Intelligence

News Items

by Richard Brooks


1. Guernsey Foundry figures, available in the US from The Foundry, (440-871-4587 or fax 440-892-5887) 1549 Marview Dr., Westlake, OH 44145. If you are writing them directly they have a new address which means a new production facility and probably better service - Guernsey Foundry, Hubert's Lane, Off Doyle Road, St. Peter Port, Gurnsey, GY1 1RG, Channel Islands, Great Britain.

At Cold Wars I placed an order and ten days later it was in my hands, not bad since the order wasn't faxed to Guernsey until the Monday after Cold Wars. I also called OH before hand to check on availablity of Franco-Prussian War figs and asked for a catalog and talked with Ed Patrick for a while. Seems Guernsey is going over to blister packs with 7-8 figures per pack. So if you want to purchase individual figures do it now while the price is right - 11 of the same figure for the price of 10. I bought two blisters of Darkest Africa at Cold Wars and then forgot to go back for more, see the review. Fortunately, Bryan sent me an ad for you to see the figures. As soon as I got Home from Cold Wars those babies were mounted and painted, WOW do they look great. See also an article by Mark Copplestone, the designer with info on the range. See the reviews of some of the now in production castings for the Darkest Africa Range, WOW!!!

Although the website is not officially part of The Foundry check out http://www.icenter.net/~gisby To be found are complete lists of all Wargames Foundry and Guersey Foundry Figures, plus Foundry News future projects and rules.

I am sure by now you have seen Bryan Ansell's "The Rules with No Name" there is a section at this website on variations to Bryan's rules, totally unofficial, but there are several very good special rules that might be useful for colonials. "Rapid Fire Weapons" by Walter O'Hara and "Shotguns" by Steve Flack very good and very useful. If you don't have access send and would like a copy send a self addressed stamped envelop for either or both these specials.

2. Caliver Books/Partizan Press, 816-818 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 3NH, Great Britain. No new magazines, but I received their latest catalog "Nineteenth Century Warfare - 1815 - 1905: Colonial and European Conflicts, American Civil War, Indian Wars and the West, List 50".includes at least 150 titles for the colonial gamer.

3. The Elite Group, Riverwoods, IL. While at Cold Wars I got some more East African Askaris. While not to the class of Foundry or Essex figures these are very nice to have. They were made for the Kikuyu Revolt. Unfortunately they only have one Kikuyu figure and one Masai figure, which are somewhat interesting as they are unusual but they are not well animated. The Askaris come in different poses with 4 figs to a bag (larger 25s): standing firing, kneeling firing, advancing at high port, and marching. There is a command bag that includes a bugler, askari Sgt and two British officers. Each bag is $5. If you need Askaris for Brit or Germans these are the ones.

4 Lone Warrior North American Edition, Solo Wargamers Assoc. 1707 Ridge Rd., Leavenworth, KS 66048. Number 121 is in hand and has two great ideas for campaigns. "Desertion" by Mark Money is worth a careful read. While none of my Brits or Indian troops would dare desert, or they might accidently fall off the table or be captured by natives and gruesomely be tortured, but everybody else might desert and this rules addition are a great addition. While the rules are geared for ancient and medieval periods they are still very useful for colonials. For a major campaign Mike Elliott's "Solo Diplomancy", altho also geared for the ancients this is easily convertable to tribal warfare against the British.

5. Wargames, Box 278 Route 40 East, Tridelphia, WV 26059. Nothing new for colonial strictly, the latest flyer includes Wild West figures in 25mm (larger). There are chinamen, children, mounted gunfighters, lawmen, vignettes, pioneer women, Saloon and dancing women. Best of all is WGV1a Photographer with Camera. This guy with a reporter will make for some great scenarios.

6. Miniature Service Center, 1525 Bridge St., Yuba City CA 95993. Still has their 15% discount available. There is nothing new colonial here. However, if you are a big fan of Chamberlain and the 20th Maine as I am, Redoubt has a set of 30 figures (at a stiff $45) of the 20th Maine just before their charge down hill. For the Confederates they offer the 1st Maryland's advance on Culps Hill (also a heafty $45). With the 15% off coupon, the price is $38.25.

7. Barnes and Nobles, 1-800-the-book. Nothing notable for the colonial period in the catalog. But when visiting my father in New Joisey after Cold Wars I visited the B&N Superstore in Paramus, there I found Robert S. Smith's Warfare and Diplomacy in Pre-Colonial West Africa, second edition, $14.95, University of Wisconsin Press. While this is a scholarly work, it is very well written and contains lots of valuable information. Chapters include: Peace and War, West African Wars, Armies and Canoe Fleets, Arms and Armor, Static Warfare and Fortifications, and Strategy, Tactics and the Battle. Highly recommended.

8. Texas Western Press, Frontier Cavalryman, Lieutenant John Bigelow with the Buffalo Soldiers in Texas by Marcos Kinevan. This is an edited version of John Bigelow's diary and includes his diagrams of fotts and plans for camps on the march. Once The Foundry comes out with some Buffalo Soldiers for their Apache Wars this book and Leckie's The Buffalo Soldiers will be just what is needed for campaigns and scenarios. This book has everything you could need for the Apache Wars. This book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you are interested in the Apache Wars. If it wasn't illegal I would include xeroxes of a couple of maps.

9. Miniature Wargames. Issue 178, March 1998. While an interesting read, this issue contains nothing strictly colonial. There is a scenario "Operations in Trans-Caspia 1918-1919" by Richard Tyson involving Bolsheviks and an Allied force with British inf Btn and Indian cav Regt and a six gun battery. The OBs are based on Principles of War and are quite effective. Issue 179 April 1998, while this is fairly interesting to read there is nothing colonial. I have noticed that the photographs have gotten a lot better lately.

10. MWAN #92, Hal Thinglum, 22554 Pleasant Drive, Richton Park, IL 60471. Great color photograph of the Seige of Peking. Hal has reprinted Jack Scruby's "The Strategy-Tactical War Game". if you have never read this classic of wargaming you really need to. This originally, some 35 years ago, became the basis for all my colonial rules. Other than this great article to read there's another 180 pages just as good. Highly recommended.

11. Magweb, while checking out the latest Heliograph on line (www.magweb.com) I looked at MWAN and casually checked through a few old issues in issue 17 I found an article by Howard Whitehouse "Operational Rules for the Sudan Wars - Blueprints" and is a precuror to his Science versus Pluck. Very interesting. In issue 17 there was a painting guide entitled "Bashi-Bazouk Uniforms for the Sudan' and I can see now just how my Bashis will look..

12. On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525. In hand is catalog 15B which contains at least 50 colonial period books, at reasonable prices.

13. Castcraft, PO Box 17000, Memphis TN 38187-1000. If you are interested in casting your own figures this may be the people to write to. There are two books available Casting Guide $25.95 and a Moldmaking Guide $19.00 or both for $36.00. If you buy both you also get sources, a Modelmaking Guide, a Compatibiltiy Guide and a Sales Guide.

14. Principles of War, John Hollyoak, 63 Vivian Rd, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 0DT Great Britain. See John's letter. John produces a magazine for Principles of War (see review), a subscription airmail to the US for four issues is £ 5.00 which is about $10. Highly recommended to those of you who have PoW, there was a very positive review by Ron Telucky two years ago in the Heliograph.

15. The Scholar's Bookshelf, 110 Melrich Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512. Generally, there's little here except for:

    6899X The German Colonial Empire, 1884-1919 by W. O. Henerson $45.00, 164 pages, illustrated. I don't know about you but the price seem awfully high, my budget can only stretch so far, for these price I can get a lot of lead having said that I hope I can find this in the library.

16. Victorian Military Society, Michael Parker, Treasurer, 11 Fennel Close, Cove, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU2 6NT UK. Soldiers Small Book #43 is full of general information for the colonial gamer. Soldiers of the Queen #91 includes several articles of interest beyond the Crimean War articles and cartoons. "'Heroism and Death': in the First Afghan War and After" by Michael Barthorp, "March Journal of Private Parfitt, 1st Bn., 8th (King's) Regiment, 1866 to 1877" by Peter M Gray, and "Survivors' Tales of Great Events" by James W Bancroft. This last article is a listing of articles appearing in the Royal Magazine between Feb. 1905 to Oct. 1911, the list includes 80 articles which will no doubt equal to at least 80 scenarios. This Journal is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

17. Tornado Alert #30, Journal of the Tornado Alley HMGS. This issue contains "Egypt in Danger: The Dervish Invasion of 1889" by Scott Saylors. Based on an historical incident this is a very interesting little scenario utilizing a sternwheeler (what a great idea). The write-up includes loads of OB information and alternatives to this TSATF scenario.

18. Clash of Empires, Keith Frye, 33 Ridge Rd., Bloomingdale, NJ 07403. Another very nice issue, I look forward to the next issue for the Franco-Prussian War article.

19. Siege of Augusta, 8-10 January 1999 at the Augusta (GA) Sheraton.

20. Steven J Hopkins, Court Farm, Kington, Flyford Flavell, Worchestershire, WR7 4DQ UK. Booklist 97/3. Mostly Colonial list with approx. 200 titles, also a list of 100 prints and photographs, unframed, with prices that are within reason.

21. Terry D. Hooker, 27 Hallgate, Cottingham, East Yorkshire, HU16 4DN UK. List 3. A short list with only 2 colonial titles, most are WWII. Terry also has, as the publisher, booklets by the South and Central American Military Historians Society. The title to have is No. 4 The Spanish American War: The Cuban Land Campaign, Order of Battle, by Terry Hooker, includes both sides down to Captain.

El Dorado Volume VIII No. 2 also published by Terry is here and contains lots of great information for the colonial gamer interested in South and Central America. This is full of great information that includes OBs and uniforms with drawings. Highly Recommended.

Military Collector and Historian, Journal of the Company of Military Historians Booklet No. 1 New Spain and Mexico 1500-1941 (1). Published by Terry this is a compilation of previous short articles mostly describing uniforms and organization. If you are interested in taking your Foundry or Pass of the North US Cavalry across the border in pursuit of Apaches or Villistas this will give you the information you need on Mexican forces. Or in the Alamo or War with Mexico this is the place. 70 pages including 21 plates. Highly Recommended. £ 12 or $25 in the US from Andrew Preziosi, 11017 SW 125th Ave., Miami, FL 33186.

22. The Colour Sergeant, 329 W. Third St. Perrysburg, OH 43551, 419-874-1267. List of over 160 paint colors plus 24 equine colors in 1 ounce bottles for $1.49.

23. Tactical Conflict Systems, 545 Newport Ave. Suite #155, Pawtucket, RI 02861, 401-437-9820. They have lots of 15 and 25 mm buildings. I have a round thatched hut, very good for African games. They have several stucco buildings suitable for northern Africa,particularly H-64 - a medium stucco strong point, two storeys, crenallated walls, Very nice.

24. Merrimack Miniatures, 1524 Lois Dr, Shoreview, MN 55126. I bought a bag of their small longboats, quite nice for smaller 25s (4 for $5.00). They also have a steam launch, very nice (2 for $15.00), with an awning this could be the African Queen. An would work with Foundry's Darkest Africa although boats are only launches and would carry five to six people max.

25. Ral Partha Enterprises, 5938 Carthage Court, Cincinnati, OH 45212-1197. They have a very nice collection of smaller 25 mm colonials.

26. The Colonial Connection, 226 Wareham's Point, Willaimsburg, VA 23185, 757-229-1499. Hinchliffe figures, larger 25s, the catalog lists 56 foot and 16 cavalry colonial figures for the Sudan and Zulu Wars with a nice Gardiner Gun.

27. Cold Wars report - well not much to say there was ONE colonial FFL game using Sons of the Desert rules, see the review by Ben. There were also a few pick-up games playtesting new rules. The others games of this period were Old West, Am Indian or Franco Prussian War. There was a naval game for the Sp Am War.


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© Copyright 1998 by Richard Brooks.

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