Monday 6 April 2015

Wargames Long Ago .




Been tidying out a cupboard and came across these old photos of various wargames I have played , the quality is not great but these date back when cameras had rolls of film in them.(click on photos to enlarge them)







An ACW  game using I think Confederate High Command rules (?) , 25mm Minifigs on a rather strangely home dyed bed sheet .


Another shot of the same game , the roads are cut up plastic floor tiles if I remember rightly . The experimentation in dyeing didn't work very well did it ! , in this modern era of purpose made felt cloths we tend to forget how hard it was to get suitably coloured material in the distant wargaming past . This game dates I think from about the mid 1980s.


A slightly later game of ACW  using 'Johnny Reb' rules (think I can make out some of the little green markers that came with the game) . Notice I have a proper felt cloth now - purchased at great expense from Standard Games. The wooden fencing was made by my father in his retirement.


A Romans versus Ancient Britons game , these figures had a renaissance when Warhammer Ancient Battles rules came out - they had languished unused when I got sick of playing WRG 6th edition rules with all their complexities.


Now two golden oldies, in the late 70s (?) I and another chap called Dave Cliff (?) put on a demonstration game at the Victorian Military Societies meeting at the United Services Institute in London of the action at the river Bulganak in the Crimea 1854 - a small skirmish which we turned into a full blown battle , with me loosing the Light Brigade !.


Another view from the Russian side . We used Peter Laing 15mm figures and adapted the WRG Horse and Musket rules , the scenery and cloth were provided by Dave. Much to our great surprise we won best game award ! . Most of the figures I still have but need re basing to modern standards .

10 comments:

  1. Fun to rediscover these old treasures, is it not?
    Brings back memories of battles long past.

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    1. Rose tinted spectacles - but did we have more fun then ?, Tony

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  2. These are great fun! I'm intrigued to note that the home dyed sheet you mention seems to achieve the battlefield appearance that I am still striving to get.

    Loved the horse-&-musket period wallpaper too.

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    1. The wallpaper was ancient - first put up in the 1940's when my parents moved into the house - now colour washed over !, Tony

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  3. Now there is a blast from the past! Whatever happened to Peter Laing figures? Very unfussy, but I kind of wish they were still available. Ideal, to my mind, for mid- to late-19th century corp-level actions, or even early WWI.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Sadly they have disappeared from the scene and rarely even appear on Ebay , you had to paint the detail onto them - I was a great fan ! , Tony

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  4. Yes- back in the days of 25mm film & exposures...Would like to see photos of the Peter Laing 15mm Crimea- that would be very interesting...I have some old photos Tony of the early games with Airfix & Esci Plastics- ACW, Zulu War. KEV.

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    1. Will post some photos of my Peter Laing stuff , was very fond of the man - he had a superb mail order service back when you could wait for weeks for orders to be sent by other firms ( notably MiniFigs ) , Tony

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    2. Thankyou Tony- Yes, I do like the Peter Laing 15mm - have seen some examples on the Net of Sudan era British and Dervishers by Peter Laing- Your Crimea Figures would interest me greatly...I think the older metal figures going back to the 70s -do have a certain charm that to-days commercial ranges tend to lack- sadly. KEV.

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  5. Great photos! Now suffering from a wave of nostalgia!

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