Campaign Stalingrad is the latest softback supplement book for Warlord Games ‘company level’ World War Two rules Bolt Action. Let’s take a look inside it’s 176 pages and see what’s on offer. Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). ‘Prelude’ sets the historical scene for the Stalingrad campaign, taking us from the situation in January 1942 to the Fight for the Don Bridgeheads in August of the same year. After a short historical intro to the battles around the Don River we get into the first wargame scenario. As we proceed through the book we will find another 21 scenarios taking us from the Don to the proposed German breakout from the city of Stalingrad. The action in the supplement follows the German Sixth Army and the Soviet 62nd with all the tabletop action centered around the forces within these armies. As we flipthrough the scenarios you will note the tried and tested Bolt Action formula of ‘Objective’, ‘Set-Up’, ‘Special Rules’, ‘Forces’, ‘Deployment’, ‘Game Duration’ and ‘Victory’. Welcome distraction from the game mechanics is also provided by box outs with historical details about such things as “The Stug 33b” and “Women in the Red Army”, there are also stats for “Legends of Stalingrad” like Vasily Zaitzev and the Master Sniper: Major Erwin Konigs. All the scenarios are engaging to read and I leave you itching to get the ‘toys on the table’ as soon as possible. Of course gaming from the Russian countryside to the mean streets of Stalingrad does present players with some interesting challenges when it comes to gathering both models and terrain, and any attempt to complete all 22 scenarios will be both satisfying and formidable. The Scenarios conclude with Operation Ring – the Soviets final assault on what was left of the beleaguered German Sixth Army . After a few pages wrapping up the history, we are introduced to the ‘New Soviet Units’. This Includes two new Commissar options – one of which, the politruk, gives Soviet players a post-October 1942 Commissar option. The politruk no longer has authorization to shoot any deserters, but gains the power to inspire nearby Inexperienced squads to fight harder. Furthermore, Soviet lists gain two new sniper options, a Student Officer squad, and a fresh-off-the-assembly-line Tractor Factory T-34. Perhaps most interesting of all the new units is the Storm Group. These fearsome Soviet squads are expensive but deadly – always striking first in close combat when they charge, even when the enemy is behind cover! For the Germans, since Stalingrad was primarily a battle of infantry, new unit options have made their way into the book to allow players

Campaign Stalingrad is the latest softback supplement book for Warlord Games ‘company level’ World War Two rules Bolt Action. Let’s take a look inside it’s 176 pages and see what’s on offer. Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). ‘Prelude’ sets the historical scene for the Stalingrad campaign, taking us from the situation in January 1942 to the Fight for the Don Bridgeheads in August of the same year. After a short historical intro to the battles around the Don River we get into the first wargame scenario. As we proceed through the book we will find another 21 scenarios taking us from the Don to the proposed German breakout from the city of Stalingrad. The action in the supplement follows the German Sixth Army and the Soviet 62nd with all the tabletop action centered around the forces within these armies. As we flipthrough the scenarios you will note the tried and tested Bolt Action formula of ‘Objective’, ‘Set-Up’, ‘Special Rules’, ‘Forces’, ‘Deployment’, ‘Game Duration’ and ‘Victory’. Welcome distraction from the game mechanics is also provided by box outs with historical details about such things as “The Stug 33b” and “Women in the Red Army”, there are also stats for “Legends of Stalingrad” like Vasily Zaitzev and the Master Sniper: Major Erwin Konigs. All the scenarios are engaging to read and I leave you itching to get the ‘toys on the table’ as soon as possible. Of course gaming from the Russian countryside to the mean streets of Stalingrad does present players with some interesting challenges when it comes to gathering both models and terrain, and any attempt to complete all 22 scenarios will be both satisfying and formidable. The Scenarios conclude with Operation Ring – the Soviets final assault on what was left of the beleaguered German Sixth Army . After a few pages wrapping up the history, we are introduced to the ‘New Soviet Units’. This Includes two new Commissar options – one of which, the politruk, gives Soviet players a post-October 1942 Commissar option. The politruk no longer has authorization to shoot any deserters, but gains the power to inspire nearby Inexperienced squads to fight harder. Furthermore, Soviet lists gain two new sniper options, a Student Officer squad, and a fresh-off-the-assembly-line Tractor Factory T-34. Perhaps most interesting of all the new units is the Storm Group. These fearsome Soviet squads are expensive but deadly – always striking first in close combat when they charge, even when the enemy is behind cover! For the Germans, since Stalingrad was primarily a battle of infantry, new unit options have made their way into the book to allow players

Campaign Stalingrad is the latest softback supplement book for Warlord Games ‘company level’ World War Two rules Bolt Action. Let’s take a look inside it’s 176 pages and see what’s on offer. Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). ‘Prelude’ sets the historical scene for the Stalingrad campaign, taking us from the situation in January 1942 to the Fight for the Don Bridgeheads in August of the same year. After a short historical intro to the battles around the Don River we get into the first wargame scenario. As we proceed through the book we will find another 21 scenarios taking us from the Don to the proposed German breakout from the city of Stalingrad. The action in the supplement follows the German Sixth Army and the Soviet 62nd with all the tabletop action centered around the forces within these armies. As we flipthrough the scenarios you will note the tried and tested Bolt Action formula of ‘Objective’, ‘Set-Up’, ‘Special Rules’, ‘Forces’, ‘Deployment’, ‘Game Duration’ and ‘Victory’. Welcome distraction from the game mechanics is also provided by box outs with historical details about such things as “The Stug 33b” and “Women in the Red Army”, there are also stats for “Legends of Stalingrad” like Vasily Zaitzev and the Master Sniper: Major Erwin Konigs. All the scenarios are engaging to read and I leave you itching to get the ‘toys on the table’ as soon as possible. Of course gaming from the Russian countryside to the mean streets of Stalingrad does present players with some interesting challenges when it comes to gathering both models and terrain, and any attempt to complete all 22 scenarios will be both satisfying and formidable. The Scenarios conclude with Operation Ring – the Soviets final assault on what was left of the beleaguered German Sixth Army . After a few pages wrapping up the history, we are introduced to the ‘New Soviet Units’. This Includes two new Commissar options – one of which, the politruk, gives Soviet players a post-October 1942 Commissar option. The politruk no longer has authorization to shoot any deserters, but gains the power to inspire nearby Inexperienced squads to fight harder. Furthermore, Soviet lists gain two new sniper options, a Student Officer squad, and a fresh-off-the-assembly-line Tractor Factory T-34. Perhaps most interesting of all the new units is the Storm Group. These fearsome Soviet squads are expensive but deadly – always striking first in close combat when they charge, even when the enemy is behind cover! For the Germans, since Stalingrad was primarily a battle of infantry, new unit options have made their way into the book to allow players

Campaign Stalingrad is the latest softback supplement book for Warlord Games ‘company level’ World War Two rules Bolt Action. Let’s take a look inside it’s 176 pages and see what’s on offer. Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). ‘Prelude’ sets the historical scene for the Stalingrad campaign, taking us from the situation in January 1942 to the Fight for the Don Bridgeheads in August of the same year. After a short historical intro to the battles around the Don River we get into the first wargame scenario. As we proceed through the book we will find another 21 scenarios taking us from the Don to the proposed German breakout from the city of Stalingrad. The action in the supplement follows the German Sixth Army and the Soviet 62nd with all the tabletop action centered around the forces within these armies. As we flipthrough the scenarios you will note the tried and tested Bolt Action formula of ‘Objective’, ‘Set-Up’, ‘Special Rules’, ‘Forces’, ‘Deployment’, ‘Game Duration’ and ‘Victory’. Welcome distraction from the game mechanics is also provided by box outs with historical details about such things as “The Stug 33b” and “Women in the Red Army”, there are also stats for “Legends of Stalingrad” like Vasily Zaitzev and the Master Sniper: Major Erwin Konigs. All the scenarios are engaging to read and I leave you itching to get the ‘toys on the table’ as soon as possible. Of course gaming from the Russian countryside to the mean streets of Stalingrad does present players with some interesting challenges when it comes to gathering both models and terrain, and any attempt to complete all 22 scenarios will be both satisfying and formidable. The Scenarios conclude with Operation Ring – the Soviets final assault on what was left of the beleaguered German Sixth Army . After a few pages wrapping up the history, we are introduced to the ‘New Soviet Units’. This Includes two new Commissar options – one of which, the politruk, gives Soviet players a post-October 1942 Commissar option. The politruk no longer has authorization to shoot any deserters, but gains the power to inspire nearby Inexperienced squads to fight harder. Furthermore, Soviet lists gain two new sniper options, a Student Officer squad, and a fresh-off-the-assembly-line Tractor Factory T-34. Perhaps most interesting of all the new units is the Storm Group. These fearsome Soviet squads are expensive but deadly – always striking first in close combat when they charge, even when the enemy is behind cover! For the Germans, since Stalingrad was primarily a battle of infantry, new unit options have made their way into the book to allow players

Campaign Stalingrad is the latest softback supplement book for Warlord Games ‘company level’ World War Two rules Bolt Action. Let’s take a look inside it’s 176 pages and see what’s on offer. Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). ‘Prelude’ sets the historical scene for the Stalingrad campaign, taking us from the situation in January 1942 to the Fight for the Don Bridgeheads in August of the same year. After a short historical intro to the battles around the Don River we get into the first wargame scenario. As we proceed through the book we will find another 21 scenarios taking us from the Don to the proposed German breakout from the city of Stalingrad. The action in the supplement follows the German Sixth Army and the Soviet 62nd with all the tabletop action centered around the forces within these armies. As we flipthrough the scenarios you will note the tried and tested Bolt Action formula of ‘Objective’, ‘Set-Up’, ‘Special Rules’, ‘Forces’, ‘Deployment’, ‘Game Duration’ and ‘Victory’. Welcome distraction from the game mechanics is also provided by box outs with historical details about such things as “The Stug 33b” and “Women in the Red Army”, there are also stats for “Legends of Stalingrad” like Vasily Zaitzev and the Master Sniper: Major Erwin Konigs. All the scenarios are engaging to read and I leave you itching to get the ‘toys on the table’ as soon as possible. Of course gaming from the Russian countryside to the mean streets of Stalingrad does present players with some interesting challenges when it comes to gathering both models and terrain, and any attempt to complete all 22 scenarios will be both satisfying and formidable. The Scenarios conclude with Operation Ring – the Soviets final assault on what was left of the beleaguered German Sixth Army . After a few pages wrapping up the history, we are introduced to the ‘New Soviet Units’. This Includes two new Commissar options – one of which, the politruk, gives Soviet players a post-October 1942 Commissar option. The politruk no longer has authorization to shoot any deserters, but gains the power to inspire nearby Inexperienced squads to fight harder. Furthermore, Soviet lists gain two new sniper options, a Student Officer squad, and a fresh-off-the-assembly-line Tractor Factory T-34. Perhaps most interesting of all the new units is the Storm Group. These fearsome Soviet squads are expensive but deadly – always striking first in close combat when they charge, even when the enemy is behind cover! For the Germans, since Stalingrad was primarily a battle of infantry, new unit options have made their way into the book to allow players

Viva Mexico! Neil Smith takes an extended look at a new book – ideal for wargaming the Mexican Revolution. Did you know that sincronicidad is Spanish for synchronicity? Neither did I until very recently when looking for a new project and Mike Blake’s Armies of the Mexican Revolution (Partizan Press, 2020) arrived on my stack of books to review. It caught my eye because it is significantly bigger than the usual Armies of… style books, which was strange given all I thought I knew about the Mexican Revolution was that it involved a rabble of banditos getting chased around by US cavalry in the middle of nowhere. I was wrong – thank you Hollywood! Mike Blake has set me right on that score and set me off in a new wargaming direction. Viva! Let me tell you about the book and then we can explore what to do with it. Blake makes it clear that he is only interested in describing the uniforms, equipment, and weapons of the men who fought from 1910 to 1920 in a surprisingly modern war, involving much of the paraphernalia more common in World War I: machine guns, motorized transport, barbed wire, and warplanes among others. He begins with the weapons used on all sides: 30 makes of handguns and revolvers; 19 rifles and carbines; 10 machine guns; lots of artillery; and grenades, rockets, and assorted oddities. Blake moves onto the forces involved, starting with the Mexican Federal Forces (Federales) at different stages of the fighting: their organization, strength, and unit details. He goes into similar detail on Federal uniforms, equipment, and weapons, which is where we hit the first of many excellent colour plates, some of them by the gifted Bruno Mugnai. The Mexican Navy and Marines are next to get Blake’s treatment, then air power, still in its infancy, receives a brief overview. The chapters on the Revolutionary and Counter-Revolutionary armies are given the same space as the Federales. Blake has a number of factions to contend with here but works his way through them with his now expected attention to detail. Revolutionaries were almost by definition irregular troops who wore captured equipment and often carried several weapons and ammunition, again much of it taken from the Federales. But they also wore civilian or working clothes, such as those worn by cowboys (vaquero), small farmers, Indians, or ordinary townsmen. Some made attempts at uniforms with varying degrees of actual uniformity. Much of this was regional, depending on who was fighting and where. Blake surveys the more important armies: Madero’s Army of Liberation; the Colorados; The Constitutionalist Army; the Villistas, including their tactics and Pancho Villa’s use of trains; the Zapatistas dressed mostly in

When Peter Dennis isn’t supplying fantastic artwork to the biggest names in wargaming and military history he works on a series of books with Helion and Company which he affectionally calls Paperboys.  Note: The text below is the transcript of our flipthrough video (for those who would rather read than listen). I was somewhat shocked to turn the cover of this, the latest in the series, to discover there are now 14 ‘Paperboys Editions’ in total and although the series has seen variations to the format in the form of building and ships, this book – H.G. Wells’ Little Wars’ is the first to bring us paper soldiers in 54mm and be (in part at least) a reprint of an earlier wargaming classic. Andy Callan usually supplements Peter’s books with rules on playing with the soldiers presented within each Paperboys Edition, but on this occasion Andy introduces us to H.G. Wells’ Little Wars with two pages of background on how Little Wars came about and where it sits in the pantheon of our hobby. Andy uses his two pages sagely with both a personal and factual take on the 1913 edition of the book. By page four we are into the reprint of the original text of Little Wars. In brief summary, what H.G. Wells created was the first published set of wargames rules, which contain many elements we recognise in a modern wargame, like rules for “The Move” also know as the Turn, “Mobility” aka movement and Hand-to-Hand fighting. Wells even provides advanced  and optional rules. Where Little Wars radically differs from the wargames we play today, and were it might be considered childish at the side of the undauntedly manly games we engage in, is that in Little Wars you use a toy gun to shoot at and knock over your opponent’s figures. You simply can’t play the game without a projectile firing little cannon. A subject we will return to after we move through the rest of the book. After the main rules we come to a section entitled Appendix – Little Wars as Kriegspiel. Here Wells tells us that although Little Wars is not intended as a Kriegspiel i.e. a wargame designed with the intention of teaching battlefield tactics to army officers, it can be used as such if the following rule modifications are made. At this point you may be thinking “hello this is where Wells dispensers with the firing of a toy gun and takes up the dice. I’m afraid not. He actually adds in more toy gun action to represent rifle-fire and also suggests dropping “brass screws of various sizes and weights” to represent shell shot. The Kriegspiel section goes on to  discuss

Timecast produce a comprehensive range of 1980s Cold War models in 1/144th scale, or 10mm to me and you. Already available are infantry, equipment and vehicles for Soviet, British and American forces, with the West Germans coming soon. To bolster the American forces in Europe two new tanks have recently been released; the M2/M3 Bradley and M60A3 Main Battle Tank. Both measure around 45mm in length and although they are officially “multi-part”, the hull and the turret are single piece resin casts, with just the hatches and guns to add – very easily done. Note: A nice bit of attention to detail is the fact that the Bradly comes with two different hatches – the main visual difference between the M2 and M3 – so you can ‘hatch-fit’ according to your preference. Bradley The detail on both figures is good and the casting on our examples was nice and clean, making for very crispy looking models. M60A3 Check out the whole Cold War 84 range on the Timecast website –http://www.timecastmodels.co.uk/cold_war_84/coldwar84.html (Fans of the Cold War era will be pleased to see the website appears to date from around that time too).

Just released are three boxes of plastic miniatures designed to support the new “Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms” skirmish wargames system. The first box is undoubtedly my favourite, the “Bleak Falls Delve Set”. This sprue of 8 plastic figures provides everything the player needs to begin exploring dungeons and looking for treasure. It contains a Dragonborn human hero, three skeleton undead, three ‘Draugr’ undead warriors and one rather nasty looking ‘Draugr Overlord’. This box is designed for play using the “Dungeon Delve” system provided in the main “Call to Arms” rulebook, which can be played solo or by any number of players in co-operative mode, with everyone fighting the undead occupants of the barrow and stealing their treasure. Note: The text below is the transcript of our Unboxing video (for those who would rather read than listen). The next two boxes provide miniatures for the two main competing factions in the world of Tamriel. The first is the Stormcloak faction, which contains five different plastic warriors armed with a variety of weapons and in some very dramatic poses. The third box contains five plastic miniatures for the Imperial faction, one of which is a hero and one a Mage with impressive fire spouting from her hands. All the miniatures come with individual round bases and measure about 32mm tall, making them the high end of heroic fantasy. However, the miniatures themselves are quite fine and they could easily be used alongside skeletons or heroes from other manufacturers such as Games Workshop, without any difficulty. What sets these plastic miniatures apart from others on the market at the moment is that although they are multi-part they are not multi pose. Each one of the miniatures comes with a separate head, arms and legs and also usually with the torso in two parts. Each miniature will only go together in one way and the weapons in most cases are moulded into the hands of the wielder, making weapon swops or mix and match heads and arms not an option. On first unboxing, this seemed a little odd, as it begged the question why not just make the miniature in one piece. A quick call to a miniature designer and the answer became clear. Making the miniatures in so many pieces allows a more dynamic pose to be created and also allows greater detail to be included on each part of the sprue. Close examination of the miniatures bears this out, as the detail is superb and since there are only five miniatures in your faction, you can afford to really go to town when painting them. The box recommends that the contents are not suitable for those under fourteen years of age,

The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms is a miniatures game based on The Elder Scrolls video game franchise by Bethesda Game Studios and is set in the same world of Skyrim, so it will be familiar to anyone who has played the video game before.  Note: The text below is the transcript of our Unboxing video (for those who would rather read than listen). The game comes in a sturdy A4 box and contains a quick start guide, a 100 page rulebook and a 40 page book of quests, or scenarios. Also included are two A4 sheets of card counters, 13 custom dice, 5 Hero Cards, 13 follower and Monster stats cards and more than 200 other cards used for spells, weapons, equipment and events. As you can see, the game is full colour and the production quality is excellent, with some lovely artwork used to illustrate the items on the cards and throughout the books. The fifteen page quick start guide is a great idea, introducing players to the basics of the game and letting them start playing by page 11. The larger rulebook might be a bit intimidating for those new to skirmish wargames whilst this easy to follow tutorial lets them learn the basics and get playing straight away. It walks the new players through the basic system and ends with a scenario, “Escape the Dungeon”, to use as a play through. The main rulebook is well presented and illustrated with diagrams and examples of key rules such as movement and combat that makes them easy to follow. The game is played in two different ways. “Battle Mode” pitches your hero and their followers against another player with his band of trusty warriors. In this mode, the number of heroes and followers a player can have are limited by a points system to keep the games fair. In “Delve” mode you play a hero exploring a dungeon and recovering treasure. This mode can be played solo or with a group of players, each of whom plays a hero in co-operative play against undead monsters who are controlled by a clever AI system. Each Hero has a “Hero Card” detailing their stamina, health, magic power and so on, that is also used to identify what the hero is equipped with. Players place the weapon and armour cards next to the hero card to show what he is carrying, and can also equip their hero with cards showing magic items and potions. This allows you to customise your hero, switching weapons and armour around for different games. The hero’s followers are not so detailed, having a card that records all their stats and equipment in one place, but they