The League of Augsburg

A grand fleet - Charles II's battleships 1666

At Partizan this year I am doing something different. I am running a 'demo rules-workshop' where anyone curious about Anglo-Dutch naval wargaming can come along, throw a few dice, try a few mechanisms and ask lots of questions. 

Line of battle developed between 1652 and 1660

I will set up gaming scenarios in three different scales to explain the scope of...

If you don't know much about the Four Days Battle of 1666 there is a hole in your life! This epic sea battle between the Restoration English Navy and that of the Dutch Republic involved a massive number of ships - around 160, over 40,000 men and in excess of 9,000 guns. It was fought over four days (hence the name!) with some fighting also happening at night.

It is crammed full of desperate...

6 x 4 table 1/4800 scale

An express taken by the yacht Zwole from Michiel de Ruyter to The States General following an action on July 24th 1666

It is my misfortune to report to the States General that in an encounter with the English fleet under His Highness and the Lord Albemarle, my own squadron was unable to impress upon the enemy that a conflict between our nations leaves no winner. With the...

Set up on a 6 x 4 table

Where to begin? The last battle was a decisive victory for the English fleet. This encounter sees de Ruyter’s large 1^stsquadron of the Dutch fleet, badly battered after a day of engaging the Duke of Albemarle off the Suffolk coast. Having broken off in the late afternoon, the Dutch are heading southeast to regroup, repair and replenish when to windward, they spot twenty-one...

I worked on a lot of scenario stuff during the holiday break being confined to bed with the lurgy. One such was the latest free 4Play scenario set focused on Mad for War. 

It is imaginatively titled - Mad for Wargaming! It features three unusual scenarios

The first has a lone VOC ship facing a flotilla of Chinese pirate junks and fireships of various sizes in the spice islands of Indonesia. If you...

I have been working on a Fleet level version of Mad for War which slots in very well with the current rules. It is a while since I managed to make any videos so I crammed this one in before the turn of the year.

It is a walk through the mechanics as worked out using 2D ship counters before I go for the 3d model versions. I chose a section of the fleets from the famous Four Days Battle of 1666. 

Happ...

Dekeres, Hexeres, Quinqureme

Here is the scope and detail of the range as we come close to launch. All packs contain metal bases for each ship.Sails and masts can be bought separately as many who game with galleys do not use sails on the their models and making them an accessory seemed the best way to offer the range. I will go to a pre order stage first with delivery scheduled for January 2022....

The game set up - 1/1200 scale, 2 x 4 table Mad for War rules

This encounter, set around 255 BC sees a Carthaginian relief fleet attempting to land supplies to support a hard-pressed army on the western tip of Sicily near Trapani. The Romans are blockading the island and the escort must penetrate the screen of Roman ships and navigate through narrow island channels to reach a bay in which other...

Capital units of the Swedish fleet head north towards Stockholm, June 1st 1676

..... I will get to play my Christmas game which this year I have decided is a version of the Battle of Öland, June 1st 1676. This will be my largest effort with 1/1200 17th century ships and my target is to included 36 models. That leaves me about four weeks to paint up 7-8 ships several of which are big 'uns.

Highly...

The Greek line spots the attacking Egyptians

Dave and Colin were introduced to the delights of galley warfare through a little Friday night scenario. Dave assumed the mantle of the heroic Greeks whilst Colin donned the robes of the Persian Empire as an Egyptian squadron off the eastern coast of Greece in 480 BC.

The Greek squadron turns to face the threat

Equal forces and a variation on the scenario...