Tag Archives: wargaming butterfly

Portable prezzies

Since I’ve been such a good boy this year, Santa delivered some prezzies a little early. What a good sport!

My old pal Ian Taylor of the East Neuk Irregulars was a Spanish Civil War aficionado. As a result the SCW has been on my mind of late as a potential project. Thankfully Bob Cordery has recently re-released Arriba Espana which now includes rules for playing the SCW with his Portable Wargame system. I’m particularly taken by the huge range of warring factions in the SCW but I admit I’m a complete greenhorn when it comes to who is who. I’d seen Bob’s La Ultima Cruzada recommended as a top-notch SCW sourcebook, so thought it would be a timely addition to my reference library.

And why get two, when you can have four? I must admit Bob’s The Balkan League came at me from left field. But in it he presents rules for matrix games, which is an area I haven’t explored yet, so will be interesting to see what’s what where that’s concerned. And Portable Naps? Well, in for a penny, in for a pound!

I’ve certainly got plenty to tuck in to this Christmas. May Santa be equally as kind to you. All the very festive best!

Franco-Prussian War resources

The wargaming butterfly strikes again! I seem to have found myself exploring the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) of all things. As luck would have it, I actually had the Wargames Illustrated FPW special (#313) secreted on the bookshelf waiting for this special day.

But WI being WI, they’ve covered this conflict many times over the years. A bit of digging later, and I unearthed a treasure trove of FPW articles. They too, can be yours. Simply get a WI Prime membership and search in The Vault on their website. Membership costs £5.99 per month.

I’ve listed the issue numbers below with some explanatory blurb where the subject wasn’t clear from the article title.

Do let me know if I’ve missed any!

  • 002: 25mm Franco-Prussian Wargaming (Matthew Hawkins)
  • 004: Reflections on Firepower in the Franco-Prussian War (Peter Dennis)
  • 005: Schlachtenbummler (Richard Brooks)
  • 010: Rules for the Use of the Prussian Artillery 1870-71 (Martin Tomczak)
  • 014: Organisation and Equipment of the Prussian Artillery 1870-71 (Martin Tomczak)
  • 017: French Colonial Troops and the Franco-Prussian War (Stephen Shann)
  • 063: St Jerôme – A Franco-Prussian Battle by Phone
  • 063: Back To Basics V – Writing Scenarios (Richard Clarke)
  • 064: Back To Basics VI – Campaigns (Richard Clarke)
  • 065: They Died For Glory – A Review (Richard Clarke)
  • 075: Franco-Prussian War Scenarios (G.J. Kennerley)
  • 080: Franco-Prussian War Naval Lists (Andrew Barrow)
  • 080: “A Berlin!” – Rules for refighting actions from the Franco-German War 1870-1871 (Philip Robinson)
  • 083: The Mitrailleuse in the Franco-Prussian War (Steve Shann)
  • 083: 1866… and all that (Richard Clarke)
  • 084: Tactics in the Franco-Prussian War pt. 1 – French Tactical Doctrine (Mike Johnson)
  • 085: Tactics in the Franco-Prussian War pt. 2 – Prussian Tactical Doctrine (Mike Johnson)
  • 086: Tactics in the Franco-Prussian War pt. 3 – From Reality to Rules (Mike Johnson)
  • 106: Von Boltenstern & The Principles of War (Richard Clarke)
  • 169: Campaigns for Scenario Writers – The Franco-Prussian War (Jeff Fletcher)
  • 209: A Comedy of Errors – or How Not to Win a 19th Century Battle (Mark Jones)
  • 237: The Battle of Artenay, 1870 (Adrian Martins)
  • 276: Polishing That Old Gem – Adapting The Battle of Froschwiller Worth to Black Powder (John Desch)
  • 313: Ah, Les Braves Gens – Wargaming the Franco-Prussian War (Gerard Miller)
  • 313: Dashed Hopes – The Battle of Wörth (David Tuck)
  • 313: Big Battle, Big Game – The Battle of Gravelotte-St Privat (David Marks)
  • 313: Franco-Prussian War Figure Round Up (Wayne Bollands)
  • 361: 1871 – Bruce Weigle’s Designer Notes