RSS FeedAngus Konstam is an author and historian - visit his website at
www.anguskonstam.com or e-mail him at anguskonstam@aol.com
He's a member of the Orkney Wargames Club, which meets in Kirkwall on Thursday evenings.
See their Facebook page for more info.
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm We rarely play the same period twice in a row, except when we’re trying to learn or re-acquaint ourselves with a set of rules. This was the case here. For last week’s 1866 game I forgot the playsheets listing the European amendments to the rules. So, we decided to
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm It’s been a while since we last delved into this colourful period. The last time we were trying out Piquet’s Field of Battle. This time though, we returned to what is probably my favourite rules set for the period – Fire & Fury. While these are for the American
The English Civil War, For King & Parliament, 28mm Once again there were just two of us gaming this week. So, we opted for a small English Civil War encounter – part of our continued feud between the Royalist Earl of Doncaster (Sean’s alter ego) and my own Parliamentarian one, the Earl of Scunthorpe. In
The Seven Years War, Post of Honour, 28mm This was something of a blast from the past. For starters, the scenario came from a wargaming classic – Charles Grant (Senior)’s The War Game, published in 1971. It was just a small game between Sean and I, just a reinforced brigade a side, and I chose
The Seven Years War, Post of Honour, 28mm I missed the last couple of games due to to Covid striking the club. Fortunately I managed to squeeze in a small Seven Years War game at home this weekend, as a way of trying out the rules before next Thursday’s club game. Post of Honour is
The Age of Fighting Sail, Post Captain, 1/1200 scale We fancied a trip to the sea this week, and opted for a frigate action. While we use Far Distant Ships for fleet actions, for the smaller stuff I opt for Post Captain, from the same people who produce General Quarters. While they claim you can
The Napoleonic Wars, Shadow of the Eagles, 28mm The idea of this little game came from a “tabletop teaser” published in an old copy of Battlegames magazine. Unusually the author wasn’t Charles S. grant, but his son Charlie. In this one, the 6×4 foot table was dominated by two small Russian hamlets and a farm.
The Second World War, Chain of Command, 28mm We returned to our Chain of Command pint-sized campaign this week – “Operation Martlet”. This was the second scenario, called “Pushing On”. Essentially it saw a platoon of the Royal Scots Fusiliers moving deeper into the Normandy village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel. We fought Scenario 1 “Probe into Fontenoy”
The French & Indian War, Rebels and Patriots, 28mm This week it was just Sean and I, so he opted for a French & Indian Wars game. I got to choose the scenario though, which involved the French building a bridge across the Mohawk River, so they could bring their big guns into action against
Ironclads, Dahlgren & Columbiad, 1/600 scale About seven years ago, I refought the Battle of Helgoland, the premier naval clash of the Prusso-Danish War of 1864. The battle actually involved the Austrians too, as allies of the Prussians, but the name of this little war sidestepped the awkwardness of a three-cornered title. Anyway, after being
The English Civil War, For King & Parliament, 28mm With others away south it was just Sean and I this week. So, we reprised our roles as the Earls of Doncaster and Rotherham and resumed our intermittent fictional campaign set in ECW Yorkshire. This time, the Royalist Earl of Doncaster (Sean) was busily besieging the
The Second World War, Chain of Command, 28mm A few weeks ago, Sean and I agreed to embark on a “pint-sized campaign” for Chain of Command. We settled on Operation Martlet, set in Normandy, and this was the first scenario. On the day though, as there were just three of us, Nick took charge of
The Roman World, To the Strongest, 28mm This was going to be a larger game, with Late Greeks and Balkan barbarians, but two of the players had to cry off. So, as it was just Sean and I, we hastily revamped our forces, and staged this small game, set during Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. Surprisingly,
The Age of Fighting Sail, Far Distant Ships, 1/1200 scale When I was south last week I picked up two battle-ready French ships-of-the-line. My friend Jack Glanville had kindly painted and rigged them for me. So, we decided to stage another fleet action, with the 74s Pluton and Duguay-Trouin reinforcing the French contingent. In this
The French & Indian War, Muskets & Tomahawks, 28mm At long last. I haven’t been to a “League of Gentlemen Wargamers” weekend since Covid first reared its head. This weekend though, ended that drought. As usual we gathered in Kirriemuir near Dundee – a long ferry trip and a short drive away for me –
Queen Victoria’s Little Wars, The Men who would be Kings, 28mm We headed off to the Transvaal this week, for a Colonial-era game set in the 2nd Boer War. In this one, the Boers had been defeated, and were retreating in some disorder. To buy time though, a small rearguard decided to hold off the
The Ironclad Era, Dahlgren & Columbiad, 1/600 scale About ten years ago, during a trip to the States, I bought a load of Thoroughbred Models – lovely 1/600 scale metal kits. They were a mix of American Civil War ironclads and wooden-hulled steam-powered ships. On a whim though, I painted up the latter as Danish,
