Chain of Command Bits and Bobs Review (Care of Monty's Wargaming World)

Not too much to update regarding my Scottish Corridor/Chain of Command project, but I did want to give a little bit of the spotlight to some accessories I've recently purchased from Richard Morrill in the UK (or "Monty" as he is known among fellow Lardies).

As with any miniatures game, a necessary amount of markers and tokens are needed to track information in Chain of Command. While most gamers make these themselves, I decided to look online for tokens and markers which would look much better than anything I could produce.

Richard is one of the big names in Chain of Command (he authored the excellent Operation Winter Storm campaign book) and it was no surprise that when I checked out his website of hand-made gaming accessories, that I found the pieces I needed.

The first were patrol markers. The "patrol phase," sort of a game within a game, is one of the unique features of the ruleset. Before the shooting begins, the search for the enemy's whereabouts by scouting patrols is played out by the two sides maneuvering circular counters around the table in an effort to secure the best positions for their platoons to "jump off" into combat. While Too Fat Lardies provides free patrol markers that can be printed out, I wanted something a little sturdier. Monty's website advertises that customers can order generic markers or unit-specific ones. To add a little flair to the campaign, I decided to order markers for the four divisions primarily involved in the fray. On the British side of things, this meant the 11th Armoured Division (whose 3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment will be covering the Allies' right flank in the campaign) and the 15th (Scottish) Division, who gave the name to the "Scottish Corridor." On the German side, I went with the divisions from which the bulk of the two kampfgruppes were formed: 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (the parent unit of KG Frey) and 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich". Specifics of the patrol markers' construction were not given on the website, but they wound up being poker chips with the appropriate unit insignia printed on paper and affixed to the chip. Richard even ensured that the 11th Armoured's distinctive yellow flash was mounted on a chip of the same color!

Patrol makers for the 1st SS Panzer Division (top left), 2nd SS Panzer Division (top right), 11th Armoured (bottom left), and 15th (Scottish) Division (bottom right)

The sets of patrol markers also come with a set of jump off points (which are placed after the patrol phase ends at the start of the game proper). I've seen a number of gamers make their own out of barrels, ammo crates, and other bits of military supplies/stowage, but, personally, I think those items look a bit out of place in the "no man's land" between the two armies and so was looking for something different. Richard offers two options: non-scenic, which are just smaller versions of the patrol markers, and scenic, which are distinctive terrain bases - available in temperate, desert, and winter versions. Since my first campaign will be set in the Normandy campaign during the summer of '44, I chose to order two temperate sets and was pleased with the results.

The scenic bases have a mix of features. Two include rather unfortunate cows, a few have rather distinctive logs, and the rest either have large clumps of grass or larger rocks. The jumping off points are well made and will stand out as noticeable features on my battlefields.

Lastly were the shock markers. While I've seen some people using acrylic tokens or small dials to track the amount of shock their units take in the game, I decided to go with Monty's dice bases, which I figured would look the least obtrusive (and a little less "gamey"). In the games of Chain of Command and Sharp Practice that I've played before, we used some microdice I had lying around from the old Pirates of the Spanish Main game but they were almost too small to handle, so I ordered a few packs of the bases offered with 10mm dice, which seemed a little more manageable. The bases are nicely flocked and are magnetic, too, which will help with storage (they'll be able to go right into the storage trays with my miniatures).

While there was admittedly nothing really flashy about these game markers, they're all necessary bits for conducting a game of Chain of Command and will look great on the table. Richard Morrill makes some excellent products and his customer service, both in his communication and willingness to bundle products and get the best deal on shipping, are second to none! I'd highly recommend checking out his page at Monty's Wargaming World (http://www.montyswargamingworld.co.uk/gaming-accessories.html).

Britannia 20mm Review

My ongoing Chain of Command project took a big step forward a few weeks ago when I finally ordered over my miniatures. When I had first planned the campaign, I considered using 28mm figures, but quickly realized that the miniatures, vehicles, and scenery would be a little out of my price range at the moment and would be a bit cramped on my 6' x 4' table. Then I thought about 15mm, which would match the ground scale of the rules, but decided that it would be a little too small for what I imagined for a 1:1 scale skirmish game. That led to me deciding on 20mm, which would serve as a happy, and affordable, medium.

Then came the decision about which manufacturer to use. The World War II range from AB Figures is probably the best on the market, but didn't have all of the support options I need and is sold in specific packs that would have meant a lot of extra lead sitting around. While there are many other manufacturers who make both plastic and metal 20mm ranges, I find most of their figures to be rather spindly. I've always liked my miniatures with some chunkiness to their proportions (probably a throwback to my first miniatures game, Alternative Armies' Flintloque) and so I turned to Britannia Miniatures (available from Grubby Tanks). I first encountered the range when I picked up a copy of the Rapid Fire World War II rules years ago and really liked the bulky, somewhat-cartoony look of the sculpts. They are for a game, after all.

Having settled on a range, I took my copy of the Scottish Corridor pint-sized campaign booklet (and the Operation Martlet one for good measure) and made an extensive shopping list. The Allied force is comprised of a standard British infantry platoon, with a variety of supports from a sniper to a anti-tank gun and crew. The Tommies are supported by Stuart, Sherman (standard and Firefly), and Churchill tanks. Their German opposition is made up of a Waffen SS panzergrenadier platoon with its fair share of supports (forward observer, infantry gun, anti-tank gun, etc.), backed up by a Panzer III, Panzer IVs, a Panther, and a Tiger.

An advantage of ordering from Grubby Tansk is that all of the Britannia's WWII vehicles are available painted. I also found out, after the order, that the figures are also available painted for very competitive rates. I opted to have the miniatures painted by my go-to painter friend, but since the vehicles were only 2.00 GBP more painted, I decided to order them with that option. Though this added a few weeks to my wait time, the end result was worth it.

My new Sherman and one of the Churchills (with 75mm gun, though 2 and 6 pdrs are also available)

Panzer III, Panzer IV, and Panther

The vehicles were expertly painted and, for the most part, tabletop ready. Andy Grubb (the proprietor of Grubby Tanks, and the painter) contacted me a number of times throughout the painting process to ask about the paint and camouflage schemes I wanted and which gun barrels to use on the models that included options for the armaments. There were a few spots of paint that needed some touching up and the turret of my Stuart had a small piece of the turret chipped of (though nothing a little dab of super glue couldn't fix), but considering that the majority of the twelve models had made their way across the Atlantic in excellent condition, I was rather pleased. Though tank nuts may appreciate the crisp, accurate details provided by plastic model kits, these resin models are more than worthy to be pushed around a gaming table. Andy even included an extra Panzer IV with the order...a gesture I greatly appreciated.

British rifleman, Sten gunner, rifleman, and bagpiper

Another shot of a sampling of Brits

Waffen SS rifleman, MG42 team, MP40 gunner (with potato masher grenade), and STG44 gunner

Then there were the figures...over 130 of them and 4 guns. Since I already own some Britannia WWII figures and a fair number from their modern Afghanistan range, there weren't too many surprises with these. As previously stated, the miniatures have rather bulky/chunkier proportions, but means they are by and large sturdy little models. There was some flash from the casting process present, especially along the bases (you can see some of this in the above photo with the felt), but it was comparable to what is seen on figures from most manufactures. The weapons and limbers were ramrod straight. I had ordered a wide range of poses and was pleased with the variety and realism of the pieces. While some manufacturers produce figures in unnatural poses or one that would never be assumed if following the manual (and common sense), the Britannia figures all appeared as if they were out on patrol or taking enemy fire. I was confident that with this animation, both of my platoons will be brimming with character. I was also extremely please with the details on the figures. For instance, though British infantryman were officially issued with a cumbersome entrenching tool, large t-handled shovels began filtering their way into the sections by D-Day (and one or two pick axes as well) and most of these battle hardened soldiers are kitted out with these rather noticeable engineering implements. A little bit of research and realism goes a long way with me.

Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of my miniatures and painted vehicles from Britannia/Grubby Tanks. Andy Grubb is an excellent retailer and his customer service is as best as they come in the hobby. The prices for the figures (0.65 GBP per miniature) and vehicles were extremely affordable and the shipping across the pond reasonable as well (20% of the order). It was a delight doing business with Grubby Tanks and I certainly will again in the future. I'd highly recommend the figure range and the company.

For now, the minis and guns are in the possession of my favorite painter and I'll be picking them up the next time our paths cross at Cold Wars this March, so stay tuned!

Fall In! 2016

One of the great things about being back on the East Coast, especially the Mid-Atlantic region, is the proximity of the annual conventions run by the Historical Miniature Gaming Society-East. My father and I used to attend these shows regularly when I was growing up (largely for me to play games and buy miniatures and for him to buy second-hand books in the flea market) and so I was eager to drive over to nearby Lancaster, PA this past weekend to attend the group's autumn show, Fall In!

I arrived just before 9 AM on Friday, which provided ample time to pick up my badges from the registration desk and get the lay of the land. Then, it was off to my first game at 10 AM. The conventions theme was "Poland at War", and while there were numerous opportunities to lead Renaissance-era winged hussars or Napoleon's czapka-wearing Vistula Legion into battle, I opted for something a little more familiar - Poles in Normandy.

The story of the 1st Polish Armoured Division at Falaise is the stuff of legend (for more see John Keegan, Six Armies in Normandy). Part of the Free Polish Forces who fought alongside the Western allies (comprised mostly of Polish soldiers who had escaped their country in 1939), these men were flung into battle with their American and British equipment in the latter stages of the Normandy campaign. The Germans were on the run and with the British/Canadian/Polish 21st Army Group advancing from the north and Patton's 3rd Army moving swiftly up from the south, the hope was the complete destruction of the German 7th Army. Though a link between the two Allied advance occurred at the town of Chambois, the Germans fought tenaciously to break free. At Mount Ormel, the Poles were attacked by remnants of 20 German divisions (many of them armored) but held firm. Though roughly 100,000 escaped the "Falaise Pocket", more than 50,000 became prisoners and hundreds of tanks and other vehicles were destroyed.

Unfortunately for me, this scenario would not be replicating the epic fight on Hill 262 where the Poles covered themselves in glory, but rather the meeting engagement between the German 2nd Panzer Division and the Poles' reconnaissance regiment, the 10th Mounted Rifles (equipped with British-made Cromwell tanks). We were using Brazen Chariots WWII Tank Battle Rules, which I had never played, but thankfully the gamemaster, Adam, was the author of the rules, so picking up the key points was not a problem. Adam also happens to live on the other side of Gettysburg, and we've already made plans to meet up for a game session.

My Cromwell tanks prepare to advance

Our advance (my troop are three tanks to the right) just before it bogged down and came under fire

The objective for me and my Polish comrades was simple: drive across the field and get 3 of our Cromwells across the enemy's edge of the table. Sadly, it was not to be as simple as we hoped. Our advance was quickly broken up by a village and rough terrain as we reached the middle of the table and it was about that point that we began taking withering fire from the German Panzer IVs. My tanks fired back one (through two small hedgerows) but did not penetrate the looming enemy tanks. In quick succession two of my crews were quickly knocked unconscious, which made them even more sitting ducks than they had been already. That left one surviving Cromwell for me, which soon found itself outnumbered 7-1. Though the crew passed a morale check on a 20, and thus made it heroic, their gun could simply not match the power of the German weaponry. Before I knew it, all three of my tanks were burning in the fields of France. Some of the other Polish troops managed a little better for a time and we returned the favor by destroying a number of panzers, but it became apparent that we would not reach our objective without help and that our line was in trouble. Thankfully, the Germans had wasted quite a bit of time towards getting to the objective (our edge) and when the time slot for the game ended at 1 PM, Adam announced that we were about where the fighting was historically, just as Allied aircraft were about to arrive to reduce the menacing German tanks to burning hulks. A Pyrrhic victory for the Poles, but as I mentioned earlier, greater glory awaited them down the road.

By the time the game finished up, the vendor hall was open, so I made my way over there and moseyed around a bit. Since I was coming Saturday, I figured I'd just use Friday to plan my purchases for the show. While working my way through the stands it was also nice to catch up with some old friends, including Chris and Steph Bennett of the Phalanx Consortium (https://www.facebook.com/thephalanxconsortium/?fref=ts) and Lon Weiss of Brigade Games (http://brigadegames.3dcartstores.com/). After working through the vendor hall, I made a quick visit to the flea market and then took a casual stroll through the gaming areas. This was the first wargames convention I've ever attended without friends or my dad, which allowed me to wander as I pleased and take as much time in the various areas of the show.

Some attendees getting into the spirit of things in their French-Indochina War game

Some French air support causing havoc for the Viet Minh

When the vendor area closed, I met up with Chris, Steph, and their daughter again for dinner. When I lived in Williamsburg, Chris was the fearless leader of our gaming group and the Bennetts frequently  opened the home, and kitchen, to me as a welcome escape from campus (and, later, my bachelor pad). Chris is also the artistic force behind all my painted scenery and miniatures. During my three years out in California, I only saw Chris twice and Steph once, so catching up with these dear friends was a great way to end the first day of the convention.

The next morning, I left Hanover at the same time and arrived at the show just in time to meet up with my father who had driven down from my hometown of Bethlehem. My dad attended my first wargames show with me (Fall In! 2001) and had tagged along to many more during my grade school and college years. We hadn't been to a show together since 2012 and he was really looking forward to this one (I should note that he isn't much of a gamer, but really enjoys the good deals on books that can be found at the conventions).

We started our day in the vendor area, where I began working through my wishlist. I picked up a new carrying case and storage trays for my new World War II minis from Dave's Baggage Train (http://www.davesbaggagetrain.com/) and the Mixed Ground gaming mat from Cigar Box Battle Store (http://cigarboxbattlestore.bigcartel.com/).  Over in the dealer hall, I picked up some really well-made trees (a wargamer can never have enough of them) and a copy of Lord of the Rings Risk, which I figured I could convince Becca to play.

Since my father isn't always one for in-depth miniatures games, we had not signed up for a formal game, but he had indicated that he was interested in finding some kind of demo to play, so we went back to the Brigade Games stand in the vendor hall, where we played through a turn of the forthcoming World War II skirmish rules, Disposable Heroes 2. I had played the first version of DH at HMGS shows year ago (back when my limited budget meant even a platoon-level game was well out of my price range), and remembered that though I generally liked them, some parts of the rules felt a little clunky (especially regarding vehicles). In any case, our brief playthrough with the author showed how a lot has been streamlined and the game has a very nice flow to it.

One of my MG34 teams taking cover from a shower of French grenades and light machine gun fire

Our scenario was a probe/attack on an objective engagement during the German invasion of France. I had a platoon of German grenadiers, while my dad took command of a basic French infantry platoon defending a small village crossroads. The first few activations saw a pretty vicious duel between my light mortar and my father's VB grenade launchers which claimed half of my platoon HQ, so I brought up a infantry squad in support, which soon began exchanging fire with a French LMG team in a nearby house. Though I was able to force the enemy at the crossroads to occasionally put their heads down, I really was unable to inflict any casualties. Realizing I'd have to find another way to take my objective, I began ordering one of my squads to advance through an orchard on my dad's flank. He soon detected what was going on and brought up a squad of his own to check my attack, but a hailstorm of lead from my section's snap fire sent the Frenchmen running. As our demo turn was coming to a close, my advancing grenadiers seized one of the objectives. A quick, but stress-free game that we picked up after a few goes. My father even said how much he enjoyed it, which says a lot about the game, and how he would enjoy playing it at my house if I picked up the rules.

My flanking section on the way to victory

A rather stunning ACW game we passed

Some Polish winged hussars in a theme game

British gliders feature in a Market-Garden-themed game

A stroll through the tournament section revealed the most creative use of an onion saver I've ever seen!

After our game we strolled through the gaming area and eventually decided to take over a vacant table in the ballroom for a pick-up game of SAGA, which though I have played for years my dad had never tried. Since we set up with a much deeper table than I typically use for the game and were a bit stretched for time, we modified the movement distances to allow our troops to get into combat sooner. My father's Scots and my Anglo-Danes hurled themselves into the fray and by Turn 3, we were in the thick of some intense melees. The first scrap saw a unit of my hearthguard suffer at the excellent dice rolling on behalf of my father's warriors. The balance quickly swung my way the next turn, when my warlord and a group of warriors inflicted serious casualties on a group of Scottish warriors and my Danish axe-armed hearthguard made short work of a unit of Scottish warriors. At the end of the turn, my dad realized that he had to get on the road, so we called it and figured out the my old man beat me by a score of 7 to 6.5. Beginners luck is a real thing!

I walked around a bit more, heading back to the dealer hall to say my goodbyes, and then it was time to hop back in the car and go home. All in all, it was a great little show and I look forward to Cold Wars this March!

Antietam Excursion

Since I'm currently working two part-time, retail jobs (while on the hunt for a full-time gig), having Saturdays off is a very rare occurrence. When I found out that I didn't have to work this past Saturday, Becca and I decided to make the most of it and take a day trip. Living in south -central Pennsylvania means that we have large number of museums and historic sites to choose from for these adventures, but for this one we opted for a visit to Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Though I had been to the park twice before (the most recent time in 2008), this would be Becca's first visit and since it was only an hour and a half away, we figured we'd have plenty of time to make the most of the park's offerings.

After our pleasant drive through the Catoctin Mountain Park, we arrived at the visitor center just in time to see the 10:00 showing of the park's orientation film (narrated by none other than Darth Vader/Mufasa himself, James Earl Jones). While not the best museum film I've ever seen, it did a good job of laying out the context of the battle, its key moments, and its impact on the war and the ending of slavery. After the film, we walked through the visitor center's small museum (which was much smaller than I remembered, only taking up two rooms). As the summer tourist season was over, there was not much being offered in the form of interpretive programs that day, so we decided to start our tour of the battlefield using the Travel Brains Antietam Expedition Guide I had purchased a few years ago.

The Dunker Church - The Dunkers were a pacifist, German Anabaptist sect, but their quaint little plot witnessed some of the worst carnage of the war.

The monument to Clara Barton, who served a volunteer nurse during the war and, later, founded the American Red Cross. The cross on the monument is made from bricks from her birthplace.

This trusty tour CD and companion guide follows the park's auto tour route providing both details of the fighting and human interest pieces about the participants. We visited the famed Dunker Church, the North, East, and West Woods, and the famed Miller Cornfield. By the time we finished up our study of the fighting on the morning of September 17, 1862, we were both pretty hungry and so, at the recommendation of one of the rangers on duty, we went for lunch at the Battleview Market (just a half mile from the visitor center). While this appeared to be a run-of-the-mill convenience store on the outside, it actually contained a nice little deli/grill and convenient seating inside. For anyone visiting the battlefield, I'd highly recommend lunch there.

Becca and me holding our official NPS centennial kerchief at the Burnside Bridge overlook

Burnside's Bridge (currently under refurbishment)

Back on the park grounds, we continued our way through the day's action with a stop at the Sunken Road, the famed "Bloody Lane." Then it was on to Burnside's Bridge over the Antietam Creek. Since the bridge is currently being restored, we weren't able to go over to the side of the creek from which the Union 9th Corps launched its repeated attacks but could get a good view of the terrain from the overlook on the Confederate side. We had decided earlier in the week that in addition to the driving tour, we would take advantage of one of the park's walking trails (and had purchased the trail guides for all 5 in the visitor center gift shop). Since we had already passed on the Cornfield, West Woods, and Sunken Road trails and the Union Advance trail was inaccessible due to the construction, we decided to do the 1.7-mile Final Assault walking trail. This route covers the advance of the 9th Corps once it finally took the bridge in the mid-afternoon and the counterattack by the Confederates of A.P. Hill's Light Division (which arrived on the field just in time after a 17-mile forced march from Harper's Ferry). Though I had a decent knowledge of the events that transpired during the battle, it was not one I have studied a bunch, this phase of the fighting least of all, so this little walk proved to be quite informative, To top it off the weather was almost perfect - brilliantly sunny, not too hot, and a nice breeze.Whenever visiting a battlefield I always like to take some time to walk the ground and this trail, over some hilly, wooded, and slightly rocky terrain made me really appreciate the sacrifices made by the men who, after marching and fighting through most of the day already, found themselves tangled up in what wound up being the bloodiest section of the bloodiest single day battle in American history.

Once we finished in the park, we made a quick detour at the nearby Pry House Field Hospital Museum, a branch of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland. The house, used as hospital for Union soldiers and officers in the aftermath of the battle, has some excellent displays on Civil War medicine and surgery, as well as the battle's impact on the local community, and provided a poignant reminder of the sufferings of war and a conclusion for our trip. I would highly recommend both the Pry House, and the main museum in Frederick, to anyone interest in the fascinating story of medical development and innovation during the war.

Both Becca and myself had to work on Sunday, but after dinner decided to follow up our battlefield exploration with a game, so I set up the Antietam scenario from the 150th Anniversary edition of  Richard Borg's BattleCry (from the great Command & Colours series of games). Becca took on the role of McClellan, while I took the command of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Interestingly, the game played out as almost a mirror opposite of the actual battle. The initial fighting took place on the Confederate right, across Burnside's Bridge, with the tide of battle shifting back and forth until both sides were too bloodied to carry on. Next, the Union forces tried to capture the Sunken Road but were hurled back with heavy losses. Finally a Union attack on the Confederate left had some initial success in the Cornfield, but was finally pushed back after a determined Confederate counterstroke. It was a costly battle for both sides, but my Southerners finished the day with a slight tactical advantage.

The Antietam scenario for BattleCry all set up and ready to go.

Overall, our little excursion provided a much needed escape from work and proved to be both educational and enjoyable. I'd say Becca's first real trip to a Civil War battlefield was a success...she's already talked about going back (and maybe even bringing our dog).

Stay tuned for some upcoming figure reviews, game reports, and a trip to the Fall-In! wargames convention.

By Way of Introduction

Welcome! I've been meaning to start a hobby and history blog for some time now and after a friend asked if I've been doing any writing since leaving graduate school, I figured now was as good a time as any.

But first, a little about me....

I was born and raised on the East Coast of the United States, where I developed a love of history and wargaming. My very first miniatures game was Alternative Armies' fantasy Napoleonic skirmish game, Flintloque (which combined my love of the Sharpe series and Lord of the Rings). Over the next few years, I picked up a variety of rulesets and figures, but never enough to actually get a new game going. It was also around this time that I started getting into historical reenacting. Though the period between the Seven Years War and the American Civil War was always my favorite era in history, I decided to dive into something different and began portraying a Canadian infantryman in World War II.

Me (on the right) with some comrades at the D-Day Ohio reenactment (2014)

That all changed when I went off university and eventually found myself as part of a regular gaming group, The Williamsburg Legati. Before I knew it, I had a large collection of 20mm modern British and Afghan figures for use with Force on Force and Skirmish Sangin, Anglo-Danes and dark age Scots for SAGA, and some Native Americans and Wayne's Legion figures for a brief foray into Muskets & Tomahawks. Having weekly meetings with a great group of gamers definitely spoiled me and I owe a lot to those guys for really getting me into the hobby.

A shot from a Force on Force game we played in Williamsburg back in 2012

All that changed when I headed out to California for a MA/PhD program in 2013. Time and money were both in short supply, and even when I did find gaming buddies they usually lived just far enough away to prevent regular meet-ups. As a result, my hobby went  temporarily by the wayside. Then came my fiancee's relocation for work to my home state of Pennsylvania, which, combined with a number of other factors, convinced me to leave grad school after earning my master's degree and join her back east. So in July we packed up a moving truck and her car with all of our stuff and our 85-pound dog and moved to the historic town of Hanover, PA (just a little east of another small, historic town called Gettysburg).

Me (center of the rear rank) at a Napoleonic Wars reenactment last month

So now I find myself back within an easy drive of some of the country's largest historical wargaming conventions, in the epicenter of reenacting in this country, and with the opportunity to take tons of day trips to historical sites and museums. Oh, and until I can get settled in a full-time job, I'm working at a friend's bookstore which specializes in military history and wargaming. Needless to say, it's a pretty good place to be.

To top it all off, my fiancee, Becca, has been gracious enough to designate the family room of her townhouse as my "man cave/game room." Here it is in all its glory (well, most of it at least; I've since gotten a set of larger tables):

The Zulu shield is a souvenir from my semester abroad in South Africa

This blog has several purposes. For one thing, it will serve as a much needed creative outlet from the monotony of working two retail jobs. It will also allow me to share stories and photos from reenactments and my historically-themed excursions (my California-raised fiancee has not seen much of the East Coast). Most importantly, it will allow me to chronicle my progress on future gaming projects and share after action reports of those games once my plans are realized.

Currently, I'm acquiring miniatures and scenery pieces to run the Scottish Corridor (Operation Epsom) pint-sized campaign for Too Fat Lardies' Chain of Command rules and just picked up a copy of The Men Who Would Be Kings colonial rules published by Osprey, for which I am debating running campaigns for the Transvaal War (1st Anglo-Boer War), Northern War (1st Maori War), or the hypothetical "Pig War Goes Hot", but more on that later.

I'm excited about this new endeavor and look forward to the discussions the posts will facilitate.

Becca and I are planning a trip to Antietam National Battlefield and some boardgaming this weekend, so I'll be sure to have another update soon.

'Til Next Time,

Andrew