The death of Duncan Macfarlane is a sad moment. His life though should be celebrated by wargamers as he delivered two great magazines into the hobby – giving pleasure to thousands of gamers. And his publishing enterprises probably did most to keep me from leaving the hobby altogether.
In the late 1970’s I left the hobby and at that time Battle was the wargamers magazine – kit bashers and painters had Military Modelling.
However I became an armchair wargamer through the next wargaming magazine – Miniature Wargames launched by Duncan in 1983. Later in that decade he started Wargames Illustrated as well.
Still the big head era – maybe some of these are by Bill Lamming?
I have binned my magazines over time simply because I have gutted them all for those articles I wanted to keep. Along the way I kept some of the covers.
Renaissance and Medieval periods are particularly photogenicI recall the variety of covers – most importantly they were wargames figures painted to be fought with.
here are a few more
Horse and Musket shares the cover with a Wargames Holiday Centre scene?I think it was also the era for 15mm and big armies at that – well before DBA?Although clearly set up, the scenes depicted always felt within reach of the hobbyist in some way. There was always some purpose – not just an excuse for a photo.
By the late 1990’s Wargames Illustrated was mature and we still had Miniature Wargames. I re-entered the hobby by chance – finding a flier for the Solo Wargamers Association (which is still going strong) left in a library book as I recall.
I seem to have liked medieval covers!This cover sowed seeds that only germinated in the late 1990’s when I bought into Museum Miniatures 15mm ranges – ironically not their Republican Romans though!
So it was Duncans two magazines that sustained my interest in the hobby during almost 2 decades of no table top battles or painting of any figures.
I will finish with probably one of my favorite magazine covers of that era
fantastic sunsets under clear skies during the dry period…..
Deserted York riverside in super bright sun……
The Emperor Constantine is unmoved despite his backdrop being cluttered as the Minster undergoes necessary repairs. I bet Rome and Constantinople had their fair share of busy scaffolding contractors.
Spring flowers always includes tulips ………
More sunshine lights up this medieval building in an empty York.
The Duchy of Tradgardland Blog by Tradgardmastare always throws up interesting posts.
A recent one asked about your favorite battle from the wargamers fictional world. It struck a chord.
The Franco Prussian War centenary was in 1970/71, so during Donald Featherstones publishing boom it was very topical and popular. As a youngster who only knew about the ACW, WW2 and Napoleon it was a period that was just far too obscure. And there were no plastic figures to hand.
Donald Featherstones Advanced Wargames was the first book I got from a library although it was swiftly followed by Charge! Or how to play wargames, by Lawford & Young. That library gave me a lifelong hobby.
I eventually bought this favorite many years after a public library version got me hooked on wargames
It was a few years before I actually bought a book on wargames or rather received one as a present.
Advance Wargames is not a logical place to start wargaming. It did contain all the parts for a set of wargames rules. It was just that they were all dotted around and mixed up!
So it is not surprising that the chapter 14 about Games with more than Two players got me started solo campaigning!
Here are the vital words that I kept coming back to.
The whole issue of a small advance guard worked for me as I had no armies as such. I had a some ACW infantry, artillery and cavalry. They stood in for the French and Prussians who I had little interest in. When I obtained my first Airfix Napoleonics this battle idea was a regular one to feature.
Donald Featherstone always made me want to imagine a world around the game. And his writing I found very engaging.
The scenario sees some light infantry, light cavalry and horse guns contacting a larger enemy. And the scenario included generals with differing capabilities and couriers. Finally the scenario set similar objectives but with differing forces. So Asymmetrical Wargaming was a starting point for me.
I mentioned Charge! – the Battle of Sittangbad is of course another Asymmetrical situation. I quickly adopted that one as another favorite scenario.
And when I started my latest project – venturing beyond 1725 for the first time in decades – it was a scenario I used again. This time it was the post napoleonic era – 1815 to 1848ish.
And I used Charlie Wesencrafts Practical Wargaming – one book I did buy and still possess.
173 years ago this month events were gathering pace across Italy after the Vienna 1848 uprising. Earlier in the year protests in Lombardy and the Veneto about tobacco taxes with boycotts had set in train popular unrest.
And then the news of an uprising in Vienna itself fuelled the powder keg of rebellion that had built up since the Vienna Treaty of 1815 had ended the Napoleonic era.
In Milan the people revolted and after 5 days Marshall Radetsky withdrew his forces to the east.
Venice declared itself a republic again with the Austrians capitulating while their Italian soldiers simply deserted – many even declining to join the rebels.
And then Piedmont declared war on the Empire and mobilised its army to march on Milan and Lombardy.
Across the Papal States and Southern Italy into Sicily uprisings installed populist governments. Many only lasted just a few weeks or months.
This week 173 years ago the Austrians were bottled up in the “quadrilateral” (bounded by Verona, Legnano, Mantua and Peschiera). They were about to inflict serial defeats on Piedmont and its Italian allies.
An Armistice followed.
Then a year later the Piedmontese and Austrians did battle again at Novara, resulting in a decisive victory for the Austrians and giving them 10 more years of power in the peninsula.
So in 1849 while the Piedmontese were being defeated to the north, Guiseppe Garibaldi was leading the doomed but heroic defence of Rome under its short lived Republic. By summer 1849 Garibaldi was retreating north into the Romagna, with the remnants of his forces, having fought the French and Neapolitans to a standstill despite being massively outnumbered.
Garibaldi was pursued across the spine of Italy tying up 100,000 troops of 4 nations (the spanish joined austria, france and naples to destroy this most wanted rebel).
Fortunately Garibaldi escaped with amazing help from Italians all across the lands he travelled.
He lived to fight another day – it would be 10 years before his chance would come again.
I found these excellent metal figures at Irregular Miniatures (a prolific UK figure manufacturer).
These are from their 20mm range for Garibaldi Wars.
I based them high so they would work alongside my 20-25mm 1/72 figures.
You can easily get French post Crimea as that uniform pretty much ran until 1914.
I use Field of Battle Piquet basing of 4 bases per battalion. This also neatly matches Neil Thomas rules for the 19th century european wars. I also like to have the officers separate so they can gross up to show brigade commands. Piquet also allows strong and weak battalions, 3-5 bases is possible. Neil Thomas does not like command explicitly on show, so there are no issues there.
The reality is that between 1815 and 1854 the French had uniform changes like so many cups of tea – sorry that should be coffee of course.
The Funcken shown is an excellent book that shows the colourful story of French fashions from shako to kepi and breeches to pantaloons!
After securing Sicily Garibaldi reorganised his mass of volunteer units into a series of Divisiones.
Divisione Turr
Divisione Cosenz
Divisione Medici
Divisione Bixio
The soldiers shown here are from the Divisione Bixio which comprised two brigades.
classic “redshirts”, one soldier has obtained some piedmont/sardinian trousers, one has summer dress whites with small white gaiters while the third appears to have some liberated Neapolitan dark blue trousers on!
An officer is in the illustration (G) shown in the Osprey Men at Arms book 520. I have already mentioned what an excellent book this is, with a wealth of detail in black white alongside text overflowing with wargamers ideas for painting units.
The Officer on the Osprey 520 cover – centre figure – is from Divisione Bixio. Credit to Lucky Toys for animating their sculpts. Compare with the Hat Bologna Volunteers in this background shot of them.
In 2020 my wargames hobby plan started with a plan and actually stayed mainly on track with just a few unexpected deviations.
So the Plan was NitS (Normans in the South). The main deviation was to Normans in the North – well actually Norsemen posing as Danes fighting Anglo Saxons. I painted, played games (ok solo ones), read copiously and tested some rules. My wargaming always includes painting figures, playing wargames, reading about the subject of history as well as the wargame and testing out rulesets.
a favorite image from 2020 – the shieldwalls collide
So the main deviations still relate to which plan I am doing. And a plan is normally related to a period in time.
2020 was definitely dark age territory.
I painted up 1/72 plastics, based impetus style as 80mm x 60mm elements. The Strelets multiposed figure boxes work very well. The reissue of their Normans after 8 or so years was also a great help.
Coupled with Neil Thomas’s, Ancient & Medieval Warfare (AMW) or One Hour Wargames (OHW) Rules requiring only 8 or 6 elements per army meant I had some easy gaming options.
And more crazy, I bought a book to learn anglo saxon – now gathering dust, yet I did write a poem about Aethelflaed on this site.
Crikey wargames is dangerous stuff!
Well Plan A 2020 was looking good to become Plan A 2021 – until I read an article in Lone Warrior about some “mid 19th century warfare” (very catchy period name). By then it was late November so you could argue Plan A 2020 – job done. I mean I should already have Plan A 2021 in the can? Well I did.
Plan A 2021 would see a return to NitS (Normans in the South).
A few of my Normans in the South that did get off the Painting Table in 2020
Wargames Plan A – never survives contact with …………………………. ……………………………………………………………….. another interesting article.
So for completely unexplainable reasons, as I read Brian Camerons article, my mind wandered towards 19th century bearskins, kepis, long trousers, rolled greatcoats, lances, sabres and rifles.
The Renaissance Troll post I read about Napoleonic “imagi”nations put the final nail in the NitS coffin.
The 2021 plan A did not include the dark ages or NitS. Sorry folks – I am sure they will make a comeback.
So for Norber the Wargaming Erratic – Plan A 2021 is
Wargame Rules
Wargame using “19th Century European Warfare rules” by Neil Thomas
Wargame using “Table Top Battles” by Mike Smith maybe with his grid system
Wargame using “Piquet Field of Battle 1700-1900” by Brent Oman
Wargame using “Practical Wargaming” by Charles Wesencraft
Wargame Army Periods
Post Napoleonic 1815 – 1830
Monarchists & Revolutionaries 1830 – 1849
French resurrection & Prussian hegemony 1850 – 1866
Austro-Hungary and the Ottomans demise 1866 – 1877
Wargame Figures
Hat 1/72
Strelets 1/72
Waterloo 1815 1/72
Maybe Warrior Miniatures 25mm metals
I wrote this in January but since then have been busy posting about doing things. And yes Plan A 2021 is all about the 19th century.
A recent VTW1815 game using Neil Thomas rules and an eclectic mix of figures – is that the “shade” of Napoleon or his Doppelganger?
More posts coming on the Vienna Treaty Wars or VTW as I abbreviate it.
The Wargaming Erratic 