RIP Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)

Small break in usual service, but I felt the need to mark the (sad) day... 2016 has not been a good year for celebrity deaths... 😔

For a time, late 80's I guess, he was very rarely off my various music machines...  whatever the reasons he died, he was the same age as me...  good grief!

Enjoy -- the first track is monumental...

Salute 2016 - Part 1 - thoughts and first photo dump...

I'm a bit late to the party as most of the Bloggerati have already put finger to keyboard with their thoughts and photos, but with a brand new camera this year (my trusty Olympus couldn't quite manage being dropped on it's extended lens from the top of my tripod!) I had slightly more pictures than normal to sort out, but I also wanted time to marshal my thoughts....

So thoughts first.... and DG and I have attended loads of Salutes - I think we first start attending when the event was in the Town Hall in Chelsea (perhaps the last year it was there which makes our first visit 1998 or 1999), but certainly through all the years it was at Olympia and Excel - difficult to believe but this is the tenth year the show has been at Excel... either way, we have some history and we've paid our dues with the show and the Warlords..

I would say that over the years the pair of us have noticed the same changes that others have noticed, specifically the increasing ratio of fantasy/science fiction as opposed to historical, but I would say that this year in particular was the first time that I have specifically thought I was attending a fantasy/science fiction based game show where the historical side of the hobby have been invited along, where in previous years I would have said it was more the other way (though getting close).. don't get me wrong, I love to look at little metal men in whatever they're wearing but clearly my interests are historical and if there's not so much of that then the wisdom of :

• driving for 5 hours - two and a half hours each way 
• spending twenty or twenty five quid on petrol
• spending £15 on parking
• and spending £10 on a ticket each

...is questioned...  DG and I split the bill down the middle, but basically we are each spending the better part of £30 just to attend, never mind the time we are also giving up when we could be doing something else, so it does become a bit of a talking point...😏

So this year - did it live up to £30? For me yeeeeeeeeeeesss, just about... I love the buzz, the enthusiasm, the sheer size of the show..  I wonder if Charles Grant (Snr)/Don Featherstone/Peter Young and the others knew what they'd started all those years ago! I thought the standard of the games and demo's were good (if not outstanding in some cases), I was disappointed not to see more historical traders (the one thing I am in the market for is a few more TSS terrain tiles but they have made it impossible for me to buy from them - postal charges are ludicrous and they don't attend shows!). I thought the use of space was poor - stands crammed together in some cases, but surrounded by large open spaces,  I also thought the attendance was up this year which made it difficult to get to a lot of the stands...

For DG? No, he thinks he'll give it one more year and then perhaps decide not to bother...  for him the situation is a no brainer, he had money to spend and couldn't find anything to spend it on, and it wasn't as if he was looking for anything unusual - just terrain items ...

Anyway - onwards and upwards - the Warlords should be congratulated on running such a huge show seemingly effortlessly and efficiently - whether DG or I found anything to interest is immaterial compared to the behemoth task that is running Salute - well done to them..!

So on to the loot - none for me - not a sausage, nada, nuffink...  I didn't have a shopping list, but I also didn't see anything that made me think "ooh, shiny" and make me reach for my wallet...

So games, and first off a collection that I thought were brilliant enough to take pictures of, but not in my top five for the day...  so without further ado...

Almost opposite the entrance - impossible to miss - and put me in mind of all those Uhtred books by Cornwell - I'm a sucker for a boat and these Viking long ships were exquisite....

Put on by blogger Delauppror [clicky] using big battle "Lion Rampant" rules - "Battle at Foteviken 1134" - click the link for more details...

...and just to show I'm not a total xenophobe where it comes to fantasy gaming - I thought this was amazing.... completely and totally mad (as in a bucketful of frogs) but so much to look at and so much skill...  Chesterfield Gaming Society I believe...

..from the desert in the foreground, across green fields, to an ice landscape in the distance...

...and lots of woolly mammoths..  and a giant..  superb modelling whether you are interested in Fantasy or not!

More super scenery - the figures were kind of secondary! Demo game by Oshiro Model Terrain ''The Adventures of Paul Darke'' a smuggling game...

Look at the detail in those cliffs - amazing!

Back to the boats...  MDF 18th Century warships - astonishing! Marketed by Capitan [clicky]in support of their "Squadron Commander" rules..  I thought the masts were a little tall, but that's easily fixable..  what amazed was what you can do these days with MDF and a laser cutter!

So good you don't even need to paint it...!

Lance and Longbow Society's take on Hastings - TSS terrain tiles used well...

Next, New Buckenham Historical Wargamers [clicky] have a go at Agincourt, and I think do a really good job of it....

Click to embigen - well worth it...

Last pictures for this post - these are 54mm Napoleonic’s by Victrix and part of their participation game set in Spain in 1800...  not my scale, but I love the period and the theatre....

..figures were beautifully painted..

Stay tuned for a top 5, pop pickers....

John Corrigan Memorial game 2016 - "Windtown Bridge" - Setup

DG is down this weekend for our traditional trip to Salute - very much looking forward to Salute, but it also gives us the opportunity to play a face to face game, and on this occasion we will also take the opportunity to play our annual John Corrigan Memorial game [clicky]... difficult to believe it's now been five years since John passed on, but as is traditional, we'll use his figures for this game which makes it an American war of Independence game..

John was an Old School gamer (he played against many of the forefathers, I particularly remember him talking about visits to the Wessex Military Society, and games with Don Featherstone) so I try to make the scenario Old School as well, and this time I thought we might use "Blasthof Bridge" from 'Charge!' as the source for the game...  ...with apologies to the "Charge" aficionados among you, I Anglicised the name of the scenario to make it more... errr...  "colonial" 😀

I "borrowed" the following from the battle report [clicky] on the Spencer Smith [clicky] site - a cracking read and very much recommended - as it saved me having to scan and reproduce the pictures myself..

© Rob Grace 2010.

As described in the book, the battle is a fictional contest between the ‘Elector’ and the ‘Emperor’ (which will be represented in our game by the Americans and the British/Hessian/Loyalists), in which the retreating forces of one, are trying to stop the advancing forces of the other, from capturing a bridge over Blast River.

The rear guard has to either destroy the bridge (hold both ends of the bridge for 6 turns) or hold it until nightfall (move 15)

The orders of battle for the two sides in the book are quite small (see following), with the rear guard being (very) slightly stronger in infantry, and the advance guard being the same in cavalry...

Rearguard/American

Hohenzollern DR 1 officer / 12 troopers	4th Dragoons (Bases 37 and 38)
Max Josef IR 3 officers / 40 soldiers	Green Mountain Boys - 1st Battalion    (1 & 2) Green Mountain Boys - 2nd Battalion   (3 & 4)
Field Artillery 2 guns, 1 officer / 10 gunners	New York Artillery - Light  (27)
TOTAL 69 figures (50% = 35 figures)	TOTAL: 20 SP's

Advance Guard/British and Hessian

Birkenfeld CR 2 officers /16 troopers	16th Light Dragoons (Bases 24 & 25)
Hoch und Deutschmeister IR 2 officers / 32 soldiers	Brunswick Jaegers (3 & 4) Brunswick Battalion von Barner (8 & 9)
Field Artillery 2 guns, 1 officer / 10 gunners	New York Loyalist Artillery - Light (21)
TOTAL 65 figures (50% = 33 figures)	TOTAL: 20 SP's

Additional notes:

• We'll be using our usual Will McNally AWI rules
• No shooting or morale bonus/modifiers for the British/Hessian force
• One C-in-C per side
• Four foot square table
• Hill is classed as "gentle"; river is classed as "Stream" (except for 6" either side of bridge which is impassable to all); ploughed field classed as "Rough ground"

"One Hour Wargames" - Scenario 7 - "Flank Attack (2)" - The Game

April and only just getting round to the write up of the first game - outrageous...!  DG and I were supposed to play this between Christmas and New Year but ended up playing it last month (eventually!  technical issues with Skype and a poorly timed Windows 10 update lead to a "3rd time lucky" situation), but it's taken me until now to actually write it up..  mea culpa, and all that  - too many other irons in the fire, and simply just not enough hours in the day...

So by way of a brief recap [full briefing here] this was a return to the truly excellent "One Hour Wargames" book, and the next scenario in our leisurely run through each of the scenario's in the back of the book. The game was played out on a 4' square table and we decided to make this an American Civil war outing as well using modified rules from the book. Forces were random - 6 units each side and all start on table, and after rolling I ended up as (Union) defender with 5 Infantry regiments, and a regiment of Zouaves, DG as (Confederate) attacker had 5 infantry regiments and a battery of artillery. The winning objectives are that I have "exclusive occupation" of the large hill at the end of the game, any other result and it is DG's win.

In the following - the large hill where I will deploy is obvious, the Confederate flank deployment area is marked by the white pins (it has a wood in the bottom left corner of it)...   two further Confederate units deploy at the bottom facing north (ie. the top of the table).. 

So on to the game - which I played twice, once against DG (which he won convincingly), and once solo as I wanted to test some alternative tactics to see if I could alter the outcome..I fundamentally neglected to get any photo's of the game against DG (to engaged with the game, so forgot to take any!) - the pictures following are largely from the solo re-fight...

Initial dispositions:

I used the same deployment for the re-fight as we used in the actual game - two Confederate regiments on the small hill, then in the flank area the artillery on the corner of the wood, with a flank regiment, and then DG put two regiments right on the base board facing the area behind the hill. All the Union troops were deployed on the hill as per the scenario - I put my Zouaves in the rear though as I wanted to move them first, and also protect them from the gun

On with the game:

This will be end of move two or three, and by now I have cleared the hill of all Union regiments - depriving the artillery of a target. This was the fundamental difference in tactics between the original game against DG and the solo re-fight. Against DG I had left two units on the hill and they just got shot to pieces...

The two Confederate flank regiments have advanced and are exchanging fire with the first Union regiment to deploy facing them. The Union zouaves are moving up, but the two Confederate regiments on the small hill are now free to make a frontal assault, as is the regiment that was providing support to the artillery...

The Confederates assault the hill (next) - the Union regiments counter attack; just one this move, but more to be fed in. The Confederate artillery has limbered up and moved so as to be able to fire at Union troops sheltered by the hill..

Feed them in boys, feed them in...

First Union casualties - one regiment down, but reinforcements take their place..  this is about move 9 or 10, I have 5 moves to hold out...  even solo it was nerve wracking stuff!

Casualties on both sides - the Confederate regiment that was supporting the artillery has been destroyed, and another Union regiment has also been removed - just the zouaves holding now..   the Union reinforcement I moved back to shelter from the artillery - to be honest I was playing for a draw at this point!

Honours even - the zouaves deal out death and slaughter, and the same on the top of the hill..  "could it be", I wondered....

.."it might bloody well be" I thought, as another Reb regiment is destroyed...

End of game but the last Confederate infantry regiment has a foothold on the hill - a Confederate win as per the first game then!

Post match analysis:


Casualties:

• US 3 regiments lost, and of the survivors:
1. Duryee (the zouaves) 1 point left (out of 15)
2. 67th 8 points left
3. 14th 11 points left

• Confederate 4 regiments lost, and of the survivors:
1. 5th 9 points left
2. Artillery full strength

• The game clincher (with this particular set of randomised forces) is the artillery - only one gun, but able to fire further, and with less negative modifiers..  I knew why I had originally chosen to deploy on the hill as defender, but I think my reasoning was faulty and I might actually have been better off attacking - the gun couldn't fire at everyone at the same time!
• DG's rules modifications worked well - I particularly liked the mechanism for deciding who moved/fired when - it really came into it's own when I played the game solo...

Herewith DG's modified rules from the book, as is our want there was a bit of back and forth, but most of the following is down to DG, and these are version 3...  

Modified One Hour Wargame Rules 
Local suggestions 13/11/15 

I’m falling back on an old war gaming principle of the “rule of 3” Source: Advanced Wargames 1969 Donald Featherstone – The Tims War-games “Computer” Essentially every situation has one of three possibilities 

Sequence of Play: 

• Each Turn both Players roll a number of D6 equal the number of units they have 
• One D6 is allocated to each unit to show the order in which the Player wishes activate them [EG: D=1 Units activate first; D=6 Units activate last] 
• Both Players then active their units individually according to their sequence order 
• When there are ties then each unit is rolled for [Highest D6 activates] until the activation sequence for that number is resolved [NB: This resolution occurs when it is time for those tied units to activate] 

Unit Activation: 

• The unit chooses 1 of 3 options 
        o Movement 
        o Firing 
        o Do nothing 

• Movement 

        o A Unit may move up to the distances listed below during their activation 

Unit Type	Line	March Column
Infantry	6”	9”
Zouaves	9”	12"
Cavalry – mounted	12"	18"
Cavalry - dismounted	6"	9"
Artillery – limbered	n/a	12"
Artillery - deployed	0"	n/a

    
        o Change Formation and/or Facing: During the units activation only, and counts as movement

                Unit Type                                 Cost 
                Infantry                                  2” 
                Zouaves                                  2” 
                Cavalry - mounted                 4”
                Cavalry - dismounted            2” 
                Artillery                                 4” 


Note. I had actually misunderstood this rule, and in the game DG advised that a change of formation/facing actually covered off all changes of facing, even wheels (which I had been measuring in the traditional manner) - I think I prefer my interpretation, but DG begs to differ because the rule as he intends it is more sympathetic to the original rules in the book..

Terrain effects on movement:

        o Woods          Only Infantry, Zouaves and dismounted cavalry 1/3 cost 
        o Towns          Only Infantry, Zouaves and dismounted cavalry 1/3 cost 
        o Marshland    Impassable 
        o Lakes            Impassable 
        o Rivers           Crossed via Bridges and Fords only and March column only 
        o Roads            Add 3” to distance if entire move is spent on a road and March column only 

Interpenetration: 

        o Units may pass through each other for the same cost as the change of formation above 
        o The penalty applies to both units 

If one of the units has no movement left, no interpenetrations may occur 

Firing

        o March columns: [IE: 2-4 files wide] cannot fire 

        o Field of Fire: 
                o Units may only fire at a single target within their frontal 90° Field of Fire 
                   Except for Units in towns. These have a 360° Field of Fire and may therefore engage a                    single target in any direction o Units must be on the edge of cover to fire out of it 
                o Units firing within cover have a range of 3” 

        o Range: 
                o Infantry and Dismounted Cavalry have a range of 12” [04/08/12] 
                o Deployed Artillery has a range of 48” [16/32/48]

         o Casualties: 
                o Each Unit rolls D6 and modifies as per the Condition table below 
                o The target suffers the final result in hits 
                o When 15 hits have been achieved the target is removed 

                        Condition                                         DRM 
                        Infantry                                               +0 
                        Zouaves                                               +1 
                        Dismounted Cavalry                           - 1 
                        Deployed Artillery                             +0 
                        Range <= 1/3 [04/16]                         +0 
                        Range <= 2/3 [08/32]                         - 1 
                        Range <= 3/3 [12/48]                         - 2 
                        Unit <= 1/3 [05]                                 - 2 
                        Unit <= 2/3 [10]                                 - 1 
                        Unit <= 3/3 [15]                                 +0 
                        Target In Towns and Woods                 ½ result

Classic FM Hall of Fame 2016 vote...

...while you wait for the game report (which is wholly dependant on me finding some time to actually play the damn thing.. 😏), you may (and may not) be interested in my vote in this years Classic FM "Hall of Fame" [clicky]..  for those of you who fancy it, pop over and put in your three favourite classical pieces..who knows you may even win a prize...

In first place, a piece of music I have raved about in the past [clicky] "Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra)" by Francisco Tárrega. Last time I gave a version by John Williams (exquisite) this time by way of a change this is Ana Vidovic ...  many players have a tendency to race the piece, and she doesn't... she's also (as the Legatus would say) "splendid" in the looks department.. 😀


Second, Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" from the 'Vesperae solemnes de confessore, KV 339' ...  just to show that there is no right way to arrive at classical music*, I first heard this in an episode of Inspector Morse..  I love it...  at our wedding, the current Mrs Steve the Wargamer walked down the aisle to a version of this played on the organ - I think this version is monumental, but by way of contrast I would also recommend those by Emma Kirkby and also by Katherine Jenkins...


* ...to prove it I can only offer in evidence that my enjoyment of opera, yes, opera , came from Malcolm McLaren, and yes again, he of the Sex Pistols..

Third - this is the most peaceful and mentally easing piece of music I think I have ever heard (though Thomas Tallis is also to be recommended)...  and this is just the most beautiful rendition of it (by the choir of New College, Oxford)... darken the room, find a comfortable chair, get a glass/mug/cup of your favourite concoction and lose yourself...