Going off at a tangent

Until Saturday morning, my wargaming life was bimbling* along quite nicely. I was working – albeit at a leisurely pace – on several projects. These included:

• The working draft of my Portable Belle Époque Wargame project.
• Assembling the figures for a couple more armies for my Belle Époque project.
• Writing an article about the development of warships between 1800 and 1920.
• My ongoing American Civil War campaign.
• My weekly role-playing sessions.

So, what happened on Saturday morning?

I opened a cupboard in my toy/wargame room ... and found something that I thought was in storage.

It was the printed copies of first ten years of my blog posts.

Now, many of my regular blog readers might not be aware that way back in 2018 I decided to have the text of my blog posts printed and bound in hardback format. I did this because I was afraid that if Blogger was ever to close down, I would not have a copy of what I had written. I have not had the last eight years of blog posts printed or bound ... but its something that I really need to think about ... just in case.

So, how did this discovery cause me to go off at a tangent?

I made the mistake of opening the first volume of my printed blog posts ... and immediately began to read it. Back then, my blog posts were about the then recently published reprint of Donald Featherstone's WAR GAMES by the History of Wargaming Project and its impact on my RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES (TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED) rules. In fact, between 20th September 2008 and 21st October 2008 I wrote eight blog posts about the rules and my play-tests as well as four about the Colonial version, which was entitled REDCOATS AND NATIVES (TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED).

Looking at the rules now (and the former are available online and in the History of Wargaming Project's reprint of Donald Featherstone's WARGAMING AIRBORNE OPERATIONS), I am struck by how much fun they were to wargame with. I was also struck by the fact that they could do with a bit of updating and improving because since I wrote them, I've had a lot more experience in writing wargame rules and developing slicker – and hopefully better – game mechanisms.

So, I now have another project to add to my growing list ... and I can see myself having a bit of fun tinkering with these rules and even pushing a few figures and tanks around on a tabletop!

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Here are some images from the play-tests of my RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES (TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED) ...

... and REDCOATS AND NATIVES (TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED) rules.

I hope that they convey how much fun I had ... and how few figures etc., I needed to enjoy myself! Sometimes, less is more!

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* For those of you who have never come across this verb before, it is defined as being 'to walk or travel at a leisurely pace.'

Desperta Ferro: A video review

Further to my blog post review of the Spanish-language military history DESPERTA FERRO, I have now produced a video version of that review.

It can be seen here.

The Timeless Traveller: This week’s update

Here is my take on what took place this week. If you think that a lot happened last week ... you ain't read nothing yet!

In the aftermath of the fight in the dining room, Callistra (the Hunter) searched one of the bodies, and besides a few gold coins, she found what looked like an amulet embedded into the body’s chest. The centre of the amulet was a shining jewel that looked like an eye ... which went blank when the man died.

She attempted to pull it out ... but it seemed to be attached to the body by vein-like tendrils. Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat) and Ragnar (the Berserker) attempted to help Callistra, and eventually Johnny-Baptiste's knife cut through the tendrils and pulled it free.

Whilst this was happening, Mankare (the Shadowmancer) took the surviving member of the Silamane twins to the infirmary and then returned to talk to one of the remaining Hooded Men in Abyssal. Before he died, the latter claimed that they had won. Mankare then went back to the infirmary, where the surviving twin was being treated by a number of clerics. She was in a state of shock and incapable to talking properly without her sister. He asked her why the Hooded Men were after the amulet, but she only wanted to know about her sister and to see her dead body.

Mankare and the twin returned to the dining room, and she collapsed next to her dead sister and became hysterical. As this was happening, Nordian arrived in the dining room with some guards and begun trying to sort out the chaos. Ragnar approached him and in no uncertain terms told him how useless the ship's security was. Nordian agreed and also agreed to allow all the members of the group to use magic – with immediate effect – and to collect their weapons from the barracks.

In the hope that it would help the surviving twin to cope with her loss, Johnny-Baptiste gave her the amulet that had been taken from her dead sister. Mankare then retrieved it and attempted to examine it. He found that it was a magical, chaotic good amulet, and that its magic related to divination, alteration, and probability.

On the group's arrival at the entrance to the barracks, they are ambushed by a number of Hooded Men. Ragnar was pushed inside and the door was shut behind him, leaving Callistra, Johnny-Baptiste, and Mankare in the corridor. Vale (the Shepherd) – who had by now been released from his gaol cell – healed Ragnar, who then retrieved his axe from the chest it was in. As he did this, Vale conjured up his spirit wolf.

Outside, a confused fight took place. Mankare made a spell that blasted one of the Hooded Men with a ball of darkness, whilst Callistra attacked one of the others with the spear she was carrying. The spirit wolf then appeared through the wall and was ineffectually attacked by one of the Hooded Men ... who Johnny-Baptiste promptly stabbed with his concealed dagger! The wolf then attacked two of the Hooded Men and Callistra pinned another to the wall with her spear.

The fighting in the corridor outside the ship's barracks.

At this point, Ragnar opened the door of the barracks, and with two deft blows of his axe, cleaved one of the Hooded Men in two from his head to his chest. Mankare then reached into his shadow and brought forth two spirit entities who attacked and killed the last of the Hooded Men in that part of the corridor.

Sensing that something was amiss, Bumble (the Stormshifter), who had been sitting with Elandra the historian and researcher, turned himself into a lion and set off to find the rest of the group. He found them in the corridor outside the barracks, and the party went inside and retrieved their weapons. During this, the group overheard a conversation that made it clear that some of the guards knew about the Hooded Men.

Now reunited with Bumble, the group set off for the ship's vault to find a secure place for the amulet. On getting there, the floor outside was covered in dead bodies of guards and guests ... and the vault door was open! Mankare sent one of his spirit entities into the vault, and before it 'died', it told him that there was someone or something inside. Bumble – who was still in his lion form – then entered the vault and saw two Hooded Men in there. He immediately attacked one and knocked him to the ground. The other Hooded Man fired at Bumble ... and missed ... but this allowed the other Hooded Man to try scrambling away. He did not get far as by then Mankare and Ragnar had rushed in and attacked him, pinning the Hooded Man to the floor.

Callistra rushed toward the other Hooded Man, but before she could reach him, he self-immolated by slashing his chest open and crying out in Abyssal 'The Lord is here!'. A great dark light surrounded him, he rose to the ceiling ... and then he was gone, leaving a large black void in his place.

Mankare – assisted by Johnny-Baptiste and Ragnar – attempted to interrogate the remaining Hooded Man, who stated in Abyssal 'All glory to the Titan! He will be reborn here!'. Vale then attempted to psychically link with the Hooded Man ... and he immediately began to have visions of hell and a sunken temple. Whilst this was happening, Mankare and Ragnar attempted to remove the Hooded Man's embedded amulet ... but Vale pleaded for them not to, just as he felt himself being dragged into hell. In the meantime, Callistra began investigating the other end of the vault ... but then the room began to shake as if affected by an earthquake and the ceiling began to crack and clouds of dust and plaster began to descend.

The fighting in the ship's vault.

Suddenly, Vale rushed for the vault door, which he slammed shut behind him. The rest of the group immediately followed him, and after forcing the door open, set off in pursuit. Using the portal to find where Vale as gone, the group suddenly found themselves on the open deck, where they found numerous bodies (including that of the ship's captain and several guards) and ring of acolytes ... including Vale! The goddess in the centre of the ring gradually levitates, and as she rises, she cries out 'The Lord is here!' ... and as she does so, a huge, horned entity rises out of the sea behind the ship. The Titan then smashes the centre of the ship with a huge hammer ... and the ship immediately breaks up, and the group is thrown into the sea, where they drown!

The horned Titan destroying Thinkertop's ship with his huge hammer.

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Sometime later, Vale awakes on a beach, where he finds the remains of Thinkertop.

Vale on the beach after the destruction of Thinkertop's ship.

Next to the body, Vale finds Thinkertop's assistant, who is clutching the gold disc that Thinkertop had used to fly about his ship. On Thinkertop's body, Vale finds an hourglass-like amulet, which he takes. Pondering on it, he wishes that he could turn time back by twenty-four hours ... and suddenly Vale finds himself back on the dockside with his erstwhile companions, wating to board Thinkertop's ship!

The group prepare to board Thinkertop's ship ... for the second time!

Army in a box storage

Further to Archduke Piccolo's recent blog post about how he stores his various wargame collections, I thought that I should share some photographs of where and how I store my Belle Époque collection.

My Really Useful Boxes tower unit.

One of my larger Belle Époque armies (the army of the Kingdom of Schwarzenberg) in an A4-sized Weston Boxes box inside one of the draws in the tower unit.

One of my smaller Belle Époque armies (The army of the Kingdom of Ashona) in an A5-sized Weston Boxes box inside one of the draws in the tower unit.

The Portable Belle Époque Wargame rules: Grading generals and activating units: Correcting an error!

One of my regular blog readers (Rumblestrip) has pointed out that the chart in yesterday's blog post contained an error. I have therefore redrawn it and that section of the blog post should now read as follows:

Grading generals

In these rules, generals are a player’s tabletop alter ego. However, if we want them to perform realistically during a wargame, they should not be regarded as being infallible super-heroes and should have some limits placed on what they can do each turn. This can be done by:

• Grading each general as either good, average, or poor.
• Placing restrictions on the number of units they can activate each turn.

To determine a general’s grading, two D6 dice are thrown and the combined dice score determines the general’s grading.

This grading helps to determine how many units they can activate each turn.

This means that each grade of general has the following chance of being generated using this mechanism:

• Good: 16.6%
• Average: 75%
• Poor: 8.3%

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I have also added a YouTube video that covers this erratum to the Wargaming Miscellany channel. It can be found here.

The Portable Belle Époque Wargame rules: Grading generals and activating units

I have been slowly working on the draft of my Portable Belle Epoque Wargame rules ... and have adapted a previously designed grading system for each side's generals and a playing card activation mechanism.

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Grading generals

In these rules, generals are a player’s tabletop alter ego. However, if we want them to perform realistically during a wargame, they should not be regarded as being infallible super-heroes and should have some limits placed on what they can do each turn. This can be done by:

• Grading each general as either good, average, or poor.
• Placing restrictions on the number of units they can activate each turn.

To determine a general’s grading, two D6 dice are thrown and the combined dice score determines the general’s grading.

This grading helps to determine how many units they can activate each turn.

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How many units can a general activate each turn?

Before the battle begins, each side is allocated a playing card colour (i.e. red or black). The number of units they command is totalled, divided by 2, and rounded up. This gives the median value of the playing cards that commander will be allocated. The median value of the playing cards is then adjusted according to the general’s competence:

• Good: Increase the median value of the playing cards by 1.
• Average: No adjustment is made to the median value of the playing cards.
• Poor: Reduce the median value of the playing cards by 1.

The players extract the red and black playing cards from two packs of playing cards and place them in separate piles.

The red general removes the red playing cards that have their modified median playing card value from their pile plus the red playing cards that have their modified median playing card value plus 1 and minus 1.

The black general removes the black playing cards that have their modified median playing card value from their pile plus the black playing cards that have their modified median playing card value plus 1 and minus 1.

Example 1

A red general commands a force of 9 units and has been allocated a grading of good. They therefore have a basic median value of playing card of 5 (9 ÷ 2 = 4.5, which when rounded up equals 5). Their modified median playing card value is 6 (5 + 1), and they select from the pile of red playing cards the 5, 6, and 7 of Hearts and Diamonds. The rest of the red playing cards are discarded

The red general's activation cards.

Example 2

A black general commands a force of 11 units and has been allocated a grading of poor. They therefore have a basic median value of playing card of 6 (11 ÷ 2 = 5.5, which when rounded up equals 6). Their modified median playing card value is 5 (6 – 1), and they select from the pile of black playing cards the 4, 5, and 6 of Clubs and Spades. The rest of the black playing cards are discarded.

The black general's activation cards.

The red and black activation cards are combined together along with two Jokers to form the pack of activation cards. The pack is then shuffled and placed face down.

At the start of the battle, the top card of the activation pack is turned over, and the colour and value of that card determines which side activates its units and how many of them can be activated. Once all the units that side can activate have been activated, the playing card is discarded and placed face up next to the pack of activation cards.

The next card of the activation pack is then turned over, and the colour and value of that card determines which side activates its units and how many of them can be activated. Once all the units that side can activate have been activated, the playing card is discarded and placed face up next to the pack of activation cards.

This process continues until a Joker is turned over, at which point the discarded activation cards are returned to the pack of activation cards and the whole pack is re-shuffled, and the process begins again.

During the turn sequence, the artillery and machine gun fire phases take place before a side activates its other units. Both sides can activate their artillery and machine gun units each time one of their side’s activation cards is turned over. If they do this, these count as one of that side’s unit activations.

Example 3

A side can activate 6 units. It chooses to activate an artillery unit and a machine gun unit during the artillery and machine gun fire phases. Once these phases have taken place, that side can then activate 4 other units.

It may well be that one side can have a run of activation cards, but this is part of the randomness generated by this mechanism. Experience shows that over time this apparent unfairness tends to even itself out.

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I have also added a YouTube video that covers these mechanisms to the Wargaming Miscellany channel.

It can be found here.

An army in a box

Some years ago, I visited the late Stuart Asquith at his home in the Cotswolds. When he retired and moved there, he did something that now makes a lot of sense to me; he created the 'army in a box' concept. He had a special cabinet constructed and allocated a draw in each to an army. Once that army had filled the draw, no further units or figures were added to it.

My Belle Époque collection is currently stored in an eleven-draw Really Useful Boxes tower unit. Its draws are slightly larger than A4 in size and have a removable sheet of magnetic sheet fixed to a thin sheet of plywood in their bottom.

© Really Useful Boxes.

I have recently discovered a problem with this storage ... it isn't very easy to lift the whole army out in one go. I then remembered Stuart's 'army in a box' and thought to myself that if I could find a suitable box that would fit into the draw, it could serve two purposes:

1. To enable me to lift an entire army out of the draw in one go and
2. To place a physical limit on the size of each of my Belle Époque armies.

Luckily, I had a number of A4-sized Weston Boxes close at hand, ...

© Weston Boxes.

... and I am now in the process of transferring each army into its new box ... which fits nicely into one of the draws in the Really Useful Boxes tower unit.

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PS. Some of the smaller armies fit into A5-sized Weston Boxes ... of which I also have a few available!

The Timeless Traveller: This week’s update

No update of last week's action from our gamemaster, Paolo. Instead, here is my take on what took place:

The group started the session in Elandra’s ransacked room. Whilst we tried to support Elandra – who was distraught – and to investigate the crime scene, the ship’s guards kept getting in our way, which led to a confrontation with the Nordian, the Head of Security. Ragnar (the Berserker) told him that his guards were useless and the security system aboard the ship didn’t protect the passengers. The others in the group were equally vocal … and in the end we were all assigned guards to keep us under surveillance.

Whilst the rest of us left for the infirmary, Bumble (the Stormshifter) escorted Elandra to the ship’s temple. At the infirmary, we acquired a greased pig for Vale (the Shepherd) which we took to the casino. Ragnar announced that we were going to set up a pig speed contest and called for bets to be placed. The group was showered with bets – including one for 500 Gold Pieces from Caldor the Dwarf – and then Vale attempted to set fire to the pig! Before he could, he was seized by the guards who dragged him away. (He was taken to the ship’s barracks, where he was incarcerated in a cell next to another prisoner … who turned out to be the talkative guard the group had met outside Thinkertop’s room.)

The pig rushed across the casino, overturning at least one of the gaming tables and tipping piles of gold pieces onto the floor. Ragnar and Menkare (the Shadowmancer) grabbed as much gold as they could, and the former asked a servant for a pair of heavy-duty seaman’s socks … into which he put the gold he had picked up. During the fracas, Callista (the Hunter) and Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat) sneaked out of the casino and went back to their rooms … accompanied by a guard!

Meanwhile, Bumble kept watch over Elandra and Vale – who had been stripped of all his possessions – was attacked by the talkative now-ex-guard (whose name was John). Ragnar then arrived at the barracks, where he was confronted by the Head of Security and fired from his undercover job. He then went to the cells, where he had a confrontation with John … and the latter threw the contents of his slop bucket over Ragnar. In response, Ragnar told John that he would not forget what had happened and that he should expect retribution.

Soon afterwards, Menkare went to the dining room, where he attracted everyone’s attention and announced that the ship’s guards were useless and that they were incapable of protecting anyone. Many to those present left immediately, leaving a few elderly passengers and the twins in the room.

At this point, all hell let loose! Several hooded men could be seen outside and then there was an explosion, which breached the room’s wall and knocked the Silamane twins over. The hooded men then rushed in … just as Ragnar, Callista, and Johnny-Baptiste arrived.

Whilst some of the hooded men set about killing anyone who was close to them, one grabbed one of the twins, grabbed an amulet from around her neck, and then slit her throat! Fighting was taking place across the dining room. Ragnar took on two men, hitting them with his improvised weapons, two socks full of gold coins! Callista was wounded before seizing a spear that had been dropped by a dead guard and stabbed one of the hooded men. At the same time, Johnny-Baptiste threw his concealed ricocheting dagger at another, killing him with a strike to the heart.

The fight in the dining room.

Ragnar then attacked the hooded man who had taken the amulet, and despite being seriously injured, killed him. The rest of the hooded men then began to leave. Ragnar then handed the amulet to Callista, who – with Menkare – was escorting the uninjured twin to the infirmary. Whilst he was doing this, Menkare intercepted one of the hooded men who was attempting to leave the room. He tripped him up and seized the man’s dropped sword and stabbed him with it. As he died, the man pulled open his robe, revealing a metal chest piece with a vibrant gem in its centre. Menkare, who speaks Abyssal, heard the man mutter a warning in that language.

This was the first time we had used the Nimble combat system ... and is it not ony easy to use but also produces some exciting results.

Nugget 380

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I hope to post it out (with a copy of the newly-printed and correctly laid out Nugget 378) to members of Wargame Developments as soon as I can.

I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the eighth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 380

The latest issue of THE NUGGET was sent to me by the editor on Sunday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Monday morning. I hope to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the eighth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.