The Paraguayan War Afloat

 The War of the Triple Alliance - afloat

The indefatigable David Manley has done it again! Another campaign style supplement for his Dahlgren and Colombiad and Iron and Fire rules available from the Wargames Vault. This has been a long time in the making - over ten years in fact - but in my opinion it has certainly been worth the wait.

Fought along the rivers and tributaries of the River Paraguay the opposing sides featured purpose built warships including ironclads, converted civilian screw and paddle steamers, wooden barges armed with 8” guns and carrying 500 troops and flat bottomed wooden gunboats called Chatas. 

The supplement includes a brief history of the war, a campaign system including maps and counters representing the major ships and shore batteries, an overview of the models available (Mr Manley has also prepared some files for the 3D printing fraternity) and full specifications for both Dahlgren and Colombiad and Iron and Fire.

In many ways the war along the rivers had a number of similarities with that fought along the Mississippi during the American Civil War, indeed, the main Paraguayan fortress at Humaita was compared with Vicksburg although better defended from the land side due to the extensive swamps.

The tide turned in many ways when the Paraguayans were unable to pay for some British built ironclads due to their economy crashing - instead Brazil brought them!

So what does this mean for me?

What indeed! I would like to tackle this as a project at some point but for now it will have to be filed under ‘pending’. On the face of it the whole set up appears to be a little too similar to what I have for the ACW on the rivers although once I have read about it I am sure that opinion will change.

Definitely one to do at some point and my congratulations to David Manley for producing such a top quality ‘oven ready’ supplement.

How long my resolve will last is however, a moot point….

A Tale of the Samurai

The Seven Samurai with Toshiro Mifune looking suitably Toshiro Mifune like… An absolute classic film in every sense.

My first real involvement with anything Samurai related came about via a role playing game called Bushido published by Fantasy Games Unlimited (and still available) in the early 1980s (possibly late 1970s). The Newham Wargames Club took it enthusiastically - Mr Fox still has some of his painted 28mmNaismith figures from the period - and when Dixon Miniatures launched their range it seemed like a golden age was upon us. One of the big highlights of the time was a visit to the National Film Theatre in London’s West End to watch Akira Kurosawa’s epic of the Seven Samurai. Eric Knowles and his son Bill (Bill was the game master for the Bushido campaign in which yours truly featured as a warrior peasant….) were in attendance along several other luminaries of the old Newham Wargames Club. The film was hugely inspirational and is one of my perennial favourites.

Anyways, the years rolled on and here we are now in 2022 with the Samurai itch still in evidence although about to be scratched in a number of ways!

The figures from Shogun….

….and the massive box they live in. Note the rules and scenario book from….

….Command and Colours: Samurai battles.

To begin with I have a copy of Command and Colours: Samurai Battles which is fully labelled and with the terrain tiles and counters carefully punched and trimmed. I also have my recently acquired copy of Shogun - the large, Risk style strategic level game that includes some 400 plus 1:72nd scale hard plastic figures that are fully compatible with some of the available sets - notably cavalry (missing from the game), command and even artillery if you wished. This was going to be my preferred choice for army level style games - using the figures from Shogun along with the Command and Colours rules or possibly something Portable Wargame or DBA based. 

There is another option to explore and one that will present a real challenge but at the scale I am thinking it should work out reasonably well. 

A few years ago a Samurai skirmish game called Test of Honour was released by Warlord Games (now with Grey for Now Games) that included all you needed to set up small scale skirmishes during the era of the Samurai. The game was designed for around 20 figures or so which is fine but I wanted something a little larger. Anyways, I acquired a copy of the starter set and some of the additional figure packs (no metals) but for one reason or another it never really got off the ground. I remember being less than enthusiastic about the rules (not sure why though) and so the entire collection of the plastics were donated to Mr Fox. They are still lurking in his loft and following a brief exchange of emails and a quick chat last night the whole shebang will be winging its way back to me.

What on earth am I thinking of? Two scales of Samurai? Am I mad? I suspect the answer to all three would be something like: not sure/yes/probably….

I rather like the idea of using the larger figures for man to man skirmishes but also for Lion Rampant sized actions. The smaller figures will of course be used for battles. So, I am now looking at not one but possibly four Samurai themed projects - large battles using 20mm, man to man and larger skirmishes using 28mm and the Boshin/Satsuma Rebellion in 20mm and also afloat.

I think I need a lie down, pass me a futon please whilst I compose a Haiku and look at the cherry blossom…

Warships in Plastic for a Change

Airfix Magazine Guide Number 7

My attempts at 1:600th scale ship modelling have never been hugely successful and I can count on one hand the number of such models I have built over the years! That being said, I am a sucker for reading about detailed ship modelling and for sure there is always something one can takeaway and incorporate in one’s own efforts. 

The Airfix Magazine Guide series of books needs little introduction from me and for gamers of a certain vintage they bring back many memories. In my case Bruce Quarrie’s Napoleonic Wargaming - the orange covered edition - was my first introduction into gaming beyond Charge and the Wargame. It inspired an Airfix 1815 Alied army and many games large and small when I was a teenager on the Isle of Sheppey back in the early 1970s.

The book you see above is not one I have owned and it came to me courtesy of that very nice chap David in Suffolk.  

David and I (there seems to be a lot of Davids in our hobby - I know of at least 6!) have something of a shared history in that we are both from similar parts of the world and remember both of the model shops that used to be in Sittingbourne, Kent (his memory of this being rather better than mine!). Anyways, the book is a cracking little title and whilst I may not be rushing off to build anything full hulled and 1:600th scale there are a number of plastic 1:1200th scale model kits I have that would benefit from some of the tips contained within its pages. It would have certainly been very handy to have during the great shipbuilding program occasioned by Eric Knowles WW1 naval campaign all those years ago. David of course is now the owner of a few of Eric’s Seven Years war models so there is a kind of circularity in all this!

Given that MDF seems to be my usual material for ship building these days one could be forgiven for thinking that this book would be of limited value to me but not so. I have a few plastic ideas to play around with so I am confident it will be a handy title to dip into - there are certainly some very useful conversion and detailing techniques mentioned, all good stuff.

I am really pleased to have a copy of this book and so many, many thanks to David once again for passing this on and yes, (as per his note) I will be sure to lend it to Bob Cordery in due course!

Taking to the Skies

 

A 2 1/2D interwar style biplane as featured in the montage of photographs marking the release of Mark Copplestone’s Little Soldiers 30mm range. The model was made of 1.5mm basswood.

I have mentioned recently of my fondness for aerial games and that my timely acquisition of a rather nicely hexed blue cloth has kind of spurred me to look more closely at the idea. Another ‘prompt’ - as if I needed one - was occasioned by the acquisition of a copy of the Two Fat Lardies WW1 aerial rules - Algernon pulls it off (Bag the Hun are the WW2 version). An interesting exchange of emails with that all round good guy and painter of a bewildering array of aircraft and ships - I reckon he must have Tumbling Dice on speed dial - none other than Jim Jackaman, kind of nudged me along into one of my more bonkers brainstorms - MDF aircraft modelled similarly to the one you see above.

Oh yes indeedy! Shades of the Blue Max and Aces High with a dash of Dawn Patrol

I am thinking that perhaps 1:144th or thereabouts would be quite a good scale to see about ‘MDFing’ in some way - this would also have the virtue of being relatively compact in terms of table space but large enough for some decent paint jobs (with the added bonus of being completely flat surfaces - essential for a mediocre painter like me!). 

Obviously WW2 types would be simpler to construct - I am thinking along the lines of something akin to those cheap expanded foam gliders often given as old school stocking fillers at Christmas, you know the ones where you slot the wings through the fuselage - although at this stage the idea of something with a gull wing configuration (Stukas or Corsairs for example) is proving to be something of a mental challenge. WW1 types are doable for sure but would need some careful planning in respect of what goes where - fixed undercarriage and struts will be fiddly for sure.

Whilst I do not plan to conduct 1,000 bomber raids or such like I reckon there is some potential for games of around half a dozen or so aircraft a side - my hexed cloth would not take many more models than that methinks - which would be a lot of fun. I am also thinking that any such aircraft should be relatively inexpensive.

I need to sit down and think about this in more detail and bounce the idea off Martin at Warbases in respect of feasibility. Is this an unexpected rabbit hole I seem to be sleepwalking into? Possibly, but if it works then it will scratch a certain itch for sure. 

Tally ho and all that!

Hexing the Square….

The new cloth with a very familiar looking and somewhat theatrically staged scenario - familiar in that it is the set up of the game before last that I have yet to fight….

The arrival of my new blue hexed Hotz Mat has given me much to think about. It is going to be hugely useful for a variety of naval and aerial ideas and of course, given that the hexes are 4” across the flat sides it means that I can readily tap into the range of terrain pieces available from Kallistra in their Hexon range. 

So where does this leave the square based ACW rules? 

Where indeed.

I had always planned for the rules to be usable on both a square or a hexed playing surface with the former being my preferred choice - for two reasons really, the use of eight directions for movement etc and for the pure nostalgic value occasioned by the use of the old age of sail rules Ship ‘O the Line.

A close up for no other reason other than because I can….

Try as I might I have really struggled to get squares to work for the rules as written with the biggest issue being the use of diagonals. With the increase in complexity of weapons available and where they were fitted on a given ship I was having major issues trying to get firing arcs properly configured - an issue I never really solved satisfactorily. I am confident that the rules are pretty much a done deal systems wise but I am thinking that reverting to hexes will make life a whole lot easier and in many ways more relatable to their Gridded Naval Wargames forebears. To begin with firing arcs will be a whole lot easier to factor in. Reverting to hexes may seem like a seismic shift but in reality it would be very easy to  execute and more importantly it would mean that I can get the rules finished far more easily!

It would be easy to say that perhaps I should have gone with hexes in the first place and saved myself a whole heap of effort but hindsight is a wonderful thing and besides, one should fully explore an option before discarding it.

In many ways this decision augurs well for future naval projects especially for the age of sail when I get to it. For rules for this period I could simply use those from Wooden Ships and Iron Men which were after all derived from the square based Ship ‘O The Line miniatures set.

For now though, I need to adjust the rules slightly and also look to get the remaining models built. For the latter what should be my final ACW model component order from Warbases has been duly submitted so work will resume in earnest once the bits and pieces have arrived.

Two Shades of Blue (Mat)

Taken in direct sunlight on the patio….

….and in the lounge at the farthest point from any natural light

Really pleased with this! For the second time in what seemed like an age I successfully snagged a bargain on eBay in the shade of a Hotz felt gaming mat. This is in a mode blue colour and has a white hex grid printed on it with the hexes being 4” across the flat sides and the area itself 13 x 9 hexes (sound familiar? It should as this is the size of a typical Command and Colours board).

The blue itself is interesting as it looks quite different depending on the lighting used - as you can see in the two pictures above. Either way it is a really welcome addition to the collection and will be used for both naval and aerial games, occasionally even at the same time!

The 4” hex size will also be ideal for use with my ACW models although as written the rules are designed for squares. 

I may need to ever so slightly rethink that….

Or maybe not…

One thing that did cross my mind though, is that the hexed surface will be ideal for a straight translation of the rules from Wooden Ships and Iron Men for the age of sail in due course.

Either way I am sure I will get plenty of use out of it and for £11.50 (excluding postage) it was a bargain!

Of Wind and Water….

The set that morphed into Avalon Hill’s award-winning board game: Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Many happy hours were spent gaming using these rules and I still have the scar to prove it….

Now that the light is definitely at the end of the tunnel (and no, it not someone walking towards me with a torch!) in respect of the ACW naval project my thoughts have been looking long and hard at what comes next, at least as far as warships are concerned. I am rather spoilt for choice and indeed, the challenge is choosing what to do from the vast array of options I have available. Post the ACW I plan to tackle the War in the Pacific as this is something that can be organised relatively easily and will only require a dozen or so models. After that it will be whatever takes my fancy but there are a couple of options I am looking at and have mentioned previously.

Predreadnoughts will feature at some point but I am unsure about the best way of tackling this, hence the lack of urgency. I am tempted by the  full on imagi-nation option but am mindful of my plans for Madasahatta. It would make sense tying in what I decide to build with this project rather than making ships up as I go along - I certainly would not want to be building effectively a pair of quite similar collections - one historical and one hysterical!

I am seriously looking at Lake Tanganyika and East Africa during the Great War. This has the attraction of being fairly compact in terms of numbers and it will allow me to tackle some something a little more mainstream - I am referring of course to that naval wargame staple of the ‘hunt the raider’ scenario. Plenty to ponder there and to be honest given the potential size of the Madasahatta undertaking, it would make sense to think about East Africa first.

How often does ‘sense’ feature when planning a wargames project?!

Another option, and to be honest this was a relatively late entry into the lists, is something from the age of sail. Inspired by the building of the assorted fully masted warships for the ACW project, I rather fancy tackling something from the age of sail - in this case the Napoleonic era - but am currently undecided as to what to do. One of the options I am considering involves the lower level stuff - frigates and smaller - and would feature combined operations. In 20mm plastic Hat Industries produce such things as Royal Marines, ships crew and naval artillery and if looking at the Spanish peninsular there are also Guerrillas  available. Raids on the Eastern and Southern seaboard of Spain would be fruitful field to explore and would give me the chance to tackle some Napoleonic land actions as well as on the high seas.

The ships themselves would be straightforward to build once I have the hull template organised. Naturally this will be a little more detailed than those for the ACW but I am keen to work to a similar looking ‘simple’ style. Sails should be straightforward enough and indeed, when I met up with Martin ‘Warbases’ Murray at Salute last year he mentioned that he would be able to produce these as required - all I would need to do would be to specify the shape and size. Painting ‘chequerboard’ gun ports etc would be simple enough using the pre cut hull template technique I used for the frigates and sloops of the US civil war navy. The stern galleries I am still thinking about but I have a couple of ideas to play around with. Similarly the ornately painted bows of the period have given me pause for thought but again, I think I have a workable solution. Overall the models will need rather more work than the ACW types but with careful forethought the same building technique of layered MDF should work well enough. 

The original rules also contained a supplement designed for use with ships of the Armada period. My thanks to Mr. Fox for the copy of this.

As far as rules are concerned then my ‘go to set’ will be Ship ‘O The Line although I am already thinking about a stripped back version - mainly to avoid the whole order writing thing. There are other sets available and ironically my number one choice really works better with squadron sized engagements of larger ships (hence the title) - smaller ships tend to be rather too small in terms of effect. 

There is also a very handy Armada period supplement so if I fancied chasing down Spanish Galleons etc at least I would only need to learn a single rule set although Galleys and Galleons works really well for this period. 

Yes, I have been thinking about ships for this period as well…