#366 "Battle of the Battlemats, Shieldwall, Druid"

OBSERVATION POST

A special focus on what we picked up at Vapnartak in York this month.

Theme 1: Armies of the thirty years war! - Jim Graham provides some advice for gamers looking to invest in a new period or army for use during this fascinating period.

THEME 2: AIRCRAFT AND GROUND SUPPORT IN THE GREAT WAR - Jim Graham is back, switching periods to look at some of the less glamorous aspects of being a ‘Knight of the Air’ during World War One.

THEME 1: WARGAMING THE BATTLE OF ROCROI - Simon MacDowall examines the wargaming potential of the Franco-Spanish conflict in the Thirty Years War.

THEME 2: RAID ON KENSINGTON - The drone of engines, the twists and turns of aerial combat - we tried out one of the scenarios and aspects of the expanded rules from the upcoming Blood Red Skies with game designer Andy Chambers.

THEME 1: Going plastic in the Thirty Years War - Rupert Mitchell of Drum and Flag presents some thoughts on creating armies using plastic miniatures.

THEME 2: TAKE TO THE SKIES WITH JOHNNY RED - Whilst America had the X-Men and Spiderman, the Brits had more ‘realistic’ heroes, whose stories were told against the backdrop of real warfare. Steve Beckett tells us more about - Johnny Red.

JUST ANOTHER APRIL FOOL - Pete Brown embraces an April tradition, but can you tell the historical truth from the alternative facts?

THEME 2: ROUTE PACK 6 - Aerial Warfare over North Vietnam 1965-72. John F. Stanoch discusses this aspect of the war in Vietnam and presents some gaming ideas and a scenario.

THEME 2: BOOTNECK AIR ASSAULT - Although the ‘Suez Crisis’ resulted in a humiliating climb down by Britain and France, the military operation itself succeeded and featured the first example of an assault never before used in combat.

BATTLE OF THE BATTLEMATS - We take a look at a number of battlemats from different companies, along the way charting their evolution and merits.

GO LARGE IN WORLD WAR ONE (OPPY WOOD PART 2) - James Morris takes the 12mm version of his 2017 wargames project (featured last month) to war on a larger scale - 54mm!

RULES SHOWCASE: HAIL THE DARK AGES! - The latest supplement for Hail Caesar from Warlord Games covers the Dark Ages or ‘Early Medieval’ period, with new special rules and updated army lists - we try them out with HC author Rick Priestley.

Modelling: Druid - A look at the creation of our Salute 2018 gaming table.

Show Report: TACTICA 2018 - Our travels take us to Hamburg once more, and this excellent showcase of Germanic wargaming talent.