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.
The Seven Years War, Honours of War, 28mm It’s been a while since I’ve played a Seven Years War game. I think the last was just before ‘Sean 2’ slunk away south. So, I was delighted when visiting wargamer Sam said he liked the period, and we were able to stage a small game. In
The Roman World, To the Strongest, 28mm This was something of a new departure for me. For the last few months, among other things, I’ve been painting up two Ancient armies. It started as an idle thought, and turned into a project! So, this was my first outing for my new armies – the Late
Ironclads, Dahlgren & Columbiad, 1/600 scale This small game was an attempt to re-acquaint myself with these simple but effective rules. During the Prusso-Danish War of 1864, the Danes blockaded the Prussian naval base of Stralsund on the Baltic. In this fictitious game, Capt. Jachmann commanding the blockaded Prussian squadron is attempting to launch a
The Second World War, Bag the Hun, 1/300 scale We’ve had a dearth of games lately, for various reasons – largely because it’s summer, and people are off doing summery things. Anyway, Nick and I managed to play a game, and as a treat he brought in his vast 1/300 Battle of Britain collection. I
The Great War, Black Powder (adapted), 28mm These League of Gentlemen Wargamer weekends usually fit a pattern. Initial games are followed by a big game, which reaches its climax on Sunday forenoon. Then we pack up and go home. Always, on the Saturday night, there’s an evening of food, drink and wargames chat – sometimes
The Great War, Black Powder (adapted), 28mm There’s been a dearth of wargaming over the past few weeks, mainly as my main gaming chums are either holidaying or working on archaeological digs. So, it was a real pleasure to hop on the ferry to Aberdeen, and head to Kirriemuir, for the latest League of Gentleman
Misc. (Air War over Korea) Bag the Hun, 1/300 scale We took to the skies again this week – well, Nick and I did, in another Korean War dogfight. Nick took the Allied side, with four USAF F-80 Shooting Stars, two USAF F-51 Mustangs and three Fleet Air Arm Sea Furies. I had three Mig-15s,
Bismarck’s Wars, Fire & Fury, 10mm With Sean away digging holes in the rain-sodden countryside (he’s an sore-kneed archaeologist), Nick and I delved into the Franco-Prussian War, and this game based loosely on the Battle of Spichern, one of those frontier battles in August 1870. Nick’s two divisions of French were charged with holding the
Misc. (Air War over Korea), Bag the Hun, 1/300 scale I don’t really play flying games. The last time was a WW1 game some 16 years ago. However, some of the guys at the Orkney club are into them, so I thought I’d dip my toe into the water. I bought some little planes from
The Second World War, Chain of Command, 28mm I asked Sean what he fancied playing this week, and he opted for a World War 2 game using Chain of Command. So, that’s what we did. He’d be running late, so we started without him, with Nick opting to be the Americans, in Sean’s stead. This
The English Civil War, For King & Parliament, 28mm I’ve been remiss. Trips away and work got in the way of wargaming, and of posting games. My apologies, and I’ll do better, I promise! This clash was a renewal of the fictitious fight between the Royalist Earl of Doncaster (Sean) and his Parliamentarian counterpart the
The Napoleonic Wars, Shadow of the Eagles, 28mm This small Napoleonic game was based on a scenario from Grant & Asquith’s Scenarios for All Ages (1996), a book I often turn to for fun gaming ideas. this one, called ‘Breakout’ has a force guarding a ford, pursued by a slightly larger force. However, a light
The Second World War, Iron Cross, 10mm We fancied a ‘treadfest’ this week, and that’s exactly what we got! Sean and I (with some help from Aly) staged a small 10mm game set on the Eastern Front, shortly after Kursk. Sean took the Soviets, which left me with Das Reich. The game was played out
The Roman World, To the Strongest, 28mm I missed out on a game last week as I had a veterans’ meeting, but this week we were back, and off to modern-day Belgium. This encounter game was set near Ghent, on the small Narkin River, a tributary of the Schelde, or the Scaldis in Roman times. A
The American Civil War, Brigade Fire & Fury, 28mm For a while now, I’ve been building up units for the American Civil War. At first I was just doing Union troops, but when ‘Sean 2’ moved away with his Confederates I had to raise them too. This was their first outing. Sean (formerly ‘Sean 1’)
The Seven Years War, Honours of War, 28mm I hadn’t been at the wargame club for ages, so it was a pleasure to make it this week, and to have a wee game with Sean. [Note: He was ‘Sean 1’, but he’s back to ‘Sean’ again, as ‘Sean 2’ has moved away!] Anyway, he wanted
The Back of Beyond, The Men Who Would Be Kings, 28mm Hurrah! With Spring almost upon us it was time for the first ‘League of Gentlemen Wargamers’ get-together of the year! that involves a weekend in Kirriemuir (just an hour’s drive from the ferry port at Aberdeen), a large game, and a chance to catch
