The Timeless Traveller: A recap and an update

First, an update of last week's action, as written by our gamemaster, Paolo:

The group has joined the 10 days celebration for the retirement of Sir Thinkertop in his marvellous ship, the Timeless Wanderer.

The ship is an exceptional piece of transportation, swarming with magic, people, and entertainment. The group is here to celebrate and have fun, but also, some members of the group have other 'motives' to be onboard. In the first hours on the ship, the group have met Alondra Winterleaf, an historian who is doing some research in the area, the Silamane Twins, performers that will entertain the celebration on the third day, and Umbert Darkbark, shady character that has promised to 'supply' special items to the group. They also met other guests and servants on the ship.

Highlights of the Morning:

• The security of the boat has no tolerance for 'funny business'.

• Our Stormshifter is really, REALLY interested in meeting the captain.

• Some stories about an ancient cult and ruins of a temple.

• And the sweet and mystical twins will perform on the third day, hoping to entertain all in the ship, specially the servants.

During last Wednesday's session:

The Stormshifter met the Captain ... and managed to cause the ship to veer off course and got himself removed from the ship's bridge. He then rejoined us in the ship's main room.

From there, we all went to the casino ... where we all moved to a table where a roulette-style game was taking place. It involved the use of a small mouse-like animal (a nofling) that ran around the table grabbing all the bets and then standing on a winning number. Whilst the Songweaver engaged a dwarf who was sitting at the table and winning every game, I watched what was happening ... and was immediately struck by the fact that the whole game was crooked! I grabbed the nofling ... and then let it go. The nofling was immediately put away and replaced by another ... and the dwarf stopped winning!

At this point, the Songweaver ate something that caused him to vomit across the table ... and during the ensuing disturbance, I took the newly-boxed nofling out of its storage bag. and hid it under the table. Once he had recovered, I passed the animal over to the Songweaver and asked him to try to sell it to the dwarf. By this time we had all adjourned to the bar, where the dwarf laughed off our offer. At this, the Stormshifter managed to take the nofling from its box and hid it in the dwarf's compendious clothing.

The Stormshifter then summoned the guards and reported that the dwarf had stolen the animal! When they heard this story, they laughed ... because the dwarf was the ship's supplier of noflings!

At this point, I had to leave the session as my stoma began to give me serious problems. Hopefully my companions will let me know what happened after I left.

Lone Warrior No.231

I recently resubscribed to the Solo Wargamers Association, and over the weekend a PDF of the association's journal, LONE WARRIOR arrived attached to an email. I read it with great interest, especially as two of the contributors are people I know; John Curry (who is a long-time member of Wargame Developments) and Carl Luxford (who is a regular reader of this blog)

John's article examines the various ways in which solo wargamers can use AI such as ChatGPT, including designing solo adventures for RPG and solo wargame rules.

Carl's article is entitled GAMING THE KELJA MOTTI (KELJA BRIDGEHEAD OR SALIENT) 1939 and contains a brief history of the events leading up to the outbreak of the Russo-Finnish War and the opening months of the war. It then describes the ten stages or phases of his refight.

1. The bombardment of the Russian 2nd wave of attackers.
2. The Finnish counter-attack on 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment by 8th company 29 Infantry Regiment.
3. The Finnish counter-attack on 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment by 2 further companies of 29 Infantry Regiment as well as 8th company 29 Infantry Regiment, the battalion’s HQ, and a heavy weapons company.
4. The Finnish counter-attack by 6th company 30 Infantry Regiment on the remnants of 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment.
5. The Finnish counter-attack by 9th and 7th companies, 3rd battalion 28 Infantry Regiment on the remnants of 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment.
6. The Finnish counter-attack by 8th company 3rd battalion 28 Infantry Regiment.
7. The bombardment of the Russian 3rd wave.
8. The Finnish counter-attack by 1st and 3rd companies 6th Independent Infantry Battalion.
9. The final Finnish assault led by a rifle company of 6th Independent Infantry Battalion.
10. Any surviving Russian forces capable of retreating try to escape from the Kelja Motti.

I was very pleased to read that he used the PORTABLE WARGAME to fight his solo mini-campaign. He adapted the rules to give each Finnish company and Russian company (or, in the earlier stages, each Russian battalion) its own Exhaustion Point.

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A one-year membership of the Solo Wargamers Association entitles you to four PDF issues of LONE WARRIOR. It costs $15 per year and payment must be made in US currency only via PayPal using the following email address: lonewarrior.editor.man@gmail.com.

I am taking part in an online American Civil War campaign

My old friend Professor Gary Sheffield has invited me to take part in an online American Civil War campaign ... and I have just issued my first commands to my Confederate troops!

The campaign is taking place on an island off the coast of the Carolinas that bears a remarkable resemblance to Sicily. Indeed, some of the place names do appear to be similar – if not the same – to some of the places on that Italian island!

Both sides have similar-sized forces:

• 27 x Infantry Regiments (6 x Elite infantry regiments, and 15 Regular infantry regiments, and 6 x Militia infantry regiments)
• 9 x Cavalry Regiments
• 4 x Artillery Batteries

The infantry regiments are organised into infantry brigades. Each infantry brigade comprises two to six infantry regiments, and each infantry regiment must be of the same status. A cavalry regiment and/or artillery battery may be attached to the infantry brigade.

The cavalry regiments can be organised into cavalry brigades or attached to infantry brigades. Each cavalry brigade comprises two to six cavalry regiments.

I hope to write blog posts about how this campaign unfolds, but in the meantime, I'm keeping my ORBAT and initial moves to myself!

The Timeless Traveller: My new fantasy role-playing role

Last Wednesday I took part in the first session of a new fantasy role-play game. It is being run by a very experienced gamemaster called Paolo and we are using the free version of the core Nimble RPG rules.

These are available online:

• Free Core Nimble Rules

Also available from the same website as free downloads are:

• Blank Printable Character Sheets
• Form Fillable PDF Character Sheet
• Premade Level 1 Heroes
• Adventure Maps

Of the available character types, I chose to be a Berserker named Ragnar Shortbeard, and thanks to ChatGPT, I look like this:

My fellow players include:

• A Cheat
• A Shadowmancer
• A Shepherd
• A Stormshifter
• A Songweaver

The story so far:

The richest man in the world has decided to retire, and to mark his retirement he is going to hold a ten-day-long party aboard the largest ship in his trading fleet. I had been approached by his head of security to act in an undercover role at the event, and along with my fellow adventurers, I had obtained an invitation to the party.

On going aboard, those of our party who had magical powers had to wear a special jewelled gold bracelet around their arm so that they could not use their powers during the party. Those of us who were armed had to hand over our weapons 'for safe keeping' although the Cheat managed to conceal a blade in their walking stick.

It soon became obvious that the ship was not an ordinary one. To move from one location to another, all one had to do was to pass through a portal and state your destination ... and you were transported there. In addition, if you wanted anything like a drink or food, a servant would appear with it and then disappear as soon as you had taken it from them.

After going to the main room aboard the ship, we met several of the other guests, including someone who was dealing in recreational magic potions, twin sisters who are singers and who are booked to perform later during the event, and a lyre-playing bard who was performing on a dais in the centre of the room when we arrived.

The Royal Mail can sometimes get things very wrong!

I recently ordered some painted figures from an eBay seller, and they sent them to me once I had returned from our recent cruise. The seller made sure that everything was securely packed in bubble wrap and cardboard and placed into two substantial cardboard boxes that were taped together with loads of white parcel tape marked with the word ‘Fragile’ in red letters. They then passed it over into the care of the Royal Mail.

That is where things seem to have gone wrong.

I have no idea what they did to the parcel before they delivered it, but it looked as if the word ‘Fragile’ was not just ignored but acted as a trigger for them to treat the parcel with little care. When it was delivered, the corners of the parcel looked crushed and there was an ominous rattle when one picked it up. When it was opened, most of the packaging had burst open, and I would estimate that between 30% and 40% of the figures - which had been based in threes on plastic bases - were loose and quite a few were damaged.

This should not have happened … but it did. The seller did everything to ensure that the parcel and its contents were properly packaged, but the Royal Mail seems to have failed to do its duty to deliver the parcel in the condition in which it was given to them.

Is there any possible redress? Well, I could ask the seller to pursue the matter as the Royal Mail insists that it is only the person who posts an item who can initiate a trace … but that seems to me to be rather an imposition on a seller who sold me these figures at a very reasonable price. Furthermore, the compensation would be negligible.

I’ve decided to see if I can make the best of the situation and repair those figures that are repairable. Hopefully there will then be enough of them to form the basis on a further Belle Époque army.

Twelve million hits!

Whilst I was on my recent cruise, I did not have the opportunity to see how many hits this blog had received. It was therefore something of a shock to discover that there seems to have been no let-up in the number of hits it has been receiving each day.

Is it down to AI bots? I have no idea if it is or it isn't ... and I keep expecting there to be a sudden and rather drastic change in the daily hit rate sometime soon.

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12,000,000 hits!

It was only the at the beginning of March that my blog’s hit counter reached ten million hits … and yesterday it passed twelve million!

• Eleven million hits: 3rd March 2026
• Ten million hits: 3rd February 2026
• Nine million hits: 16th December 2025
• Eight million hits: 4th October 2025
• Seven million hits: 26th July 2025
• Six million hits: 6th September 2024
• Five million hits: 20th January 2024
• Four million hits: 8th November 2021
• Three million hits: 6th December 2018
• Two million hits: Unsure
• One million hits: 25th December 2015

For what seems like the umpteenth time over recent months, I would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to my regular blog readers. Without you continuing to read and comment on my blog, I am sure that I would never have reached these many hits.

Here's to reaching thirteen million hits … which at the current rate, could be sometime next month!

Have I found a way to end my campaign map analysis paralysis? I think so!

I recently wrote about my analysis paralysis, and I got lots of useful comments and suggestions. I looked at these in detail, and in the end I decided to take my inspiration from the campaign map used by Thistlebarrow (who writes the wonderful Napoleonic Wargaming blog) ...

Thistlebarrow's Napoleonic Campaign map. It is divided up into squares.

Thistlebarrow's recent Cordova Campaign map. It is divided up into squares, each of which represents a tabletop battlefield.

... and the maps I based on the Waddington's CAMPAIGN boardgame.

The main campaign map I created that was based on the Waddington's CAMPAIGN boardgame..

The map of France.

The map of Germany

The map of Russia.

The map of Spain.

The map of Italy.

The map of Austria.

These latter maps worked well when I used them for my Franco-Prussian War of 1810 campaign and I really should have thought about using something based on them for my Belle Époque, campaign map.

I think that have now identified a way forward ... and I hope to begin preliminary work on my Belle Époque campaign map over the next couple of weeks.

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Please note that the first two maps featured above are © Paul Leniston/Thistlebarrow.

War Games And Their History: Volume 2

I have had a long-term interest in the history of wargaming, and back in 2012 I bought C G Lewin's WARGAMES AND THEIR HISTORY ... and mighty impressed I was by the book's coverage of the topic!

The original book contained the following chapters:

• Foreword by Major General Patrick Cordingley DSO, DSc, FRGS
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Ancient and Medieval Games
• Chapter 2: Games Played between 1600 and 1800
• Chapter 3: Games for Military Training
• Chapter 4: Games for Naval Training
• Chapter 5: Games for the Public: 1800 – 1900
• Chapter 6: Games for the Public: 1900 – 25
• Chapter 7: Games for the Public: 1925 – 50
• Chapter 8: Modern Games for the Public
• Chapter 9: Official War Games in the Nuclear Age
• Appendix 1: List of War Games
• Appendix 2: Bibliography
• Endnotes
• Index

The second volume contains the following chapters:

• Acknowledgements
• List of Illustrations
• Introduction
• What Makes a War Game?
• About this Book
• War Games in History
• Games to Stimulate Recruitment
• Methods of Capture
• Task Forces
• Hexagons
• Games versus Reality
• The War in Ukraine
• The Peace Conference
• Strategy and Tactics
• The Best War Games
• The Battlegame Books
• Official War Games
• Cyber War Games
• Future War Games
• Artificial Intelligence
• Making up your own rules
• Chapter 1: Games published before 1900
• Chapter 2: Games published 1900-1925
• Chapter 3: Games published 1925-1950
• Chapter 4: Games published 1950-1975
• Chapter 5: Games published 1975-2005
• Chapter 6: Strategy and Tactic
• Appendix: List of War Games
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Index

The introduction is – in my opinion – worth the price of the book ... and the rest of the book is a treasure trove of information about games that I'd love to know even more about.

One interesting point I noticed from the illustrations ... the sheer range of different grids/areas and point-to-point systems used for movement. It has certainly given me some ideas for my Belle Époque map!

I was interested to note that several people I know are referenced in the book. These include (in alphabetical order):

• Antoine Bourguilleau
• John Curry (and the History of Wargaming Project)
• Nick Drage
• The late Peter Perla
• Tim Price
• Professor Phil Sabin

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WAR GAMES AND THEIR HISTORY was written by C G Lewin and published in 2012 by Fonthill Media (ISBN 978 1 78155 042 7).

WAR GAMES AND THEIR HISTORY: VOLUME 2 was written by C G Lewin and published in 2026 by Fonthill Media (ISBN 978 1 78155 951 2)

Dolmenwood: The end of the game

I have been going to Dice on the Hill since February last year, and for most of that time I have been taking part in a fantasy role-playing game set in DOLMENWOOD. The game was published by Necrotic Gnome and created by Gavin Norman, and there are lots of free resources available, including downloadable character sheets.

An example of a blank character sheet.

My character – a friar called Father Crump – is one of the two characters who have survived since the very beginning ... and last Wednesday saw the end of our quest to successfully destroy the evil Naglord.

My character ... as envisaged by ChatGPT.

My character figure. It was 3D printed and painted for me by one of the other players.

Now, until I took part in this fantasy quest, I have never been particularly interested in role-playing games ... but I have so thoroughly enjoyed this that I am already signed up for another one that starts next week!

One of the major reasons why this has been such an enjoyable experience is the wonderful interplay between the various participants and the exemplary gamemaster (Jason) who directed the whole thing. He acted out all the non-player characters in a very convincing way and kept the tempo of the quest ticking alone at a great pace.

More issues of Desperta Ferro

Whilst on my recent cruise I bought three issues of DESPERTA FERRO, having bought an earlier issue in January.

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DESPERTA FERRO – ANTIGUA Y MEDIEVAL (No.94): LA CONQUISTA DEL GUADALQUIVIR FERNANDO III EL SANTO (THE CONQUEST OF THE GUADALQUIVIR FERNANDO III THE SAINT)

• Un reino preparado para la guerra. La Castilla de Fernando III (A kingdom prepared for war. The Castile of Ferdinand III) by José María Monsalvo Antón
• El colapso almohade y el fracaso de Ibn Hud (The Almohad collapse and the failure of Ibn Hud) by Maribel Fierro
• Como un león imparable. Las conquistas del alto Guadalquivir (Like an unstoppable lion. The conquests of the upper Guadalquivir) by Juan Carlos Castillo Armenteros
• Çercados y arrequexados. La conquista de Córdoba (Encircled and harried. The conquest of Córdoba) by David Porrinas González
• El avance sudoriental y la toma de Jaén (The southeastern advance and the capture of Jaén) by Juan Francisco Jiménez Alcázar
• Los derrotados. La sociedad de al-Ándalus frente a las conquistas de Fernando III (The Defeated. The society of al-Andalus in the face of the conquests of Ferdinand III ) by Alejandro García Sanjuán
• Et venieron ý muchas gentes. La repoblación del valle del Guadalquivir (And many people came there. The repopulation of the Guadalquivir valley) by Clara Almagro Vidal
• El asedio de Sevilla (The Siege of Seville) by Francisco García Fitz
• Price: €7.50 (approximately £6.50)

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DESPERTA FERRO – CONTEMPORÁNEA (No.74): GUADALCANAL: EL ASALTO DE LOS MARINES (GUADALCANAL: THE MARINES' ASSAULT)

• El final de la expansión japonesa (The end of Japanese expansion) by Aldric Hama and Jason Morgan
• El compromiso ganador. Los planes y preparativos de la Operación Watchtower (The winning engagement. The plans and preparations of Operation Watchtower) by Trent Hone
• Amanecer en Guadalcanal. El desembarco de los marines (Sunrise on Guadalcanal. The landing of the marines) by John Domagalski
• La batalla de la isla de Savo (The Battle of Savo Island) by Mark W Stille
• La carga suicida del Destacamento Ichiki (The suicidal charge of the Ichiki Detachment) by Rubén Villamor Serrano
• De Trípoli a Guadalcanal. La 1.ª División de Marines (From Tripoli to Guadalcanal. The 1st Marine Division) by Roberto Muñoz Bolaños
• La batalla de Bloody Ridge (The Battle of Bloody Ridge) by Martijn Lak
• Matanikau. El río de la muerte (Matanikau. The River of Death) by Dave R Holland
• Price: €7.50 (approximately £6.50)

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DESPERTA FERRO – ESPECIALES (No. 46): LA ARMADA ESPAÑOLA (IX). ULTRAMAR, UNA MARINA GLOBAL SIGLO XVIII (THE SPANISH NAVY (IX). OVERSEAS, A GLOBAL NAVY IN THE 18TH CENTURY)

• La Real Armada y la defensa de las Indias. Desafíos y estrategia (The Royal Navy and the Defense of the Indies: Challenges and Strategy) by Rafael Torres Sánchez
• Corsarios y guardacostas en la persecución del contrabando caribeño (Corsairs and Coastguards in the Pursuit of Caribbean Smuggling) by Vera Moya Sordo
• La financiación de la Armada en los reinos de Indias (The Financing of the Navy in the Indies Kingdoms) by José Manuel Serrano Álvarez
• La batalla naval de La Habana (1748) (The Naval Battle of Havana (1748)) by Francisco Amor Martín and Amós Farrujia Coello
• La reorganización de la Armada española en ultramar durante el siglo XVIII (The Reorganization of the Spanish Navy Overseas during the 18th Century) by Guillermo Nicieza Forcelledo
• Jorge Juan, Antonio de Ulloa y la expedición geodésica al ecuador (Jorge Juan, Antonio de Ulloa, and the Geodesic Expedition to the Equator) by Francisco José González González
• Guardianes del mercurio. El naufragio del Guadalupe y la flota de azogues de 1724 (Guardians of Mercury. The Shipwreck of the Guadalupe and the 1724 Mercury Fleet) by Carlos León Amores and Cruz Apestegui Cardenal
• Navíos, fragatas y galeones. La construcción naval en los reinos de Indias durante el siglo XVIII (Ships, frigates, and galleons. Shipbuilding in the Indies' realms during the 18th century) by Iván Valdez-Bubnov
• La marinería y maestranza de la Real Armada en las Indias (The seamanship and shipyard of the Royal Navy in the Indies) by Alberto Hoces-García
• El Real Astillero de La Habana (The Royal Shipyard of Havana) by José Manuel Serrano Álvarez
• La conquista de Roatán, 1782 (The Conquest of Roatán, 1782) by Víctor García González
• Las compañías comerciales de Caracas y Filipinas (The commercial companies of Caracas and the Philippines) by Álvaro Aragón Ruano
• Price: €8.50 (approximately £7.50)

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These are high quality publications, printed in colour on glossy paper, and the quality of the illustrations – particularly the maps – is excellent. I thoroughly recommend them and will certainly buy future issues.