Morris' Wargaming Escapades

This month's campaign turn will feature a naval encounter using Tony Bath's Napoleonic Naval Wargaming rules that where published in Featherstone's Naval War Games (1965). For an explanation of the campaign rules check the 1st turn  HERE . Situation at the beginning of September 1808 Random events Leon: Gaining sympathy. The population is becoming sympathetic to revolutionary ideals and even some politicians are starting to show support. Alignment moves 1D10 towards susceptibility. New alignment: +1. Andalucia: Losing sympathy . The population is not swayed by the revolutionary ideology and popular public figures have spoken against it. Alignment moves 1D10 towards resilience. New alignment: -4 Encounter at Cape Ortegal (Leon) 29 September 1808 French Order of Battle: Le Formidable (74s) Le Valmy (64s) British Order of Battle HMS Relentless (74s) HMS Sthenelus (64s) Tactical Situation. The two convoys meet off Cape Ortegal The British carry vital supplies for Northern Spai...

I will list some of my favorites in the fantasy genre and highlight a video from each one. A big caveat is that I prefer miniature agnostic and indie games, so this list must have the disclaimer *excluding Warhammer. I know there are fabulous Warhammer channels out there with high production values and millions of viewers. Good for them! This post complements my recent post about the best produced historical wargaming channels on YouTube . Skirmish Wargames . Wonderful and plentiful selection of indie games recorded with close-ups, voiceovers, fixed cams. Highlight : This Fear and Faith battlerep is hilarious and frightful at the same time. Gray Army Gaming .  High production values and interesting skirmishes. Highlight : I love his videos using the ultrasimple rules One-Hour Skirmish Wargames, such us this fictitious (for the moment) Defending Ice-Island . The Fantasy Skirmisher . Highlight : This  Sellswords & Spellslingers linked campaign is quite an eyeful and showca...

By well produced I mean having some of these elements: fixed or steadied cam, close-ups, dramatics cuts, VFX effects, overlays of rule mechanics, good banter, etc. Of those that I have seen, these are the ones I've enjoyed the most. I will highlight one video from each, If you have other favorites, please feel free to add them in the comments.  Compact Conflicts TV . Highlight: Their two hours  New England Wargame Campaign  is for me an archetype of a well-run campaign. It has land battles, naval battles, intrigue, diplomacy, scouting, role-playing, spies, uniform larping.  The Crusty Colonel's Wargames Show. Highlight: The Battle of Austerlitz  done in 2mm with a homebred variant of 2x2 Napoleonics called Sacre Blue  is a joy to behold and an ode to streamlining. Minis, My Way. Highlight:  Ottoman-Venetian naval battle using Galleys & Galleons. Hard to produce a more gorgeous naval report.  7th Son : Highlight: this   La Haye Saint...

This is the report of the first month of upheavals and the first decisive battle fought in the Peninsula. I'm using these rules: Campaign Rules: Domino Theory Campaign from No End in Sight (Ivan Sorensen). This campaign engine was intended for the Cold War, but it works perfectly for any conflict that has a strong ideological component like the Napoleonic Wars. It works on the basis of two tables. Each turn there are two random rolls, one in the Spread of Ideology table and another in the Spread of Order table . To these rolls a third is added depending on the outcome of that month's main battle. A very clever system by a designer notorious for rules such as Five Parsecs From Home. Tabletop rules: Simplicity in Practice by Neil Thomas (house rule: +2 for each melee factor, not +2 dice) Situation at the onset Simplified map of the Peninsula The numbers in each region represent Alignment. Positive numbers stand for Susceptibility to revolutionary ideals and the negative ones...

I wanted to test a ruleset from the classic magazine The Courier called Showdown (n. 71, 1996). These Old West skirmish rules were designed by Samuel D. Campbell and, in short, they are amazing. More on how they work after the battlerep.   Father Morrison and Miss Brodie, the schoolmaster, flank one of the most 'advanced' pupils, Tress Hollister. They have rushed to the entrance arms in hand. The school is next to the ruins of and old hacienda This evening they sense something ominous out there Three ne'er-do-wells are near the grounds. 'Graybeard', 'Whitebeard' and 'The Deserter' Do they intend to drag the girls back to the darkness of Saloons? In this game I just control Tress Hollister. The other figures, friends and foes, are managed by the rules solo system Miss Brodie, though severely wounded, kills Graybeard. No one messes with her protegees.  Tress is behind cover, but she is rushed by The Deserter He fires point blank and wounds her Father ...