As we were putting the finishing touches to this issue of Wargames Illustrated we received the sad news of Bryan Ansell’s death. Bryan was a titan of the tabletop miniatures world, initially forming Asgard, then Citadel Miniatures in the 1970s. He went on to lead Games Workshop into a brave new world of soaring popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, at a time when I worked at the company, under Bryan and his wife Diane. He then went on to make his mark on the historical wargaming hobby with Wargames Foundry.
Bryan was also a friend of the magazine; Wargames Foundry distributed Wi in the early 2000s and contributed heavily to its content. Bryan himself penned three sets of rules which his old friend Duncan Macfarlane (the then Wi Editor) published in the magazine. These can all be found online via the Wargame Illustrated Vault, for those of you who would like to take a look.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Bryan back in December 2012 (see photo below), you can read what the great man had to say about the part he played in the development of our hobby by visiting wargamesillustrated.net and searching ‘Bryan Ansell’. It is hard to overstate Bryan’s influence on our hobby, and our condolences go out to his family at this sad time.
Happy reading and rolling.
Dan Faulconbridge
Editor
OBSERVATION POST
We review new basing materials, fantasy elves, an ECW painting guide, and rules for gaming the late Sengoku period in Japan.
RELEASE RADAR
Dom Sore’s monthly column shines a light on new and upcoming wargaming kits from an assortment of manufacturers.
QUICK FIRE
What have your fellow hobbyists been up to? Find out in Quick Fire, our regular, reader-submitted section.
THEME:
HISTORY, SCENARIO, STATS. DONE.
Pete Brown introduces this month’s theme with an article examining how best to explore History-scenario gaming.
THEME:
THE TEMPLARS’ LAST CHARGE
Steve Tibble casts his expert gaze over the last moments of the Templars at war, during the Siege of Acre.
THE NEVER-ENDING COLLECTION
Pete Brown again, this time reporting on the Culloden game he ran at the Warlord Games Open Day.
ADRIATIC ADVENTURES
Dave Watson outlines Russian activities in the Adriatic in 1806 and offers a Napoleonic tabletop scenario with a difference.
ABC WARRIORS THE MINIATURES GAME
James guides us through Warlord Games’ new 2000 AD-related ABC Warriors starter set.
THEME:
A FREEZING FIGHTING RETREAT
Dom Sore follows up on the last issue’s Hit and Run theme with an article that examines the Italians’ fighting retreat from Russia in World War Two.
THE ATTACK ON FORT GALLABAT
Last issue, Karim van Overmeire outlined the background and gaming basics for this WWII action in the African Campaign. This time he shows how to translate the gaming into a one-day campaign.
THEME:
THE BATTLE OF MOTTOLA
A Liberation of Italy skirmish encounter for Bolt Action by Colin Ball.
WARGAMING MANZIKERT
Simon MacDowall provides a detailed account of a clash in the East, between the Byzantines of Romanus IV and a Seljik army led by Alp Arslan.
OPERATION IKARUS PART TWO
Lisa Smedman returns to Iceland in the second part of her WWII ‘what if?’ Bolt Action campaign.
RUCKUS IN THE WI GAMING ROOM
In this article, James presents highlights from some of the dramatic Ruckus tabletop clashes that have been played in Wi’s gaming room.
AN ACW SIGNAL TOWER: MAKING AND GAMING
Matt Parkes makes a tabletop vantage point for his Union Signal Party, and gaming guru Rick Priestley provides ideas for using it in his Black Powder rules.
