Irregular Wars Wargaming

Oh my! What a joy! Oh what another diversion! Clachtoll, the wyvern, is a splendid model from Red Bard Games, a small company that I have recently come across. He (or she...) comes with a big angry looking orc rider. Not one for orcs, I sourced Nigg, an alternative goblin rider, from Highlands Miniatures. Now the pair are ready for another whirlwind adventure!

With an explosion of purple, I'm pleased to have finished off my nest of Warp Miniatures kobolds - ordered as 3D prints from BS5 Beyond Games. These chappies were such a joy to put together and paint up. They're unlike anything I've done before and were a very welcome change. The little spearmen and warlock have been previewed before, but joining them now are three slingers, and three blade-wielding hard lads. I'm not sure that I need  any more, but I'd be very happy to check out more of the range in future.

One of the dedicated playtesters for Devilry Afoot , Steve Holmes, has generously pulled together a few notes that may be useful for newcomers to the game.  **** The setting first grabbed me. People hunting supernatural monsters isn't unusual, particularly in the tabletop roleplaying hobby, but such games tend to feature elves and dwarves in mythical settings, or "ordinary joes" in 1920s America. Devilry Afoot takes us to (mostly) Europe from the mid-16th to mid-17th centuries. Europe experiences a renaissance, reformation and counter reformation. The religious schisms provoked bloody civil wars across the continent. For those below the noble and martial classes, it was an age of superstition. A time when the dark one's minions stalked the lands at night and preyed upon the innocent. Devilry Afoot sets its action here, a skirmish wargame with a tasteful scattering of roleplaying elements. Each game sees a handful of hunters set out to thwart the forces of evil at nigh...

The fourth session of our Devilry Afoot campaign saw us play a further five scenarios, completing all 13 scenarios included in the rules. You can catch session 1 here , session 2 here , and session 3 here if you need to catch up. We returned to the campaign with our usual party of four characters and a follower: Fr Hans and Goodman Gruber, both wolf-bitten and hoping to keep their secret hidden; Colonel Clijsters the doubting soldier, and Dr Midnite the lustful doctor along with his follower and assistant, Betty. All of the characters were pretty experienced monster-hunters at this stage and we were feeling confident. Scenario 9) The Guardian of the Wilds For generations the locals, living in their scattered hamlets and isolated steadings, had kept clear of this land. Old tales told by the hearth through long winters remembered the stories of the ancient guardian of the wild who kept to himself so long as he was left alone. Over the years, some had sought to dispro...

Something wicked this way comes with the release of Devilry Afoot , the folk horror skirmish game that sets 16th or 17th century heroes against the darkest imaginings of the early modern mind. Co-operatively control self-righteous but flawed human monster hunters against the forces of darkness controlled by the game's action and reaction mechanics. From redcaps and revenants, to witches and werewolves, each of the thirteen monster types profiled in the rules are rooted in European (and North American) superstition and folklore form the period. With thirteen example scenarios and open-ended campaign rules, follow the rise and demise of your characters over a series of linked games against ever fiercer foes. Devilry Afoot is playable with as few as 6-12 miniatures on a 2’x2’ (60cmx60cm) table. Games can be played in less than an hour allowing multiple games to be played in a single sitting. The 130 page rule book is available as a hardcover book through Amazon , or as a pdf from Warg...

The latest unit for ProjectSeleukid are these 28mm armoured heavy infantry with thureos shields and short spears from Aventine Miniatures. For Magnesia, these will represent the 4,000 Lykians, Pisidians, Pamphylians brigaded together. Their equipment if not specified in the sources, although as part of the main battle line it is likely that they were either thureophoroi or thorakitai. In more generic 2nd and 1st century BC battles, I will field the unit as reformed Argyraspides (hence the fancy silvered metalwork and super ostentatious purple helmets). I am yet to see any specific evidence that suggests there was much of a difference between the so-called imitation legionaries, and generic thorakitai in Seleukid armies. At Daphne (166 BC) the only real description of these troops - given by Polybius 30.25.3 - is less than detailed. Heading were some men equipped in the Roman manner in mail cuirasses, five thousand men in the prime of their life. For a number of convincing reasons, it i...

The second game of the long-weekend saw my pot-bellied army of the halfling shires up against Roger's pot-bellied ogres. The two forces lined up for a grill or be grilled battle of the bulges. The halfling army dwarfed its ogre foes, but the dice gods are not always on the side of the big battalions. In an echo of our last clash (beastlings vs wood elves) the ogres used both the night march and ambush strategies, deploying forward generally, and having one unit of ogres with heavy weapons deployed immediately in front of the halfling lines. Before a dice was rolled, the stunty folk were already quaking in their ... well, not in their boots obviously, but if they had boots, that's where they would be quaking. Funnily enough, deployment mishaps saw those ogres late, deployed much further back than intended. The rest of the ogre line was grand, but the halflings were a bit messed up with multiple late units, some enthusiastic truffle hunters and diseased poultry riders. As the hal...

Over the long-weekend, Roger and I managed to get in two 1,000 point games of Fantastic Battles , picking two armies from our collections and rolling a die to decide the match ups. For the first game, Roger's Wood Elves and their woodland minions took on my Beastling highlanders commanded by the Red King.  The Red King arrayed his beastling forces in a defensive position, with a levy unit on each flank, the bog trolls and skirmishing slingers in the centre, supported by a two-company unit of mjowls and two individual moohemoths. A three-company unit of chariots and a captain were sent on an off-table flank march round the right flank. From left to right (in the photos), the wood elf line was composed of a wild hunt, tree shepherds, minor tree spirits, giant bears, greater tree spirits, a forest dragon, and some giant eagles. He used the Night March strategy, deploying 3bw closer to the beastling lines. Mishap rolls saw the woodland army remain in good order other than the giant bea...

Sitting down this weekend, my finger slipped and I accidentally painted this awesome kobold magic-user from Warp Miniatures. I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. I'm never particularly comfortable painting fire - and this chap has an awful lot of fire going on thanks to his fireball - but I think I got away with it this time. Sticking with the purple skin that I tried out on the kobold spearmen last month , I went with 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' colours for his hat and cloak. If, like me, you don't have a 3D printer, BS5 Beyond Games (based in Bristol) are licenced printers for several Warp Miniatures ranges. 

Devilry Afoot is almost complete, with just some supporting photography to be completed before publication - scheduled for the end August 2024. Ahead of release, I will be sharing a few snippets from the rules to help players prepare for what's to come. Devilry Afoot is intended to be played as a pseudo co-operative game, pitching a small number of brave monster hunters against the forces of the Devil. Players control parties of two to six fully fleshed out characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses, sometimes supported by sundry followers, against monsters whose actions are randomly automated by the game mechanics. Games should be fun, but challenging. Of course, written as a co-operative game, Devilry Afoot also lends itself to solo play.  By default, games of Devilry Afoot are assumed to take place during the Devil’s hour or witching hour. Exactly when that is varies from place to place. Some say it is the hour from 3am-4a...

After a pretty intense few months, I was lucky enough to pop o'er the water to Scotland for a wee break with the family. I was doubly lucky that my family are most happy scrambling over monuments in the middle of nowhere.  We went a little Pict/Iron Age/early Medieval crazy over the course of the break, visiting brochs, standing stones and hill forts the length of the highlands. Here are a couple of pictures that may inspire some miniature broch-builders out there... Dun Troddan Dun Toddan, near Glenelg, was the first broch we visited and probably the best preserved, standing 7.6m tall for almost a half of the circumference.  Dun Telve Dun Telve is only 500 metres down the glen from Dun Troddan. It's less well preserved overall, but stands taller at more than 10m. Cairn Liath On the opposite side of the highlands, Cairn Liath sits on the coast between Golspie and Brora. It's a lovely little broch with a well preserved outer wall and visible elements of other structures in t...