Innholdsfortegnelse for WSS 137 i Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy

Burgoyne’s campaign began in June. His troops pushed south from Quebec and at the head of Lake Champlain met a formidable obstacle: Fort Ticonderoga. Inside its walls, around 3,000 American troops under General Arthur St. Clair prepared for a siege. They were determined, but their position had a fatal weakness. Towering over the fort was a steep hill — Mount Defiance (then called Sugar Loaf Hill) — which the Americans had left unfortified, believing it was impossible to drag heavy cannon up such a slope. They were wrong. Burgoyne’s engineers hauled up artillery, and by 5 July, had rendered Ticonderoga’s defences useless. St. Clair, recognizing the hopelessness of his position, abandoned the fort, retreating south by boat and overland trails. Burgoyne’s plan seemed to be working perfectly. As the Americans…

German confidence is inevitably starting to get a little rattled as they are forced to fall back to successive lines of defence, none of which seem quite strong enough to halt the Allied war machine. Nevertheless, this mountainous Italian countryside still favours the defender. The Gustav Line, anchored on Monte Cassino, has fallen after many bitter battles. The Adolf Hitler Line, the Caesar Line, and the Arno Line have all been breached in slow succession. Now Kesselring’s forces must withdraw through the picturesque low mountains back toward the Gothic Line. And someone has to delay the Allies’ advance to allow the Axis forces to complete their withdrawal in good order. The setting for this scenario is a pass through the Tosco-Emilian Apennine Ridge, bordered by either steep valley sides or…

With this fresh version of Konflikt ‘47, it’s clear that the creative team have leaned deep into the lore. The backbone of the game - its mysterious, volatile "Rift-tech" — is now front and centre, shaping everything from the mythos to unit selection and battlefield strategy. While the previous edition felt more of a Bolt Action extension, this new edition of K‘47 really stands out on its own. It nods to its heritage but confidently charts its own course. One of the first indicators of a major shift in direction has been the new starter sets. Gone are the familiar Bolt Action infantry figures, replaced entirely by the new (and plastic!) Konflikt ‘47-specific miniatures. This speaks volumes for the direction of the game. Platoon composition echoes the approach taken in…

Teeny tiny terrain Company: Baccus 6mm Size: 2mm, designed for 6mm Era: Ancients to modern Price: £9.70 for the motte and bailey www.baccus6mm.com The latest release from Baccus is a series of terrain pieces designed to be placed on the battlefield. The concept is clever – create a range of tiny terrain pieces which look the part but do not take up too much space on the tabletop. The scale is roughly 2mm (so ideal for Strength and Honour), but is designed to fit with big battles in 6mm, so it doesn't dominate the board too much. In this way, a town can look like a miniature scale town, not just one or two 6mm buildings. Some of the larger pieces have a removeable centre section so a unit can be placed inside,…

Antony followed the advice of a loyal local Mardian supporter who encouraged him to retreat not by the flatter pathway of the advance, but by the more rugged hillsides. This would favour the Roman infantry more than the flat areas where the Parthians could use their cavalry to envelop and destroy the retreating legions. The Parthians seem to have been one step ahead of them, however: after just three days of marching, the Romans’ route was obstructed by a river which had been made to flow more quickly by the removal of a dyke. This was followed by an attack by the Parthians hoping to envelop the entire force. Although beaten off, the Parthian cavalry continued to harass and ambush the Romans on the retreat. The Romans were well organised,…

In order to take pressure off the Spanish, the British under Lieutenant General Sir John Moore launched an expedition into northern Spain. Unfortunately, at the same time Napoleon arrived, and Madrid fell. Moore had no option other than to retreat towards the coast and evacuate his army by sea. However, he was determined to cause as much damage as he could in the retreat. The rearguard of Moore’s army consisted of the 28th Infantry, elements of the 20th and 52nd Infantry, the 15th Hussars, a battery of horse artillery and five companies of the 95th Rifles. They were under the command of Edward Paget, an experienced officer. They were roughly less than half a day’s march behind the main column. On 1 January 1809, the main body reached Villafranca del…

The majority of the models are made with parts from Wargames Atlantic’s new 'Mounted Knights' kit. I did, however, have to take an arm and head from the 'Foot Knights' kit for William Marshal, then a head from the 'Foot Serjeants' for Prince Louis. I have used Citadel Colours throughout. PRIMING As the horse’s caparison and rider’s tabard is the dominant colour for each model, I primed both with the most appropriate coloured spray can I had to hand. It saved me time in the long run, particularly with colours like red and yellow, where the coverage of acrylic paints can sometimes cause issues. BASECOATS I began by spraying the main colours of the cloth with my airbrush, before base-coating the horses and the base. As they are hard to…

One of the men who joined the call was the disgraced British cavalry officer Valentine Baker. This veteran of the Cape Frontier and the Crimean War) had been involved in a scandal in 1875, involving an alleged assault on a young woman. At the trial, Baker had offered no defence, and so he was convicted, imprisoned and dismissed from the Army. Baker’s career was in ruins. After his release, Baker joined the Ottoman Army and served under Mehmed Ali Pasha (a Prussian-born soldier who had risen to the rank of Pasha). Baker proved himself to be a very capable officer and a brilliant tactician, also learning Turkish. His skills would soon be needed as war broke out with Russia in 1877. After the fall of Plevna, the Russians sought to…

I was looking to represent a group of selfless veterans — or maybe some who had run out of options — covering the retreat of the rest of the pike formation. The scene captures the moment just before the pike block will turn and start their retreat in order, getting away from the enemy’s defences. I found a group of figures that were perfect for recreating this scene: 1898 Miniaturas make a very nice range to represent the Spanish Tercios on the gaming table. I chose a set of casualties in which four of the six figures in the set are still able to continue fighting, but not for much longer. They are waiting for a last attack and they know they are not going to survive. The poses transmit…

Having said that, they do have their limitations. Their sharp, laser-cut angles give them a very distinctive look, often at odds with the more naturalistic looks of their real-life counterparts. I’ve found several ways to use these kits as a base around which I can add other elements. The aim is to break away from that distinctive MDF look and give each kit its own unique character. This was particularly the case when I was thinking about adding to my collection of village houses for the Far East. Many of the walls and roofs of these houses are made from woven plant materials. Often you will find the MDF kit manufacturers have alluded to this by engraving a pattern of some sort to the surface of the walls, but it’s…

There is no denying it, the miniatures in Epic scale look cool: the gameplay does look like lines of regimented infantry in formation manoeuvring and facing up to battle each other. The scale of 13.5mm foot-to-eye (or 15mm tall) does this very well. Some historians I’m sure will be quick to point out that forces in the Revolutionary War tended to fight in looser formations and not ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ — noted, but let’s not let this spoil the aesthetic. I’m happy with the compromise. There are two Epic Revolution starter sets: one for the American rebels (in blue plastic) and one for the forces of the British (you guessed it: in red plastic!). Each set contains a rulebook, approximately 500 soldiers, plus bases, casualty markers, a full colour flag leaflet, and…