Where have all the Ditches gone?

 Following up on last week’s popular video about hills in historical wargaming, this episode dives into a terrain feature that’s even more overlooked but just as important: negative elevation! From sunken roads and WW2 anti-tank ditches to Roman fieldworks and the sunken lane at Waterloo, we explore how these subtle but powerful features shaped real historical battles—and how they can transform your wargames too. 

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Whether you play Napoleonic wargames, American Civil War scenarios, or WW2 tabletop battles, this video is packed with ideas to bring more tactical depth and realism to your games. I’ll show you why ditches, gullies, quarries, and ravines deserve a place on your tabletop and how to easily model them using foam, scatter terrain, 3D prints and more. 

If you're into miniature wargaming terrain building, realistic battlefields, and historical accuracy, this one’s for you. Let’s give the ground beneath our feet the attention it deserves! 

#WargamingTerrain #HistoricalWargaming #MiniatureWargames #TerrainTips #TabletopWargames #SunkenRoads #WargameScenery

#DitchTerrain #WargamesTable #WW2Wargaming

Partizan 2025 - Best Demo Games photo review

Join me for an in-depth photo review of the best demo games at Partizan Wargames Show 2025, one of the UK’s premier historical and tabletop miniature gaming events! In this video, I showcase the most visually stunning, imaginative, and well-executed demo games from this year’s show. From beautifully painted miniatures to expertly crafted terrain, you’ll get a close-up look at what made these displays truly stand out.

Whether you're a historical wargamer, tabletop enthusiast, or just love exceptional miniature painting and diorama building, this review highlights top-notch creativity and craftsmanship. I cover games from a variety of periods and scales—from Napoleonic battles to WW2 skirmishes and fantasy epics—offering inspiration and ideas for your own hobby projects.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more wargaming content, show coverage, and miniature painting tips.

#Partizan2025 #Wargaming #MiniatureGames #DemoGames #TabletopWargaming

 

Where have all the hills gone?

This week I dive deep into a growing trend in tabletop miniature wargaming — the disappearance of hills from our gaming tables. Inspired by a conversation with Ken Reilly on the Yarkshire Wargamers podcast and observations from Salute 52, we explore whether flat terrain is becoming the new normal and what that means for gameplay, tactics, and immersion.

This video is a must-watch for historical wargamers, tabletop wargamers, miniatures hobbyists, and terrain builders who care about the visual and tactical depth of their battlefields. We discuss the role of hills in real-world military history, their importance in game mechanics, and why they’re vanishing from both demo games and club nights.

If you're passionate about miniature painting, terrain crafting, historical accuracy, or the future of the wargaming hobby, this video offers insight, discussion, and practical inspiration for bringing elevation back to your tabletop.

Whether you play Napoleonic, WWII, Ancients, or fantasy wargames, don’t miss this in-depth look at the subtle shift shaping modern wargame design.

🎲 Subscribe for more hobby commentary and friendly discussion.

#Wargaming #TabletopWargames #MiniatureWargaming #HistoricalWargaming #WargamesTerrain

Cossack Sled Guns During the Napoleonic Wars

This week I have finished converting a few figures to make an unusual unit for the Retreat from Moscow.  Russian Cossack units, apparently employed an innovative solution to winter warfare: sled-mounted light artillery. These "sled guns" helped maintain Russian mobility and firepower across the frozen battlefields. Standard artillery carriages often failed in deep snow and extreme cold. From what I can find, these small-caliber guns — typically 2- or 3-pounders or small licornes — were mounded onto wooden sledges. These sleds, fitted with runners instead of wheels, enabled the guns to move swiftly across snow and ice. 

The sled designs varied from simple flatbeds to reinforced frames capable of absorbing recoil. Often, sled guns were hauled by small horse teams and fired directly from the sled, sometimes anchored to stabilize against recoil. Cossack sled guns fit seamlessly into their hit-and-run style of warfare. Small detachments used these guns to ambush French supply columns, harass stragglers, and raid lightly defended posts. Their light weight made them ideal for fast attacks and rapid withdrawals.

During the 1812 retreat from Moscow, sled guns would have contributed to the constant harassment of the Grand Armée. Although not powerful enough to shatter major formations, the psychological impact of mobile artillery attacks in the depths of winter was significant. French morale, already collapsing under starvation and exposure, deteriorated further under the constant threat of sudden artillery fire. 

The gun in this model is scratch built, utilising two small prussian artillery pieces and their carriages to make one sled gun. The sled itself is made from parts of the gun carriages and is a rough approximation of the custom built sleds described and illustrated in the picture above. For crew I used cossacks from Wargame Foundry's Seven Years War range, replacing a rifle with a sponge/rammer and a sword with a slow-match.

If you want to see more, check out my latest YouTube Short showcasing this model. And if you want to see more of the 1812 Retreat from Moscow project that Ray and I are working on check out this video on my channel.