxford
2002.
- M. McNally, Battle of the Boyne
1690: The Irish campaign for the
English crown. Oxford 2005.
- M. McNally, The battle of Aughrim.
Stroud 2009.
- S. Reid, Killiecrankie 1689: The First
Jacobite Rising. Leigh on Sea 1989.
- S. Reid, The last Scots army 1661-
1714. Leigh on Sea 2003.
- C.A. Sapherson, The British army of
William III. Leigh on Sea 1997.
- C.A. Sapherson, The Dutch army of
William III. Leigh on Sea 1997.
- C.A. Sapherson, William III at war
1689-1691. Leigh on Sea 1997.
- J. Tincey, Armies of the Sedgemoor
campaign. Leigh on Sea 1985.
- J. Tincey, Blenheim 1704 – The Duke

Taking a good look at the models, of Marlborough’s masterpiece. Ox-

Reiver Miniatures are the smallest, ford 2004.
probably comparable to the Foundry - J. Tincey, The British army 1660-
and Dixon ranges in terms of size. Mid- 1704. Oxford 1994.
range consists of Warfare Miniatures - M. Trevor, The shadow of a crown:
and Wargames Factory. Top of the size Life story of James II/VII. London
range is Front Rank, comparable in size 1988.
to the Copplestone range. Pendraken Command

59

WSS 54 apr11.indd 59 27-03-2011 21:45:50

 Playtest

Let’s Play…
Guy Bowers and
Jasper Oorthuys

Operation Squad
Skirmish wargaming is a quick and convenient way to get into a new period, probably the
easiest too. Provided you have some terrain, you only need a dozen or so figures per side and
a set of rules and you’re ready to go. This makes it a much more realistic project; painting a
dozen miniatures is much more achievable than finishing an entire army. The newly released
Operation Squad caters to just this scenario for World War Two actions, at the section level
(or squad if you prefer) of gaming. It comes as a 48-page full-colour booklet that includes the
rules, five basic scenarios, three lists each for British, American, Russian and German squads,
and a heavy paper sheet from which to cut the counters. How does it play?

W
hile primarily aimed at
28mm miniatures, these
rules could easily be
adapted for scales from 20mm to
54mm. As long as the figures are indi-
vidually based - all of them, even your
MG teams - you’re set. Measurements
are in centimetres: for example a rifle
has a range of up to 80cms. Typically
weapon ranges are divided into four
range bands which affect the number of
dice (D6) rolled. Six sided dice are used
throughout.

The game mechanics are very indi-

vidualistic: an action for each model is
declared individually, with a counterac-
tion following from the other player.
This is done for up to three miniatures
per side at a time. Once declared, the
actions are then resolved. Each model
may be activated only once in a turn
(as an action or counteraction), so
thinking about the order of activation
is important. Once actions have been
declared, the initiative sequence is
determined for each model by rolling
a dice. These are then acted upon in
sequence (more skilled models do have
a slight advantage, potentially going
first). Each model completes its ac-
tions, including shooting, before going
on to the next. In effect, this means a
miniature may be able to run across an
empty square before the enemy has a
Germans storm the building
chance to shoot (if he goes before the
enemy can react) or may be caught in
the open without any protection (if he
goes after). This is a pretty neat (though
somewhat time-consuming) mecha-
nism with a good narrative feel. It can
also be very frustrating if your machine
gunner, who was supposed to cover a
road, is systematically too late pulling
the trigger! That said, belt-fed weapons
can stop firing and resume later when
an enemy model moves within 20 cm
© Karwansaray Publishers
of their previous target. An full-fledged
‘overwatch’ mechanism (where a model
may hold his fire) might have been
nice, but would have added additional
complication.
Shot resolution is simple with one roll
of a set of six-sided dice (with dice
added for accuracy). The score deter-
mines whether there is a suppression,
wound or kill as the result. The defender
subtracts his dice score (if any) based on

60

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 Playtest

How it played
We chose our squads to fit the standard
500-point limit that is recommended,
with an extra sniper for the Brits, a
medic for each team (who, interest-
ingly, apparently keeps his rifle) and
© Karwansaray Publishers

some weapon upgrades. Though a

light mortar section is an option for the
American, British and German teams,
we never picked one.

The British Commando team consisted

of a sergeant, corporal, medic, sniper,
British commandos advance carefully

© Karwansaray Publishers
cover and other circumstances from this
result, meaning that a fast moving target
or one in cover is harder to pin, wound
or kill. Likewise, a shot at shorter range
is far more likely to injure or kill. A little
basic math (adding and subtracting) is
required, but this is no great challenge.
The result is a very deadly game how-
ever, which is borne out by a simple
calculation: for example, a British
‘Tommy’ (Tactical Value of 3) fires his
Lee Enfield at a German model standing
70 centimetres away. He rolls 3D6 +
1D6 for his rifle in the furthest range
band and adds his Tactical Value (VT in The commandos run to position
the rules). On average, he’ll score a 17,
killing the German outright as he has no These include counters for an acquired bren and assistant, silent sten gunner
dice to counter. Assuming the German target, running, being wounded, being and 6 riflemen. This gave a total of 12
is running or is behind light cover, he hidden, being out of ammo and an models.
gets 1D6 to roll defensively. With that, end turn marker. No pinned counter
at the longest range he is on average was included, which was a little odd, The German Fallschirmjaeger team con-
(17-3.5=13.5) pinned or wounded. This considering ‘being pinned’ was defined sisted of a sergeant, corporal, medic,
certainly forces players to move their as a possible model status. Rules for MG42 and assistant, two MP44’s and 4
models very, very carefully! sneaking and spotting are also included, riflemen. This gave a total of 11 models.
which becomes essential for survival on We played through several of the
These simple mechanisms do give a the Operation Squad battlefield. scenarios as provided and tried various
very good feel for a small skirmish ac-
tion but might be difficult with anything
© Karwansaray Publishers

larger than a section a side in action.

Individual weapon characteristics are
included and some special abilities for
the troopers. Snipers for example are
even more deadly! In fact, rifles are
dangerous at any range, being nearly
as effective at extreme range as they
are at closer ranges. Machineguns have
multiple shots, making them the queens
of this battlefield, particularly with the
tournament rules which give them an
infinite range.

Counters are used throughout a game The British commandos line up for the photographer. Models by Artizan Design
to indicate an individual model’s status. and cared for by a Bolt Action medic.

61

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The Fallschirmjaeger team strike a pose as well. Models by Bolt Action.
terrain setups. While playing, we en-
countered several issues. For instance,
the easier the shot, the easier it was for
the gun to run out of ammo. This is due
to the larger number of dice used, since
rolling any three dice with all the same
value results in an out of ammo status.
Grenades were a ‘bit good’ – the rules
give the impression that a grenade has a
damage radius of 5cm! The tournament
rules (available online) clarify the rule,
explaining that grenades actually have
a blast diameter of 5cm, making them
less powerful. This fact is not clear in
the original rulebook however.
We found it was generally a bit too easy
to hit your target. Our games tended to
be very bloody. The quality of the troops
really did not affect the outcome notice-
ably, apart from the very skilled ones
(such as snipers who re-roll one D6 and
upgrade their damage one level). This is
a challenge when the quality of troops
(VT) differs by a point or two at most,
but several D6 are used for combat
resolution. Ultimately, the weapon
determines the outcome more than the
quality of the man. This also means that
larger squads can enjoy the advantages
of going last, without having to buy
‘Wait’ actions (see below).
We advise you not to let your troops
stay out of cover very long, because
frankly they’ll soon be dead otherwise!
Crossing open ground is not an op-
tion for the wise. When setting up the
board, make sure you have plenty of
cover and when on the board, hug that
cover! Close combat is equally lethal;
we found that such combats were risky
as they could go either way despite
the apparent advantage one side might
seem to have due to cover, troop qual-
ity or weapons. Pinning was also an
important part of the rules, but were not
WSS 54 apr11.indd 62
Playtest
© Karwansaray Publishers
entirely clear on how it was resolved.
We all agreed that the game needed
loads of terrain, probably more than
we used for the play tests. Perhaps our
games might have gone differently with
more cover on the table (or perhaps our
‘Editor in chief’ needs better dice! Ed).
The Scenarios
Though there is some variation – cap-
ture a terrain feature, retrieve intelli-
gence or a rescue a wounded comrade
– the scenarios in Operation Squad are
all essentially variations on the theme
of the meeting engagement. Both sides
always have to start from their side of
the board and work their way towards
the ‘focal point’ of the battlefield
somewhere in the middle. Both sides
also have the same goal. It did have us
wondering why it was not possible to,
for instance, have one player assault an
opposing player’s defended position.
Perhaps with one player having 2 to 1
odd against the other, but then the game
mechanisms would be stretched (with
the action – counteraction system).
FJ MG42 Team. In Operation Squad the Assistant can move independently from
the gunner, can reload the machine gun and replace the gunner if necessary.
62
We debated the ‘Wait’ actions feature.
In this game, every miniature must
perform an action every turn: he can as-
sault, give first aid, run, move carefully,
hide, move & fire, stand up (to recover
from pinning), re-load or fire. Leaders
can also attempt to identify hidden en-
emies and point them out. It is therefore
difficult to put your troops in an ambush
and have them wait for an opportunity
to strike. This is where Wait Actions
come in, which can be bought for 40
points (out of 500) each to a maximum
of three. With a wait action, a player
can ‘pass’ having to do something, forc-
ing his opponent to declare and perform
another action, and allowing himself to
‘have the last word’ that turn, admit-
tedly useful. Going last and not having
the enemy be able to react back is quite
an advantage. But with a maximum of
three ‘Wait’ actions, one player can
never hand all the initiative to the other
player, and wait him out. Of course,
the other option is to have more troops
than your opponent… or wait until your
opponent’s casualties mount. Then your
‘surplus’ models at the end of the turn
can move freely, once the move – coun-
ter move sequence has finished.
Overall, Operation Squad is a good set
of skirmish rules. The initiative aspects
are clever and worked very well (if
a little frustrating at times). It is not a
quick game though; our matches tended
to turn chess-like or into ‘cat and
mouse’ actions with a result achieved
© Karwansaray Publishers
27-03-2011 21:46:15
 Playtest

Where Heroes Dare

As an alternative to Operation Squad
Squad,
we also tried a game of Where Heroes
Dare by Iron Ivan Games. Skipping past
© Karwansaray Publishers

the Giant Robot rules and using the stats

An overview of our board
after two to three hours (although usu-
ally sooner than the eight game turns
the rules recommend; our games were
pretty bloody). This may have been due
to our unfamiliarity with the rules, but
also due to all the necessary interac-
tions between the players. This might
not necessarily be a game for the care-
ful thinker unless you have plenty of
time on your hands.
There are some very nice aspects to
Operation Squad and it does what it
says on the tin, give a good skirmish
game. Once mastered, the game has
the potential to be fairly quick despite
the individual declaration and counter
© Karwansaray Publishers
declaration sequence.
There are no vehicle rules for Operation
Squad (as yet), but WS&S hears from the
publisher that some are planned soon.
Army lists are provided in the main
rulebook for American, German, British
and Russian forces with additional lists
available online. Tournament rules in
English and Italian are available on the
site along with new lists for US Marines,
Paratroops, New Zealanders, Soviet
Naval and Scout squads, German Volks-
grenadier, Waffen SS and Italian squads
(including Folgore and Bersaglieri). All
very good!
from the Disposable Heroes expansion
books Angriff! and Go forward together,
we played out the scenario again. Where
Heroes Dare is basically like a role-play-
ing game: you are given the stats and are
expected to make your own scenarios
and adventures. The rules are somewhat
loosely written: we found ourselves skip-
ping back and fourth to find the relevant
sections, but once we started getting
used to the rules, we had a good game.
It played well, much like a conventional
wargame (activation by groups, rolling to
hit, rolling to wound etc). Ten sided dice
are used throughout. It was admittedly
quicker than Operation Squad but didn’t
quite have the same feel of a squad/sec-
tion action, although still felt good. Com-
bat was a little less lethal, although a
good hit with a Mauser puts most models
down; trying to hit the target was usually
the problem! Oddly enough our chief
editor had no trouble rolling D10’s when
previously D6’s had been his bane!
A little birdie told us at WS&S that Iron
Ivan Games is planning to release an
actual squad-level World War Two skir-
mish game later this year. Once they do,
we’ll make sure to do a ‘Let’s play…’ on

that too, either in the magazine or online

at www.wssmagazine.com. We plan to
compare it to Operation Squad and to
to do the same once the World War Two
supplement for Ganesha Games’ Flying
Lead comes out.

Operation Squad is available in the UK

through Caliver Books and Warlord
Games. It is priced at £18. More infor-
mation can be found at www.torriani-
massimo.it.

Artizan Design (British Commandos)

and Bolt Action (Fallschirmjaeger)
miniatures painted by Christy Beall and
Jasper Oorthuys.

Guy Bowers is the editor of WS&S. Jas-

per Oorthuys is his Boss. I’d better say
Germans prepare to storm in something nice then! He’s a very nice
man. A very nice man!

63

WSS 54 apr11.indd 63 27-03-2011 21:46:26


© Georgie Harman
By Richard Clarke
Hit or Myth?
It was September 1974 when I discovered wargaming, and if I
was sad enough I could probably even find out the exact day.
What I do know is that it was my first day at ‘big school’ and
we were being shown around the library. After the obligatory
tour, we were invited to look around and select something
to read. The book I chose was Don Featherstone’s Wargame
Campaigns, and flicking through the pages I knew that I had
discovered something magical.
Over the coming weeks I was able to borrow and consume
at least half a dozen of Don’s books, all of which set my mind
whirling with the possibilities. At eleven years old I had barely
stopped rolling marbles and throwing rocks at my collection
of toy soldiers, so this opportunity to roll dice at them seemed
too good to miss.
What I instantly loved was the promise of something much,
much more than the board games which, to that point, had
been my main leisure interest. Escape from Colditz, Risk and
the superb Campaign by Waddingtons had in truth masquer-
aded as history, but they were mere imposters compared
to what ‘the Don’ was offering; that perfect combination of
game and history rolled into one. This was not just a game,
this was wargaming.
It is tempting to say that it has been a long and tortuous path
from those games as a newcomer to the hobby and my life
now some 36 years later as a full-time rule writer. However
in truth there has been nothing tortuous about it whatsoever.
Wargaming has consistently allowed me to combine my inher-
ent love of history with the social pleasures of gaming through-
out that whole time. Yes, there were times back in the late 70’s
when wargames rules and the hobby generally became tur-
gidly introspective, as the fast and loose rules expounded by
© Too Fat Lardies
Sharp Practice in play.
64
WSS 54 apr11.indd 64
COLUMN
Don and his ilk were replaced by weightier tomes which were
supposedly indicative of the hobby ‘growing up’. However,
this turned out to be nothing more than the preening of a
handful of self-proclaimed ‘experts’ and swiftly consigned to
the dustbin of history. By the mid 80’s fun was back in town as
‘Rules on the back of a Postcard’ found themselves in vogue
and in truth the games we play today trace their ancestry
to these, rather than the overly-complex and rigid pseudo-
simulations of the seventies.
Of course it is easy to be critical of those old rules; where tak-
ing your hobby seriously seemed to be more important than
actually enjoying it. However, if we are to be even handed
in our analysis, we have to admit that those writers in their
flared trouser and kipper ties who graced the pages of the long
defunct Battle for Wargamers were not bad at history. Indeed
tireless research was at the core of what they produced, they
were just bad at fun. What is unfortunate is that by association
research and attention to historical detail in wargame design
somehow got tarred with a very big brush, and across the
intervening decades this has coloured the way in which gam-
ers tend to view rule sets.
It isn’t difficult to see that the words ‘fun’ and ‘history’ seem to
many to be mutually exclusive. Internet forums are full of com-
ments like “I want to play a fun game, I don’t care about his-
tory” or the even more seductive but equally wrong argument
of “It’s just a game. Nobody is shooting at you, how can it
have anything to do with real war?” Indeed so prevalent have
these views become that it is not unusual to hear writers of
wargame rules openly admit to abandoning the ‘straightjacket’
of history and simply attempting to produce fun games. If one
even dares to mention the term ‘simulation’ you are in danger
of meeting the wargames equivalent of the pointy hoods and
fiery cross brigade. Well, I have an unfashionable confession
to make: I think they are wrong. History and fun are perfectly
happy together.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the term simulation
either. However, that has more to do with the connotations
that the word has for attempting to model every minute detail
in order to present a perfect model of warfare to the gamer
(there lies insanity). What I do want in my games is to create
a marriage of fun, an essential part to any game worthy of the
name, and history, the thing which sets a wargame apart from
a game. The way to achieve this is not, to my mind, through
abandoning so called straightjackets, but by seeking to use
historical data in an appropriate fashion when developing a
game.
To that end my focus when setting out to design a set of rules
27-03-2011 21:46:28
 © Too Fat Lardies
Sharp Practice at sea.
is very much on the historical aspect. I met a chap at Colours
in 2009 when he played in our Sharp Practice game, and the
next time I saw him was at SELWG in 2010 when he again
joined in our participation game. On both occasions we had
a laugh; indeed it could be said that it was approaching a riot
at times. At the end of the SELWG game he approached me
and said, somewhat embarrassedly, “You know, that under all
the fun, these rules provide one of the most accurate repre-
sentations of small unit tactics that I have played.” Well, I was
naturally flattered, but in truth I was not surprised. When writ-
ing a fun set of rules, I feel it is important to make the game
historically plausible. It is crucial to me that troops operate in
a manner that is based on the capabilities of their historical
counterparts, and the only way to find out exactly how they
function in reality is to do the research. It may come as a sur-
© Too Fat Lardies
65
WSS 54 apr11.indd 65
prise to 99% of the players of Sharp Practice that my prime
source was not the novels of Richard Sharpe, but the Drill
Manuals of Sir David Dundas. Does that make the game a dry
and boring simulation? No, of course not, because we have
layers of fun stuff applied on top of that, but it does mean that
it is a wargame rather than simply a game with toy soldiers.
The history versus fun myth is, I believe, in danger of being
repeated so many times that it assumes the mantle of truth. To
base a game on history is not to seek to produce ultra-detailed
rules which attempt to cover every aspect of a battle in min-
ute detail, indeed the more detail there is, the further from a
representative model of warfare the game gets. A central pillar
of this method of constructing rules is to actually oblige the
player to focus on what his historical counterpart would be
thinking about, and recreating the series of decision-making
opportunities which would have occurred in reality for a
commander of his rank. In an Army sized game, Napoleon
should not be testing to see if his cavalry have brought along
the equipment to spike some guns they have captured; such
granular detail should be relevant only in the lowest level
skirmish games. At the higher level we are more interested
in effect than in cause. Indeed by maintaining a relationship
between the level of command and the decisions to be made
in a game we can filter out the irrelevant detail, either above
or below, and keep our games simple and fun to play whilst
also producing a plausible model of warfare.
Probably the best analogy for wargames rules is cars. I like
driving, but I really am not interested in the slightest in what
is under the bonnet. I couldn’t spell carburettor [I can! Ed.] if I
tried and I wouldn’t know a catalytic converter if it landed on
my head. That doesn’t mean that I am not glad they are there
when I am doing 140mph on the autobahn. For me, history is
what goes under the bonnet of a set of rules and it is my job
as a rule designer to make sure that this particular engine is
well built and properly tuned so that you the wargamer can
simply jump in, have fun driving and, hopefully, get a glimpse
of history as you go.
Richard Clarke is one part of the Too Fat Lardies team.
He immediately agreed to do a regular column when the
editor mentioned Dutch girls and Dutch beer! A man after
my own heart!
Through the Mud and Blood.
27-03-2011 21:46:30
 Terrain
By Jon and Diane Sutherland

Making Snake
Fencing
One of the peculiarities of warfare in North America is the distinctive nature of the fencing.
There are no hedges, just miles of so-called snake fencing (more accurately: split rail fencing).
Snake fencing is unusual to Europeans, who have nothing quite like it. This type of fencing is
very wood-hungry and common on Civil War battlefields, where trees are abundant. The idea,
like any really good one, is simple; they can be made very easily, often without any nails and
only with the most basic of tools. The other great thing about them, is that they can be taken
down and moved. They were also a godsend in the Civil War as a major source of firewood.

T
he fences were originally made
from chestnut or cedar. A ten
to twelve foot log was split into
quarters, and then eighths. These rails
were then stacked onto one another in a
unique zigzag arrangement that suppor-
ted itself. Sometimes they were secured
with double fence posts.

Recreating this type of fences for the

gaming table has been something of an
obsession for the past twenty years or
so. Finally, there is a solution that seems
to not only give you a creditable version

© Jon Sutherland
of the snake fence, but is in the spirit of
it too.

Over the years I have tried to make

this fencing from a variety of materials.
First there was balsa, which proved to
be impossible to split into rough rails.
Wayward Stanley blades seemed more
interested in shaving off my finger-
tips. Matchsticks were a good bet, but
stacking them up is the fiddliest job
imaginable, moreover the zigzag is far
too regular. Using natural twigs and
trying to quarter them is an impossible
task: either the twig is too resilient to
cut or too fragile to survive.
Poring over photographs of snake
fencing I hunted for an alternative.
Why not make them in the same way
they are really made? I happened upon
Chinese-made dinner mats. I suspect
they were made from immature bam-
boo. After dissection it became clear
Each bamboo mat has around 240 lengths each of which are 13” long. Note that
the width of the bamboo lengths do vary and you will need to take account of this
when you position the fence posts.
that they would be ideal for the rails, You will need:
but lacked the strength for the posts. I • The smallest and lowest denomina-
turned to one of my old standbys for the tion coin of your choice (UK = 1p)
fence posts, matchsticks. • 100 matchsticks (easily available in
huge bags at craft stores)
Now I had a plan and, never one to • Two dinner mats (1 Euro each)
make things in small quantities, I deci- • Hot glue gun (essential)
ded that I needed around 120 feet (40 • Wall filler
metres) of snake fencing; I did have a • White wood glue
15 metre table to break up! You will be • Base coat and highlight paints
very surprised just how quickly you can • Static grass
use up terrain features like fences even
on a regular sized table. The snake fence was designed for use
with 25-28mm figures. Always looking

66

WSS 54 apr11.indd 66 27-03-2011 21:46:38


© Jon Sutherland
Halved matchsticks mounted onto coins using a hot glue gun. The hot glue sets
very quickly and allows you to progress the project without having to wait for the
glue to dry.
for a short cut, this means that you can
snip the matchsticks in half with no
need for additional trimming. Risking
a repetitive strain injury, one hundred
matchsticks were cut in half (use a
pair of pliers or a craft knife). Then fire
up your hot glue gun. Frankly, time is
just too short to waste in holding or
propping up bits of matchstick as you
wait for solvent based or white wood
glue to work. Put a sizeable blob of hot
glue onto the coin. I found that doing
five at a time meant that the first one
was ready to take the matchsticks by
the time the last one had been given its
dollop.
Place the matchsticks upright on the
coin, leave a reasonable space bet-
ween them so that the thickest ‘rail’ fits
between the two fence posts. Repeat
the process until all of your coins have
fence posts attached.
I began by cutting 6” lengths of the wil-
low from the mats, a pointless exercise
to be honest as the overall length of the
pieces was 13” and this left me with a
useless 1” piece. After wasting half a
dozen lengths, I opted to cut the willow
in half. It makes very little difference to
the look and it meant considerably less
cutting. I figured that I would need at
least three lengths per pair of fence post
coins. The lengths will overlap and the
WSS 54 apr11.indd 67
Terrain
width of the lengths will determine how
many fit on each section. For my purpo-
ses this meant 600 lengths of willow.
Using cheap ready mixed wall filler,
I now textured each of the coins. Be
generous with this, it adds to the weight
of the fence posts and covers up the
glue blob. Once dry, you can now paint
your coins and matchsticks. I prefer
to use Sandtex Bitter Chocolate. It’s a
very forgiving external acrylic paint. I
have used it as the base coat for all my
terrain projects. If you have a different
colour scheme on your table, just try
Six hundred lengths of approximately 6.5” bamboo should be sufficient for
two hundred sets of fence posts. We used nearly two mats to produce these;
some of the lengths were rejected as they were split or too thin.
67
and match the colour you use for basing
figures. Not much of the base colour is
going to be visible as we are going to
add static grass later.
I then gave the coin base a dry brush
with a light caramel colour and shifted
attention to the fence posts. I had hoped
to be able to match the colour of the
willow, but failed in many respects. I
opted for a mix of Vallejo Mahogany
Brown (946) mixed with a little Desert
Yellow (977). A vertical stripe on the
face of each fence post was sufficient to
give a colour difference to the base.
To finish the fence posts I spotted some
neat PVA (or White Glue) onto the
bases. I focused on the area around the
fence posts themselves. This ensured
that any last glimpses of the hot glue
were covered. Using factory production
methods, add the PVA to ten or a dozen
at a time. Then dunk the coin into a
container with static grass. Finally tap
the bottom of the coin to shake off the
excess.
Line up your fence posts and simply
place the willow lengths between them.
Overlapping lengths from one fence
post to the next allow you to build up
the height and get the right effect. The
net result is a highly flexible snake
fence system. It is a little bit of a chore
setting up before a game, but it has real
advantages. Not only is it easy to store
between games and far less likely to
be broken, but does exactly what the
© Jon Sutherland
27-03-2011 21:46:49
 © Jon Sutherland

Close up of the base texturing. This not only covers up the hot glue blob but also strengthens the fence posts and adds a
little more weight. Cheap ready-mixed wall filler was applied using a coffee stirrer.

real thing does. You can position your

snake fencing however you like, follow
the contours of the battlefield, have
broken sections or leave openings in
your fields. The other great thing about
it is that it can be demolished during
the battle as regiments or troops pass
through it.

Finally after twenty or more years of

compromises with this iconic fence sy-
stem the solution was to go back to ba-
sics and look at how it was really made.
The purists may not like the fact that
the rails are not ‘split’. If you had real
time on your hands, you could always
cut your own out of balsa and paint it.
Another alternative if you cannot find
suitable dinner mats is to opt for the
very cheap wooden roller blinds. You
can get thin flat slatted ones or round
© Jon Sutherland

wooden ones in many stores. One blind

will give you enough to make hundreds
of metres of fencing. There are dozens
of other things you can do with them
too, but that is another story.
A base coat of chocolate paint was applied to the dried fence post pieces.
An irregular quick coat is sufficient as most of this will not be visible. Commercial snake fencing is available,
Make sure you paint the edges of the coins. but rough calculations suggested that

68

WSS 54 apr11.indd 68 27-03-2011 21:47:00

 Terrain

© Jon Sutherland
A quick dry brush of caramel is added to the textured bases. Again this can be a rough coat as not much of it will be visible
after the next stage.

it would have cost me more to buy a

single unpainted 300mm section in
resin than it cost me to make 40 metres
myself! In fact, had I bought the equiva-
lent lengths in resin the cost would have
been over a thousand pounds!

© Jon Sutherland
Jon Sutherland has been writing about
wargaming since the early 1980s and
has recently started a wargaming
holiday centre on sunny Crete. The fence posts have been given a highlight. PVA was added around the bottom
of the posts and the whole base dipped in static grass. This is the result after the
Of Battlegames ‘Wargames Widow’ excess has been removed.
fame, Jon and Diane are mass-produc-
ing terrain and miniatures for their
sunny Cretan wargames holiday center.

A Perry Union regiment lines up

behind the snake fencing. The separate
fence posts allow you to angle the
© Jon Sutherland

fencing to suit your needs. Note the

overlapping of the rails near the fence
posts means that only two rails are
needed for each section.

69

WSS 54 apr11.indd 69 27-03-2011 21:47:12

 BOARDGAMES REVIEWS
POCKET BATTLES -
CELTS vs. ROMANS
© Chris Payne
The Contents
Every so often one comes across a board or card game that
starts to hit all the right buttons – good price, nice compo-
nents, appealing subject and of course good game play. As
a boardgames reviewer then, parting with one’s own cash to
buy a product is a high accolade to bestow upon a game.
Pocket Battles – Celts vs. Romans is one of those games.
The basic premise of the game is to build your army to a
set number of mutually agreed points. The opponent loses
when half or more of his deployment points are casualties or
he concedes. You are fighting a battle between two armies:
in this case Barbarian Celts vs. (graphically) Early Imperial
Romans. The inclusion of a red haired barbarian queen
tile is suggestive of course of the Boudicca revolt of 60-61
AD, and the Romans
© Chris Payne
are depicted in Lorica
Segmentata, although
boundaries and time
frame are stretched by
the inclusion of such
things as Cataphracts,
Noble warriors and
Gaesatae.
The Celts
It’s a tall order to fit into a small box and there are compro-
mises as a result. Terrain does not feature, and the abstrac-
tion of left flank, centre and right flank with a front and rear
rank of units may not appeal to some although it is com-
monly found elsewhere (think of such games as Command
and Colours, Battlelore and Dixie).
The counters are grouped into units. The size and group-
ing of units are limited by their “deployment value”, and
deployed with only the top most troop showing in the stack,
although all troops within units are revealed before actual
combat starts.
70
WSS 54 apr11.indd 70
By Chris Payne
On a player’s turn he can choose from a range of actions,
which can be roughly grouped into movement (front to back,
or from flank to centre or vice versa), shooting combat or
melee combat. Combat is resolved by rolling dice looking
for matches to the dice number on top of the counters: black
dice represent hand to hand combat, white dice missile fire.
It is possible to mix troop types (missile fire and melee) with-
in the same unit. Hits result in wounds, which is normally
a kill: some units or personalities have more than a single
wound and are thus harder to kill.
Some units and all the ‘Special’ units (for example the Druid,
Warrior Queen, Centurion, Aquilifer) have a special ability,
which can affect movement or combat. Examples would be:
Impetus: When this unit is issued a Charge order, roll 2 addi-
tional dice for engagement due to the Charge, instead of just
1 (would apply to Warrior Queen, Chariot and Cataphracts).
Or another example: Fast, this unit can be issued order to
perform an Action also if it performed a Unit Redeployment
in the first phase of the turn (would apply to Barbarian
Horsemen, Gaesatae, Warrior Queen and Chariot).
There is no morale aspect to the rules as such although
there is a command and control element. Each side has the
same number of order tokens (which also double as wound
tokens) and these are placed on a unit to activate it (i.e.
perform an order). Players alternate taking actions using
their order chits. Once a player is out of order chits/wound
tokens then the opposing player can continue until he too
is out of tokens. At the end of the turn, order tokens and
wound tokens from killed units (remember that the token
is double sided) are recovered for the start of the next turn.
Wounded troops can be eliminated to recover the wound
token on them for use as an order token, but things would
have to be fairly desperate if you are reduced to doing that.
The two armies as portrayed are perhaps stereotypical, but
are also very different.
© Chris Payne
27-03-2011 21:47:26
 The ‘battlefield’
The Celts have the widest choice of units (Slingers,
Javelinmen, Warband, Noblemen, Gaesatae, Horsemen,
Noble Cavalry and six single counters: Hero, Warrior
Queen, Chariot, Warchief, Druid and Champion). They also
have the only mixed missile/melee unit in the game at the
moment, namely the Javelinmen. The Celts have a wider
choice of units than the Romans, and are likely to have more
counters for the agreed points value. In game play then,
going on the offensive and trusting that the gods (the dice)
are with you is their level of subtlety although when to use
the healing ability of the Druid to remove a wound token is
a tough decision to make.
The Romans have a much more limited choice of units
(Archers, Auxiliaries, Legionaries, Praetorians, Cavalry,
Cataphracts and seven single counters: Imperator, Imaginifer,
Aquilifer, Centurion, Scorpio, Ballista and Onager). The
Roman special abilities can allow them to become very
centurion counter to represent the tactical capability of the
Roman legion with arguably its better command structure
than barbarian troops.
The skill of Pocket Battles lies in choosing your fights (after
the initial army choice), exploitation of your special abili-
ties and management of your wounds/order tokens. I don’t
remember seeing this combination marker before, although
there have been recent more general boardgames where
cards can be played as what they are, or for a resource cost,
and sometimes where they ultimately end up removed from
the game. In simple terms, you never seem to have enough
order markers to finish things up as much as you would
like on your turn. As with all games involving dice, then
an excessive period of dice being with you or against you,
will skew the game but there are enough rolls here that that
should even out in a game.

© Chris Payne
aggressive very quickly (but at the cost of burning order
chits) and thus need to wait for the time to unleash their
attack. The two more powerful engines (Ballista and
Onager) can attack from the rear ranks and the Onager can
be particularly destructive providing it hits.

So, what’s not to like in the box (so small that it will fit in a
jeans back pocket)? The rulebook could be better written: at
times it can be hard to get an overall understanding of the
options and turn order due to it’s small size and layout. A Cards from the Historical and Fantasy set
couple of ready reference sheets covering turn sequence and
options, akin to those already provided for the special skills Celts vs. Romans is Pocket Battles number one. Number
could have gone a long way here. (To save you the trouble two was released at the end of last year and not surprisingly
of writing your own aide memoire, there is a good sheet has the fantasy theme of Elves vs. Orcs. I hope the series
available at www.boardgamegeek.com under Pocket Battles. continues not only with other armies such as the Sassanids
Download this and you can not only play, but also explain or Huns, but perhaps some special character tiles like
the game in the sort of timescale that the authors envisage). Vercingetorix or a certain Cavalry general (with dog) who
The game authors are Italian, and whilst Italian games design ends up as a Gladiator, or units like elephants.
in recent years has contributed much that is new and inno-
vative to the world of boardgames, their English rulebooks
have often lagged behind, I suspect due to intrinsic language
(2009)
structure differences between Romance languages and - M a n Games
Z 5
£9 / $1
Germanic languages. I’ve seen much worse rulebooks than Around
r
this, but I have also seen better. For the next in the series 2 Playe utes
the authors promised a better English rulebook, which I am r o u n d 30 min
A
pleased to say has materialised.
nents:
Compo kens
p Tiles ound to
There will undoubtedly be those who feel that the Legions 60 Troo do r d e r /w
ble side mmary
)
are not represented correctly: stats wise they are the equiva- 20 dou s (t raits su
e r a id
lent of Warband (same points value, same combat abilities, 2 play
with nothing to represent the barrage of Pila) but to me I 6 dice
ook.
think it is important to remember the level of abstraction 1 Ruleb
here. I feel that the Roman counter represents a much
smaller numerical group of actual men than the barbarian
counter. Personally I would have liked to have seen another

71

WSS 54 apr11.indd 71 27-03-2011 21:47:40

 BOOK REVIEWS
by Charles S Grant and
Phil Olley

Wargaming in history volume 1 and 2:

The seven years war and

The war of the Austrian
succession
Karwansaray Publishers

It is interesting that the wars surrounding the War of the Spanish Succession
are known as the Marlburian Period and that those of the Late Revolutionary
and First Empire are called the Napoleonic Period and that a similar epithet
is not attached to the Seven Years War (from 1756 – 1763). I have frequently
seen the war described as the True First World War, as the fighting spanned
the globe from Europe to North America and as far afield as India. This is
an interesting series of books written by Charles S Grant, the son of the late
Charles Grant, one of the forefathers of modern wargaming. Each book starts
with an introduction to wargaming and sets out the reasons and rationale of
the book.

The authors proceed to explain about the three battles they wish to write
about and also about the assembling of the armies – which is enjoyable as
they discuss figures and manufacturers and explain how they arrived at their
unit sizes (48 figures to a battalion!) They then go on to give an overview of
the war in the West before moving on to the subtitle of the book – the three
battles.

The first volume covers the battles of Krefeld (or Créfeld to the French), the
Battle of Sandershausen and the Battle of Lutterberg (all in 1758). The second
volume covers Dettingen (1743), Fontenoy (1745) and Lauffeld (1747).

These battles are interesting for several reasons. Firstly, not many people
Volume 1 : Seven Years War have heard of them and so that age-old problem of knowing the outcome
and the minutiae of the deployments and orders are not an issue. Secondly,
the forces involved are diverse and make for a colourful display on the table-
top. At Krefeld for example, the French Army under Louis de Bourbon fought
the Allied Army consisting of troops form Hannover, Hesse-Kassel, Prussia
and Britain, commanded by the Duke of Brunswick. Finally, these are battles
which have balanced forces in so far as none of the armies have that uber
General present or that elite knock out force that either renders the battle
one sided or a lost cause from the outset.

In presentation the author and his colleagues have assembled a portfolio that
gives some maps indicating the deployment of the forces at the start of the

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 battles, listing the forces available to each commander and assess the results.
© Karwansaray Publishers

What happens next is quite entertaining, as they then proceed to document

their own refight of the battles, detailing the special rules and allowances as
well as the orders of battle they used, and then a blow by blow account of their
contest. The battles are well illustrated and have excellent colour maps as well
as colour plates depicting the re-enactment of their battles. There is also a chap-
ter about some of the more unusual and esoteric troops and their uniforms as
well as tips on how to collect and use these troops.

The prose is easy to read and they have certainly made a good effort at
researching the backgrounds to these battles. I enjoyed reading about these
engagements that I knew little about, especially as I was not reading them with
the expectation of Frederick or Browne turning up with 50,000 men to give the
other side a good kicking. I especially liked to read how other people, espe-
cially experienced gamers have refought these battles (and made similar mis-
takes to the ones I frequently make!).

Volume 1 : Seven Years War
My overall impressions are that this series of books are well written and
researched. The layout is clear and will be an asset to anyone interested in gam-
ing this period. However, I would balk slightly at the price (£29.95 for a rela-
tively slender tome) although they are well bound hardcover books. For those
interested in wargaming the period or just a good read, this would be a good
buy.

Hungary 1944-45 - By Philip Guillemot

The Panzers’ last stand

© Karwansaray Publishers
Part of the ‘Men and Battles’ series by Histoire & Collections, Hungary 1944-45 deals
with the last desperate actions of the German Panzer units in Hungary against the Red
tide at the end of the war. Each page is packed with original photos, maps, drawings
and uniform photos. The book literally abounds with them.

As the book’s introduction says, Hungary is the forgotten campaign with many forgot-
ten battlefields. It details the initial Soviet invasion after the collapse of Romania, the
battle of Debrecen and the encirclement of Budapest. The fall of the twin cities of
Buda and Pest (on opposite sides of the Danube) is covered in some detail. This front
also saw one of the last offensives by the Germans, Operation Konrad in January-
February 1945, a valiant but vain attempt to relieve the Hungarian capital and slow the
onslaught on Vienna. Most of this is detailed at the strategic level, as is essential with a
book at this scale, but the occasional glimpse is given into the tactical level.

This is a translated work, though the translation is a very good one and very read-
able. There is only the odd error. For example, we found one where French text has Hungary 1944-45
remained in a diagram. This does not detract from the overall book however.

From the wargamer’s perspective, this is an inspiring book which does leave you want-
ing to learn more. The drawings and pictures of uniforms are particularly good and
inspiring. While not an essential buy, this is good for anyone who wants a bite-size
overview of this fascinating campaign.

Priced at £14.95 ($19.95) from Casemate Publishing

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 REVIEWS By Hans Roth
Edited by Christine Alexander

Eastern Inferno and Mason Kunze

© Karwansaray Publishers

These newly-found journals of a German panzerjaeger on the eastern front are

now in print. Hans Roth, primarily assigned as a PAK (Antitank) gunner to the 10th
Panzer Division, kept journals of his terrifying experiences. He wrote three volumes
(condensed into this book, ending in May 1943). There his diaries finish ... sadly he
never returned from his next tour. He went missing in the cauldron of Army Group
Centre’s collapse in June 1944 as the Soviets launched Operation Bagration.

It must be said that this is a very interesting book which gives you the human side
of a man reluctantly sucked into a war. It also gives a glimpse into both the subtle
influences of the Nazi state on its soldiers and their attitudes as we;;.

From a wargames perspective, some useful scenarios could be gleamed from this
book, but the details are light. Enemy tanks are usually described as ‘tanks’ not by
the makes and models most wargamers love, likewise with the PAKs or antitank
guns. Even so there is a wealth of information to be gleamed: Roth was, for exam-
ple, at the brunt of the Soviet counterattack around Dubno in 1941.

Available from Casemate publishing in hardback priced at £20.

Eastern Inferno

Scenarios for the War

of 1812 By Stuart Asquith

This book is subtitled ‘War games actions from the War with America 1812-15’
© Karwansaray Publishers

which accurately sums up the book. It contains an impressive 90 pages, although

there are some adverts in the back. There are a mix of photos, miniature photos,
uniform illustrations plus illustrations from the time. The bibliography is pretty com-
prehensive. It is full colour throughout.

There is a brief historical overview of the war with the strengths of the armies,
including some suggestions to how they should be interpreted in rules sets. The
colour uniform plates are useful as painting guides. There is also good section on
what miniatures in different scales are available for this period. Wargames rules are
briefly mentioned, with the basic suggestion that there’s a plethora of rules for this
period. Two come recommended, one of which one is a free download.

The scenarios are good, giving a comprehensive overview of the history of each
battle and suggestions on refighting them. Diagrams of the layout of the battlefield
and force strengths are provided. Twelve scenarios are provided in total.

Overall the book comes off of as a very interesting generic supplement which
could be picked up and used with pretty much any rule set. Available from Partizan
Scenarios for the War of 1812 Press, priced at £16.50. Both a good read and a useful guide to the ‘1812’ con-
flict.

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