I have been away from the wargaming scene all spring and summer as I focus on an expanded role within the company I work for, as well as getting a couple of Civil War book manuscripts ready for the publishers. Here are few photographs of some past games I hosted, starting with a couple of shots of the award-winning South Mountain game I presented at the HMGS-East 2002 Fall-In convention in Gettysburg, Pa.
Veteran gamemaster and author Jim Kopchak of the Northern Ohio Wargaming Society presented a 15mm game of Second Manassas at the annual Cold Wars gaming convention held at the Lancaster Host Resort in Lancaster, Pa. My BlackBerry camera does not do justice to this visually appealing game. Six players enjoyed a 4-hour game which came down to the final turn before the Yankees managed a foothold in the railroad cut, winning the game.
Here are a few more photos…
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro (in the South, simply the Battle of Murfreesboro), was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Of the major battles of the Civil War, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, the Union Army’s repulse of two Confederate attacks and the subsequent Confederate withdrawal were a much-needed boost to Union morale after the defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and it dashed Confederate aspirations for control of Middle Tennessee.
Now, 150 years later, the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp, a long-time gaming club in Belgium, will present a miniature wargame of the Battle of Stones River using the popular Johnny Reb III rules set. Thousands of scale soldiers will be used on a massive playing surface in this multi-day megagame. Registration has now opened (for a modest 20 euro fee) for this international event which attracts wargamers from across western Europe as well as a handful from the United States.
For more information, as well as many photos of past megegames (including Gettysburg and Antietam) lick on the link to the club’s website for the event.
Here are some of those photos to whet your appetite…
A typical Johnny Reb 3 terrain table; this one by Scott L. Mingus, Sr. of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society.
Lowell Hamilton is a long-time wargamer and gamemaster who is known for putting on his own excellent Civil War gaming layouts. He has been a leading proponent of my fellow HMGS Legion of Honor member Rich Hasenauer’s fine new rules set, Regimental Fire & Fury, which has rapidly gained popularity since its publication. There are literally hundreds of Johnny Reb scenarios that have been published over the past two decades (including several dozen that I have written). With a new generation of gamers moving over to Regimental Fire & Fury from the original brigade-level Fire & Fury, as well as many converts from the dozens of competing regimental-level ACW regimental rules sets, it has become clear that there is a growing need for a quick guide to adapting the older scenarios to make them usable for Regimental Fire & Fury.
Lowell recently filled that need with a fine article which first appeared in the limited hard copy print run of the JRGS’s Charge! quarterly newsletter. He has graciously allowed me to reproduce his original article, with Rich’s graphics and layout, here on my wargaming blog so that a much wider audience may enjoy his work.
Click here to download Lowell’s guide to converting Johnny Reb scenarios to Regimental Fire & Fury. You will need a .pdf reader (many are available for free on the Internet) to read this file. Thanks Lowell!
And, keep in mind that the Johnny Reb Gaming Society accepts scenarios and strategy guides / painting guides / etc. for ALL regimental-level rules sets, not just Johnny Reb. So, please contact scottmingus@yahoo.com if you have fresh material for our consideration.
Enjoy!
Here are a few photos from my 15mm Civil War wargame at Fall-In 2011 on Saturday morning in Lancaster PA. This view looks south from the northern edge of the battlefield toward the Rummel Farm (top center) and Cress Ridge (top right).
We had 7 players for the game; all are long-time members of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society and are veterans of many Johnny Reb 3 wargames at HMGS conventions over the past decade. The scenario was adapted from my book Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature.
Click on each photo to enlarge it for easier viewing and more details. I apologize for the picture quality; lighting was not great and I did not have a tripod set up (and autofocus was off unfortunately). At least you get an idea of the table layout.
Scott Mingus will be one of the gamemasters at this year’s annual Fall-In wargaming convention at the Lancaster Host Resort & Conference Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Shown above is a scene from one of his award-winning tabletop layouts.
Here is the list of Civil War miniature wargames to be played this year.
I wandered around the main gaming hall of the Valley Forge, PA. Convention Center on Saturday night of the annual Historicon miniature wargaming convention sponsored by HMGS (Historical Miniature Gaming Society). I took a few photos of some of the theme games (American Civil War).
The convention appeared crowded, with most tables filled with impressive looking wargames in progress. Crowds seemed thick, and most looked like they were having a good time on this the final night of gaming action for this year’s Historicon.
At Historicon 2011 in Valley Forge, PA, long-time Virginia-based wargamer Grant Daniels and his father, Curt, presented an impressive wargame of the August 1862 Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill). This 15mm game used the popular Johnny Reb 3 rules system by John Hill. Nine players, and numerous kibbitzers including yours truly, gathered for an evening of social entertainment and conversation around the gaming table.
Every year, the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp (TSA) presents perhaps the largest Johnny Reb 3 miniature wargame in the world, or at least competes strongly for that honor. This year is no exception.
The boys from Belgium are back at it again, and this time the theme is the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run / Manassas.
This commemorative wargame will be held at the TSA’s club house in Antwerp on March 26-27, 2011.
Please visit the website for this mega-event.
Some year i just have to get to Belgium to see this in person!
Watch for an exciting new article from Civil War rules author John Hill in the February hard copy issue of Charge!, the official newsletter of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society. John discusses the effect of smoke and dust on the battlefield, and how to simulate this for tabletop wargaming.
CHARGE! Civil War miniature wargaming and dioramas 
