Sabotag3d Aircraft for Algy Goes Down Under

We've had friends staying over the weekend so I've not been at the workbench at all. Before they arrived, however, I cleaned up,q magnet based and undercoated some 1/300th scale Sabotag3d aircraft for the Algy Goes Down Under Lard Mag project. I was a bit miffed to have to get the polarity right for the magnets, as I don't usually have to bother, but apart from that it wasn't too much of a faff. There are six F2B Bristol Fighters and a single RE8 to paint up over the undercoat of Army Painter German Field Grey, which was all I had in the rattle can collection. Next, will be the PC10 for which I'll use the usual Foundry Phlegm Green Shade, perhaps lightened a touch with some Phlegm Green. 

Farting about with Firing Arcs for Algernon Pulls It Off!

Revised Firing Arc Diagram 

Ring and Rail Mount Flexible Gun Arcs

Fe2b/d Observer Pintle Mount Gun Arcs

Oblique Left or Right Fixed Pilot Gun Arcs

Be2c/d Bar Mounted Observer Gun Arcs 

Something that has caused quite a lot of confusion for players of Algy are the firing arcs for different aircraft, mainly because the diagram in the rules was lifted straight from Bag the Hun and doesn't correspond to the real thing or the aircraft data tables. I've been tinkering about with it and have modified the diagram by adding the blind spot for observers due to the tail, as well as rewriting the descriptors. The latter needs some tweaking but makes more sense than the existing text. I've also been experimenting with arcs of fire for particular aircraft and armament, using the diagram to mark out what can be targeted in each case. 

It seems to work with the caveat that the aircraft data tables for the RFC / RAF have to be ammended to match (they didn't make sense in the first place and don't correspond to the German equivalent either). I've posted some illustrative diagrams on the FB group but, this far, no one has made any comments, no doubt because it's a bit abstract and boring, unless you have actually uky tried to use the rules as they are for a game. Anyway, it's all useful stuff and I may well incorporate it into the Lard Mag article as a rules option.

1/300th 3D Printed Brisfits and a Harry Tate

                  

On the work bench now are some very nice but also scarily fragile 3D printed F2b Bristol Fighters and a single RE8, destined for the skies over Palestine in 1918. These were printed for me by Paul Edwards at Sabotag3d and they're super models but give me the fear as they're a little delicate. I've already snapped an RE8 so I'll have to be extra careful with the others. The paint scheme for the Brisfits is also a challenge as they were often given white panels to keep the crew from overheating, so some careful brush work will be needed I think! 

Chocks Away!

I'm just starting the background research for the Lard Mag Algy article on No.1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps in Palestine c1917-18.

It turns out that there is a lot of potential for some good Algy games, primarily featuring the Brisfit, but also the Be2c, Be12, RE8 and Martynside G100 Elephant, for the AFC.

The Germans will be able to deploy Rumpler and AEG 'C' type two seaters, escorted on occasion by Albatros DIII, Albatros DVa and Pfalz DIII scouts.

The decision I have to make now is on a scale for play testing. I usually opt for 1/600th for cost/time reasons, but I'm also considering 1/300th, as I have quite a lot of what's required already in the 3D printed pile from Sabotag3d. 

It's a toss up between being able to paint up almost everything I need quite quickly and having more detailed models that might be good fun to paint, albeit at a slower pace. I'd also need to order some more 3D printed models to cover the earlier phase of the campaign.

May be I should just flip a coin?! 

Algy Lard Mag Plan B

After reading up on the Paraguayan Civil War for potential Algy scenarios, it is looking a bit of a stretch, although a couple of actions could be turned into workable games with a bit of imagination. So, to cut to the chase, I'm now going back to an idea I had months ago instead, focusing on No.1 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps during the latter stages of the campaign in Palestine. There's enough in this to create at least half a dozen decent scenarios, with most of the aircraft readily available in different scales. It's early days but I'll get started next month on the preliminary reading and research. 

Napoleonic Naval Spanish Third Rates

It's back from the holiday so back to the workbench to finish off three 1/2400th Third Rates for the Spanish Fleet. These are the 80 gun San Rafael with the 75 gun Algerciras and Bahama. I have another four of these to assemble, hopefully by the end of the week, after which I'm going to wrap up the summer production line with a handful of Royal Navy second rates. 

Solo Vietnam Skirmish Campaigns

This popped up on the Ganesha Games group last week and I thought it sounded right up my street - designed for solo wargaming, a small number of figures, compact terrain and a full narrative campaign system - what's not to like? The rule book arrived while I was away so I've only just had a flick through but I'm enthused, which is a rare occurrence these days, being a grumpy old git. Anyway, I'm going to do some number crunching and rummaging in the lead pile, the current train of thought being either 15mm or 10mm with Hexon tiles for the terrain layout. If I can stretch it to French Indochina then even better. A project for next year perhaps? 

Yes, we have no bananas..

I'm back from the holiday at last, which means I can also get back to the workbench, once the unpacking and tidying up is done. One thing I'll be looking into is a potential Plan B Algy article for the Lard Mag, which is going to focus on the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922. I now have the relevant Helion Publishing book for this and, together with some sage advice from Nick, I'm hoping to be able to scrabble together a few scenarios, at least one of which will feature the eponymous ace himself. It's early days but I think I can write up a decent submission, especially if I add some semi-historical 'What If?' twists, the working title being 'Algy Goes Bananas'... just don't hold your breath! 

Bag The Hun Lard Mag Break

                                        

After some more thought I've also decided not to submit an article for Bag the Hun to the Lard Mag this year. I've had articles and scenarios published in several magazines and specials over the last few years but I think I need a break, as it takes a lot of time to research, write, play test and draft each submission. I do sometimes wonder if it's worth it, to be honest. Not that I don't have some good material to work on, which I will save for later issues. Anyway, time for a break from Bag the Hun...hopefully someone else will take up the challenge? 

Cromwell's (Mad for War)s at Sea

The last book of the holidays is a re-read of this excellent book on the English Civil War and Anglo Dutch War naval theme, which I have previously dipped into for wargaming inspiration. This might give some clues about what I'm thinking of doing this autumn as far as naval wargaming is concerned, as I've had enough of air wargaming for the moment and want to focus on nautical projects instead. I've not had a crack at Mad for War yet, despite having the rulebook and lots of model options in several different scales, so it's one of the things at the top of the list once I get back home in a few days. 

Algy's Aeronautical Almanac Grounded

After some considerable thought and based on what I've collated thus far, I don't think that it's the right time to put together the Algy Aeronautical Almanac article for this year's Lard Mag. As a result, I'm going to bump it over to the following issue, by which time there should be enough additional material to make it worthwhile. A big thank you to Mervyn Douglas and Chris Stoesen for contributing their ideas and resources, which will be stored for later development. Don't panic though...there will be something submitted for Algy this year that I have up my sleeve. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on an article for Bag the Hun instead, for which I'll be able to dedicate more time for research, writing and play testing. 

Tally Ho!

Napoleonic Naval Spanish Frigates

I'm almost at the end of the assembly line for the 1/2400th Napoleonic Naval ships, the penultimate launch being these sixth rate 34 gun Spanish Mahonesa class frigates alongside an unrated 18 gun Xebec, which as yet has no name. I really like the Tumbling Dice 28/32 gun frigate model (ASN11) which comes with an integral base and is easy to assemble. I've used it for the 34 gun frigates as it is just about the right size and layout compared to contemporary illustrations, as you can see from the painting. 

Algy's 'Bang On' Bombing Raid Generator

I've devised scenario generator rules for dogfights and balloon busting games but not for reconnaissance or bombing raids, so I'm going to start working up the latter for the Lard Mag article. This shouldn't be difficult as the bombing rules in Algernon Pulls It Off are very simple, making it a straightforward job to add the mechanics to set up a tactical bombing sortie. As always the proof will be in the pudding, so some play testing will be required to firm things up and iron out any wonky bits. Tally Ho! 

Magasin de Presse

 

A bit of a desert at the newsagents now, as the publisher of all of the excellent air, land and naval military magazines has gone under, leaving Vae Victis as the only magazine that is worth it. This month's issue includes a game based on the Paris Commune which looks good, as well as an article with scenarios for Indochina... not bad at all! I've been thinking about rebooting my 10mm or 15mm French Indochina war project recently, so this is a good result, once I've translated the text with my dodgy French! 

Napoleonic Naval Spanish Heavies

 

I'm onto the Spanish Fleet now, starting off with three 112 gun second rates, Santa Ana, Principe de Asturias and Mejicano, alongside the 130 gun Santissima Trinidad, as you can't really have a Spanish fleet without her. The models are the Tumbling Dice First Rate (ASN1) and Second Rate (ASN2) which do the job nicely. Next will be some third rate 80 and 74 gun sloggers, before I wrap things up with a couple of sixth rate frigates. 

Fighting Ships

Quite possibly my penultimate book of the summer holidays, one which I've read before in parts but which deserves more focused attention, something that I don't usually have time for outside the occasional weekend. This is a very well written and concise study in two halves, the first detailing the ship designs, crews, tactics and day to day fleet organisation of the period, while the second explains the principal campaigns and significant battles of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The emphasis is on the Royal Navy but that doesn't detract from the overall narrative or from a balanced, objective discussion of the French, Spanish and Dutch. A good read! 

Firing Arcs in Algernon Pulls It Off!

 

Original BTH diagram

 

First Edit

Second Edit

Final Edit 

I've been thinking about errata and optional rules to include in the Lard Mag Algy's Aeronautical Almanac article lately. One thing that has bugged me for ages is the defensive firing arc diagram, which was lifted unchanged from the original Bag the Hun rules, despite being designed for aircraft with tail and waist gunners. As a result, it makes no sense when applied to First World War aircraft, so I've worked up an alternative. This amalgamated the rear and waist gunner firing arcs, while removing the tail gunner position, replacing it with a 'dead zone' blocked by the tail. I did consider narrowing this down to the hexes immediately to the rear of the aircraft, giving the observer a wider field of fire to the rear, but I am wary that this makes tracing a clear line of hexes to the target a bit tricky. I'm waiting for some feedback from other players first before I make up my mind. 

Winchester Shieldwall

I'm very pleased to have booked myself a ticket for this wargaming event in November, which is taking place in my home town and an easy walk from my house to the venue, which makes a welcome change. The local club is running a game but I'm not involved in that, which frees me up to grab a slot on something else, my first choice being Chivalry and Honour, a spin off set of medieval rules based on Strength and Honour. I expect that will be a popular choice, so I had better get in there as soon as the options are made available! 

Solo Napoleonic Naval Campaigning

This campaign system for Age of Sail games, specifically for use with Firm Line of Battle but also other rules, is now available from Long Face Games via Wargame Vault. I've wanted to do some more solo naval campaigning after really enjoying my What If? South American pre-dreadnought campaign a couple of years ago, so this looks like just the ticket. 

A while back Nick Jones was working on a Napoleonic campaign set up based on the Caribbean, which I thought sounded really good fun, so I may well take a leaf out of his book and run a small solo campaign myself. This would involve a limited number of ships but could expand to include full squadrons, should things escalate. 

The rules would probably be Far Distant Ships as I'm sure these will be compatible with Gales, Guns and Glory, as the author has written both. David also has a set of rules for frigate actions in the works, so that might also be an option for some of the games in the solo campaign. I just need to download a copy of the campaign system and work out how to set things up! 

INWarD 2026 Today

Napoleonic Naval Royal Navy Sixty Fours

Continuing the expansion of my 1/2400th scale Napoleonic Royal Navy fleet, I've added two more fourth rate two decker 64's to the existing complement of one, namely HMS Diadem. The two new models represent HMS Africa and HMS Polyphemus, both of which had long and successful service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. I was going to include the equally famous HMS Agamemnon but discovered that I didn't have an mdf base in the correct size, so she will have to be launched at a later date. The models are ASN6 from the Tumbling Dice range and very nice too! 

INWarD 2026 Napoleonic Naval Game

A few photos of my Napoleonic Naval game for INWarD 2026 this year, using Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail. This is a great set of rules and I'd forgotten how much fun it is to play, even for small solo games like this one. In the end it was a convincing, if not decisive victory for the Royal Navy, with the French sent packing and the 74 gun third rate Pluton battered into a wreck. In return, the British suffered minimal damage, while the French had some repairs to carry out back in Toulon. Admiral Lord Wensleydale is pleased to inform his lordships that duty has been done in the highest traditions of the senior service - Huzzah! - but Contre Admiral Roblochon will have a few questions to answer on his return...Zut Alors!