The Wargames Illustrated team dig through The Vault in this new, Prime exclusive feature. With over 400 issues in The Vault you might be at a loss for where to start browsing - there are literally thousands of articles available and that's rather overwhelming. Well, fear not, each month we’re going to count back the years and take in the nostalgia of issues from five, ten, fifteen, and so on years ago. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to dive into some of the articles we highlight. This month’s issue is May 2021 so let’s start our journey through time and space by rewinding the clock five years to … May 2016 – Wi343 It was a time of Covid-19 free air and the Wargames Illustrated team joined the swarm of happy hobbyists at Salute for the release of this issue. The theme was Soldiers of the Queen and there are, as you’d probably expect, some great articles examining conflicts from Queen Victoria’s reign, but one of the more intriguing pieces examines a rather more obscure female ruler - Paul Chapman heads to fourteenth-century Lithuania and examines the influence Hedwig of Anjou (better known as Queen Jadwiga) had on the history of Baltic Europe. Gaming this period will give you the chance to bring Teutonic Knights to the table, which is always a visual treat. Wi regular Pete Brown took the theme to an inglorious part of Queen Victoria’s overseas campaigning – the Second Opium War. Pete argues that though this may not be one of Britain’s shining moments it’s well worth tabletop consideration. The allied force is relatively small and colourful, while the Chinese look magnificent with their flags and bright uniforms. It’s a chance for some terrain building too, to represent the paddy fields, statues, and buildings of the region. Three new (at least at the time) rulesets are examined – Dan Mersey’s The Men Who Would be Kings, Mike Bradford’s Living on the Frontline, and Too Fat Lardies’ second edition of Sharp Practice. It’s always intriguing to look back at what was being talked up then versus the impact the games actually had (and in some cases still have today). Other stuff of note this issue is a feature on Tactica 2016 (always a good excuse to look at some fine photos of awesome gaming boards), a look at Essex Gamesters 2016 Salute board (more eye candy!), and a feature from Warwick Kinrade on Crusading armies with photos from Michael Perry (even more eye candy!). May 2011 – Wi283 This issue is introduced by former Wi US Editor Dave Taylor. Despite the US themed job title Dave’s an Antipodean hobby machine and the theme of Gallipoli clearly resonated with
