This is not the post you are looking for….

Curiouser and curiouser…

This will be a bit of mixed bag of a post as a few things have traversed the crosshairs so to speak.

Should be fun and hopefully generating plenty of naval wargames after action reports across the blogosphere. The picture is courtesy of JJs Wargames 

I have yet to fight the battle mentioned in my previous post but there is a very good reason. August the 6th is the International Naval Wargames Day so I have decided to fight the battle then in keeping with the occasion. Besides, I am not quite ready to fight the action as there are a few administrative issues to tackle first.

I remember reading the book and watching the above TV series and even the film version - basically an edit of the TV series that was brutally short, roughly a quarter of the size of the original.

James Clavell’s epic novel Shogun needs little introduction from me, neither does the 1980s TV adaptation starring Richard Chamberlain and the late, great Toshiro Mifune as lord Toranaga. I note that a remake of the TV series is in the offing, spread over ten episodes and coming out later in the year I believe. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the original TV series and so am looking forward to the new version. Back in the day (late 1970s and early 1980s) the novel of Shogun was hugely influential at the Newham Wargames Club in respect of providing some good background material for use with the Bushido role playing game - it was huge fun and many hours were spent in the company of Ronin, Samurai, Ninja, Shujenga, Yakuza and peasant characters. 

I am still on the hunt for a cheap copy of the Shogun/Samurai Swords board game - the one with four hundred 1:72nd scale plastic figures in.

I was moving a few bits and pieces around in the man cave when I came across the gaming mats you see below. These were originally from the Axis and Allies WW2 collectible miniatures game. They are double sided and with hexes around 3” or so across (I forgot to measure them so will do the next time I am upstairs) - ideal for 15mm which of course they were designed for. I have used them a couple of times for some block based gaming, the last of which was here.

As a reminder this is what they look like.

You can see that there are two distinct styles in respect of the artwork used so the sets do not really fit together well but that is a minor point. There is more than enough variety of layout for my needs though so I shall certainly be hanging on to them.

Work on the ACW ships has moved along slightly and now that my replacement tin of MDF sealer has arrived I can make further progress. I have been looking at some smaller gunboats, mortar rafts and flat boats. There are a few other models to consider so I will need to get some drawings over to Warbases for some bits and pieces.

I reckon that has just about covered everything for now!