Reviews - July 2010

Reviews - July 2010 This months reviews include the Black Powder ruleset by Warlord Games, the books Bloodline: The Origins and Development of the Regular Formations of the British Army, Red Crown & Dragon: 53rd Welsh Division in North-West Europe 1944-1945 and The Complete Victoria Cross. In addition to the WWI in the East 28mm miniature range by Woodbine Designs/Gripping Beast.

Black Powder Warlord Games Retrospectively reviewed by Gary Mitchell. Now the smoke has cleared from the launch I think it’s time to re-assess Black Powder’s probable resonance, not least for the standard and philosophy it sets for glossy uber-presented rule sets, and whether it will be widely adopted. Let me explain. I did well on the Bring and Buy. Having already flirtatiously flicked through the tome on stands, having been teased the old come-on via magazine promo extracts, I decided to take the plunge and acquire. It was pure indulgence – but then I’m a sucker for a pretty book. I was careful, however, to reduce the cost of my affair by getting mine new for less than £20 new (including postage) via the ubiquitous Amazon.co.uk, purveyor of all things legible from the discreet comfort of one’s home. I’d read a lot in review about the rules. ‘The moves are too long’, said the critics. So, what do I find the authors scribe? ‘These distances suit us, feel free to amend them’. Ah! They were misquoted then. They said they were too ‘simplistic’. No, I’d say elegant, straightforward, easy to acquire, and in the case of ‘Close Combat’ hardly dumb.

Frankly they read fine to me (but then I don’t like complicated games that leaving your head spinning like a maths exam). One of the reasons for this clarity is that Black Powder is written in friendly, crystal-clear English - which I champion – by gentlemen who have drafted and re-drafted. I also very much like the idea of ‘basic’ and optional ‘advanced’ rules. ‘Don’t worry about that for the moment’, the friendly text frequently echoes The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. With this set you can make it a fussy or sweeping as you wish. Other criticisms? ‘You need big battalions’, they said. Ok, I’m happy to play down the club with friends. ‘You need lots of painted counters’. Only if you want – and with Black Powder it’s made clear visuals are part of the fun. ‘You can’t have a single set of rules for 1700-1900’. Well, yes, you can, you just have to accept the authors’ premise that wargaming is a fun abstract (hose of you wanting ‘historical accuracy’ please look away now). Black Powder will play well as a wargame, and therefore does what it says on the tin. Players are constantly reminded throughout the process is to be fun, and one can feel free to adopt, adapt and improve. The perfect antidote, in fact, to competitions. What I liked best about Black Powder was the read. The interesting sidebar documents and well-written text and captions are enthusiastic and marinated in humour, rules a pleasure to not so much ‘wade through’ as ‘paddle in’. The style of quasi-Edwardian chatter is Wellsian and engaging: phrases like gamers who possess ‘a whiff of accountancy’ show the writers are preaching to those of us who still realise it’s only a game. Visual literacy too?  Hey -check out the amusing ‘Black Lung Cigarette’ cards on the front cover – and the carefully selected quote from Wellington about ‘paperwork’ I was fortuitously able to photocopy and stick on my classroom wall in time for the OFSTED inspectors to studiously ignore. With Black Powder the gorgeous pictures of painted miniatures are also – frankly – ‘wargames porn’ of the best type and quality. Let’s be honest here guys, it’s like steam trains and aircraft, we only buy some journals for the piccys… Several months on from its launch it’s clear Black Powder won’t change the gaming world, but it has helped raise the bar in terms of rule production values, and helped re-focus gamers on the notion it’s about having a bit of a laugh with your mates. And if we lose sight of that we’ll lose the next generation to chat-rooms (or whatever it is they do in online gaming). Black Powder is a celebration and entertainment of the wargames hobby. Will I play the rules? Maybe if I win the lottery and get a big enough collection and space. Will I scan Black Powder and pinch ideas when in need of cheer and inspiration? Most definitely. Given Warlord Games’ range bring on the Ancient, Renaissance and Modern versions! Available from www.warlordgames.co.uk

Bloodline: The Origins and Development of the Regular Formations of the British Army By Iain Gordon. Pen & Sword, 2009. Reviewed by Neil Smith In Bloodline, acclaimed military biographer Iain Gordon Carmicheal constructs a visually entertaining and highly useful genealogy for every regular unit in the British Army. Unfortunately, the book’s impact is marred by an inexplicable editorial decision.

It is almost redundant to highlight the richness of the British army’s tradition and reputation, much of it gained in far-off lands that speak to the enormous task the army faced in creating and maintaining the British Empire. In his introductory overview, Gordon sketches how the army evolved from the twin strands of religious strife in the 16th and 17th centuries to become the pre-eminent fighting force in the world at the start of the 20th century before its apparent decline over the next hundred years. Gordon’s narrative hinges on the political decisions that shaped the army’s development, many of which he is clearly passionate about.  The bulk of the book analyzes the origins of the modern divisions of the British army. All modern divisions have their origins in the plethora of regiments formed at some point in the distant past. For various reasons, mostly economic, those regiments became conjoined to form new units, which in turn were subsumed into more new units, all the while retaining at least a patina of their regimental traditions. Thus the Scottish Division is made up from the Black Watch, the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and the Highlanders. The Fusiliers and Highlanders emerged from the amalgamation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Highland Light Infantry, the Seaforth Highlanders, and the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Gordon intersperses his reconstruction with the battle honours gained by all those regiments, an impressive list by any standards. The author also adds important information for the reader to continue their own research into the various regiments. Even the most casual military history observer will surely revel in tracing these potted histories. Bloodline is also impressively formatted and very easy to follow, not an easy feat for such a potentially complicated history. Every branch of the army receives the same meticulous consideration and attention to detail, even down to the musicians and padres. The overall British Army Battle Honours section that concludes Bloodline is also well organized and a mine of information by itself. Wargamers for any period involving the British army will undoubtedly find inspiration here that will send them scurrying to the library for more information and to figure manufacturers to get their ideas out on the table. So far, so good. With such a potentially excellent reference book on their hands, it is unfathomable to me that the editors for Pen & Sword would allow Gordon’s overview of British Army reforms to degenerate into a political polemic, parts of which I found offensive – what does immigration policy and welfare reform have to do with the evolution of the British army? I don’t blame Gordon for his strongly held opinions, even though I disagree with him and don’t accept his introductory apology. I do blame the editors for not guarding this otherwise excellent work from the author’s political predilections that taint the finished product.

Red Crown & Dragon: 53rd Welsh Division in North-West Europe 1944-1945 By Patrick Delaforce, Amberley Publisging PLC. Paperback, 223 pages and Index. Reviewed by Stephen Maggs. After four years of training in Ulster the 53rd Welsh Division entered its baptism of fire in 1944 on the beaches of Normandy, one of Monty’s ‘six’ green divisions.  As it was the only Welsh division, it had a lot to prove. This excellent publication details the division’s actions, including Le Cahier, Le Bon Repos and Evrecy.  In Normandy, where the author fought as a troop leader, the division won a VC and captured over 4,000 Germans in the Falaise Gap.  Despite mounting losses the division battled on and certainly proved its worth, taking part in the ferocious Lommel bridgehead battles.  Perhaps though the division’s greatest set-piece action was the taking of s-Hertogenbosch in October 1944, after a hard fought battle against 12,000 crack German defenders.  The division fought the panzers in the Ardennes, broke through the Siegfried Line, captured Weeze in the Rhineland and ended their war in Hamburg, their whole campaign costing them some 10,000 casualties.

This is a highly entertaining and informative book which relates the divisions slog across Europe and is a must for anyone interested in divisional histories.  For wargamers this book will prove its worth, for there are plenty of maps, detailing unit locations, direction of attacks and battlefield layouts.  The book is further complimented with photographs, some a little grainy, though this is only a minor fault, of combatants, vehicles and armour. I would certainly recommend this publication, a very good read. (First published in 1996 by Tom Donovan Publishing). www.amberley-books.com

The Compete Victoria Cross By Kevin Brazier, Pen & Sword. Reviewed by Neil Smith. Once in a while a book comes along that contains such prodigious research that you are left marveling at the author’s diligence and fortitude. Kevin Brazier’s The Complete Victoria Cross falls easily into that category. Like most encyclopedic works this is primarily for reference, but once you start reading it is difficult to stop and the time seemingly flies by, such is the level of awe you will undoubtedly feel when reading through the exploits of all those who won the Victoria Cross. The first Victoria Cross was awarded for an act of heroism on 21 June 1854, during the Crimean War. Over the next 156 years, 1355 men have received 1358 Victoria Crosses. Of those, eight were forfeited for dishonourable conduct until George V put an end to that practice. The recipients have ranged in age of 15 years old to 61 and came from all over the Empire and Commonwealth and very occasionally outside the British diaspora. They all have one thing in common; while serving in combat, they acted with “conspicuous bravery”. Brazier adds “humility, selflessness, courage, and determination” as character attributes for Victoria Cross recipients, and it would be hard to disagree with him even from the brief vignettes he provides in this monumental homage to valour.

The Complete Victoria Cross begins with Brazier’s introduction in which he claims if he had known the work involved he might never have started. I for one am very glad Brazier stayed on task because his chronological indexing of Victoria Cross recipients fills a significant gap in the British military library. Brazier lists all the recipients and tells the story of how they came to receive the highest accolade. Behind every potted account lies an incredible story, some of which are well known, while others have been lost in the collective legends of the British armed services. In addition, Brazier includes biographical information for the recipients and what happened to them. He concludes with an alphabetical list of VC winners and notation of where they are buried if known. My tiniest quibbles with The Complete Victoria Cross are the lack of a statistical overview of recipients that might light the path for further research and a lack of digital media tie-in. For example, is the number of suicides amongst VC winners higher than the statistical norm? And would it not be a wonderful project to continue the book’s findings on-line so that others can contribute to the project? Those thoughts aside, this is a wonderful book and a fitting tribute to the men who often gave everything for their cause. As a wargamer, if you haven’t worked out how useful this book could be for creating scenarios, you’re not trying. But for wargamers and military readers alike, this is an indispensable reference book that fires the imagination no matter how it is read.

WWI in the East 28mm Miniatures Woodbine Designs/Gripping Beast Review by John Bianchi. When a figures manufacturer happens to produce a line that’s specific for a particular campaign, that helps make gaming that campaign’s battles all the more enjoyable.  Gripping Beast, under their Woodbine Design Company (TWDC) brand, has been offering an excellent and growing WW1 in the East range that allows you to recreate the battles of the 1915 campaign on the Dardanelles in a faithful and visually arresting fashion. Right now, TWDC offers British and Empire troops (ANZACs, Indians and Sikhs), Ottomans and Arabs in Ottoman service, French overseas and colonial troops (Marines, Senegalese, Zouaves and Foreign Legion), and they will also be offering German overseas troops.  The lines for each existing nationality are very complete, with support weapons, artillery, company and battalion command, character packs, casualties, bombers and more available.

I was sent an Ottoman infantry section, with an interchangeable head sprue featuring both Enver Pasha-style cloth covered helmets and traditional Ottoman fezzes.  Heads wearing the Ottoman variant of the German Stahlhelm are also available, and, as there are 16 different bodies, a prospective Gallipoli gamer can produce a company in which every soldier is slightly different. Choosing to model the section with a mix of headgear seemed the right option based on historical photographs.

The Ottomans do not disappoint.  Sculpted by the venerable Soapy, these figures are consistently realistic.  In weapons and equipment, Soapy has achieved the accuracy and sharp detail modelers have come to expect from TWDC’s offerings, yet these details never overwhelm the figure.  Instead, the focus is on the figures’ “character”; the personality and action evident in each pose creates the impression of movement and drama. Even with only one squad painted up, you can easily see how arresting an entire company or battalion would look on the tabletop. The Ottoman infantry section’s individual models measure approximately 25mm from foot to eye.  Casting lines were hard to find in many instances, but when visible, they are easy to remove with a craft knife.  These sculpts are not quite so malleable as other manufacturers’; more rigid, they should be bent only very carefully. This past May, TWDC released French colonial and overseas troops, and will further expand the range with the addition of troops for the Palestine campaigns.  Foot models with fixed heads are four to a pack at five pounds fifty; full sections of ten soldiers with interchangeable heads are available at 13 pounds.  Character packs are 8 pounds fifty.  Support weapons such as HMGs and trench catapults are 6 pounds sixty for three crewmen and a weapon, while larger weapons, such as the Krupp 75mm field gun and six crewmen are 14 pounds.  Recommended.