COW2023 gave me the opportunity to take part in two World War 2 wargames: Tim Gow's LITTLE WORLD WARS and Chris Kemp's NQM: NOT QUITE MECHANISED. As a result, I've been thinking about the rules I want to use for my much-planned Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War project.
Coincidentally, during the conference I spoken to a wargamer who had play-tested the earlier version RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES ... and that set me thinking about the World War 2 rules that I wrote before I began work on what became the PORTABLE WARGAME, RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES: TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED. These were published as an appendix to John Curry's 2009 reprint of Donald Featherstone's WARGAMING AIRBORNE OPERATIONS. I still have the MS Word file containing the rules somewhere on my computer, and I hope to print off a copy in due course to see if there is some way that I can meld elements of it with elements of the PORTABLE WARGAME.
The following are some photographs of one of the play-test battles I fought using RED FLAGS & IRON CROSSES: TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED back in 2008.
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting photos of your 2008 WW2 Battle - do I spot some Die-cast models...perhaps Corgi. Hope you can progress with your Eastern Front Project. On another note: Have you begun your Radiotherapy yet Bob? Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteYou are right about the die-casts: both aircraft and the PzKpfw IV are Corgis.
I hope to be given a date for my radiotherapy at the end of the month. Until then I'm just carrying on as best I can taking my medications, trying to exercise as much as I can, and doing as much wargaming as I feel like.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see you are keeping on keeping on!
Looking back through my files I discover I have a set of downloadable RF&IC rules dating from 10 years back. Not at the time 'into' gridded war games', they lay fallow for a while until superseded by PW. High time I gave them an outing!
Cheers,
Ion
At the moment my problem is getting things onto the table. Not sure why. My painting projects are proceeding very slowly...
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI’ve been feeling much better since our recent cruise and COW, and with a bit of luck I’ll get a start date for my radiotherapy soon.
RF&IC has been through several iterations over the years, and the latest will reflect some of the lessons I have learned writing and using the PW rules. They won’t just be a WW2 version of the PW but will share some similarities.
I look forward to seeing your WW2 collection on your wargame table in the future.
All the best,
Bob
Nice photos from that game and good to see you being 'inspired' from the CoW conference:).
ReplyDeleteBob - I have a copy of Andrew Rolph's 'Kharkov' book that looks fertile of possibilities. I'm also looking at a setting around Kanev (river Dniepr, south of Kiev) for a 'map game'. I did much of the preliminary work some years ago, but never got it onto the table. And there is a 'Road to Berlin' game ...
DeletePlenty for me to be getting on with - once I get past some other projects clamouring for attention! I've nearly finished my Napoleonic Russian Uhlans at any rate!
Cheers,
Ion
Steve J.,
DeleteCheers! I hoped that going to COW would give me a boost … and I was right!
More anon.
All the best,
Bob
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteAndrew Rolph’s books are excellent. They are full of great ideas, and I’ve gain a lot of inspiration from them … and I’m sure that you will as well.
Good luck finishing your Russian Uhlans. I’ve got a tableful of WW2 stuff in the midst of having their bases flocked before I reorganise them.
All the best,
Bob