1/1200th Scale Ships for the 2nd Anglo Dutch War

Sea spray and salt air mix with the smell of black powder as these 17th-century warships try to chase down their enemies in the Anglo-Dutch War. These 1/1200th scale models are by Ark Royal Miniatures and are based for use with the Mad for War rules, written by Barry Hilton (of League of Augsburg fame)

My group, Posties Rejects had the great honour of refighting the Dutch Raid on Chatham using these rules, inside the target of the attack, Chatham Dockyard. We had two days of intense fighting as we recreated the battle and at the end, we all had such a good time we bought copies of the rulebook and a load of ships. I’ve already completed three of the ships from my British Squadron, these four are the remainder.

When we started these models we all agreed not to bother with the rigging…and then one person relented and now we all have to follow! The plan was to use plastic bristles from a brush but fixing these to the top of the masts drove me nearly insane. So I switched to using black cotton and doing the whole line in one piece. I glued the 'rope' to the front mast, waited for the super glue to set then pulled it tight across the other masts and dabbed glue on each spot where it touched. I did use the bristles for the support ropes on the main masts though. 

I could have done a lot more but I'm not sure my nerves could have taken any more. Rigging ships this big turned me into a proper sailor because I can honestly say I have never sworn so much in my entire life!!! 

UPDATE: 

Since writing this post I have named my ships with the help of Ray. And, inspired by Richard, I have now added name flags to the rear of each base. 

Painting Tutorial for 1/1200th Ships

A short tutorial on painting 1/1200th scale ships from Ark Royal Miniatures for use with the Mad for War rules. This is a basic tutorial, mainly using contrast paints, for a speedy and simple finish. If you want to get reasonable-looking ships on the game table quickly, this is one of the ways to do it. 

Dutch Raid on the Medway: Mad for War at Rapture

Last year Posties Rejects were blown away by Barry Hilton’s "Raid on the Medway" game at Partizan so we convinced him to bring it down to Kent to run the game in Chatham Docks, the target of the Dutch raid back in 1667. The Rapture Gaming Festival stretches across the whole of the 80-acre site with computer games and wargaming rubbing shoulders with boardgames and RPGs, reenactors, and cosplay. 

The Raid on the Medway, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War saw the Dutch fleet, under the command of van Ghent and de Ruyter, battle and burn their way up the river towards Chatham Dockyard in Kent. All that stood in their way were a handful of English ships, a chain barrier at Gillingham, and the fortress of Upnor Castle.

The Dutch engaged fortifications with cannon fire, burned or captured three capital ships and ten more ships of the line, and captured and towed away the flagship of the English fleet, the Royal Charles. 

Posties Rejects played three games across the two days of the Rapture Gaming Festival inside Chatham Docks. The question now is, did we replicate history or did the British successfully defend the docks from the attack? 

For two excellent written accounts and many more photos from an excellent weekend's gaming, please take a look at Rays' Blog Don't Throw a 1, and Richard's Blog, My Wargaming Habit.