Sunday 5 May 2024

Command Tensions: When sub-commanders go rogue

How do you deal with the tensions of command in multiplayer wargames? When there are two or more players per side, is it more difficult to execute a cohesive strategy than if you played one one-on-one? There are no court martials around the game table, so how can the army commander bring order when his subcommanders go rogue? 



Friday 3 May 2024

The Battle of Beaumont 1870 - Quick Strike Battle Report

The Battle of Beaumont took place in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. This game sees the French conducting a fighting withdrawal in the face of intense German pursuit. We used They Died for Glory as the rules for this 15mm wargame and the end result was a very close run contest. 


For more details, army lists and maps please check out Richard's blog posts on this game:

Wednesday 1 May 2024

The Battle of Beaumont 1870 - Franco-Prussian action in the shed-o-war

Over the weekend the Rejects got together for another game of 'They Died for Glory' refighting part of the Battle of Beaumont which took place during the Franco-Prussian War. The game commenced a few hours into the start of the battle as the French began a fighting withdrawal and the Prussians did their utmost to catch and destroy this Corp before it crossed the Meuse. 

I was going to post a long, detailed battle report here...but I'm trying to knock a Quick Strike Battle report video instead. So in the meantime, I highly recommend checking out Richard's Blog My Wargaming Habit and his posts on the prep for the game and a review of the battle as it played out. I'm hoping to have my video ready by Friday or Saturday and of course, I will post a link to that here when I have it completed. In the meantime here are a couple of 'teaser' pictures of the game. 




Sunday 21 April 2024

A Changing Hobby? Small Skirmish Games vs Big Battles

Is the Tabletop Wargaming Hobby shifting away from Big Battles towards small skirmish games? This subject arose during last week's SALUTE 51 and was even discussed in at least one of the panel sessions. But is the hobby changing, or is it just that this type of large trade show attracts companies that want to demo their new game-in-a-box?



Friday 19 April 2024

Rules Review: The 1879 Anglo-Zulu War by Richard Tory

Just because a set of wargame rules are old and complicated does not mean they have no value. 'The 1879 Zulu War' by Richard Tory is over 40 years old but Is still a fascinating and useful reference book with plenty of data and ideas in it that can be worked into your own rules. If nothing else it is a very interesting read and shows just how far rules design has come in four decades. 



 

Sunday 14 April 2024

SALUTE 51 (2024) - The Blogger Meet-up

It's the day after Salute 51 and I still have a load of photos to work through. I posted my Show Report yesterday but I have been sent several pictures from the day and wanted to share a few here. 




Ray organised a 'Blogger Meet-up' for 2p, and quite a few people turned up. Not as many as in previous years, but I know that Salute isn't for everyone. 

The 2024 Blogger Meet-up (Picture courtesy of Carl Packham)

Also present were Ken Reilly, Ray Rousell (of course), Tamsin, Mike Sayce, Mike WhitakerCarl Packham, Steve, Chris and David.

It was also great to meet up with Alex (Storm of Steel


And Adrian..


There were many more people I saw during the day, more than I can remember. Thank you to everyone who came up and said hello. Maybe we'll see each other again at Salute 52? Or another show??

Cheers, Lee


Saturday 13 April 2024

SALUTE 51: Full Photo Report

SALUTE 51 was another fantastic expo for the wargaming hobby in all its forms. Games big and small, from fantasy to historical and Sci-Fi were on display at the 2024 show. Here is a quick photo report of the games from the premier wargames event in the UK.


Salute 2024, or Salute 51, takes place in the Excel exhibition venue in London Docklands, a fifteen-minute drive from my home. I attended with a camera in hand as always and shot hundreds of pictures. This is a huge event, and getting around the nearly 100 games and several hundred traders in just seven hours is a challenge.













Friday 12 April 2024

Hunting Big Cats in the Normandy Bocage

Tiger Tanks and Panzerschrek teams lurk in the woods and Bocage of Normandy 1944. This What-a-Tanker battle report combines several games testing out my supplementary rules that bring Panzerschrek anti-tank teams into the game.   


The rules are nothing fancy, just an A4 sheet of very basic rules using tokens (some of which are Blinds) for the movement of Panzerschrek teams in the Normandy Bocage in the summer of 1944. If you want a copy just drop me a line with your email address and I'll be happy to send them to you.

Sunday 7 April 2024

Time to Quit Wargaming? (So Long and Thanks for all the Fish)

What do you do when the time comes to quit a period? Do you sell your collection, put it into deep storage or throw it all in the bin?

Saturday 6 April 2024

Sergent O'Reilly's Charge - A CoC Battle Report

I've decided to give some of my old games a second life by turning battle reports from my blog into a series of Quick Strike AAR videos. This week I'm revisiting a solo game of Chain of Command that I played in 2020. These transformations into video content are only possible because I take so many pictures during games that most never made it onto the blog, so have never been seen before. My back catalogue of pictures from games and shows currently stands at over 90,000 pictures...so I have plenty of material I can share!



Saturday 30 March 2024

They Died for Glory: Rules flip-through and Review

They Died for Glory is a set of rules written specifically for wargaming the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. This turning point in the development of modern warfare can be dramatically recreated on the game table with this easy-to-learn ruleset. Designed for 15mm figures the rules can accommodate larger or smaller scales and make refighting huge battles possible for any wargamer.



Sunday 24 March 2024

Embracing Defeat: How to stop worrying and love the game

Defeat is an inevitable part of a competitive hobby like wargaming, but it doesn't have to be a negative experience. Win, lose or draw I enjoy playing with toy soldiers, spending time with my friends and learning new stuff in the process. 



Saturday 23 March 2024

The Battle of Froeschwiller-Worth: Battle Report

A short Battle Report of a recent game set in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The Battle of Froeschwiller Worth took place on the 6th of August but both sides had been planning and preparing for a battle on the 7th of August. However, forward elements of the Prussian army began to engage the French around Worth and this eventually developed into a full-scale battle, that neither side was wholly prepared for. 


Richard's Battle Report of this game

Ray's Battle Report of this game







Sunday 17 March 2024

My Top 5 Wargaming Disasters

I've been wargaming for a long time, so I have quite a big back catalogue of wargame disasters. These are the sort of games where I made unforced errors leading to defeat or simply where the dice gods abandoned me (sometimes both!).



Saturday 16 March 2024

Life in the Legion: A British Museum special exhibition

Life in the Legion is a new exhibition at the British Museum in London. Life for a soldier in Rome's armies could be hard and dangerous but for many, it offered citizenship and a path to advancement in Roman society. For those that completed their 25-year service, there was even a generous pension worth ten years' salary. 


As usual, I took a lot of photos, as well as filming, so here's a taste of what to expect when you watch the video. As always I'd urge you to visit this in person if you can, my review can only really show part of the collection, and nothing quite replaces seeing these exhibits with the Mark One Eyeball.  










Sunday 10 March 2024

Storing your Armies: The perfect home for your little metal men

How do you store your Armies? Do your Little Metal Men live in cardboard box files, RUB Boxes or metal cabinets? This week I revisit the subject of storage and organisation in your own Operations Room.


Friday 8 March 2024

Blenheim Palace: A Monument to Victory

Blenheim Palace was built by the 1st Duke of Marlborough following his victory at Blenheim in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Built in the short-lived English Baroque style it is now a UNESCO Work Heritage Site and home to the Victory Tapestries. Designed by Lambert de Hondt they commemorate Marlborough's victories at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenaarde and Malplaquet. 


Perhaps unsurprisingly I took a LOT of pictures as well as video, and most of them couldn't make it into my short film (not without bloating it to 30 minutes +). So here are a few still shots taken during my visit to tempt you. Please check out the video and if you get a chance do visit Blenheim Palace. My pictures and film simply can't do justice to the magnificence of the building and nothing beats seeing these things with the Mk 1 Eyeball. 















Sunday 3 March 2024

Time Tourism: Another Miniature Adventure

Are you a Time Tourist? Not to be confused with temporal tourism (from Doctor Who) time tourism is the pursuit of history away from the library, or wargame table. Shake off the book dust and static grass to explore your own Miniature Adventure. 


Richards Battle reports on his blog: The First Lake Tresimene Battle and the Return Match 

Jonathan's write-up of both games on his blog: Battle of Lake Trasimene and the Second Battle Grudge Match 

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Cavalier 2024 Wargame Show

Cavalier Wargame Show definitely punches above its weight, with a great selection of demo games, traders and a busy Bring & Buy.

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a Virtue, or at least that's what my Grandparents told me when I was a child. Little did they know they were teaching me an important skill for a lifelong wargamer and painter.


 

Monday 26 February 2024

General George S Patton

The painting Mojo has been a bit limited recently, and it's entirely my own fault. I’ve managed to pile project on top of project until finding time to paint has become a bit limited. That is not necessarily a negative, because I have played far more games - both in person and remotely via Zoom - than I usually would. And I have been working on my YouTube channel and writing some articles, so it's not like I have been idle. Add on top of this a work schedule that has doubled my workload and finding time to even think about painting has been difficult.


I have been trying to work my way through the Challenge Library but have reached an impasse. Eventually, I decided to do the ‘Statue of Someone Famous’ and I found this model of General Patton, but I didn’t want to just paint it as bronze or stone. So my ‘Statue’ is one of two options: either a waxwork statue of the man, or my 28mm model is in effect a miniature statue?? Ok, I’m stretching the definition for this section but you get where I am coming from.





General Patton is one of those characters who seem to stride across the pages of the history books. He certainly had a talent for war and an ego to match, so powerful that it easily reached across the intervening 79 years since his death. Reading anything about this man's life and ambitions one has to ask how different the world would have been had he lived?