JOHN'S DUGOUT

This is a genre I wanted to try having seen the films  Hell Boats and They Were Expendable  the latter stared John Wayne! I recently found a second hand copy of The Battle of The Torpedo Boats (by Brian Cooper, Pan  1971 ) which tells us everything about the PT boat battles in the English Channel, Med and Pacific. With the release of Cruel Seas in 2019 coastal wargaming was played at many wargames clubs. Having seen the 1/300 scale boats I feel that 1/600 would be my preferred scale and cost. Mostly because I'd like to try convoy actions. Or something different like boats taking on a cruiser like the Scipio Africanus, or a destroyer e.g. the Terezuki. Perhaps something really big like the US attacks on the Japanese battlecruisers at Surigoa Strait. A rummage through the wargames cupboard finds two 1/300 Warlords sprues given away with copies of Wargames Illustrated - sigh!  Meanwhile here are some scenarios to get you started if you have collections and rules. The ...

Way back in the mists of time when WH40K first edition came out, there were only a handful of vehicle models these were small white metal kits - a landspeeder, two bikes and an ork war buggy. Before the Rhino and Land raider GW suggested you scratch-build your own vehicles, shock-horror. So in White Dwarf 95 Rick Priestly  wrote an 'Eavy Metal article on building the Grav Attack.  This hover vehicle was an light tank-made from spares from your bits box and a plastic deodorant dispenser. It encouraged both thrift and personal hygiene. The latter is always a good thing for wargamers! Anyhow, the Groundhog was a kit bash from a popular toy, a Slitherzoid from Tomy's Zoid range. These were plastic, toy, clockwork, war, robot dinosaurs (well, it was the eighties.) They came with lotsa attachable guns, antenna and radar dishes. Apparently you can still get Zoids accessories box. The Groundhog - a temporary blip in GW history. Note gaps filled with Milliput and Rhino tranfers Obvious...

  Vulture Warrriors Meet Plenty Orks was the best and funniest Rogue Trader scenario for White Dwarf. It was a 40K / Paranoia crossover from by Ken Rolston in WD 112. You could either play it as a Paranioa RPG adventure or a WH40K wargame. Anyway, time-travelling Trouble-shooters from Alpha Complex, materialise in a backwater, Space Ork garrison base, on an algae planet. The trobleshooters are unwitting volunteers for a Research and Development test of a Transdimentional-colapsitron which zaps them into other times and space. This is  Brave New World meets the Time Tunnel. Meanwhile ,some of the space orks are out shooting the algae on flight packs. Back at base the boy'z are watching wrestling videos, breaking wind in hammocks, or bickering about the galley menu. Then the intruder alarm goes off and battle is joined. But who would want to steal an algae planet from some bored space orks? "Bweeet...bweeet...bweeet" The space ork guards begin to investigate the vehicle ba...

  This follow up scenario to Battle at the Farm appeared in White Dwarf  94:  Skirmish on Rynn's World . Written by Rick Priestly, it was more of a challenge. The Space marines are on a hill defending the entrance to a vital road underpass. The tunnel goes under the River Pakamac leading into the capital New Rynn. However they are trying to buy time for the capital to complete its defences before the ork's assault. The figures are mostly from the Space Ork Raiders boxset and plastic marines from 1987 vintage. The Orks are trying to get as many troopers through the tunnel, to regroup on the other side of the Pakamac River, ready to assault the capital. You don't necessarily need a GM. The marines could do some additional dice rolling and book keeping. The scenario is difficult for the Space Marines. They are waiting for the order to withdraw and have to stop orks from entering the tunnel. If the defences take too long time, more marines will die and more orks enter the tun...

Going back in the time machine to 1987 (woop...woop.) this was the very first scenario for 4OK, or Rogue Trader as it was known then. It is an encounter between a patrol of Orks and some Space Marines holding out in a ruined farm.  The scenario had counters if you hadn't yet collected the miniatures to play. Or your mum hadn't given you enough pocket money.  It was a fun little game but Rick P weighted it heavily in favour of the marines. Best to double the number of orks. Alternatively reduce the number of marines to eight. You don't need a GM to play it as suggested and its small enough to play solo  As long as you don't mind walking round to the other side of the dining room table (oof!) The Orks are from Luggub's Drop Legion which have succesfuly overrun the agricultural world of New Rynn. The Imperial Marines are survivors from the Crimson Fists. They have lost their chapter from a stray missile hitting their fortress' magazine. Hence the orks have had litt...

[Above: Howling Griffons diorama, by Richard Kernick, WD117] A lot has been written about the Horus Heresy but there is another conflict which saw Marine fight Marine in a bloody rebellion: the Badab War. First mention is a quote from the Tyrant of Badab in Rogue Trader (1987) "Though my guards may sleep and my ships lay at anchor, our foes know full well that the big guns never tire." The first feature on the Babab War is in White Dwarf 101 (May 1988.) An Index Astartes article by Rick Priestly (p.71) and two pages of glorious colour pictures of the chapters involved painted by Gary Chalk (p.73 to 74.) The next mention is Chaos Codex  (1996 and 2007)  Later, Forgeworld books Imperial Armour vol. 9-10  (2010)   expanded   the story in great detail. The Badab War is now caused by Space Marine pride, honour, rivalry and Imperial mismanagement. But this post reviews the war and the fate of Lufgt Huron, Tyrant of Badab, from the earlier sources.  Rebels: Lamen...