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There have been numer-ous rules over the last thirty

years that have tried tosimulate warfare during theage of sail. From Heart ofOak to Wooden Ships andIron Men, there have beendifferent levels of complex-ity as well as theories onthis period of combat.

From the authors whobrought us Warfare in theAge of Reason and War-fare in the Age of Discov-ery, as well as several otherrules sets, comes this newnaval warfare set of rules.Actually, it is only in theplaytest stages, but sincewe are one of the playtestgroups and have tried themI thought it would be ofinterest to report on ourplaytesting.

First, the authors havealways subscribed to the

playability aspect first, thenhopefully it will result in

historical accuracy. Theyhave succeeded in previousperiods and probably willin this one too.

Each ship has its owndisplay with hull/gunboxes, fires. speeds, mastboxes, etc, clearly laidout. Movement is ofcourse wind based and keptfairly simple, proceeding inan order decided by a dieroll initiative each turn.This keeps it interesting asplayers need to takechances and estimate theiropponents intentions eachturn. Of course, this re-sults in fast and furiousaction which raised a fewproblems during our play-test.

We have al-ready sent in sev-

eral ideas to the authorsregarding the rules and I

am sure they can be fixedeasily.

The positive side to thisis that soon we will have agreat set of rules to add thenaval side of the SevenYears War into the AORrules. I can already see asupplement for campaigns,scenarios, and adding itinto The Sport of Kingscampaign game. All of uslook forward to the officialvers ion being released.

WARFARE at SEA in theAGE of REASON

AGE of FIGHTING SAIL RESOURCESFor naval gamers there

are many more resourcesthan you would think.They vary from simple tooutstanding and from paperto the web.

First, The Couriermagazine several years agoran a great series over six

issues about the Age ofFighting Sail. It includedrules comparisons, engage-ments, and a campaigngame for the war of 1812on the Great Lakes.

Second, the H.M.S. Vic-tory site has many differentlinks to other ships, battles,

and subjects of naval inter-est.

The two best sites, how-ever, are the sites run byRod Langton of LangtonMiniatures and the NavalMiniatures for Wargamingsites. (cont. on next page)

HMS Unicorn from the archives at the HMS Unicornwebsite

Special points of interest:

Two historical site tours this issue.

Scenario Replay featuring Age of Discovery

rules.

Section on scenario design and pitfalls.

New software and DVD reviews.

Review of a great new terrain product.

Magazine and web service revie ws.

Age of Sail Theme 2

Civil War Tour 3

Terrain Review 4

Scenario Design 5

Scenario Replay 6,7

Software Review 8

DVD Review 10

Inside this issue:

WARN

INGO

RDER

WASATCH

FRONT

HISTORICAL

GAMING

SOCIETY

Volume1,Issue2

FALL/ WINTER 2000


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Large range of 1/2400 scale ships and accessories.

SKYTREX

Sells ships in two different sizes, 1/1200and 1/700. The 1/1200 are not the best

ships on the market, but the 1/700 arenicely done if you can afford them withsome ships over $40 each.

Several firms also make 15mm and25mm ships.

LANGTON MINIATURES

Wide variety of ships in different scaleswith many accessories. Very well de-tailed and hard to beat.

GHQ MINIATURESExtensive line of well sculpted vessels.A little generic, but very well done.

HALLMARK MINIATURES

(continued from first page) These twosites have some of the most comprehen-sive information on this period. Bothoffer sections on ship classification,photo galleries, miniature availability,

and most important of all, rigging instruc-tions.

Langton Miniatures has ship models inseveral scales, including 1/300th as seenin the photo. He also offers brass etchedrigging, flags, painting information, and awide variety of ships. Not only does thesite offer hulls, but various sets of sailstates, wrecks, debris, and accessories.Highly recommended.

The Naval Miniatures site is similarexcept that they are not trying to sell youproduct. Once again, there is a wealth ofinformation here on many fighting sail

topics. The photo gallery is extensiveand features ships in several scales andsettings. There are also links to othersites, including a link to the rules Clear

For Action, which seems to be gaining inpopularity. I especially liked the fact thatit is for hobbyists, gamers, and scalemodelers in that it tries to get you infor-mation to help you.

Rules sets themselves are a greatsource of information, especially setssuch as Wooden Ships and Iron Men andClose Action. Both have numerous sce-narios, small and large, and would take alifetime to research on your own. CloseAction, in particular, has an extensivereference listing which could enable oneto find out almost anything on this pe-riod.

Overall, there is a lot more out therethan one would suspect and with a littledigging you can enhance your knowledgeof this exciting era in warfare.

scenario booklet is incredi-

ble, listing small as well asmajor naval engagementsduring the Napoleonic warsand contains a wealth of in-formation. The rule book iscomplete, even having rulesfor multiple boarding actionsand firing while anchored.

As far as playability goes,

Clash of Arms is known for their

graphics, outstanding counters, and rulesthat cover ever conceivable possibilitywith this game being no exception. Sinceour cover story is on fighting sail, Ithought it would be interesting to reviewa game at the extreme end of the scale.

First, the components are very welldone. Even the maps, which are just bluesea have depth lines marked out. The

it is on the complex side and not

for new gamers. If you arelooking for a quick game withminimal rules you will be sadlydisappointed. However, if youare interested in tactical fleetactions with rules that coverevery possibility this is thegame for you. While expensive,it still represents good value andI feel worth the price.

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AGE of SAIL Miniatures

AGE of FIGHTING SAIL RESOURCES (cont.)

CLOSE ACTION

WA RN I NG O RD E R

Another outstanding Clash ofArms game with great compo-nents and very well researched.

1/300 HMS WASP


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V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2 Page 3

CIVIL WAR TOUR with Gary Sapp

My Trip to Savannah, Georgia

In August, I was called on to make a trip to Savannah, Georgia for my work. Iwas scheduled to arrive Saturday night and would not be called on to work until

Monday morning, so I took the opportunity to tour one of the grand old cities ofthe South, with special emphasis on the sites from the Civil War and other mili-tary related spots.

My first stop was to drive out to Cockspur Island east of town and visit Fort Pu-laski National Monument. Constructed starting 1829, the fort is a large masonry pentagon, surrounded by a wet moat, fronted bya large ravelin (earthwork structure) called the demilune. It was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers and was placed togive maximum coverage to the river channels on either side of Cockspur Island and thus bombard any force attempting to ap-proach Savannah from the Atlantic. Its moat and dike system was the first assignment after West Point for a young lieutenant,Robert E. Lee, and remains in working order today. It remains an impressive structure with 25 thick walls and a three story highfrontage. The Park Service has added visitors center where projectiles from the various guns in the fort are preserved and a shortfilm on the history of the fort can be viewed.

It was taken by Confederate troops in January 1861 from the single ordinance sergeant who was acting as caretaker of the fort.

The South added guns and troops to the fort, so when the Union started their famous assault in February 1862, there were 45 gunsand rifles of 30lb or greater. When you approach the fort from the landside it appears in the same condition, as when first con-structed. Only when you walk around to the seaward side is the effect of the Union bombardment evident. The major breachesof the wall have been repaired, but over 100 dents and small breaches remain to show how rifled artillery brought an end to thedays of masonry fortifications.

My second stop was Fort Jackson, a small fortification guarding the final approach on the Savannah River into the city. Builtduring the War of 1812 to protect the city, it was named after Col. James Jackson, who led the troops from Georgia during theBattle of Cowpens in 1781. It was a smaller version of Ft. Pulaski, without any battle damage, since the Confederates abandonedit when Sherman approached on his march to the sea. However, it did feature firings of actual Civil War artillery pieces, which Iwitnessed twice. During the day, a twelve-pound mountain howitzer is fired at three different times. A re-enactor, dressed as aConfederate artillerist explains the procedure for loading and firing the gun and goes through the various steps to place a chargein the gun. No actual ball is fired, but when the primer is pulled the roar from even the small howitzer is quite impressive. Sev-eral days later I was fortunate to return to the fort for a catered dinner and on that occasion, a 32-lb. Seacoast gun was fired. Theconcussion could be felt very powerfully even though I was 20 yards behind the gun and below the gun on the parade groundrather than on the parapet. The howitzer was also refired to give the guests the full effect of cannon fire at night. Near the fort,the C.S.S. Georgia was scuttled in the river. The Savannah Historical Society is in the process of raising funds for her restora-tion.

Scattered through out Savannah are various monuments to heroes of her history as well as sites of historical importance. I wasable to examine a monument to Lord Oglethourpe, founder of the colony of Georgia. Another square contained a monument toheroes of the fight against Cornwallis when he attempted to take the city in 1780 and was turned back into the Carolinas. Alsofine examples of Civil War artillery were prominently displayed. A pair of 12 lb. Napoleon guns bore directly on my hotel fromthe city square that fronted it.

Other sites around Savannah, that I did not get to visit, but would return to if I could were the Mighty 8th Air Force museum atPooler field. This contains many souvenirs and artifacts from the 8ths famous three-year bombing campaign against Hitlers

Germany. Also I would like to have visited Ft. McAllister which protected the landside of Savannah and is considered the end ofShermans March. I also walk by the Green-Meldrim Mansion, which served as Shermans Headquarters after his march to thesea, while he regrouped and prepared to march north to Virginia.

All in all, an incredible city with much culture, history and charm. I hope to be able to return and spend more time exploring itsplendors.


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Miniature World Maker Terrain by Gary Sapp

WA RN I NG O RD E R

Product ReviewMiniature World Maker Terrain

In one of the recent issues of the Zouave (#51, p. 28), I read an article on a new product for the wargamer.This was a series of rubber latex terrain pieces, sculpted to look like fields, roads, strong points, etc. thatwere ready-to-go for the gaming table. It sounded like an interesting possibility and I resolved to look intoin the future.

Shortly, there after I stumbled on several auctions for some of the items on ebay (the auction service) andwas able to obtain five of the different pieces to examine. I purchased the Small pasture w/ rocks,Sunken road & field, Large field half plowed & half w/ crops, Large plowed field, and Small plowedfield. All were reasonably priced and were obtain from Frontlines Hobby in Tacoma, Wa. They have aweb site with other items from the line displayed.

All of the pieces were flocked, painted, walls highlighted and stained, and already to drop on the gamingtable and use. The latex is a good quality, formed with no thin spots or bubbles to be found. The crops onmy pieces appeared to be an astro-turf like material, but looked good and had a realistic look and feel on thepieces. The various walls and fences were thickly cast and seriously resisted compressing or deforming.The only negative was that the large cast rocks were hollow and could be depressed to some degree. I sus-pect inserting some crumpled paper or packing material would do to help them keep their shape and givethem a more solid feel.

The gaming group examined them and we all were impressed with their quality of manufacture and realisticlook. Miniature World Maker has taken great care to make these items visually appealing and they are arelatively inexpensive way to add some great touches of detail to your gaming table.

Looking at the companys web site (www.miniatureworldmaker.com) shows that they make the variouspieces in size for 6/10mm and 25mm figures as well as the 15mm I purchased. They also have a very widerange of other field pieces, fieldworks, earthworks and a series of road and river pieces that I will be spend-ing some of my gaming coin on.

I would rate this an excellent product and worth a look by every gamer.


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V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

Im sure that we cannot recall or countall of the games we have been in thatwere not only enjoyable, but also BAD,because the scenario had been plannedpoorly, or worse, not at all. Thankfully,

we have experienced enough really en-joyable games that we find ourselvestill in the hobby.

What sets the stage for gamus hor-ribilus?

1. Armies composed of mostly eliteunits.

2. Teams are organized with all ofthe experience on one side.

3. Trying to prove a point by givingone side virtually no chance.

4. Packing the board with everyavailable figure so that there isno room to move except for-ward.

5. Caving in to whining by one side togive them more units, better troops,better positions, or all three.

Examples come easily to mind. ANapoleonic game where armies line upexactly across from each other, stretchingfrom one table edge to the other whereartillery is the only thing that fights b e-

cause there is no room to move anythingelse. Too many figures. Ive seen it withJohnny Reb, Command Decision, Em-pire, etc . Games where each sidechooses every elite unit possible such asthe Old Guard or SS grenadiers, then hasaverage artillery, but makes up for it bygetting a battery per unit deployed! Thentheres some games that feel like a reen-actment of the Alamo and youre Travis!

Point battles are especially susceptibleto this dilemma. Of course the fantasyand sci-fi gamers are only matched byhistorical gamers in their desire to com-mand vast armies. Unfortunately, biggeris not always better and doesnt alwaysmake a good game.

How to remedy the situation?

The scenarios should be designed totell a story. A story has engaging charac-ters and a plot. The characters have indi-vidualized objectives and a relationship,good or bad, with the other characters.Obstacles and crises enable sub plots to

develop and distractions begin to disguiseintent and sneakiness. So, how do youinclude this in a game?

When playing DeBellis Antiquitatus,

which has a chess like quality with fixednumbers of elements, anonymous units,and

nameless commanders, you could changethis by putting in a little preparation.Suddenly the generals element is MarcusGeneralus, commanding the 5th Cohortof the 12th Legion. His troops have fi-nally cornered the enemyand this is the final bat-tle.

Next, instead ofmerely having opposing

armies set up first or sec-ond, I would invent areason for the armies tobe fighting in the firstplace. I suggest that the reason manygamers do not rush to game the westerntrenches of WW1 or the U.S. involve-ment in Bosnia is that we do not perceivea value to the contest.

When Sand, Oil, and Blood came out,we doubted it could be a fun game be-cause no one would want to play theIraqis. I decided I would give it a try

with the idea that I would approach itdifferently. I had the Iraqi commander asa member of the Republican Guard, eagerto show that the Americans could be de-feated and I had got to my position bybeing ruthless. If this meant getting thecommand destroyed to prove a point, sobe it. The U.S. players brutalized myentrenched infantry with artillery, thenrolled forward with their armor. I sentout a unit on a flanking maneuver and it

players. However, this exposed theirflank and I destroyed several Bradleysand a couple of Abrams, before leavingthe scene in a command vehicle! Theumpire declared me the winner as I had

done better than the actual Iraqis and itwas fun because I had created a characterwhich influenced my play.

I have always thought the true meas-ure of a rules set is whether or not I actu-ally enjoyed losing while playing them.You can have fun scenarios, even if youare overrun by the enemy. The assign-ment of units should also be given asmuch care and attention in scenario de-velopment as to objectives. When wefirst started playing Command Decision, I

was the only one who built a Luft-

waffe Fortress battalion amongst allthe elite formations. It got killedmost of the time, but it got used a lot

in scenarios and added something when itdid very well.

Unit assignments, missions, andthe roles the commanders will play are all

a very important part ofscenario design. Describ-ing how and why a battal-ion is there can be criticalin the scenario, especiallyif facing overwhelming

force. The idea is to createa fun scenario where play-ers must think like theirhistorical counterparts and

feel like they are actually in the scenario.I hope Ive made a case for more carefulscenario planning .

Page 5

SCENARIO DESIGN by Mark Daymont

Invent a reason for the armies

to be fighting in the first place.

Airpower can quickly unbalance any scenario. It should be difficult to come

by and play a role in the scenario storyline.

Too much firepower can make a scenario waytoo easyfor one side and create an impass-able obstacle for the other side. This is espe-ciallyimportant in anymodern era scenarios.


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The summer campaigns are drawing toa close in 1522 and both armies havebeen weakened by months of campaign-ing, battles, and desertion. The Frencharmy has paused to lick its wounds and

prepare winter quarters. After taking thelocal town they discover the Italian com-manders mistress lives here and theytake her hostage for ransom.

The Italian army was also moving intowinter quarters when a message was re-ceived that the commanders mistresswas being held for ransom. Not wantingto let this slight go unpunished the Ital-ians and their Spanish allies move to-wards a rescue and one last battle beforewinter sets in.

The commanders mistress is beingheld in either the town or a la rge estate onthe other side of the river. If a unit fromthe Italian army enters either place andstays there for one turn the mistress isconsidered rescued and the game ends.

ORDER OF BATTLE

French

A Two units of Gensdarmes

B Four units of crossbowmenC One Swiss and one German pikeunit

D Two medium guns

E One German pike unit

F One mounted crossbow unit

Italian

1. Two Spanish pike units

2. Two units of crossbow armed skir-

mishers and one unit of arquebusarmed skirmishers.

3. Two medium guns

4. Two Italian pike units

5. One unit of stradiots

6. One unit of gensdarmes

7. Two units of heavy cavalry in fullarmor.

The Italians could enter the board any-where along the edge while the Frenchcould set up anywhere up to half wayacross the board.

There is a bridge across the river andthe river possibly has fords along itslength. A unit had to spend an entire turnsearching and then roll a 5 or 6 on 1D6 tofind a ford.

The numerical value of a leaders abil-ity was randomly determined by the rollof 1D6 the first time the officer neededhis ability to be added into melee or mo-rale.

The French deployed to cover the

town and the estate, figuring that themain Italian force would try to move t o-wards the town first while pinning therest of the French against the river. TheFrench cavalry was placed as to offermorale support for the infantry and toreinforce the units near the estate if theItalians crossed elsewhere. The Frenchplan was to go on defense and reinforcecritical sectors when necessary.

Although I had playtested this set of

rules with another member of the group,it was the first time we had played this asa group. Everyone confessed to havinglimited knowledge of the period, whichmade tactics innovative and unpredict -able, which nicely simulated actual ren-aissance warfare! Although we have aveteran group and have played many pe-riods, this one was quite a shock after wehad finished.

The Italian plan was not to waste time

searching for a second crossing, but todeliver a crushing blow against the town.Covered by swarms of skirmishers, theyhoped to get their infantry into strikingdistance of the town quickly. The Italianhorse deployed to intercept the Frenchheavies and prevent them from destroy-ing the infantry. Hopefully, the Frenchforces closer to the river could be delayedlong enough to seize the town.

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SCENARIO REPLAY using Warfare in the Age of Discovery

Opening Moves

WA RN I NG O RD E R


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On the first turn the Italian skirmishersmoved forward, screening the deploy-ment of the artillery as it tried to set up inthe middle. The cavalry began to moveup in anticipation of a clash with the

French heavies. The French hung back,still unsure which direction the main at-tack would be taking.

The French mounted crossbowmencame across the river and along with afoot crossbow unit began to exchange firewith the Italian skirmishers. The Frenchartillery was particularly effective, driv-ing back some of the skirmishers to theirfront.

After several turns near the river theItalian skirmishers emerged triumphant,driving back both French crossbow units.They in turn were hit by the French heavycavalry, driving them back to the Italiancenter. The center of the battlefield be-came a swirling melee as the French cav-alry defeated two Italian horse units, thencrashed into more skirmishers, forcing

were so depleted that they had to with-draw.

This left the final action on the farflank where the Spanish clashed with a

German pike unit. After several turns o fthe push of pike, the second Spanish unitflanked the German unit, causing it torout away.

The French right flank was now com-pletely gone, even as cavalry rushed toplug the hole. In the center the Italianswere regrouping under artillery fire inpreparation for another try. The Frenchwere busy rallying any troops they couldto maintain a defense.

Both sides were now dangerouslyclose to their withdrawal numbers as the

casualties began to mount. Each side wastrying to force the issue, but was runningout of troops. After a few more turns andour allotted time being up, we called it adraw as both sides would probably failtheir withdrawal checks next turn.

could certainly have spread the French

even more thinly, while the French couldhave launched a counterattack from adifferent direction.

We learned a lot of lessons for futurescenarios, mainly what each troop typecould or could not do. It is advisable tokeep reserves and flank supports close athand, especially when advancing intocontact. The strict rules on supports al-

Definitely a well fought game which

saw a great deal of imagination on bothsides. Even though both sides had noidea how units would perform and whattheir true capabilities were, it was a nunusual and interesting scenario.

The deployments created a lot ofwhat if variations and it was interestingthat neither side tried crossing the riverother than on the bridge. The Italians

most forces you into sticking close to-

gether. Crossbow armed skirmishers aresomething to be feared, as they can defeatalmost any force in a firefight. Cavalry isfragile and must be saved for the finalblow as with their small units they willnot last long in the open.

Everyone had a great time and welook forward to many other scenarios inthis era and with many more units.

Page 7

The Battle Develops

Endgame

them back also. Their glory ride came toan end when they contacted the Italian pikeunits and on the second turn of melee theyfell back. After ruining the Italian centerthey fell back through artillery and skir-

mish fire with only 4 of 12 figures remain-ing.

The Swiss and German pike units thenboth advanced, running into heavy andeffective fire to clash with the Italian pikes.After what seemed an eternity to theFrench players they got into melee, but


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torically. There is also a campaign gameof the entire three days.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward,although your first few tries at command-ing multiple units in real time can be frus-

trating. One of the only complaints I hadwas that when scrolling around a lot thegraphics fall behind and you lose track ofthe overall big picture. Even with thatsmall problem I thought the game system

If you are familiar with the Battle-gorund series, then this is a step up.From famed computer wargame designerSid Meier comes this real time Civil Warstrategy PC game. The game has better

than average graphics and appears to bepretty historically accurate. There aremultiple scenarios, including severalwhat if battles that could have hap-pened with a few changed decisions his-

There are not too many computersimulations that can accurately portraymodern naval combat. The speed andlethality of modern weapons systemscoupled with the amount of data available

to a commander add a vast amount ofcomplexity to any simulation. The firstPC games such as Harpoon tried to instillthe vast amount of data into a workableformat and were only marginally success-ful. Later games such as Tom ClancysSSN and 688 Fast Attack have done al-right in the area of submarine warfare,but surface and air were tacked on assideshows.

Janes Fleet Command is the newestin a series of games on modern warfare,usually flight simulators is where they

have done well. The game has good

graphics, especially the chase views ofships and missiles as they close near thetargets and their subsequent impacts.There are numerous scenarios from fullcarrier battlegroups to Brazilian frigateson patrol in a South American war.

The problem is not with the overallidea of the game or the graphics, it is withthe gameplay itself. Your ships can startin awkward positions and the enemyseems to come out of nowhere too many

times. You need to tell all of your assetsthat they need to be searching every sec-ond. Fighter aircraft get sent up singlyand shot down by near invisible enemiesand the list goes on.

If you want a hardcore simulation thatrivals playing a Harpoon 4 boardgamescenario you will be sadly disappointed.If you like good graphics, bizarre situa-tions, and dont mind strange and unusualthings happening with no way to controlit, this is for you. As for myself, I think Iwill wait for the Harpoon 4 PC version

next year.

The graphics are pretty

good and the amount of dif-ferent views you can havefrom a tank turret can be con-fusing at first. Learning gun-nery can also be an experi-ence, but once you start com-manding several vehicles thegunnery is automatic.

I like the wide variety of

You guessed it, this is a game about

commanding a force of M1A2 Abrams inbattle. The game is set up pretty good,with an information sections on the vehi-cle itself, plus several training scenariosat both Fort Knox and at Fort Irwin. TheFort Irwin scenarios are especially goodas you are up against the National Train-ing Centers Soviet style troops andthey are good.

scenarios and campaigns, plus it

has a very good instructionmanual listing all of the avail-able vehicles and weapon typesin the game. For full price(earlier this year it was about$42) it is questionable, but nowthat it is showing up on clear-ance racks and in multiple gamepackages it is worth it.

Page 8

Sid Meiers GETTYSBURG

Janes FLEET COMMAND

M1 TANK PLATOON II

WA RN I NG O RD E R

M1A2 advancing at the Na-tional Training Center in Cali-fornia.

was very challenging and is defi-nitely recommended. It has justbeen reissued in the same box withthe Antietam game which uses thesame system.


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They have a prettygood selection of rules,mainly the most popularsets, but a few odds andends also. They carry

pretty much the entireOld Glory line as well asseveral other manufactur-ers. A wide s election of buildings, ter-rain, accessories, magazines, and the en-

tire Osprey line are alsoavailable. You can alsosign up for email updateswhich I have found to bequite useful and informa-

tive. Shipping is usuallyabout 7 days and all itemshave arrived in a timely

manner. I highly recommend their ser-vice to any gamer.

Grandiosity.com is a must forany gamer and you should be registeredon their email service. Having used themseveral times I have found their service tobe very good. Unlike many Internet com-

panies, particularly in the hobby industry,they have a secure online ordering sys-tem. You select your items and theyemail you a confirmation and you canprint up the invoice for your records.

Last May I took a trip to England.

One of the purposes of this trip

was to find out more about the

United States by understanding one

ofthe major contributors to US his-

tory and its people, England.

During my short time there I

visited many wonderful places,

Portsmouth, H.M.S. Victory, Ex-

bury Gardens, five different

military

museums (including the Royal

Green Jackets Museum), Corfe

Castle,

Winchester Cathedral, Imperial

War Museum, and the Boving-

ton Tank

Museum. The place that had the

most impact on me was Portchester

Castle. Its construction began

around the year 200 by the Roman

Empire. The castle was added onto

for hundreds of years afterwards.

It embodies the history of the Brit-

ish Empire within its walls. I

lived with an English family andthat helped me learn about the

people. After staying in England

for a time, I feel I have a better

understanding of our own country.

If you truly want to understand

the United States, I would encour-

age you to visit its roots and go

from there.

First, there is a full set of rules on sail-

ing ship combat, complete with cards,ship charts, and tables to photocopy.What makes this interesting is that it isdesigned for ships of 6-20 guns, not ma-jor ships of the line and is very well done.

Second, there is a complete Fire andFury variant for the Napoleonic Wars.This is just not a one or two page article,but a massive supplement in the maga-

Once again, a stellar issue from this

bi-monthly journal and labor of love byits editor. Issue #108 contains so manyuseful items to the gamer it is hard to listthem all. MWAN is not a full colormagazine with glossy photos and hi-priced ads geared towards 25mm gamers.Rather, it is a functional magazine dedi-cated to getting as much info as possibleto its gaming audience.

zine itself. It is a complete set of rules,

orders of battle, standard units, etc.,which is well researched.

Add those in with so many ads andproduct reviews that you get right up todate quickly. $35 for six issues or avail-able by subscription through Magwebmakes it more than worthwhile. There isusually something of value for everyonein every issue. Great job Hal!

Page 9

GRANDIOSITY.COM

HISTORICAL TOUR of ENGLAND by Justen Huff

MWAN #108

A secure online ordering system

makes shopping easy and very

professionally done.

HMS Victory seen from the dock. There are several outstanding webistes

devoted to this ship including one with a virtual tour.


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The DVD version captures all of theglory of the theater with brilliant colorand cd quality sound. The battle scenesare spectacular and the cgi effects of thecity are awe inspiring. A second disc

provides a behind the scenes look andseveral other features.

Definitely one of the best films of2000, this is a must for anyone who hasan interest in the history of Rome.

From the same people who brought usSaving Private Ryan, Dreamworks SKG,comes this incredible film of the ancientworld. Russell Crowe plays Maximus, asuccessful Roman general who is framed

for the murder of Caesar. Sentenced todie, he escapes only to find his familyand estate have been destroyed. He seekshis revenge against the new Caesarthrough his success as a gladiator.

One of the most eagerly awaited mov-ies after Gladiator this summer was ThePatriot. With a massive budget and amajor star like Mel Gibson, it was sup-posed to do for the Revolution what Sav-

ing Private Ryan did for WWII movies.

Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, aretired British officer who served underthe King during the French and IndianWar. When war comes to Charleston, heelects to stay out of it, although his oldestson volunteers to join the ContinentalArmy.

What follows can only aptly be de-scribed as Rambo meets Last of the Mo-hicans. After seeing his second oldestson killed by an evil British officer andhis farm burned to the ground, Martintakes up a guerilla war against British

forces in the area. There is enoughbloodletting and implausible situationswhich begins to raise questions aboutwhat direction this film is trying to take.Also, get ready for enough personal trag-

edy to fill three movies. Not only did hissecond oldest son get killed, his oldest

son gets killed, his sons wife gets killed,and an entire town is locked up andburned in a church. At this point youregetting ready to shut the movie off andhope for something better next time.

The only redeeming features are thebattles which are done pretty well and thesweeping scope of the picture. If yourelooking for historical accuracy I wouldsuggest you look elsewhere. If you wantto visualize a Revolutionary War battle,uniforms, the terrain, etc, it is good forthat. This review may make the moviesound horrible and that is not the case, itsjust that it could have been so much bet-ter. Comparisons to Saving Private Ryanare inevitable and this film does not getanywhere close to greatness.

pregnable German position fails, the

French high command selects threesoldiers from his unit to a court mar-tial and executed. Dax assumes thedefense of the three men and whatfollows is a fine acting job by Doug-las through the trial.

Although in black andwhite and little to no extrafeatures, the trench scenes

One of Stanley Kubricks first films,

Paths of Glory is a must for military en-thusiasts. Set in France during WorldWar One, it is based off an actual inci-dent involving a large mutiny by Frenchforces during the war.

Kirk Douglas plays Colonel Dax, alawyer who now serves as an infantrycommander in the trenches. When alarge scale assault on a seemingly im-

are well worth the movie alone. Doug-

las does a great job as the infantry com-mander who must revert back to hiscivilian law days to try to save the threemen. The movie can and does slowdown in a few places, but the overallfilm is more than worth it. The DVD

feature has been extensivelycleaned up from previous VHSversions and a new sound trackwas added.

Page 10

Gladiator DVD

The Patriot DVD

Paths of Glory DVD

WA RN I NG O RD E R

Re-released as part of theStanley Kubrick collection onDVD.


11/12


Started by US Games Systems andnow owned by Avalanche Press is theEagles of The Empire series. There arecurrently three games in the system,Friedland, Borodino, and Eylau. All

three use basically the same system withstandard rules along with exclusive rulesfor each particular game. The physicalcomponents are very well done, compara-ble to Clash of Arms games.

The first thing you notice is the map-board, which is divided into geomorphicareas of varying size. The next thing younotice are the counters which consist oflarge infantry pieces and regular sizepieces for the artillery and cavalry. Bothgo hand in hand as the developers havemade the areas from terrain surveys

which limit the number of troops that can

fit into each area. Infantry counterssometimes have to fit sideways into areaswhich means their firepower must be d i-rected through the flank end of the piece.Some other areas can hold more units

than others. Planning and coordinatinglarge bodies of troops throughout the

game becomes very challenging.

The command and combat systems arepretty straightforward, but the number ofmodifiers can take getting use to. The

game play is very challenging and coordi-nating attacks can be very frustrating ascan be the command limits on the non-French player.

The Borodino scenarios all play verywell and we found they produce a veryhistorical result. The burden of attack isdefinitely on the French, but the Russianplayer has different challenges in tryingto defend a large area. We found a fewproblems(the combat system takes gettingused to), but the overall game system isvery good. The games are expensive,

about $45 each, but worth it.

Page 11

COLOURS 2000 Convention Report by Mike Marchant

Eagles of the Empire: Borodino

Beautiful counters and one of the most unusual maps ever seen in a boardgame make this a great simulat ion of the epic batt le of Borodino.

Colours 2000 was held this year inReading during October. As in previ-ous years, there are more and moreplayers and trade stands not from Eng-land present. The trade was well rep-resented with The Foundry, Hallmark,Redoubt, Village Green, and othersrepresenting the British industry. Theforeign trade was led by Old Glory,with their offering of bulk figures atlow prices, which lures more and moreBritish players to their stand everyyear.

Much of the convention was up tothe standards of the previous year, in-cluding(for better or for worse) andAsterix and Obelisk game featuring 6tall figures being physically hurledacross ascaled pair of cartoon ships to

the roll of the dice. I observed thisfrom a safe distance to avoid the possi-bility of being sucked into the inescap-able gravity well of the black hole ofintellect.

Also featured were a number ofgames on scratch built terrain such as a12 x 12 Dark Ages town under siege.There were also several troupes of re-

enactors which ranged in quality.Most of the major firms produced ad-ditions to their already impressivelines, with more promised in the nearfuture. To help with our groups up-coming Age of Reason campaign Imade several purchases. Includedamong these were pre-fabricated siegeworks and ordinance, including 24pounders, siege mortars, etc. .

One of the unusual items at theshow was a set of female space ma-rines known as the Spice Marines.They were in full battle armor, ad-vanced weapons, ponytails, and eachone was painted in a separate color.

Apart from the Foundry, who wasrepresented by a Frenchman with lim-ited stocks(unusual since they are

from England!), the fair on the wholewas an enjoyable experience. Highlyrecommended with its 70 or so tradestands and many games being runthroughout the day. If it was not forthe fact that I now reside in the U.S. Iwould be planning to attend Colours2001.

Pirates have been a focus for theFoundry for over two years nowand the range continues to grow.Also featured at the show were thenew line of Greeks.

Mike and others who have attended

shows over the last year commented

heavily on the quality of games at

shows. There seems to be only a few

which really stand out, while manyare out of the 70s with masking tape

roads, etc . All have also com-

mented on the use of the simplest

rules at the shows which are not gen-

erally used at various clubs.


12/12

This is the second issue of Warning Order and the response locally

has been very positive. We are trying to think of ways to expand our reader-

ship, but the high cost of color printing may preclude that . We are sti ll dedi-cated towards bringing together every quarter a publication that would be of

interest to gamers and anyone interested in history. Each issue we will focus

on a particular set of rules, like AOD last issue, and attempt to add figure,

board game, book, and movie reviews. It is difficult to be all things to all

people, but we are trying to focus on what our club is interested in as we feel

that we have(hopefully) a good feeling of what most gamers are into. As al-

ways we welcome any reviews, comments, pictures, etc , from outside our

group to be included.

Matt Irsik

Edi tor

Meets everyother Fridaynight 7-12.Commnad Decision 3 JohnnyReb 3 Sword & The Flame

Harpoon 4 Age of Reason Age of Discovery Hostile AircraftKatana Empire FromValmyto Waterloo

WASATCH FRONT HISTORICAL

GAMING SOCIETY

selves. Each boxed army set containsseveral units and is more than enoughto get started. You can add additionalunits by buying individual packs aseach pack contains one unit, either 24infantry, 12 cavalry, 2 artillery pieces,or packs with creatures and heroes.

The figure scale is 10mm(1/200)and the figures are better sculpted thansome 15mm. They are not cheap, but aunit of infantry deployed in three baseslooks like a miniature regiment on thetable. All units are three bases, except

for artillery which are in batteries oftwo stands, and heroes, generals, andcreatures which are individually based.

The rules have something that mostGames Workshop systems do not; com-mand control. Generals, heroes, andwizards play an important part in coor-dinating the armies in combat. Themagic section is not all powerful, butadds a nice touch to the game. Unitsmove by officers die roll initiative and

WARMASTER

Email: [email protected]

The Best in Historical Simulations

WWW.WFHGS.COM

W F H G S

can move several times in a turn ifyour rolls hold up. With large ar-mies it becomes difficult to controlforces that become spread out. Thecombat system plays like DBA,except that units get varying num-bers of D6 to hit the enemy andthere are saving throws. Prettysimple, but it works because youare dealing with a large number ofunits on both sides, so you need asystem that moves fast.

As with most Games Workshop

products you get high quality, es-pecially the figures, but be pre-pared to pay for it. The game sys-tem is supported by a magazine,several websites, and at least twocompanies who sell castles, fortifi-cations, siege towers, etc . All inall it is pretty fun and most impor-tant of all, it looks like a massivefantasy battle.

For everyone who has thoughtabout simulating the battles featured inThe Lord of the Rings or any otherfantasy series, this is the set of rules foryou. Up until now there have been

several rules systems that have tried tosucceed, but have fallen short in one ormore areas. From Warhammer Fan-tasy Battles to Hordes of the Things(aDBA fantasy variant) gamers have al-ways thought it could have been donebetter.

Unlike most Games Workshopproducts, Warmaster is not sold as aboxed set. Rather, the rule book issold separately as are the armies them-

warning order 02 - wo1st

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