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Scratchbuilding with foam core
When I first returned to miniature gaming it was to play Crossfire in 20mm. All my initial buildings were scratch built using foam core and I made them specifically with Crossfire in mind, a set of...
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Dug-in PzIVH
The Operation Martlet campaign for Chain of Command includes the options for the Germans to entrench one of their AFVs in a dug-in position. When I made entrenchments many years ago I included a couple...
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How can a wargame be realistic?
I consider myself a historical wargamer and when this debate about realism crops up on forums and social media, as it regularly does, I'm always interested to read how people respond.I've often heard...
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Warbases MDF Mk1 Male tank
When I first embarked on a 28mm First World War project I was tempted by a very affordable MDF kit of a Mk1 Male tank produced by Warbases. It was a fraction of the price of a resin model and although...
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Why put a building on a base?
As a miniature gamer I've always loved the look of a table filled with great terrain, who doesn't? Over time I've focussed more and more on trying to create tables where the terrain looks seamless to...
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Setting terrain on fire
Well, not literally of course. Although I should probably confess that as a child more than a few of my Airfix figures came to a grizzly end at the hands of matches or fireworks, but I'd like to think...
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Getting Ready for Operation Martlet and The Scottish Corridor
There is nothing like a forthcoming campaign to inspire me to put together new terrain, miniatures or game elements. We are about to embark on a new campaign using Chain of Command where we will play...
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Terrain making using Warlord Games 'Ruined Hamlet'
While I play the Second World War in 20mm for some reason I decided to start a First World War project in 28mm. While it wasn't a logical step I think I was seduced by the excellent figures from Great...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 1: Probe into Fontenay
This is the first game in the Operation Martlet campaign for Chain of Command. I will be playing the British and attacking the Germans who are commanded by my regular opponent Dave.This opening...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 1: Probe at Fontenay (game 2)
The opening game of the campaign turned out to be a very brief affair. The deployment of the British platoon was hampered severely by the thick morning mist and matters were made only worse when a PzIV...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 2: Pushing On
We reach the second map of our Operation Martlet campaign for Chain of Command. Having withdrawn from the northern edges of Fontenay following the previous game the Germans are now holding a line...
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Bunkers, spider holes and soft skins for the Far East
I've played two campaigns using Chain of Command set in the Far East - Malaya 1942 and Last Stand on Opium Hill. Both take place during the early stages of the war when the Japanese were in the...
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Underused tactics in Chain of Command
One of the things I like about Chain of Command is the way it allows you to combine a range of historical tactics to try and achieve your objective. Not all of these are apparent to new players and...
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My article on scratch building in Wargame, Soldiers & Strategy #127
I wrote a post for the blog on scratch building with foamcore (which you can see here) and was invited by Guy Bowers, the editor of Wargame, Soldiers & Strategy magazine, to write an article on the...
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Goodbye to Crossfire? Oh no, not yet.
Ten years ago my return to miniature gaming was inspired by the Crossfire rules. It was pure serendipity. My youngest son, who was then about eight years old, had a lot of pirate figures and I was...
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What's been going on?
The blog has been quiet for the last few weeks for no other reason than I haven't had anything I felt worthy of a new post. With the rise of social media much of what was once the staple of blogging,...
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Facelift for a lift bridge
It's fair to say a bridge is one piece of terrain that turns up regularly on a wargame table. Surely the 'fight for the bridge' is one of the truly classic subjects for a scenario regardless of the...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 3: Attack on the Hauptkampflinie
After a successful push into the outskirts of Fontenay in the previous scenario the British now hit the main German defensive line within the village itself. The solid Norman buildings, high walled...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 4: Striking at St Nicholas
In the previous game the British drove the Germans out of Fontenay village and that has brought the fighting to more open countryside. Here the Germans plan to make a stand at the farm of St Nicholas....
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Operation Martlet: The Punch from Wunsche
The British won a surprisingly bloodless victory to capture St Nicholas farm in the previous game. The German withdrawal has left a gap between 12th SS Division and Panzer Lehr, one that urgently needs...
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Telling a story with vehicle wrecks
I think vehicle wrecks are like casualty figures, they are visual cues to the unfolding narrative of any game or campaign. The more that I record my games here on the blog the more I see how well those...
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Operation Martlet Scenario 5: Winning your Spurs
Having fought off the German counterattack in the previous game the British now push on into open farmland towards their objective, the village of Rauray. A major campaign victory is within their grasp...
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Second World War Early War German armour in 20mm
I don't have a collection of German infantry for the early war (well, not yet anyway) but for various reasons I seem to have gathered a small collection of armour for those years. At this stage I'm...
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Operation Martlet: German Counterattack at St Nicholas Farm
Having driven the British off in the previous game the Germans now mount a local counterattack that brings us back to St Nicholas Farm. At the very least this will allow the Germans to impose further...
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Operation Martlet: German counterattack at Fontenay
The German counterattack at St Nicholas Farm in the previous game was both short and brutal. More significantly for the campaign it was successful, pushing the British right back to Fontenay village....
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