RSS FeedAngus Konstam is an author and historian - visit his website at
www.anguskonstam.com or e-mail him at anguskonstam@aol.com
He's a member of the Orkney Wargames Club, which meets in Kirkwall on Thursday evenings.
See their Facebook page for more info.
Ironclads, Dawn of Iron, 1/600 scale As part of the ‘learning the rules’ drive, I staged another small American Civil War naval game at home, to see how less well-protected ships fared under these new rules. In the end I staged a slimmed-down version of Hampton Roads, and the fight between the Monitor and the
Ironclads, Dawn of Iron, 1/600 scale I’m sure I’m going to bore you over the next few weeks. First off, for various reasons I’ll have to skip two club nights. So, instead, I’m going to post a couple of American Civil War naval games, as I’m trying to learn this new set of rules. I’ll
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm Sean opted for the Franco-Prussian War this week, so I selected this battle, fought on October 1970. It was meant to be the French break-out from Metz, but in the end it became an exercise in farm-grabbing, to secure supplies for the besieged French army. So, it was unusual
The Napoleonic Wars, Shadow of the Eagles, 28mm This was a scenario lifted straight from by friend Charles S. Grant’s Scenarios for Wargames (1981), a standard ‘go-to’ for fiendish tabletop challenges. This one was certainly a challenge – a small blocking force, deployed on a hill, buying time for reinforcements to arrive. Even then the
The Roman World, To the Strongest, 28mm Sean is one of the few archaeologists who hasn’t much time for the Romans. So, for this game, my second with these new figures, opted to lead the Sassanid Persians into battle against a small Late Roman force. The clash was set against the backdrop of the Emperor
The French & Indian Wars, Rebels and Patriots, 28mm This game used a scenario straight from the rule book, (Scenario G) which revolves around a river and a bridge. One side – the slightly larger force – wanted to cross it, and the other lot wanted to stop them. In this game, I played the
The Age of Fighting Sail, Kiss me Hardy!, 1/1200 scale The idea was to stage a small naval game, to entice my friend Jim into naval games. The game was set in 1806, and involved a small Spanish squadron which had been blockaded in Palma on Mallorca for months. A gale though, forced the blockading
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm I don’t really do the same periods back to back on here, and while I haven’t really here, I’ve done it with the same rules and scale. the thing is, Charles Grant wanted an article for the Wargamers’ Annual, and so I needed to stage an Austro-Prussian War game,
The American Civil War, Brigade Fire & Fury, 10mm With Sean away, Nick opted for a 10mm American Civil War game. So, it was off to the backwoods of Mississippi this week, and a refight of the Battle of Corinth, fought in early October 1862. In this one, Nick opted for the attacking Confederates, while
The Seven Years War, Honours of War, 28mm It’s been a while since I’ve played a Seven Years War game. I think the last was just before ‘Sean 2’ slunk away south. So, I was delighted when visiting wargamer Sam said he liked the period, and we were able to stage a small game. In
The Roman World, To the Strongest, 28mm This was something of a new departure for me. For the last few months, among other things, I’ve been painting up two Ancient armies. It started as an idle thought, and turned into a project! So, this was my first outing for my new armies – the Late
Ironclads, Dahlgren & Columbiad, 1/600 scale This small game was an attempt to re-acquaint myself with these simple but effective rules. During the Prusso-Danish War of 1864, the Danes blockaded the Prussian naval base of Stralsund on the Baltic. In this fictitious game, Capt. Jachmann commanding the blockaded Prussian squadron is attempting to launch a
The Second World War, Bag the Hun, 1/300 scale We’ve had a dearth of games lately, for various reasons – largely because it’s summer, and people are off doing summery things. Anyway, Nick and I managed to play a game, and as a treat he brought in his vast 1/300 Battle of Britain collection. I
The Great War, Black Powder (adapted), 28mm These League of Gentlemen Wargamer weekends usually fit a pattern. Initial games are followed by a big game, which reaches its climax on Sunday forenoon. Then we pack up and go home. Always, on the Saturday night, there’s an evening of food, drink and wargames chat – sometimes
The Great War, Black Powder (adapted), 28mm There’s been a dearth of wargaming over the past few weeks, mainly as my main gaming chums are either holidaying or working on archaeological digs. So, it was a real pleasure to hop on the ferry to Aberdeen, and head to Kirriemuir, for the latest League of Gentleman
Misc. (Air War over Korea) Bag the Hun, 1/300 scale We took to the skies again this week – well, Nick and I did, in another Korean War dogfight. Nick took the Allied side, with four USAF F-80 Shooting Stars, two USAF F-51 Mustangs and three Fleet Air Arm Sea Furies. I had three Mig-15s,
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm With Sean away digging holes in the rain-sodden countryside (he’s an sore-kneed archaeologist), Nick and I delved into the Franco-Prussian War, and this game based loosely on the Battle of Spichern, one of those frontier battles in August 1870. Nick’s two divisions of French were charged with holding the
