proves that you don't need to be a master painter or invest hundreds of hours working to get good results.
Out this coming Friday, 21st November, issue 380 has plenty to keep you occupied, as you contemplate a festive season of too many mince pies and Brussels sprouts!
- Briefing:
- The Editor announces the new Universal Subscription – if you subscribe to the paper magazine, you get a free digital subscription too! (No, don't be cheeky, not the other way round too…) And with Christmas thundering towards us, he adds a few thoughts about how to spend that Xmas cash, too.
- World Wide Wargaming:
- The Editor has thoughts this month to share about podcasts, highlights a couple more 'Blogs of the Month' and begins a new mini-series on the gentle art of blogging with some advice about how to avoid running out of steam.
- Forward observer:
- Neil Shuck has been to the Derby World Wargames show, then looks at the different approaches taken by rival sets of WWII rules. He's also become enchanted with a good, old-fashioned periscope, which may come in useful with the amazing 6mm MDF troops he discovered at Derby. He rounds up with some thoughts about 1:48 scale.
- Fencing champion:
- Wargames widow Diane Sutherland has gone fencing crazy, and shows us how to make our ACW and AWI battlefields look authentic with the help of a bag of 5,000 matchsticks and a lot of glue…
- Fantasy facts
- John Treadaway reveals his normal, diverse postbag of goodies, this month, including quite a lot from Ground Zero Games for the Tomorrow's War system by Ambush Alley, both men and vehicles; Brigade Models have been busy with new vehicles, a VTOL craft, a docking bay, and a huge building complex too; also in 15mm-ish, ClearHorizon have a selection of troops arriving with a support drone, accompanying a half-track from Ainsty; and this month's round-up is completed by some ghost-busting fun from Crooked Dice.
- The Featherstone Annual Tribute:
- Arrangements are now underway for the second weekend of Featherstone-inspired fun at the Wargames Holiday Center near Basingstoke, scheduled for next March. This time, the challenge is going to be inspired by A Bridge Too Far with attendees slogging their way through to Arnhem. Full details in the magazine – get your booking in fast!
- Don's Colonial collection:
- Chris Scott reveals that not all of Don Featherstone's collection of miniatures headed overseas to Canada, and proudly displays rank upon rank of familiar figures that appeared in several of Don's books.
- Let's fight Oporto 1809, part 2:
- Jonathan Jones continues his series on the Peninsular War battle, looking this time at the rules used for the re-enactment and the Orders of Battle for the British and French armies.
- Red versus Blue:
- Belgian contributor Phil Dutré describes the staging of a monstrous multi-player game at last year's Crisis show, which involved not several, but hundreds of participants! The article includes their rules, so that you can have a go too.
- Gravelines:
- The Editor opens a new series aiming to crack the code of horse-and-musket era siegecraft, using the beautifully-preserved coastal town of Gravelines to unlock the secrets of attack and defense of a formally fortified town. You too can be Vauban!
- Fields of Ponyri:
- Warwick Kinrade, author of the Battlegroup series of rulesets, helped organize a fun weekend of gaming with WWII Russians and Germans smiting and counter-smiting in a points-based campaign, involving no less than 26 players! Great fun!
- A chat with Larry Brom
- A 'Send three and fourpence' special outing: Conrad Kinch bursts out of his usual constraints to provide a fascinating interview with The Sword and the Flame author Larry Brom. An insightful and entertaining piece for colonial gaming fans.
- SELWG 2014:
- John Treadaway trooped over to Crystal Palace to attend this popular show and reports on what he found, with a clutch of lovely photos to boot.
- Hex encounter:
- Brad Harmer is at the cutting edge as usual, offering advice on a number of non-standard, but popular and useful, playing aids to enhance your boardgaming experience.
- Recce:
- Our review team surveys a host of products, including books, rulesets, computer games, and now with boardgames too! Plenty of buying advice for Christmas here.
All rounded off with messages from your favorite advertisers and the Classified section too.
That's it for now. Issue 381 is already underway, and you can get extra stuff in the "Goodies" section!
