Battlegames Magazine #26 Quick Picks


Title: Battlegames Magazine Cost: 9 GBP or approx $14.73 USD (outside of Europe)

We scoured the latest issue of Battlegames Magazine and have chosen 5 Quick Picks for your perusal. If you hate reading the entire mag, have a short attention span, or just want the best here’s 5 sections you can’t miss. Our top pick is the Rules and the eclipse of generalship article by David C.R. Brown.

Don’t forget to read the complete table of contents for BG #26 from our article Inside Battlegames Magazine #26!

  1. Editorial p. 3. Neil Shuck announced as new contributor for Forward Observer!
  2. Meet the flockers p. 4-6. Everything Diane Sutherland writes is worth reading. She is a major reason why I subscribe to this magazine. This article provides an affordable and helpful way to make tons of flock. If you’re making a game table, basing an army, or adding some green to terrain then this is a MUST READ article.
  3. Forward observer p. 7-8. Mike Siggins hits it out of the park again with lots of gaming interests. His coverage of the Italian Lifecolor paints is intriguing. I am very, very sad to see him go…but what a way to go.
  4. Rules and the eclipse of generalship p. 9-12. I’ve never put this much thought into game mechanics and rule sets. Thankfully, David C. R. Brown did. His article really makes you think about the games you play. Are they worth your time? You’re likely to agree with David or shout shenanigans.
  5. Command challenge – bridgehead breakout p. 17-21. As soon as I began reading this tabletop teaser/scenario I couldn’t get Flames of War out of my head. This would be PERFECT for a larger themed game. Bill Protz ingeniously describes how to play this out down to recommended forces. Beautiful pictures and a gorgeous map provide the necessary eye candy. After reading this I want to rush out and give it a play.

Inside Battlegames Magazine #26


Title: Battlegames Magazine Cost: 9 GBP or approx $14.73 USD (outside of Europe)

Wondering if the new Battlegames is worth purchasing? The table of contents below tells you what issue #26 covers. There’s plenty of thought-provoking content on generalship and DBA.

This month has 56 pages of Battlegames goodness to feast your eyes on. Use the below table of contents and Quick Picks, in an upcoming post, to guide your visual appetite.

  • Editorial p. 3 Henry Hyde welcomes readers, highlights the contents, and unveils a new contributor.
  • Meet the flockers p. 4 “Diane Sutherland is up to her elbows in green dye as she describes how to mass-produce scatter material for wargames terrain. You’ll never look at pet bedding in the same way again.”
  • Forward Observer. p. 7 “Mike Siggins has got his ear to the ground as always, listening for the latest trends, and concludes with something of a sad surprise”.
  • Rules and the eclipse of generalship. p. 9 “Well-known author of General de Brigade Dave Brown voices some strong reservations about certain aspects of modern rulesets. You’ll either love or hate this one!”
  • DBA at 21. p. 13″Coincidentally countering some of Dave’s arguments in the previous article, respected Dark Ages author and rules writer Dan Mersey celebrates the fact that Phil Barker’s oft-misunderstood De Bellis Antiquitatis ruleset is still alive and kicking after more than two decades, quite a feat for any ruleset.”
  • Command challenge p. 17 — “bridgehead breakout. The second in our new series of scenarios is brought to us by American gamer Bill Protz who, as well as being feted for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Seven Years War, also happens to be a huge fan of WW2 gaming, and proves it with this exciting early war encounter between German and French forces at the River Meuse.”
  • Treading the boards. p. 22 “Popular podcaster Neil Shuck heralds his new post here at Battlegames with an overview of the current board wargame market, highlighting a plethora of products likely to be of interest to those of you who normally enjoy miniatures gaming.”
  • The Grenouissian Intermezzo, part 1. p. 26 “Many of you are aware that I spent a wonderful weekend umpiring a mammoth imagi-nations campaign and series of games at the end of April, and this is the first part of my report, detailing why and how the undertaking was organised and setting the scene for the campaign. Those of you who enjoyed my Faltenian Succession articles, or are just keen on campaigns, should find plenty to get your teeth into here.”
  • Hidden deployment for Warmaster. p. 33 “The second author to appear to be playing ‘away from home’ this issue is Pete Jones, author of Blitzkrieg Commander, who comes up with some great ideas for concealment and surprise whbich can, of course, be easily transferred to any ruleset.”
  • Recce p. 41 “New goodies reviewed by our team”
  • The Battlegames Combat Stress Appeal: update p. 42″Our campaign to help support ex-service personnel continues”
  • Competition and classified ads p. 42 “Another great competition”
  • Events June-August p. 43 Gaming events for June and July

So Long Tom, and Thanks For All The Fish

There’s been some reorganizing happening here lately. Tom Barbalet has decided to leave the CWF Game Cast. He has many projects he is working on such as his books, roleplaying game, model railroading, and numerous other podcasts.

His encouragement to restart this podcast and his help co-hosting will be missed. We are most thankful to him for all he’s done.

So, what does this mean for the podcast and blog? Jonathan will be hosting the podcast on his own. He is looking for potential guests to interview. In addition, his friend Drew McCarthy will be a frequent guest co-host. Drew owns his own gaming blog and podcast, The Gate Stormers, and he will be an invaluable guy to have around.

The show will continue its standard weekly release schedule. Please bear with us as we adjust to the new changes. There are a lot of great topics and guests lined up for upcoming shows. In fact, three amazing guests will be appearing soon.

    Upcoming Guests

Henry Hyde, owner and editor of Battlegames Magazine, champions the British charity Combat Stress, co-hosts View from the Veranda with Neil Shuck, and blogger.

Derek Lloyd, owner of Battleground Games & Hobbies (Abington and Plainville locations) and long time Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer.

Chase Laquidara, manager of Battleground Games & Hobbies Plainville and avid Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer.

Don’t be shy with your comments and constructive criticism. That makes this a better show and better blog.

Thank you everyone!
-Jonathan

CWF Game Cast Episode 57 FIXED: Neil Shuck and Force on Force

CWF #57 FIXED: Neil Shuck and Force on Force Download (682)

FIXED version of Episode 57. iTunes shows wrong audio length. This new entry is the full Episode 57. If you previously downloaded Episode 51 you got the bad version. Please download this version. This only impacts those who download episodes via iTunes. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.

Host Tom Barbalet and guest Neil Shuck, of the Meeples & Miniatures podcast, analyze Osprey Publishing‘s Force on Force rules. The duo provide an in depth review of that ruleset. Neil recommends Flying Lead‘s Hearts & Minds expansion by Ganesha Games and Charlie Don’t Surf by Too Fat Lardies as alternative modern age rulesets depicting insurgency warfare.

Tom and Neil briefly address the question “What is fun?” and the dynamic of wargamer vs. gamer. As part of this discussion Neil admits to having a secret dislike of Battlefront Miniature‘s Flames of War ruleset because, based on his experiences, it promotes powergaming and cheesy lists.

After bantering on the topic, Tom moves the discussion onto Salute 2011. Neil reveals his “survival rules” for Salute, which can be applied to any gaming con. The discussion flows into covering Beasts of War and Battlefront’s acquisition of Wargames Illustrated magazine. Neil uses that to explain the importance of independent gaming coverage.

The show winds down with the the Music to Game By segment with Bailey Records’ “Dogs of War” from Stratos’ album Cybernet Official Roleplaying Soundtrack and the new Battlegames Magazine promo.

As always we conclude with a message from our sponsor, 12-7-Games.com, contest sponsor Battlegames Magazine, our Creative Commons license and contact information (find us on Facebook and Twitter).

We hope you enjoy this episode of the CWF Game Cast and are eager for your feedback (both positive remarks and constructive criticism). Send it all to cwfgamecast at wargamingforums dot com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, or Xbox Live with gamertag cwfgamecast.

Our intro song is “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

4th Annual 40k Megabatttle

I’m sitting here in the grand ballroom of the Holiday Inn in Rockland, Massachusetts. The fourth annual Warhammer 40k Megabattle hosted by Battleground Games & Hobbies has been going since 9am this morning.

Over 160 thousand points spread over 40 gamers are battling across a dozen 4×6 tables depicting a landscape changing from muddy swamps to snowy peaks. The forces of Order have been inflicting heavy losses on the forces of Disorder.

A game of this magnitude progresses glacially. At most four turns will be played. The game is currently in its second turn. For comparison, a standard 40k game features 1,500-2,000 pts per player and lasts six turns.

I am live-blogging this highlight of the gaming social calendar for southeastern Massachusetts. One titan was blown up and more recently the Ultramarines lost a Thunderhawk. You will be able to see many photos of this event when they get uploaded to this blog. I also shot video of a few smaller combats.

Throughout the course of the day I interviewed observers, participants, and organizers. The next episode of our podcast will feature my co-host Tom Barbalet and our friend Neil Shuck reviewing Osprey Publishing’s Force on Force rules. The one after that will be our after action report for today’s event.

Updates will be wired out as news pours in of changing battle conditions. It is now 4:36pm and the event should end around 10pm.

4:53pm Both thunderhawks are DESTROYED! Forces of Disorder are in jubiliation.