Summer Update

After taking my usual time away from gaming after Enfilade and with the normal gaming slow-down for summer yardwork, I’m looking at getting back to some gaming stuff. Here is what is on my summer horizon.

A pair of previously painted Italian G.50 fighters

First up, the Malta air campaign. This is an outgrowth of the Illustrious project and was spurred on by getting a playtest version of David Manley’s Air War 1940 rules. The campaign will be based off some ideas published in Wargames Illustrated #198 (yes, that is an old issue from June 1998) and the new Osprey Malta 1940-42 air campaign book. We’ve taken the general idea from that article and fleshed out the missions and victory conditions a little. But mostly it will be a chance to put some planes in the air.

I’ve currently got a mix of planes I’m working on for Malta and the Western Desert including – Gloster Gladiators, Tomahawks (P-40B/C), Spitfire V, Cr.42s, and G.50s. Kevin is working on the Luftwaffe and already has a bunch of Italians and British. I’m also going to pick up some medium tonnage merchant ships, in case one of the missions ends up as a ship attack (they will also show up in my WWII coastal forces games). The Malta game will most likely take the place of my usual summer solo game, since I will be playing games with other people!

Once the Malta planes are done, I expect to move some Gripping Beast Plastics Arabs, foot and horse, into the painting queue. I've put together the light cavalry figures and I'm working on the heavy cavalry next. I'll put up photos once I get some paint on the figures.

Another possible summer distraction is the new "What a Tanker!" rules from Too Fat Lardies. Some of the guys in the area are talking about starting some linked games as part of a campaign. I've picked up a copy of the rules, so I can join the action. Although I think I will skip the France 1940 campaign and pick up with the next one (Russia or Western Desert). They are planning on using 15mm tanks, which should reduce any costs of having to buy tanks for this little side project.

Finally, I'm looking toward August and what I can game I can run for International Naval Wargaming Day 2018. David Manley started this last year (and I'm hoping he continues to push it) to "Celebrate the birth of the father of naval wargaming, Fred T. Jane, by running or taking part in a game of your own!" Jane's birthday, August 6, falls on a Monday this year. But I'm hoping to get a few people together the weekend before (or maybe even on Monday) far a small game. I just need to go through my stuff to pick out an appropriate game. 

There will probably be a few other things that pop-up during the summer, but it feels like this is a good start.