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 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,
The Napoleonic Wars, The Shadow of the Eagles, 28mm These rules were a big hit the last time we played them. So, we decided to give them another spin. One of the things we all like is that they’re simple and fast play enough to let us easily finish a game in a club night.
The Second World War, What a Tanker!, 15mm (1/100 scale) This week we held our AGM, which inevitably sucked up some time. It all went fairly smoothly though; Lindsay was re-elected as Madam Chair, Gyles as Treasurer, while I managed to slope off my Secretarial responsibilities to young Chris. We also adopted a constitution for
The Spanish Civil War, Chain of Command, 28mm This week we were off to sunny Spain, for a small Chain of Command skirmish. For this, Sean provided the Nationalist Banda Nacional platoon, while I brought my platoon of the Republican Ejercito Popular (EPR). For once I didn’t field these as International Brigaders, despite the flag.
The Age of Fighting Sail, Far Distant Ships, 1/1200 scale Last Trafalgar Day we played a Napoleonic era fleet action using Osprey’s Fighting Sail rules. I thought they were quite fun and fast to play, but I had quite a few reservations about them. The amendments posted on the rules’ Facebook page helped, but they
The Roman World, Infamy, Infamy!, 28mm The last time I played Infamy, Infamy! I drank so much gin I barely remember what happened. This time though, I stayed firmly on the wagon. I missed the regular club game this week, but fortuitously my London-based wargaming pal Dave was up in Orkney, and I managed to
Mary Queen of Scots’ Wars, The Pikeman’s Lament, 28mm This week we were in central Scotland, fighting a skirmish set in the Marian Civil War (1568-73). I’ve been painting up my figures for this period, and reckon I have enough for both sides. In this game, taken from Scenario C in the rule book, the
The Napoleonic Wars, Shadow of the Eagles, 28mm This week we decided to try out a new set of Napoleonic Rules. These were produced by Partizan Press, and were written by Keith Flint. I’d heard some good things about them – they were meant to be fast and fun – just what I like in
The Age of Fighting Sail, Post Captain, 1/1200 scale Two naval games back to back is a rarity. To be fair, in between, during the whole Christmas and New Year period, the wargame club here has been closed. In fact its still shut, thanks to Covid, although with luck that’ll change soon. So, this game
