A visit to Bluewater

On last Monday evening I was suddenly struck down with a very bad dose of gastroenteritis ... which is no fun at the best of times and very unpleasant when - like me - one has a stoma. This laid me low for two days, and I meant that I missed my usual weekly game session at the local club, Dice of the Hill.

I was feeling somewhat better by Thursday morning, and as a 'reward', Sue decided that we should visit Bluewater, the large shopping mall that is about 25 minutes drive away near the southern end of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford. This would not have been my first choice as somewhere to go after being ill, but she wanted to go there ... so we went.

Whilst Sue was paying a visit to the Bluewater branch of Boots, I wandered across to the former branch of WHSmith, which is now named TG Jones. As I looked along the shelves, I found the wargame and railway modelling sections and chanced upon a copy of the September issue of CONTINENTAL MODELLER ...

... which I bought because it featured several model railway layouts that I thought might provide me with some inspiration for my own railway modelling. In particular, it included one set in an imagi-nation, the Grand Duchy 0f Mittenberg.

Whilst I was standing there, a man of about my age appeared in the same isle in a wheelchair being pushed by his wife. I was in their way, and I asked if I could hand anything to him. He replied that he would like to see the latest copy of WARGAMES, STRATEGY& SOLDIERS magazine ... and this led to us have a short but very interesting discussion about wargaming in general and magazines in particular.

It was as a result of this that I picked up a copy of the September issue of WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED and decided to do something that I haven't done for a long time ... and bought it!

I'd like to say that when I got it home, it confirmed all my prejudices regarding the glossy, mainstream wargames magazine ... but truth be told, there were several articles that I enjoyed reading! These were:

• Trouble in Tibet
• The Sea Fencibles
• American Invasion 1812

I met up with Sue after my visit to TG Jones, and she then took me to the branch of Flying Tiger Copenhagen ... where I found several sheets of what they called decorative moss.

These were 25cm x 35cm and cost £4.00 each and I immediately bought two as they will make ideal wargaming fields.

So, my trip to Bluewater did prove to be rewarding, despite my initial reluctance to go!

Nugget 383

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) on Saturday and intend to post it out to members of Wargame Developments later today.

I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the FIRST issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2026-2027 subscription year.

If you have not yet subscribed for the 2026-2027 subscription year, please request a PayPal invoice from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on how to pay by bank transfer using the information on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 383

The editor sent me the latest issue of THE NUGGET earlier this week, and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) yesterday. I hope to collect it and post it out to members of Wargame Developments by the middle of the month.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the FIRST issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2026-2027 subscription year.

If you have not yet subscribed for the 2026-2027 subscription year, please request a PayPal invoice from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on how to pay by bank transfer using the information on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 382: A bonus issue!

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) on Tuesday and posted it out to members of Wargame Developments yesterday.

I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the TENTH (and bonus) issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

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If you wish to subscribe for the 2026-2027 subscription year, please request a PayPal invoice from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on how to pay by bank transfer using the information on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 382: A bonus issue!

After a discussion with the editor of THE NUGGET, we decided to publish a tenth (and bonus) issue for the 2025-2026 subscription year. By doing this, all the articles that relate to COW2025, VCOW2025, and the AVG (Autumn Virtual Gathering) would be in print during that year.

The editor sent me the latest issue of THE NUGGET just before I went on my recent cruise, and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) before I left. It is ready for me to collect and I hope post it out to members of Wargame Developments next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the TENTH (and bonus) issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

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If you wish to subscribe for the 2026-2027 subscription year, please request a PayPal invoice from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on how to pay by bank transfer using the information on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 381

Yesterday, I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent), and I intend to post it out to members of Wargame Developments as soon as possible.

I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the ninth (and last) issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 381

The editor sent me the latest issue of THE NUGGET on Monday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Tuesday morning. I hope to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the ninth (and last) issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 380

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I hope to post it out to members of Wargame Developments as soon as I can.

I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the eighth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 380

The latest issue of THE NUGGET was sent to me by the editor on Sunday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Monday morning. I hope to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the eighth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Lone Warrior No.231

I recently resubscribed to the Solo Wargamers Association, and over the weekend a PDF of the association's journal, LONE WARRIOR arrived attached to an email. I read it with great interest, especially as two of the contributors are people I know; John Curry (who is a long-time member of Wargame Developments) and Carl Luxford (who is a regular reader of this blog)

John's article examines the various ways in which solo wargamers can use AI such as ChatGPT, including designing solo adventures for RPG and solo wargame rules.

Carl's article is entitled GAMING THE KELJA MOTTI (KELJA BRIDGEHEAD OR SALIENT) 1939 and contains a brief history of the events leading up to the outbreak of the Russo-Finnish War and the opening months of the war. It then describes the ten stages or phases of his refight.

1. The bombardment of the Russian 2nd wave of attackers.
2. The Finnish counter-attack on 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment by 8th company 29 Infantry Regiment.
3. The Finnish counter-attack on 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment by 2 further companies of 29 Infantry Regiment as well as 8th company 29 Infantry Regiment, the battalion’s HQ, and a heavy weapons company.
4. The Finnish counter-attack by 6th company 30 Infantry Regiment on the remnants of 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment.
5. The Finnish counter-attack by 9th and 7th companies, 3rd battalion 28 Infantry Regiment on the remnants of 2nd battalion 220th Rifle Regiment.
6. The Finnish counter-attack by 8th company 3rd battalion 28 Infantry Regiment.
7. The bombardment of the Russian 3rd wave.
8. The Finnish counter-attack by 1st and 3rd companies 6th Independent Infantry Battalion.
9. The final Finnish assault led by a rifle company of 6th Independent Infantry Battalion.
10. Any surviving Russian forces capable of retreating try to escape from the Kelja Motti.

I was very pleased to read that he used the PORTABLE WARGAME to fight his solo mini-campaign. He adapted the rules to give each Finnish company and Russian company (or, in the earlier stages, each Russian battalion) its own Exhaustion Point.

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A one-year membership of the Solo Wargamers Association entitles you to four PDF issues of LONE WARRIOR. It costs $15 per year and payment must be made in US currency only via PayPal using the following email address: lonewarrior.editor.man@gmail.com.

Nugget 379

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I hope to post it out (with a copy of the newly-printed and correctly laid out Nugget 378) to members of Wargame Developments as soon as I can.

As soon as I can, I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the seventh issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 379

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue on Sunday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) this morning. I expect to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments (with a copy of the newly-printed and correctly laid out Nugget 378) by next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the seventh issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 378: An apology

As regular blog readers will know, I recently posted out the latest issue on THE NUGGET to members of Wargame Developments. It was not until last Friday that I was made aware that it contained a major printing error that both the printer and I had missed; namely, that half the pages had been printed upside down and in the reverse order!

The printer is already re-printing the issue and I hope to collect it later today, and I will post it to members with the next issue – NUGGET 379 – during early April.

I apologise for this mistake. It was avoidable – I should have checked them before I posted them out – and I have learned my lesson … as has the printer!

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This is only the second time in forty-six years that there has been a problem with the production of THE NUGGET. The first time was back in the very early years when the then editor – the late Dr Paddy Griffith – sent me the original text by post … and the Royal Mail ‘lost’ it! Because he had not made a copy, he had to reproduce it entirely from scratch.

This was before the era of personal computers and THE NUGGET was put together using a typewriter to produce the text in columns which were then glued to sheets of paper that were photocopied and manually collated and stapled by me.

Wow! It was a very labour-intensive operation back then!

Nugget 378

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) on Friday, and I hope to post it out to members today.

As soon as I can, I will send the PDF copy to the webmaster so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the sixth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 378

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue on Sunday and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Monday morning. I hope to be able to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments by next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the sixth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Junction Jeopardy by Henry Hyde

I've always been a fan of Henry Hyde's wargame books, and several already adorn my bookshelves, including MARTINSTAAT 1744: A DETAILED WARGAME CAMPAIGN SET IN A FICTITIOUS WORLD, THE WARS OF THE FALTENIAN SUCCESSION, WARGAMING CAMPAIGNS, and THE WARGAMING COMPENDIUM. When I read that he had just published a new book – JUNCTION JEOPARDY: LINKED GAMES FOR ANY HISTORICAL OR FANTASY SETTING (COFFEE BREAK CAMPAIGNS) – I just had to buy a copy … and I’m very pleased that I did!

In the book's blurb, Henry makes the following point:

Junctions have been crucial both tactically and strategically ever since the dawn of warfare. Whether it be the ancient Plain of Megiddo, Mortimer’s Cross, Quatre Bras, Chancellorsville or, indeed, The Battle of Heartbreak Crossroads in 1944, the point at which major thoroughfares meet will always be significant.

The book is split into 6 main sections:

1. Introduction
2. The Campaign Area
3. World War 2
4. Horse & Musket
5. Additional Ideas
6. The Individual Maps

The book contains nine maps (and I think that the book is worth buying just for them!) arranged in a 3 x 3 grid. The central map contains the junction that gives the book its name and the others show the approaches from the north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. The maps are described as being generically European and are suitable for most places that enjoy a temperate climate. That said, with a bit of imagination they could be used for more arid parts of the world.

The maps are drawn to a scale of Movement Units (MUs) and are all 6 MUs x 4 MUs. This makes it easy for users to scale them to suit their table size. For example, if you have a 6' x 4' (180cm x 120cm) table, a MU is 1' (30cm) ... and if your table is 3' x 2', (90cm x 60cm) a MU is 6" (15cm).

The sections covering World War 2 and Horse & Musket contain ideas for different types of mini-campaigns that can be fought over the maps (Encounter, Attack/Defence, and Retreat by Stages) and suggested movement rates ... which are all expressed in MUs. For example, Infantry moving on foot on even ground move 2 MUs and Infantry moving on foot across rough ground move ½ MU.

This is the first of a planned series of similar 'Coffee Break Campaigns' ... and I look forward to buying each of them as they are published.

(The series is named 'Coffee Break Campaigns' because the cost of the hard copy is roughly equivalent to the cost of a coffee and pastry from a high street coffee shop.)

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JUNCTION JEOPARDY: LINKED GAMES FOR ANY HISTORICAL OR FANTASY SETTING (COFFEE BREAK CAMPAIGNS) has 24 pages and was written by Henry Hyde and published by Gladius Publications (ISBN 979 8 2619 5688 4). It is for sale via Amazon for £8.50.

Some new 'Dominion of ...' books

I have just taken delivery of two of the latest books in the 'Dominion of ...' series of fast-play rule books. They are DOMINION OF THE TRENCHES: FIGHT BATTLES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ...

... and DOMINION OF BLITZKRIEG: FIGHT BATTLES OF THE EARLY SECOND WORLD WAR.

The former includes scenarios for fighting the following battles:

• Battle of Mons 23rd August 1914
• Battle of Tannenberg 22nd to 30th August 1914
• First Battle of the Marne 6th to 12th September 1914
• First Battle of Ypres 19th October to 22nd November 1914
• Battle of Tanga 3rd to 5th November 1914
• Second Battle of Ypres 22nd April to 25th May 1915
• Battle of Gallipoli (Landing at Cape Helles) 25th April 1915
• Battle of Gallipoli (Lone Pine) 6th to 10th August 1915
• Battle of Salaita Hill 12th February 1916
• Battle of Verdun 21st February to 18th December 1916
• Battle of Lake Naroch 18th to 30th March 1916
• Battle of Lutsk (start of the Brusilov Offensive) 4 to 6th June 1916
• First Battle of the Somme 1st July to 18th November 1916
• Battle of Romani 3rd to 5th August 1916
• Second Battle of Arras 9th April to 16th May 1917
• Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) 31st July to 10th November 1917
• Battle of Mahiwa 15 to 19th October 1917
• Battle of Caporetto 24th October to 19th November 1917
• Battle of Beersheba 31st October 1917
• Battle of Cambrai 20th November to 7th December 1917
• Second Battle of the Somme (German Spring Offensive - Operation Michael) 21st March to 5th April 1918
• Battle of Amiens 8th to 12th August 1918
• Battle of Megiddo 19th to 25th September 1918
• Battle of Vittorio Veneto 24th October to 4th November 1918

The latter book contains scenario for the following battles:

• Battle of Shanghai 13th August to 26th November 1937
• Battle of Khalkhin Gol 11th May to 16th September 1939
• Battle of Mokra 1st to 3rd September 1939
• Battle of the Bzura 9th to 19th September 1939
• Battle of Suomussalmi 30th November 1939 to 8th January 1940
• Battle of Narvik 9th April to 10th June 1940
• Battle of Sedan 10th to 15th May 1940
• Battle of Gembloux Gap 14th to 15th May 1940
• Battle of Arras 21st May 1940
• Battle of Sidi Barrani 9th to 11th December 1940
• Battle of Tobruk 10th April to 27th November 1941
• Battle of Thermopylae 24th April 1941
• Battle of Crete 20th May to 1st June 1941
• Battle of Bialystok–Minsk 22nd June to 9th July 1941
• Battle of Smolensk 10th July to 10th September 1941
• Battle of Kiev 23rd August to 26th September 1941
• Siege of Leningrad 8th September 1941 to 27th January 1944
• Battle of Moscow 2nd October 1941 to 7th January 1942
• Battle of Jitra (Malaya) 11th to 13th December 1941
• Battle of Bataan (Philippines) 7th January to 9th April 1942
• Battle of Singapore 8th to 15th February 1942
• Battle of Toungoo (Burma) 24th to 29th March 1942
• Second Battle of Kharkov (Ukraine) 12th to 28th May 1942
• Battle of Gazala 26th May to 21st June 1942

That's quite a lot to get one's teeth into, and I look forward to playing many of the above over the next year.

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DOMINION OF THE TRENCHES: FIGHT BATTLES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR and DOMINION OF BLITZKRIEG: FIGHT BATTLES OF THE EARLY SECOND WORLD WAR were both written by Stephen Parker and published by Ork Publishing. They can be bought online in PDF format from Wargame Vault (cost £4.40/$5.90) and in paperback from Lulu.com (£6.40).

Nugget 377

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I will post it out to members as soon as I can.

I have also sent the PDF copy to the webmaster so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fifth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 377

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue during the period between Christmas and the New Year and I sent it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) on Sunday evening. I expect that I will be able to collect it later this week and post it out to members of Wargame Developments by next weekend.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fifth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Nugget 376

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) yesterday, and I will post it out to members as soon as I can.

I will also send the PDF copy to the webmaster as soon as I can so that members can read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fourth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2025-2026 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2025-2026 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.