Miniature Wargames

1/1200 Ancient Naval Basing

The 1/1200 scale ancient ships were temporarily re-based for Hail, Agrippa! simply by sticking the old individual bases to cardboard. In order to use the same ships for various game systems, they are being fitted with rare earth magnets. Custom 40 mm x 130 mm magnetic hardboard bases were made by Good Ground LLC. The magnetic material on the bases is intended for transport using steel drawers. Here they are being used upside down so the rare earth magnets on the ships will stick. This allows for variations in the type, number and positions of ships.

[Edit: Since the Good Ground bases are magnetic, a piece of ferrous metal on the bottom of the ship model works as well or better than a rare earth magnet. My recent ships have been built using a small zinc-plated steel washer or a square of tin-plated steel sheet. This is easier and cheaper than the magnets.]

Tap wrench used as a large pin vice to drill holes for magnets.

From the left: Right side up, upside down, painted.

Magnets in Navwar ships.

Line ahead formation.

Line abreast formation.

Black Powder: Oudenarde 1708

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a War of Spanish Succession battle at the Dogs of War shop using the Black Powder rules. The scenario was (very) loosely based on the Battle of Oudenarde, 11 July 1708.

The battle was played until one side had 7 units shaken or destroyed. The French reached 7 while the Allies were at 6. The French battalion defending Eyne held out for the entire battle.

French General Biron’s command begins near the village of Eyne. The rest of the French army is arriving at the top of the photo. The Allied army is arriving at lower left after crossing the River Scheldt at Oudenarde.

Infantry assault Eyne while cavalry attempt to pass between Eyne and the river.

Most of both armies deployed. The French have a cavalry reserve in the center. The Allies have uncommitted infantry on the far right.

WWI Naval Battle – Dogger Bank

This Dogger Bank scenario starts at 7:20 am January 24th, 1915, just after the initial contacts.

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 22,000 yards. Wind east by north at 10 knots. Seastate 1.

Status at the end of the game: dogger-status

Damage output file: Dogger-out

Plot of ship movements:
First 40 minutes Dogger-plot-1-40
Last 35 minutes Dogger-plot-40-end

The German battle cruisers form quarter line so that the rear ships can avoid the smoke of the lead ships.

The British sail east and then south to get between the Germans and the Jade.

The Lion, leading the British line, sinks from accumulated hits.

Rather than trying to escape to the southeast, the Germans decide to fight it out. [It would not be much of a game otherwise.] They maneuver to close the range while keeping their guns bearing and avoiding smoke obstruction. Although the gunnery duel is about even, the larger force of British cruisers and destroyers would probably prevent the heavily damaged German battle cruisers from reaching port.

Bolt Action – Normandy 1944

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Bolt Action game. German forces defend three objectives against a British assault. The terrain table was by Real Terrain.

Elements of the British 185th Brigade push south toward Caen from Sword Beach just after D-Day on June 8th 1944. The Germans are troops from the 716th Infantry Division.

The two British tanks can only cross using this bridge.

After surviving lots of fire, the Churchill is knocked out.

British infantry on the left clear one objective of defenders, but the attack in the center fails as most of the infantry and both British tanks are eliminated.

WWI Naval Battle – Horn Reef, November 1914

The portions of the Grand and High Seas fleets that were not involved in the Kattegat battle had their own action at the same time. The British 1st and 4th Battle Squadrons, providing distant cover for the Kattegat force, are engaged by the newer German dreadnoughts steaming north from the Jade (Battle Squadron III and Scouting Group I).

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 20,000 yards. Wind westerly at 12 knots. Seastate 3.

Status at the end of the game: Sk Horn status

Damage output file: SK-horn-hits

Plot of ship movements: First 35 minutes sk-plot-horn-1-35
Last 35 minutes sk-plot-horn-35-end

Map:

Both fleets begin to form battle lines headed east. The top of the photo is north.

A signal sent to the wrong division delays the British deployment. The German dreadnoughts are out of range, so the German battle cruisers take most of the British fire in the early turns.