Getting My Feet Wet --

Riiiiiight . . . just what I need . . . a new wargaming project.

Well actually I've found over the years that it is a good thing to have a "change-of-pace" period to give the occasional break from your main period. So to "balance" the 18th century, I'm going to "get my feet wet" with a naval period.

Ever since I happened to come across Angus Konstam's "Pre-Dreadnought Naval" webpages (and the great photos there), I've been toying with the idea of getting some of the Houston 1/1000 scale ships.

Photo to left is from the Great Endeavors website and shows some American ships from a refight of a Spanish-American battle.

So anyway I emailed Dale at Great Endeavors and ordered some ships. I've got two Japanese BBs (Fuji & Shikishima) and a pair of Russian BBs (Retvizan & Petropavlovsk).

These pairs should be fairly even balanced . . . at least according to their points values in the rules I'm going to try. These are the ones that Angus uses, "Perfidious Albion". I got them and the "Fighting Fleets" books as electronic downloads from DriveThruRPG . . . but they are also available (as well as a lot of other naval rules) from A and A Game Engineering (follow the link at the bottom of the page).

So how will this project turn out? I don't know . . . but if I like it there are a lot more ships from the Russo-Japanese War that I can add . . . and there are other nations too.

I'd best be careful or I might get in too deep and drown.


-- Jeff

PS, Great Endeavors also sells the "true 25mm" Ral Partha Colonial line.

Exciting Campaign Nucleus --

This week I received both the BATTLEGAMES Magazine "Table Top Teasers" Special Edition, but also Charles Stewart Grant's new book, "Raid on St Michel".

Well, after scanning the latter, I'm stoked! Later this year I will be running a campaign (probably between Murdock and Jerry, with Pete commanding a force in Murdock's command).

Of course first I've got to finish re-writing my rules . . . and prepping some different terrain bits. And finish certain "honey do" projects before I'm allowed to run the campaign.

The forces needed vary from scenario to scenario (there are five in total) but it should make for an exciting campaign . . . and none of the battles are "even" . . . so "victory" is not always easy to define . . . although the overall result of the "raid" will dictate a clear winner.

Murdock, Jerry and Pete . . . do NOT get this book . . . the element of "surprise" will otherwise be lost.

Everyone else . . . oh yes, this is a nice book to have . . . five connected "Table Top Teaser" scenarios providing some interesting command decisions.


-- Jeff