New AWI board games from Two Buck Games now available from Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers

Gettysburg Wargamer Bill Molyneaux has designed several new board games recently, including a series of easy-to-learn American War of Independence (AWI) games which are now available at Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers and other outlets. Click here for more information.

AWI North

The AWI Campaign sets share a common rule set with battle specific changes so it is easy to learn. Most of the 9 battles can be finished in under 2 hours regardless of your wargaming experience. Experienced players will comfortably finish most battles in under an hour.

 

The battle scenarios included in this campaign pack are:

Concord-Lexington -19 April 1775.

Bunker Hill – 17 June 1775.

White Plains – 28 October 1776.

Trenton – 25 December 1776.

Paoli – 21 September 1777.

Hubbardton – 7 July 1777.

Germantown – 4 October 1777.

Valley Forge (hypothetical) – Winter 177.7

Saratoga (Freemans Farm and Beamis Heights combined).

PRICE SOON TO BE RELEASED

Price:

$17.00

Some Civil War games at the Cold Wars 2013 wargaming convention

I attended the Friday night sessions of the 2013 Cold Wars miniature wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pa. The above photo is a section of a 25mm game of the Battle of Groveton, presented by Ohio gamemaster Jim Kopchak. The fighting resulted in a Union victory when the Rebel commanders retired. Jim used his own home-grown set of rules, Civil War Commander II.

Another shot of Jim’s 25mm layout. Jim’s rules include a unique “capture the flag” system of determining victory points. When a unit ir eliminated, that player who lost the unit must give 1 or 2 flags (depending upon the unit) to his opponent as trophies of war.

Here are more photos of Jim’s game, as well as Regimental Fire & Fury games by Lowell Hamilton and Rich Hasenauer, and a skirmish game by John Michael Priest.

Three new wargaming titles from Osprey

Osprey has launched a new series of books in August 2012 which are self-contained wargame rules, replete with typically impressive Osprey artwork for which the company is famed, as well as well-designed scenarios and playing aids. The first two of these small books, 64 pages in length, are the works of veteran gamers Daniel Mersey and Paul Eaglestone, and are sure to provide a popular foundation for expanding the series further.

Eaglestone”s A World Aflame: Interwar Wargame Rules 1918-39 offers the gamer a chance to use a single, cohesive set of rules for those series of conflicts set between World War I and World War II. Players can wargame the bloody Irish War of Independence, the many civil wars in China, the Spanish Civil War (no special rules for Ernest Hemingway!), and other confrontations of note.

To read more about the game mechanisms, click here. To order a deeply discounted copy from amazon.com, click here.

A few random 15mm ACW photos

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.

Custer’s Last Stand — Little Big Horn 1876 Battle Anniversary Commemoration in 28mm

Game Day Invitation

CUSTER’S LAST STAND — LITTLE BIG HORN 1876

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

Saturday 9 June 2012

FULL-DAY version of 1-1 wargame w/original Old-Glory 28mm miniatures as presented at ORIGINS, GENCON, HISTORICON & UK.

* LOCATION:   “FAIRVIEW GRANGE” — 6270 Tuscarawas Road, Industry, PA  15052 (Near Pittsburgh, PA)

 

* FEATURING:

 

1.  GAME MASTERS:  Paul Olszanski, Pete Panzeri and LBH Team.

 

2.  Multi-media Presentations by author/GM Pete Panzeri on

·        The Little Big Horn 1876 Campaign (Osprey, 1996) *[Book-signings@5pm.]

 

·        Plains Wars Tactics and Operations  (The Ohio State University, 1997)

 

·        “Crazy Horse Rules!” (SmallWarsPress)

 

3.   Pre-Battle Planning and Operations Sessions

 

4.  Mid-Battle “Camaraderie”

 

5.  Post Battle After Action Review & publication

 

6.  Video & Photo Sessions for Wargames Illustrated 300^th issue.

 

* Open to all BUT …

— PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN ADVANCE.

 

* EMAIL:  peterpanzeri@yahoo.com. — for confirmation and further instructions. Note: It may be 4-6 days to confirm your spot as demand has been very high.

 

* Event is FREE, but a small donation onsite for facility/costs may be appreciated.

Cold Wars 15mm Second Manassas Railroad Cut Game

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…

Tin Soldiers of Antwerp to refight the Battle of Stones River at annual Johnny Reb III megagame

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…

New owners of Dave’s Baggage Train offering 10% discount for Charge! readers

Phil and Robin Spera have assumed ownership of Dave’s Baggage Train following Dave’s passing away. They are offering all Johnny Reb Gaming Society members and CHARGE! blog readers a special 10% discount for all orders placed between now and Cold Wars 2012! Simply mention the code word “scott mingus discount” when you place your order to receive this special pricing. Visit their website at Dave’s Baggage Train and then decide what you want to order. Talk with either Phil or Robin, and receive your discount when you order. Or, you can e-mail Phil at phil@davesbaggagetrain.com.

I have used this system for several HMGS-East conventions, and have added to my collection of trays and cases. Here are photographs at some of my Civil War miniature wargaming items as stored in the trays that I purchased for use with the carrying cases.

Here is a quick look at the armies in their new home. They are mounted on metal bases for Johnny Reb 3 and the plastic army trays are lined with magnetic sheeting. Figures were painted by Scott Mingus and by Larry Reber of Gettysburg Soldiers.

And now a few more pix…

Gettysburg East Cavalry Field in 15mm at Fall-In 2011

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.

Fall-In 2011

Here are a series of photos taken in the early afternoon of the first day of the annual HMGS Fall-In miniature wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Attendance seemed a bit lower than usual, but the enthusiasm level was very high in the gaming venues. There were several high quality games being presented from all sorts of military periods.

This year’s theme is Cavalry: From Horse to Helo’. Games represented medieval cavalry, Civil War, Napoleonics, Gnome Warfare, VietNam and AirCav, Custer and Little Big Horn, etc.

Click each photo to enlarge it for better viewing.