Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy

Wargaming is a big hobby with many diverse factions and perspectives: striking a balance that pleases everyone can be truly challenging! We like to think what sets Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy apart from other historical wargaming magazines is its focus on having fun, no matter what kind of wargamer you are or what your background is. WS&S is a light-hearted publication, that pays particular attention to games themselves and how to play them: it doesn’t get bogged down in lengthy historical expositions or recycle content you can read yourself in any history book. While popular periods like WWII, the Napoleonic era, and the ancient world get frequent coverage, we also try to feature the unexpected, with articles on spies, monsters and gangsters to name but a few.

WARGAMES, SOLDIERS & STRATEGY

Editorial

MINIATURE REVIEWS • A look at some of the newest miniatures, terrain pieces, and more from across the wargaming world.

LOCAL WARGAMING • Well, it’s been a funny old couple of years but, at long last, we do seem to be emerging onto the broad, sunlit uplands of normality. Or at least whatever normality now looks like. My 2021 year planner, so long empty and moribund, lacking the promise of anything exciting, is now sprouting green shoots at an alarming rate. In the run-up to the end of the year, I suddenly find that eight weekends out of the next nine are literally packed wall to wall with Lardy Games Days and wargames shows.

DOWNFALL OF THE FAINT-HEARTED • Following the success of the First Crusade, Pope Paschal II urged Christians to go and reinforce Jerusalem. His sermons were particularly aimed at those nobles who had taken the vow of crusade but had never left, or who had turned early. One particular knight who needed to redeem his honour was Stephen, Count of Blois who had fled the holy land at the siege of Antioch.

AN ALMOST-PERFECT SURPRISE ATTACK • The Battle of Estero Bellaco was one of the bloodiest and pyrrhic battles of the Paraguayan War (1864-1870). The Paraguayan armed forces launched a surprise attack against the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, capturing artillery and supplies. However, the Allies counterattacked, leaving them in possession of the field and claiming a strategic victory.

PROJECT 1940 • Gaming is always best shared, and group projects can be very rewarding. When a group of friends come together with a common goal, a great deal can be painted and table ready, as each gamer inspires the other.

COMMON SENSE, NOT COWARDICE • There is a paradox dividing reconnaissance and wargaming. Scouting often played a huge role in the build-up before a large battle or during a campaign. However, it seldom plays an active role during our tabletop battles, leading to most players neglecting scouts on the tabletop.

DOOMED IN THE DESERT • The Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC is one of those famous disasters that we are compelled to search for “the reason why”. Marcus Licinius Crassus, the richest man in Rome, became the perfect scapegoat for Rome’s disaster in Parthia. Crassus and his son Publius, and thousands of other plunder-craving Roman legionaries, fell under a relentless hailstorm of arrows from an underestimated foe that they outnumbered.

THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS • Orm Bluetongue had come to the Saxon settlement as a trader with a fine collection of furs and pelts. The locals had welcomed his fine wares and been pleased by his reasonable prices. Little did they know that Orm was a Danish spy collecting information on the local defences and riches for his foreign master. Just 30 miles away, the Viking raiding party waited patiently for Orm to return with his vital intelligence.

FIGHTING FOR INFORMATION • Information is key to military success. The nature of information covers a wide field. A commander will seek information on the enemy, his...