The League of Augsburg

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...

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Triremes - aphract and cataphract - very common for over 200 years.

Warfare Miniatures will soon be releasing an extensive range of 1/1200 metal warships covering the period 500 BC till the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. This is a further consolidation of our naval offer. The ships are designed by the same talented artist who created the Anglo-Dutch Wars ships range.

The scenario...

28mm set up for Prince Rupert's shore foray at Dakar, Africa 1652 - finished boards

I recently acquired a number of TSS terrain boards. I have always tinkered with these when using them and decided to do a quick terrain building project just to stimulate my creative needs. There has been too much business, casting, orders, packing etc recently and I needed to get back to what I really enjoy which...

Niels Juel's ships sailing off Rugen Island in 1676

This scenario and video brings together the two largest warships in the navies of Sweden and Denmark. The 108 gun Sophia Amalia takes on the 124 gun Stora Kronan in an epic duel off Rugen Island in 1676. 

Clin and I played this one out last week and I just finished the video tonight. It was another really enjoyable game but this time we really...

Sophia Amalia - 3D printed @ 1/1200 with scratchbuilding on masts

I bought a 1/600 scale 3D print file of a 17th century ship and got a friend to print the Sovereign of the Seas file in 1/1200 scale as I have no printer. I wanted to see the quality and have a go at painting the model. We also printed in 1/600 scale. The file was from Gilded Sails/Wargaming 3D.

Photo show the 3D print in 1/600 beside...

Kronan heels over in a gust of wind - WiP shot - not yet finished

I am working on various projects right now including several in 28mm but none of those are quite ready for sharing. This little flight of fancy however, is.

The Battle of Öland which occurred on June 1^st1676 during the Skåne War was a major fleet engagement and a disastrous defeat for Sweden. In terms of drama on the high seas, it...