Miniature Wargames with Battlegames issue 369 On the Presses

Good grief, it’s that time again and issue 369 is on the presses, with publication slated for Friday 20th December in time for Christmas. So what’s in store for the festive season issue?

• My own Briefing focuses on an issue discussed later in the magazine by Leon Pengilly. I can’t over-stress how important the current difficulties with the Royal Mail are for our hobby. I also draw your attention to a forthcoming book that will be launched at Salute next April.

• Neil Shuck roams the hobby as usual in Forward Observer  taking in latest releases from Baccus, Studio Tomahawk, Fireforge, West Wind, Olley’s Army, Battle Systems, Wargames Emporium, Proxy Army Games and a plethora of projects seeking funds on Kickstarter.

• Our wargames widow Diane Sutherland has gone all gooey about cardboard tubes this month, using bits left behind by her plumber to fashion a host of huts and towers for the wargames holidays venue in Crete. This has got me looking longingly at my seamstress partner’s fabric rolls…

• John Treadaway delivers another batch of Fantasy Facts, opening with a discussion of the rise of 15mm in genre games, before launching into reviews of some fab vehicles from Antenociti, new zombies from Fighting 15s, SF troops from Clear Horizon, more vehicles and footsloggers from Brigade Models and Ground Zero Games, 20mm alternate WWII stuff from C P Models, and a host of War Without End products from Clockwork Goblin.

• Knock, knock, knocking on Heavenfield’s door shows Dark Age specialist Dan Mersey at his best, proving that you can overcome the curse of this period and construct a game based on little or no evidence at all! As well as an excellent battle covering the death of Cadwallon in 634, Dan also provides extra fun in the form of a pre-battle game.

• Our Command Challenge this month is penned by none other than columnist Conrad Kinch and is characteristically out of left field. A ghost story at Christmas is a spooky scenario that can be played in either a historical or fantasy/sci-fi context – or any genre you like. Pitch your British against French in the Peninsula, or Space Marines against futuristic guerrillas: it’s up to you, but either way, you’ll have shivers running down your spine!

• Conrad Kinch then uses his Send three and fourpence page to discuss the issue of gratitude and makes us think about whom we should be grateful to in our hobby, and what we should do about it.

• Writing rules for WWII: Dave Brown, author of Battlegroup PanzerGrenadier opens up his secret rule-writing toolbox and reveals how he went about writing his popular ruleset. There’s plenty of meat on the bones here, with his discussion ranging from the very inception of the ruleset, through research suggestions, representing command and control, deciding how game turns should work, the role of maps, deployment and ‘spotting’, weapon ranges, rates of fire and coming up with suitable mechanisms to represent these, the importance of troop training quality and even how the endgame should be decided.

• Four battles to Kimberly. Historical enthusiast Stephen Maggs describes a remarkable series of battles from the Boer War that led to the bloody Battle of the Modder River in 1899. A force of just a few thousand men under Lord Methuen marched through scorching heat to fight the wily Boers in no less than four encounters, displaying remarkable feats of courage under fire.

• Continuing his mini-series, Mick Sayce provides another scenario from the wild fringes of the medieval world. Battle of the Caucasus Mountains 1221 pitches the Mongol reconnaissance force against another interesting selection of foes, including Cumans, Alans and Circassians. Lots of lovely cavalry! A great proposition for a fun and challenging game.

• In Hitting Ground Zero, John Treadaway (I like to keep him busy) presents an interview with Jon Tuffley of Ground Zero Games, discovering the background to the company and where it is likely to head in the future.

• Post our paint! Leon Pengilly of Pendraken Miniatures does his best to explain the strange situation that has arisen recently of the Royal Mail refusing to deliver more than four little pots of paint in a single package. This ridiculous ruling affects hobbyists and businesses alike, so pay attention and help us to get something done about this daft diktat!

• In The unvarnished truth, Martin Stephenson brandishes his technical know-how to explode the myths of solvent- and water-based varnishes. Prepare to be surprised as we present a useful tip or two to keep your miniatures in good order whilst withstanding the slings and arrows of outrageous gaming.

• Finally, Graham Evans gives us a short, but powerful piece entitled The battle for the Great War in which he argues that wargamers have an important role to play as the centenary of the outbreak of WWI approaches.

• Recce is a meaty mix of book, rule, painting product and figure reviews; our competition prize this month comes in the form of both sides for the Sikh Wars donated by Black Hat; we have the booking details for the very first Featherstone Annual Tribute weekend, a page of eye candy from Warfare, and very good news about the progress of our Combat Stress Appeal. All that, of course, with plenty of messages from your favourite advertisers.

And now, I’m going to wind down briefly over the festive season, after cranking out a 160-page book (advertised in this issue) and the magazine during the last month! Wishing you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year.