Sunday 29 May 2022

A very busy week

It's been a busy week, heralding a busy month or more of hobby activities that will keep me happily occupied for weeks to come. All of this is part of my 'cunning plan' set in motion months before. But do you plan this far ahead or am I just more peculiar than I already know I am?


Please check out Johnathan's report on his blog Palouse Wargaming Journal of the game he ran for the Rejects on Monday. I expect part two will be available a few days after our final game this coming Monday and victory is still up for grabs by any side. It's going to be exciting!

Tuesday 24 May 2022

Partizan Show Report

I have finally finished my show report for the 2022 Partizan Wargames Show in Newark. This was my first Partizan (yes I know, inexcusable!) but it won't be my last. I had a fantastic time enjoying some eye-watering beautiful games, brilliantly fun participation games, a wide selection of trade stands and excellent conversation all day. As usual, I shot hundreds of pictures and most of them are in this photo report, so it's a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it. 


Pour yourself a glass of Port (or your beverage of choice), get comfortable and enjoy some of the wargames eye-candy from this year's show.

Friday 20 May 2022

A Rejects Road-trip to Partizan

Posties Rejects will be heading up north(ish) to Newark this Sunday for the Partizan Wargames Show. I'm ashamed to admit it, but this will be my FIRST Partizan!! The rest of the group has been several times before but for reasons that escape me I have never been able to get the required 'day pass' to attend. With the cancellation of Cavalier in February and Salute in April this year I am desperate for a wargaming fix and Partizan fits the bill perfectly. 

Several members of the Rejects will be going and some of us will even be wearing our Rejects shirts with our names and the group logo on them, so please feel free to ambush us and say hello. I for one don't expect to get much shopping done as I am looking forward to a whole day of chin-wagging with friends new and old. 

Sunday 15 May 2022

Meaningful Connections

It's the end of Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK and this got me thinking (not for the first time) about the Meaningful Connections I have made through my hobby and how important they are for good mental health.

Thursday 12 May 2022

Bounce! - A WWII Aerial warfare remote gaming session

A few nights ago the Rejects gather online (rather than in the Shed-o-War) for an evening of WWII fighter combat. Richard (of My Wargaming Habit fame) hosted the game using Zoom as the medium for five of us to join and play. We played this very simple game a month ago and had such a good time Richard decided to do it again. 

Each plane's altitude and speed were shown using coloured dice and each plane had six points of movement available to spend on a simple set of manoeuvres. These included forward for one point; Forward & up a level for two points; slipping left or right and dropping a level for two points, and a full 180° loop rising one level in the process. The order of activation was determined by a combination of Altitude (higher is better) and speed. Play was across a hex tabletop and the aircraft are all 1/300th scale models from H&R I believe. With this really simple set of rules, five of us were able to strap into the cockpits of our fighters and do combat over a couple of hours. 


The result was unfortunately a German victory, but the real winners were all the participants as we had a really good time cheering each other on. I'm pretty sure my neighbours must have been wondering what all the noise was about, given that this was an evening game 😆.

Well done to Richard for hosting this fun little evening event. 

Tuesday 10 May 2022

Beau Hunks: Hollywood meets History

I thought I would drop a sneak peek of a game the Rejects played over the weekend. For several years now we have run a Demonstration game at the Broadside Wargames Show (formerly in Sittingbourne, now in Gillingham, Kent). The last Broadside was in December 2021 and Richard ran an excellent French Revolution game using his own set of rules (see article and video HERE). Then the baton was passed to me to come up with a game for this year's Show, just six months later! Anyone that has followed this blog, or my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures TV, will know that I have been working on French Foreign Legion in 15mm as my project for the show. 

So on Sunday, the Rejects gathered in the Shed-o-War for the first and only test playthrough of the battle I will be running as our demo game on the day. Five players gathered around the table as a Berber force attempted to ambush a Company of French Foreign Legionnaires as they returned to their lonely desert fort, somewhere in Algeria. The game itself is fictional but is based on the sort of raiding and patrolling that took place across the region in the first decade of the 20th Century.

Hollywood has given us many heroic and dramatic stories about the French Foreign Legion battling impossible odds in the Sahara. From several adaptions of P.C.Wrens novel Beau Geste to more comic depictions of the Legion such as Laurel and Hardies’ Beau Hunks, we have a romantic image of the steadfast and stoic Legionnaire. But as with all such stereotypes, the real story of the Légion étrangère and the French conquest of Algeria and Morocco is somewhat different.

For the Demo Game, I will actually be running two sets of rules (yes folks, two for the price of one!). The main battle uses The Men Who Would Be Kings as the base ruleset with a handful of minor rules tweaks for this game. Overlaying this is an entirely silly (and deliberately comic) card-driven game featuring the legendary comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy. They must move around the table looking for evidence of the infidelity of Ollie's unfaithful heartbreaker, Jeenie-Weenie. Whenever they encounter a French Officer, someone will draw two cards from the Beau Hunks inspired deck of chance cards. Some of these cards affect one side or the other, some just affect Laurel and Hardy and a few a more general Event cards. All feature comic scenes from the film Beau Hunks and their other films. If you happen to be passing our demo game at the show, expect to be roped in to draw the cards, sing one of the Duo's theme songs or do a little dance! 

It's not all silly, of course, I have also produced a short leaflet talking about the history of the period, comparing it to the glamorous and romantic image of the Legion portrayed by Hollywood. There will be a small display of pictures maps and other information for anyone wanting to research the period for themselves and there are even a few "test your knowledge panels" to see who knows their movie history and the history of the Legion. 

So, back to the practice game.... A big thank you to Ray (of Don't Thow a One fame) for sharing these pictures. I was so busy running things I didn't take any pictures at all! The session on Sunday was really useful because it gave me some much-needed practice umpiring a game with a rowdy (but good-natured) bunch of gamers. It also revealed several small mistakes with the QRS I was using and threw up a useful to-do list of minor changes I want to make for the Demo game itself. 

That's it for now, more will be revealed on the day. It goes without saying that we would love it if you could come along and see our efforts at Broadside on the 4th of June at the Medway Park Sports Centre, ME7 1HF. 

Sunday 8 May 2022

Are historical wargamers a fantasy

A few weeks ago I was asked "Are historical wargamers a fantasy?" I gave a brief answer in the comments be decided to try to expand my answer for today's video.


Question supplied by The Friends of General Haig who can be found on Twitter @FriendsHaig

Sunday 1 May 2022

Top 3 Rulebooks of all time (and why they made the cut)

Today's video is another inspired by my recent 'Call to Arms' for ideas and questions. The question submitted by pbeccas asked, "What are your top three favourite rule books of all time". I decided to expand this to also ask, why my top three were picked but also decided to ask a couple of my mates from Posties Rejects to give their suggestions as well. The result is an eclectic mix of rulebooks covering a wide range of periods. 


For more detail about Richard & Ray's choices check out their blog posts reviewing some of the rules mentioned in the video:

Richard's review of They Died for Glory
Richard's review of Koenig Krieg
Ray's review of Donnybrook
Ray's review of Beneath the Lily Banners