Product News

Courier Dispatch

By Dick Bryant

Age of Eagles is a Napoleonic brigade-level variant for Fire and Fury by Wibur Gray. While commercial publication is planned, the rules are available free for a limited time for registering at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NapoleonicFireandFury.

Battle Works Studios has begun producing 28 mm scale terrain. The first available pieces include trenches , gun emplacements, sidewalks, and building ruins. 20mm pieces are in the planning stages. www.battleworksstudios.com.

Battleground, the WWII skirmish rules from Easy Eight, are available in print form again, at $30 for the main rules and $20-25 apiece for the various supplements. These are being produced in print-on-demand form by wargamer.data-source.com.

Copplestone Castings has new Back of Beyond figures out, including German mercenaries, a group of American adventurers (a young ‘Indy’, a flyer, a cigar-chewing westerner, and an ex-soldier with a BAR), Bolshevik infantry in greatcoats, machine gun with crew, and field gun with crew and Chinese infantry and machine gun with crew. Available from RLBPS, 4827 Treeview Terrace, Rockford, IL 61109, tel: (815) 874-5351, web: www.rlbps.com

Guts and Glory has a new blitzkrieg period supplement for these skirmish rules, adding French, Greeks, Norwegians, Poles, Yugoslavs, Dutch, Italians, and Finns, with ten scenarios, and rules for cavalry, motorcycle troops, and ski troops. web: http://www.marccanu.com/gng.htm.

Historical Miniatures in the Classroom is a collection of (free) rules and scenarios ranging from Ancients to WWII, intended for use with middle school students using plastic figures. All have been played within 2 hours including the time to explain the rules. On the web at: members.bellatlantic.net/~pgfritz/.

Minifigs has some new French Revolutionary period 15’s, with Vendee rebels, about 30 British packs, mostly 1790’s, with dragoons and gunners in bicornes, light dragoons in Tarleton helmets, Mirleton, or stovepipe shako, Hornpesch’s mounted rifles, troops in round hats, and other good stuff. The nearly 40 packs of French include a similarly wide range of troops in a variety of headgear and uniforms. Game Figures Inc, 538 Unit E Olathe St., Aurora, Co. 80011, tel: (303) 361-6465, web: www.minfigs.com.

Old Glory has released 16 packs of 25 mm Han Chinese, High Command for Hellenic, Carthaginian, Imperial Roman, Late Roman, and Easter Horse People armies. There are 11 packs of French infantry and artillery in Egypt, including dromedary troops and some personalities. In 15 mm for WWII are a Priest 105mm SP gun, Jagdpanzer IV l/48 and L/70, Sdkfx7/1 halftrack, Wirbelwind quad 20 mm AA, and a Pzkw IIIF. There are nine new packs of US, NVA, and Viet Cong troops for the Viet Nam war, with 6 M113 variants, an M48A2C tank, M35 truck and a BTR APC. They are also carrying ten computer-moderated rulesets. PO Box 20, Calumet, PA 15621, tel: (724) 423-3580, web: www.oldgloryminiatures.com.

Peter Pig has a new set of English Civil War rules for 15 mm figures called “Regiment of Foote”. They are meant to be used on a 3 by 5 ft board with about ten units to a side, with base sizes not being critical. They have also issued the first 15 numbers in a line of ECW figures to go with them, including pikes, musket, halberdiers, foot command, light and medium guns, and some wounded. Available in the US from Brookhurst Hobbies, 12188 Brookhurst Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840, tel: (714) 636-3580, web: www.brookhobby.com.

Renaissance Warfare, the rules by Jeff Ball and Terry Gore, are reprinted in a newer, spiffier edition with fifty army lists, all the latest optional/advanced rules and a revised main text. $25 from SAGA Publishing, 890 Janes Road, Rochester, NY, 14612 web: www.saga-publishing.com.

Sash and Saber has some new 25mm ACW figures: Confederate cavalry with sabers or pistols, and Confederate skirmish command. In 40mm there is a Confederate 12 lb Napoleon gun with 6 crew. Also in 25mm are SYW Prussian hussars in fur cap and Napoleonic French Chasseurs a Cheval. Sash and Saber Castings, 119 Dublin Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609, tel: (919) 870-5513, web: www.sashandsaber.com.

The Sword and the Flame variants are sprouting like crabgrass: The Sword in Canada (North West Rebellion of 1885), The Sword in India (Mutiny 1857), and The Sword in the Philippines (Moro Rebellion), The Sword and The Pike (Early Renaissance) The Sword, Cross and Gold ( Conquistadors vs. Aztecs), The Sword in Palestine (WWI in the Desert) and The Sword in Mexico (French Intervention 1863-67) are $5 supplements, while The Sword in the Forest, covering the French and Indian War, is $8. These are available from And That’s the Way It Was via www.amazon.com/shops/loribrom. 213 3rd Street NE, Hickory, NC 28601-5124, tel: (828) 324-0751.

Xyston has a range of 15mm Ancient Greeks, with 13 flavors of hoplites plus psiloi, slingers, and archers. They also have 14 ships in 1/600, from triremes to siege tower-equipped quinquiremes. Available from Brookhurst Hobbies.

Magazines

Potomac Wargamers Review is ceasing publication, as the Potomac Wargamers organization is folding itself into NOVAG. Wally Simon’s irrepressible insights will no doubt continue to appear in other venues.

Arquebusier, the journal of the Pike and Shot Society, includes on its color center pages in issue XXVI/II two sections of a Japanese screen illustrating the battle of Sekigahara. There is a history of the battle of Rhetel, France (1650), a review of Korean tridents and long spears, the second part of a piece on Renaissance artillery, a reprint of a warrant for the creation of the British artillery train for the 1703 expedition to Portugal, a couple of articles on DBR (terrain and suitability for the ECW), and a description of “This Accursed Civil War” by the game designer. There are also reviews, notes, queries, and answers. 48pp, £22/6 issues with membership outside Europe. Iain Stanford, 95 Tolbut Court, Lennox Close, Romford, RM1 2DZ, UK.

Seven Years War Association Journal commences issue XII(4) with a discussion of the applicability of the Lanchester analysis of fire to game design. There is a biography of the Duc de Lévis, with a translated excerpt from his journal during the winter of 1757 in Montreal, an account of the career of the Duc de Choseul from 1739 to 1743, a history of Swedish involvement in the SYW, translated portions of the journal of Horace St. Paul with the Austrian army at the end of September, 1757, and an article on Hessian hat pom colors. 72 pp, $30/4 issues. James Mitchell, 147 N. Jackson St, Crown Point, IN 46307

Strategikon is a new publication with the sub-title “for fans and fanatics of miniature lead soldiers, with in-depth historical studies of the pre-gunpowder period”. A long article in issue 4 argues that classical Greek cavalry was a lot better than it is generally given credit for. There is also the second part of a history of the gladiatorial contest of the munus, an account of the war against Spartacus, and some notes on wargaming gladiator armies. For adults there is a one-page scenario for Spartolos (429 BC) using WarHammer Ancient Battles and in the center of the magazine is a four-page set of rules for 8-year-olds using singly-mounted figures. 30pp, $18/4 issues. NMPI, 5715 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, web: www.strategikonmag.com.

SAGA covers the period from Ancients through the Renaissance, with a focus on the rules published by SAGA Publishing. Number 86 has a history of the Battle of Bouvines (1214), an account of the life of Somerled, Lord of the Isles, and a history of the Battle of the Allia (387). Wargaming articles include the use of terrain, deploying a feudal host, stand alignment, and a handicapping system as they apply to the Medieval Warfare rules, and a description of 16 armies for Ancient Warfare.48pp, $30/6 issues. T.L. Gore, 890 Janes Rd, Rochester, NY 14612, e-mail:06185@msn.com.

Other Magazines of Interest Received

HMGS East Newsletter, Scott Holder (Treasurer), PO Box 36, Bonnots Mill, MO 65016, $10/yr.
HMGS Dispatch, (Midsouth), Major Bill Harting, 101 Taylor Rd, Estill Springs, TN 37330-3831.
The Messenger, (HMGS Pacific SW), HMGS/PSW, PO Box 701, Norwalk, CA 90651-0701, $15/yr membership.
The Citadel, (HMGS NW), c/o Mark Serafin, 2614 Rucker Ave #14, Everett, WA 98201, $10.
The Herald (HMGS Great Lakes), HMGS membership Secretary, 2251 Wayne Madison Rd, Trenton, OH45 067, $10/6 issues, membership.
Lone Warrior, (solo wargaming), Solo Wargamers Association, 1707 Ridge Rd, Leavenworth, KS 66048., $20 / 4 issues.
Miniature Wargames, Wargames Inc, Box 278, Route 40 East, Triadelphia, WV 26059-0278, tel: (304) 547-0000.
Spearpoint, (NA Soc. Ancient & Medieval Wargamers), Scott Dickson, 590 Woodend Dr. SE, Concord, NC 28025, $24 / 6 issues & membership.

Catalogs Received

Armorcast: these are resin kits, most of them sci-fi, but with a number of walls, shell holes, and ruined buildings. Some medieval structures, roads, and rivers. 36 pp, illustrated. PO Box 14485 Santa Rosa, CA 95402-6485, tel: (707) 576-1619, web: www.armorcast.com.

19th Century Miniatures Battle Honors, Old Glory , Ranks and File, Quality Castings. 22 page listing. Dept A, 300 Watson St, Coopersville, MI 49404, tel: (616) 837-7045, web: oldglory15s.com.

Foundry Compendium is a full-color catalog and painting guide for Foundry 28 mm figures. 80 pp. for $18. The Foundry, 24-34 St. Marks St, Nottingham, Great Britain NG3 1DE, web: www.wargamesfoundry.com.

Mirliton S.G. has complete English translations of their captions, text, and figure lists, along with many illustrations. Italian Wars of Independence, Italian Commune wars of 1200-1350, and condottieri in 15 mm, WWII in 20 mm, Napoleonics, Italian Wars of Independence, Renaissance, Medievals, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Etruscans, Samnites, Celts, Aztecs, and Mayans in 25 mm. Oh, yes, there are also some1:43 Italian Police and 1:8 busts. 64 pp, illustrated, some in color. In the US from GKG Gaming, 86 Regan Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, tel: (203) 431-8726, web: www.mirliton.it.

Old Glory Ancients, Napoleonics, Medieval, Renaissance, ECW, Jacobite, SYW, AWI, Mexican-American, Maori wars, Zulus, Boers, Northwest Frontier, Indian Mutiny, American Indian Wars, French Foreign Legion, Spanish American War, Boxers, and WWI, all in 25 mm, plus WWII and post-war 15 mm. Rules, terrain, flags. 24 page listing. PO Box 20, Calumet, PA 15621, tel: (724) 423-3580, web: www.oldgloryminiatures.com.

RLBPS Raventhorpe, Frontline, Honorable Lead Boiler Suit Co, Steve Barber Models, Grand Manner, BP Cast, Gripping Beast, Copplestone Castings, DZ Miniatures, Banasik flags, Vallejo paints. 56 page listing. 4827 Treeview Terrace, Rockford, IL 61109, tel: (815) 874-5351, web: www.rlbps.com.

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