1860 to 1890 Naval Ramming

The Italian Ironclad Ram Affondatore - sunk as a result of damage received at the Battle of Lissa in 1866, she was re-floated and repaired and served the Italian navy for another 40 years!

Unsurprisingly the Ram attack has caused me a number of minor headaches in respect of how to undertake it within a war game. I have the bare bones of how it should work and intend incorporating it in the Close Range Attack phase of the rules rather than more commonly within the movement phase. This will save incremental or sequential movement which can slow things up considerably - especially when there is a lot of such attacks under consideration. As a fudge this will also include spar torpedo attacks as essentially in order to attack they have to 'ram' a vessel.

The basic idea I have is that a player declares his Close Range Attack as normal and so the target is now faced with three options. It can respond with its own Close Range Attack (this is primarily when facing off attacking destroyer/torpedo boats in the 1890 to 1920 set but is the same in principle for the earlier period) and so the combat proceeds as normal. It can ignore the attack - typically to ensure that it can fire in the subsequent gunnery phase. Finally, the new choice is to Evade and this is specifically for use against a ram or early spar torpedo based attack.

I have a process worked out for this that needs a little road testing but the gist of it is that attacking ram needs to roll a d6 and score higher than his target's speed to make an attack. The target must also roll a d6 needing to score higher than the attackers speed to evade. If both are successful then the ram attack damage is calculated at half its normal rate to represent a glancing blow against the target. If the attacker passes and the target fails the evasion roll the the attack is at full effect. If both fail then the attack does not happen at all; similarly if the target passes and the attacker fails then that is also a failed attack.

Using this simple technique means that a fast ram is more likely to catch a slow opponent. The evasion roll represents each side lining up to attack or dodge the blow or to minimise the impact where possible. The resolution of the blow itself will be the same as for a conventional Close Range Attack so the mechanics are nicely aligned.

It looks very much like the rules will be easy enough to put together - ship specifications will be far more problematic although the 1860 to 1905 Conways will be absolutely essential for this part!

Delayed trains, the Spanish Civil War and Naval Warfare 1860 to 1890

Scratch built ACW Confederate Ironclads - prior to basing and hoping to inspire the builder to finish the remaining 32 models!

After a disastrous train journey home last night due to an unfortunate fatality on the line (I was going to be a little late in any event due to a job interview) I was not able to tackle very much at all by the time I had had my dinner and relaxed after the rigours of the day.

Luckily the train was only half full so I had plenty of space to sit in and room to think. During the extra 90 minutes of my journey I managed to finish the book I have been reading (Heroic Voices of the Spanish Civil War - Memories of the International Brigades) and to get some preliminary thoughts down on paper for the 1860 to 1890 variant of the Portable Naval War Game.

The basic approach and mechanics of the rules will be identical to the 1890 to 1920 version. The number of generic ship types will be increased to incorporate two additional types - gunboats and a category I am calling Improvised Warships. This will cover a very wide range of ship sizes, protection levels and weapons carried and is designed primarily with the ACW in mind. Guns will be split into rifles and smooth bore artillery and I will need to consider firing arcs in far more detail than previously. I have some plans for this that are very simple and made even more so by the use of a hexed playing surface (I knew there was a good reason for buying the Hexon tiles!). I will also need to make provision for the use of the ram attack and again, have partially addressed that as well. I am reasonably confident that the 1890 to 1920 rules can be taken back in time to cover the earlier period but I need to ensure that the flavour of the times is captured so that the resultant game is not just an afterthought (technically I suppose it is but the intention is that it is not if you see what I mean!).

All in all then, the proposed earlier variant of the Portable Naval War Game seems to be a lot less work than I originally envisaged although I dare say that statement will come back to haunt me in due course. The first play test will feature the ACW river collection which will be receiving some urgent attention over the coming weeks - hopefully to finished by the end of the year.

Fezia and Rusland, The Balkan Wars and that Groundhog Day Moment....

That Groundhog Day moment - Where did I put that Irregular Miniatures catalogue?

The Rusland, sorry Russian Army of 1890

One day I will learn to make up my mind and stick with it. To be fair I am probably not as bad as I was in my early years but I still have the capacity to occasionally swing wildly between ideas. The sole redeeming feature of this is that the number of hobby related financial disasters has diminished somewhat over the course of time or perhaps I now have a more realistic appraisal of what is viable and what is less so in monetary terms.

I am not going to use the Perry Plastics for my Fezian and Rusland armies. There, I've said it. I will use them for that which they were intended  - i.e. a long term 28mm plastic ACW project - in due course but for a variety of reasons I shall have to abandon my original plan.

The alternative is so blindingly obvious I am still wondering how on earth I managed to completely overlook it. I am going to use the Irregular Miniatures 15mm Balkan War Turkish and Bulgarian armies I have. If you recall I acquired these more of less when they were first released (see the following: Irregular Miniatures Balkan war) TWO YEARS AGO (oh the shame!) but never really did anything with them - other than to discover that the Bulgarian infantryman was in fact wearing the earlier uniform (earlier than 1912 that is) and so was not really suitable. It could have been mixed with figures correctly attired except for the fact that Irregular did make them and so they were consigned to the cupboard and were going to be ignominiously disposed of. However, by dint of some casual research I was able to discover that the Russian army of 1890 was dressed more or less identically to the offending Bulgarian and so I thought - why not? This means then the the Bulgarian Balkan Wars army will in fact be painted as Russian (in 15mm the uniform differences are easily addressed with some painting - the woollen leggings used by many Bulgarians can easily be painted as black boots). In effect then, I will have a pair of historical armies being used as 'imagi-nations.


There are a number of reasons why this is a no-brainer.

•  To finish the 15mm armies will cost less than £20 - the projected Perry based set up is nearer £200
• All of my terrain is better suited to 15mm than 28mm
• I can paint the figures in a very simple 'old toy soldier' with a clear conscience
• The Irregular Miniatures Balkan Wars range is very extensive and so I can get everything I need from one place and easily.

The figures will be organised as per the Charge! based set up I had planned for the 28mms and they will based individually. I have a number of reasons for this but rules versatility is the most compelling.

Besides, I have two unopened tins of the old Humbrol Autheticolour Rifle Green and it would be a shame not to use them!

The Portable Naval War Game - Done and Dusted (for now)

I have finally finished the Portable Naval War Game Rules. I have tweaked them to within an inch of their life and aside from any grammatical howlers or minor correction/clarification I do not envisage any other changes being needed. The core system will need a couple of additions in due course - the 1860 to 1890 period, 1920 to 1945 (with air operations) and, of immediate need, a campaign map move system. To begin with I shall look at a mini operational level campaign (more accurately scenario) which will simply use plotted map moves at the standard table speeds with the action being transferred to the table when in visual range. Overall the tactical rules should be seen very much as a work in progress and as soon as I have worked out how to upload them for anybody that wishes to use them I will do so. The rules make use of generic ship types but I have included a section describing how the specifications can be tailored for specific types if required - and yes, I have done that for my own model fleets! As a long time naval gamer rivet counting habits die hard….;-)
I should point out that unless one is using 1/6000th scale models or Great War at Sea counters the game is hardly 'Portable'. However, I hope that the concepts contained therein are true to the spirit of the original idea, even if they do require a reasonable amount of space to use!
The rules will now be put to one side as my focus shifts back to the ACW river fleets. Repairs and painting will be taking centre stage with the last 32 models requiring completion. As mentioned previously, I will also look to play a couple of ACW games using the blocks  in conjunction with the scenarios from Battle Cry which will be an interesting experience. Or I may even use the models from Battle Cry on a 3d terrain, just to see how it looks.

Turkish Armed Forces 1925 to 1945 Part 1....Turkish Armour

Czech built Praga TH

I had a little trawl across the net and found a few things out about the Turkish armed forces from the 1920s to the end of WW2, mainly concerned with the vehicles used by the army. The first tanks used by the Turks was the famous Renault FT17 during the late 1920s. They later made use of the French R35 in 1940 but between times gained numbers of Vickers Light Tank Vlb and the Russian T26. The Russian also supplied some BT2, T27, T28 (only two of these) and some armoured cars - BA3s and BA6s.

The T26s were taken out of service in 1942 and were replaced in 1943 with 56 German 50mm L60 armed Panzer lll at Hitler's request. They then received some Panzer lV as well - the idea being that Hitler was trying to convince Turkey that attacking the Russians would be a good idea.

From a transport perspective I assume that an assortment of lorries from various sources would be used but also the Turks made much use of a rather interesting Czech built vehicle - the CKD Praga TH. Turkey also made use of the Praga TH6 and 7 (in fact they acquired the entire production run of these two vehicles - just over a 100 of them) and the Praga T9 (also used by the Germans).

Czech built Praga TH6/7 - a poor photo but you can make out a rather fetching camouflage scheme

Czech built Praga TH7/8 - again, a poor photo but you can (just about) make out a rather fetching camouflage scheme

Czech built Praga T9 - the last of the group (and the largest)

I have absolutely no idea if anybody makes these in any scale at all so they would be a challenge and no mistake. Having said that, finding a suitable tracked chassis and adding a truck body should be fairly easy to undertake should I need to.

Not for a while though....;-)

Fezia and Rusland - 50 years on from 1890

One of the big advantages of an 'imagi-nation' is of course that you can do pretty much anything with it. As these two worthies, Fezia and Rusland, are modelled on Turkey and Russia I have spent a little time looking at the military history of each and seeing where my 'imagi-nation' would take me. I have already pencilled in the 18th century as a (very) long term idea but have also been looking at the 1930 to WW2 era. Of course Turkey was neutral during WW2 and Russia had her hands full against the Germans but what about the situation around the Black Sea in WW1? Now that is an interesting area of operations and has graced my table top on many occasions, at least from the naval perspective that is.


As a moment of whimsy though, what about using 1930s/40s kit around the Black Sea but with the military situation akin to that of WW1? Unsurprisingly I came to this from the naval perspective first of all. I have a number of ideas in mind for trying this (and certainly I would be able to game the land side using the blocks if need be) using a real mish mash of ships. The Fezian navy would be far stronger than its historical counterpart and, in true Fezian tradition will have some examples of state of the art ships operating alongside some real antiques.
The land side would of course feature vehicles and so making use of some early war tanks would be fine and will give me a chance to knock up some vehicles for a change. Again, it would be a low intensity set up designed around the Portable War Game concept.


This is very much an idea for the future and as such is not yet even on the back burner but it is something I would like to tackle at some point. The Russian army of the period is pretty well covered in terms of information and models etc but I have yet to find out anything about the Turkish army so some trawling of the net will be called for as a starting point.

Thinking Deep Thoughts....

An aid to clarity of thought....

I have spent most of the weekend involved in a variety of domestic tasks of the kind usually associated with the festive season i.e. Christmas shopping and decorations.Of the latter the one thing that struck me was how quiet the shops appeared to be, given that is less than four weeks to Christmas - a sad reflection on the current economic woes that most people are experiencing perhaps? Either that or it is a wait until the last minute or caning the internet for presents - either way Basildon seemed eerily subdued over the weekend (no bad thing many may say!).

Due to the fact that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year and because we also have a number of prior engagements over the coming weekends, SWMBO decided that this weekend the decorations would go up and so out came the tinsel, tree, baubles galore and all the associated festive paraphernalia so that the house now looks like a diluted version of Santa's grotto. I am a sucker for anything Christmas related and so always enjoy doing this and our opinion is that if you are going to bother with decorations at all then you may as well have them up for a reasonable amount of time in order to enjoy the experience and to get into the spirit of things. Besides, it is good fun - especially the annual Christmas game of 'finding the blown bulb from a 40ft length of tree lights'!

I popped into the local Toy and Train fair on Sunday although did not buy anything. There was plenty of military kit on display that would have any 54mm wargamer (especially anybody contemplating a Funny Little Wars set up) reaching for his wallet. There were lots of firing artillery pieces of the WW1 style 18 and WW2 25 pounder variety - as well as some very nice coastal style guns. Prices varied but £3 to £8 seemed to be the average range. There was also a lot of odd Britains figures around as well including a very impressive looking unit of Bengal Lancers that had me both wincing and staring in rapt (mainly at the price but they did look really striking) awe at them.

I also spent a lot of time tackling the fleet lists for the rules and this has given me much food for thought. I think I have allowed myself to fall back into the trap of over egging the pudding. The Royal Navy for example has a list of ships that is now covering three sides of A4. This is an impressive piece of work (if I say so myself) but I was struck by the number of ships that come up with identical factors. This has made me wonder if perhaps I should have stuck to a more generic approach rather than to 'drill down' into such levels of detail. Certainly this approach is probably at odds with the spirit of the Portable War Game.

I am more than happy with the rules as they are but am less convinced about the level of detail I am going to with the ship specifications and so will need to give this some additional consideration.

If anything, if I decide to go down the generic route it will mean that the rules will be complete far sooner than originally planned so that will probably be no bad thing.