An expedition to the outside world

I ventured out into our local high street at the weekend for the first time in about 6 months.  To be fair I never used to go there that often which I guess was a sign of the times pre-virus, but now even more so.  It was quite an odd experience...so many people!!  I haven't felt the urge to return to shops, pubs and cafes since lockdown eased up a bit and it was a bit of a culture shock.  And people 'not doing things right'... I had to resist the urge to remind people to put their masks on properly and sort out their distancing! 

So what prompted this expedition...?

Since completing my Wars of the Roses retinue (I say completed but let's be honest... nothing's ever actually complete) the hunt has been on for a good set of rules.  We've tried Hail Caesar which was fine if a bit bloody, although I'm not sure the WotR can really be too bloody.  They have the advantage that most of the group were familiar with the mechanics although this was mainly due to lots of games of Black Powder and Hail Caesar were different enough to cause some confusion.

The last issue of Wargames Illustrated came with a free set of rules for large skirmish games specifically in the Wars of the Roses and as they were written by the generally excellent Andy Callan these were a 'must buy'

At first glance they look just what I've been after: units are around 12 figures strong and there is a card driven element which looks fun.  Hopefully they will get a try out next week, so more to follow...

This also meant I picked up a couple of magazines in addition to WI (well...it would have been a bit of a wasted journey if I hadn't!).  I haven't actually bought any of the regular magazines for a very long time...certainly not this year at all and very little last year.  I found they were often going unread and had little in them that appealed.  As well as WI I also got a copy of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy...to my mind always the best of the 'big 3' and it's a good read with a focus on Afghanistan this month.  The next issue has articles on the AWI which might tempt me back to another purchase.

WI has several articles on the Wars of the Roses and the rules so a good solid buy.  I also picked up a copy of Tabletop Gaming.  This can be a bit hit and miss depending on the mix of games featured and reviewed. It's very much not a wargames magazine but focuses on 'lighter' Euro style games and role playing but there is usually something intersting in there about forthcoming games, or in my case games that completely passed me by a couple of years ago.