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Welcome to the first issue of Wargames Illustrated Bite-Size. For the next few weeks, Wi Bite-Size is going to be your Friday fix of Wargames reading.
During the Coronavirus Lockdown, we won’t be printing Wargames Illustrated magazine for two reasons 1) Most retail stores aren’t open so they aren’t buying and selling magazines 2) It’s impossible for us to get out to take the photographs we pride ourselves on to illustrate our articles.
We intend to be up and running with Wargames Illustrated Print as soon as possible, but at this stage, your guess is as good as ours as to when that will be. In the meantime, all Wi staff remain fully employed working on Wi Bite-Size and the admin surrounding the business.
If you are a Wargames Illustrated Print subscriber you have been given access to WiPrime for the duration of the lockdown. That means as well as receiving a copy of Wi Bite-Size, you will receive the Primetime News Bulletin and you also have access to the Wargames Illustrated Vault where you can access all 390 copies of the magazine, which you can view online, download or even print out.
If you are a Wargames Illustrated Prime subscriber you will receive Wi Bite-Size every Friday in addition to Primetime. You will also continue to have access to the Wargames Illustrated Vault. Unfortunately, we won’t be offering ‘Win Wednesday’ or your regular North Star voucher at this time. Both will be back up and running ASAP.
It’s a tough time for all small businesses and Wargames Illustrated Limited is no different to many others, for us, if we can keep our WiPrint and WiPrime subscribers onboard, happy and still subscribing we will be able to stay afloat.
If you have any queries about your subscription or any other issues relating to Wargames Illustrated please email: help@wargamesillustrated.net.
So what can you expect to find in Wi Bite-Size?
At least four brand new articles, four archive articles which we’ve pulled from The Vault and several column features. We are also including free-of-charge adverts for our regular advertisers.
This week’s highlights include Warlord Games CEO John Stallard talking about life in lockdown, the first in a series looking at games you didn’t see at Salute 2020, a Designer’s Notes for the new Osprey game Oathmark and solo wargaming in the Teutoburg Forest.
All the best.
Dan Faulconbridge,
Wi Editor and Owner
BITE-SIZE BANTER
We asked our readers to tell us what wargaming activities they were getting up to whilst in lockdown. This is what you told us…
WARGAMING IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
During the imposed lockdown of the wargames industry, we thought it would be interesting to find out how various luminaries, personalities and big cheeses in the hobby are filling their time. WI Bite-size will feature a ‘Wargaming in the time of Coronavirus’ (WittoC) column once a week until we have seen off this bug and are able to get back to the sociable side of our hobby. We begin WittoC by hearing from Warlord Games CEO John Stallard.
DESIGNER’S NOTES:
OATHMARK
Games Designer Joseph McCullough provides us with an insight into the thinking behind his latest work, the eagerly anticipated Oathmark fantasy battle rules system.
NOT APPEARING AT SALUTE 2020
Following the cancellation of Salute 2020, Wargames Illustrated put out a call to all clubs, groups and traders who were planning demo and participation games for the show. We asked if they would like to ‘display’ their tables in our ‘not-appearing at Salute’ feature. Stalingrad: Fire on the Volga is our first offering, courtesy of The Loughton Strike Force.
WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED PAINTING COMPETITION. HAMMERHEAD 2020
This year’s WI Painting Competition held at Hammerhead in Newark took place against the foreboding backdrop of the impending shutdown of all public events in the UK. So it was hardly surprising that entries were a little down on last year, but that certainly wasn’t reflective of the quality which continues to increase with every passing year. See for yourself!
MEET THE RESISTANCE
Following on from the theme of the April magazine, Neil Smith explores the role of the resistance, those eager spies and noble assassins who fought against occupation by Germany during the dark days of World War Two.
THE WARGAMES WIDOW MAKES: A HIGHLAND CROFT AND ENCLOSURE
The first in the new ‘Tales of a Wargames Widow’ series delves into the creation of a typical ‘croft’ or cottage to be found in the Highlands of Scotland.
COMMANDING FROM A DISTANCE
Those of us who wargame in the 17th Century will be familiar with Barry Hilton, aka The League of Augsburg, as an advocate of all things Lace Wars on terra firma; but his attentions have recently drifted out to sea as he runs an Anglo-Dutch Wars naval campaign. Barry tells us how he pieced together the campaign in which all the players are several hundred miles apart.
GET JOUSTING!
Peter Dennis offers us some free Paperboy knights and instructions for a spot of tabletop jousting.
ON THE BOOKSHELF
Neil Smith brings us a weekly slice of book previews and 14 reviews, with a focus on what will appeal to the wargamer.
THE FALL OF THE FOURTEENTH
With another lockdown-busting suggestion, Chris Hahn provides us with his take on a solo wargaming 20 classic – the ambush of the three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest.
SOLO COLONIAL
The recent enforced closure of wargames clubs around the world and social distancing measures, in general, have seen a surge in solo wargaming. If you are thinking of giving it a go or are looking for more ideas, in this article, first published way back in WI45, Mark Elwen shares some solo gaming ideas for Colonial-era games.
‘LOOSE FILES AND AMERICAN SCRAMBLE’
This set of rules for the American Revolution is the only article ever to be printed twice in Wargames Illustrated magazine and although they are now more than 30 years old (first published in WI1), you can’t keep a good set of rules down, so here they are again for your deliberation and consideration.
WAR IN THE WILDERNESS
With the recent release of Muskets and Tomahawks, we thought it would be worth revisiting an article from WI302 in which Neil Smith and Chris Peers introduce us to the history and guide us through the practical information required for bringing a French and Indian Wars force to bear on the tabletop.