Adventures on the Wargames Table

I've decided to make some complete field tiles, as opposed to just putting hedge/fence around areas of the battlefield. I think it adds depth and interest - plus they're fun to build! This is what I've come up with. The finished article... With Para mortar team for scale If you're interested in finding out how I made it then please read on. It all starts with a piece of MDF 40cm x 48cm, 3mm thickness. I've sketched on roughly where I want the hedges and gates. Hopefully you can make out my scribbles in the pic below. The next step is to apply some texture. These are the areas that will not be covered in flock or foliage. The left area will be bare earth whereas on the right I wanted more of a meadow effect. This is just a mix of small stones, grit and sand. The remaining bare areas of the board are given a coat of textured masonry paint (to which I added some light brown paint). This gives a better base for the next stage; painting! Note British Para f...

I've been thinking about making some bocage for a while now and have seen a number of excellent examples on t'web and at shows; so I thought I'd try out a small test piece to see if my ideas were okay. It's simply a thin strip of blue styrofoam glued to a piece of card (to protect the edges). I've shaped the foam to give more sloping sides then applied a good layer of gritty sand. Styrofoam is best sliced with a bread knife Shaped, textured and painted in earth colours A light garnish of your favourite flock or grass The earth colours are my usual recipe followed by a mixture of Woodland Scenics clump foliage much like the hedges I made a couple of years back. Hans posing ... the hedge is about 45mm high A better height comparison Further pieces will have more tufts and flowers plus incorporate tree stumps, bushes, fencing, old bits of farm junk, etc. Longer sections will allow for a greater variety of height too - some of the real bocag...

I’m delighted to report that Dave and I have kicked off our Normandy campaign!! We’re using a mix of scenarios from the Battleground Europe Bolt Action sourcebook, adaptations of scenarios from the CoC supplement Kampfgruppe von Luck, and just some of our own ideas. Ideally I’d like to bring others (I’m thinking Steve, Mike, George, Rob, Dave, etc) in to the campaign so as to have a series of ‘simultaneous’ battles with linked outcomes. My ideas are still somewhat ephemeral at this stage so we’ll see how it goes. Some campaign notes are shown in typewriter font below. List Restrictions Forces should be selected based on their approximate historical formations; suitable support options are noted below. Depending upon the scenario, further restrictions may apply. The Paras are very lightly equipped, so no AFVs. Infantry sections plus MMG, Medic, Car/Jeep, Light Mortar, Medium Mortar, PIAT, Flamethrower, Sniper, AT Gun*. *later in the campaign as the guns arrived in the second lift on t...

Following the show in Penarth, Colin and I returned to Wargames Table Manor and, after a fine curry, set to with a game of Bolt Action. I'd designed both sides in this 750pt game so the core of each force was an almost full strength platoon consisting of the HQ plus 3 or 4 sections/squads along with a few little extras like a mortar or an HMG or even a sniper. Definitely no armour for this game either. The scenario was simple - wipe out the opposing force. The winner would be decided by how many order dice had been lost (a win required a clear margin of two dice). There are only a few photos as the game was quite intense (in a very enjoyable way) so I forgot to take more. The pic below shows the battlefield after turn one. My plan was to focus my attack on my right flank using the stout walls of the churchyard to give my troops plenty of good cover. Interestingly, Colin's main attack was also on his right flank as he sought to make the best use of the cover offered by t...

It's the last weekend in January so it must be time for the Crusade show, hosted by the Penarth & District Wargamers! This year there was a new venue and IMHO it was a massive improvement. The show itself was superbly organised and the club members were hugely helpful in terms of loading/unloading, etc. As with many wargames shows there were a number of re-enactors. This fine fellow, from the 41st Regiment of Foot , was a pleasure to chat with. Colin and I couldn't resist playing with his musket! Present arms!! The musket had to be prised from his arms!! The show itself was fairly busy throughout the day and it was a real pleasure to catch up with some friends (Hi to Chris, Stu, Scott, John and Dad-John, etc!!). It was also good fun to wander around and have a chat with a few of the traders; having done quite a few shows now you really do see how it's a community of its own! I managed to have a quick wander around with Chris Harris (see his excellent YouTub...