Trents Reach, INWarD 23

My game for INWarD 23 was a refight of the battle of Trent's Reach in 1865. i've played this one out quite a few times, and this time was the first attempt at it with my "Man o War" variant rules (which are intended for not entirely serious play but as it turned out went down pretty well) All warships and gun batteries were 3D prints that I had designed and made (and if they aren't on Wargames VAult already then they will be soon. The game was a blast and attracted a lot of attention.

The Confederate forces made a good job of penetrating the river obstructions (I had simplified these to a line of scuttled ships and log pilings - I didn't include the mines/torpedoes as that would have slowed things down a lot), but by the time they had punched a hole the Onondaga had arrived on scene and started shooting up the Confederate ironclads to great effect. Hunchback went town to a spar torpedo from one of the Confederate Squibs, Virginia was sunk in quick order by four concentrated shots from Onondaga which caused flooding criticals, Fredericksburg was also shot up and sunk. 

Richmond looked to be getting past the Union fleet but a shot damaged her engines and she was slowed up (and had suffered heavy damage to her armament) and it was obvious that Onondaga would overhaul her and sink her quickly, so we called the game. A Union victory but it could have gone either way. 

Thanks to Stuart and Nigel for running the Union and Confederates respectively (with occasional help from passers by), and to Helen and Nick for popping in. A fun day for all I think

INWarD 2023

 Its that time of year again - the 7th International Naval Wargames Day, celebrating the birth of the father of naval wargaming, Fred T Jane, takes place on 6th August. Its an opportunity for naval wargamers around the world to play games with each other F2F, online, or solitaire and then discuss their experiences. Or just share ideas and experiences on wargaming forums, websites etc. nd, as always, we aren't that fussed about the date, consider it a week of celebrations either side of Fred's birthday :)

For my part, INWarD coincides with the Thornbury IMPS and wargaming show, where I will be running a participation game covering the American Civil War battle of Trent's reach. All in 1/600 featuring 3D printed models that I've created, printed and painted. Hopefully a fun day for all! 

INWarD 2022 - 6th August

This year the International Naval Wargames Day falls on Saturday 6th August. If you've not been around for an INWarD before, this is a day where naval wargamers around the world play a naval game at home, at the club etc. and then we all throw in our experiences on social media, wargaming websites etc. to promote the naval side of the hobby. Have fun and sink a battleship or two!

INWarD V - 6th August - Warning Order

D'you hear there? This is advance warning that the 5th International Naval Wargaming Day, INWarD V, takes place on August 6th 2021, and with a weekend following on just behind that means its an International Naval Wargaming Weekend :)

INWarD is the day when naval wargamers all around the world celebrate the birth of Fred T Jane, father of naval wargaming, with games around the world - hopefully F2F where the present crisis allows. So get your thinking caps on, look to run a game or two on the day or over the weekend, recruit and convert a few of your land-based wargaming chums and post your BATREPs here, on your blog, your favourite wargaming website and elsewhere.

INWarD 2020 - Fire on the Lake

Today is the International Naval Wargames Day for 2020, and the subject of my game is a battle between German and Allied steamers on Lake Tanganyika  sometime in 1915. To the North the Belgian steamer Alexandre Delcommune, Commandant Goor in command, is escorting two civilian steamers loaded with supplies for the allied base at Lukuga. Accompanying the Delommune is the Belgian patrol boat Netta.


Smoke is spotted to the South and within minutes the German steamer Graf von Gotzen and her consort, the Kingani, hove into view, under the command of Gustav Zimmer Their mission, to stop the supplies from getting though.

For the first few turns both sides close the range, the Netta heading to the West to try and draw off the Kingani, which is initially successful. But soon, the Gotzen draws into range of the Commune and she opens fire. The German opening fire is surprisingly good, and a heavy shell slams into the Belgian (loses 1 hull point). Belgian fire in return falls short.

The range closes, and Gotzen's next broadside scores two good hits. Delommune loses her heavy gun, more hull damage, and a hit to the boiler room which halves her speed. But from the Wast is heard the sound of petrol engines, as two British motor boats, Mimi and Toutou, speed in to draw the German fire.

For the next few minutes everyone's gunnery goes to pot as no hits are scored. But that lull is broken as Delcommune suffers two more hits from Gotzen. Her engine room is hit and Commune drifts to a stop, whilst hits low in the hull cause more flooding (by now she has lost 75% of her hull points). Mimi and Toutou have the range and a light shell hits Gotzen's 105mm gun, disabling it.

The British boats can only fire forwards so they speed past the German raider, their machine guns blazing but no damage caused. Both boats turn tightly and form up on her stern. Gotzen administers the coup de grasse on poor Delcommune, as her last hull points are shot away and the Belgian is in a sinking condition. The civilians on the steamers expect the worst, but fire from the British boats disables Gotzen's 88mm gun. Meanwhile Kingani and Netta trade shots, causing minor damage.
Gotzen switches targets to the annoying British motor boats, but they are small targets head on and very difficult to hit. Gotzen is not, and the British score more hits, causing a minor flood but more importantly disabling Gotzen's 37mm guns (she can still use rifles and machine guns).

Zimmer realises that intercepting  this cargo requires too high a price. With all his main guns disabled or with their crews wounded and out of action, and with the British boats seemingly able to lob 3pdr  Hotchkiss shells into him with near impunity he decides of break off the action. As Gotzen raises steam to disengage a Short seaplane makes its appearance and executes an almost perfect bomb run - but its bombs land either side of Gotzen which is doused in spray but otherwise unaffected.

As the Gotzen and Kingani leave the field the civilian steamers pick up the survivors from the Delcommune, whilst the British muse on the fact that they disabled Gotzen's last operational gun with their final round of ammunition.......

International Naval Wargames Day 2020

Its only two months until the 2020 International Naval Wargames Day. Celebrate the birth of the father of naval wargaming, Fred T Jane, on the occasion of his birthday. Play games, solo or with friends (covid permitting), and post your action reports here, on your blog or your favourite wargaming websites. Help raise the profile of naval wargaming by supporting INWarD 2020!

INWarD 2019

The start of a new month means that it is only 6 days until INWarD 2019, the International Naval Wargames Day. To be honest I'm nt sure what my INWarD game will be this year, th 6th is a work day so I may try to get one in early at the weekend (that said it is also the IPMS model and wargaming show at Thornbury and I'm there all day doing Wings of Glory - but I guess I could break out the CMBs and we could run an air/naval game). The alternative is something on the 7th as I may be having a well-earned day off (assuming I don't go for a day trip to the Mach Loop.....)

Whatever happens, INWarD should be a fun day for naval wargamers around the world - even if it does start and end a day or two either side!

INWarD 2018 - The Baltic

My INWarD game 2018 game took place at the local Berkeley Vale club, where six ab initio naval gamers encountered the chilly wastes of the Baltic in Spring 1943. This was a 1/600 coastal saction, with a German scratch force of S Boats, R Boats and an armed auxiliary attempting to sink a crippled Soviet submarine escorted by sub chasers and a couple of G5 MTBs. Scattered ice floes complicated the picture. The game was a fast and furious mix of gunnery, high speed manoeuvring, tenacious torpedo attacks and much hilarity. In the end the Soviets drove off the attackers, sinking one S Boat, crippling an R Boat and the auxiliary. No Soviet craft were lost although a number sustained heavy damage. The Germans launched torpedoes at long range but narrowly missed the submarine, which if successful would have been an automatic victory for them. Good fun was had by all, and we may try an Adriatic action soon. Alas I was concentrating on the game so much I failed to get many pictures!

I followed up the game with a solo refight of River plate. A quiet affair that started as the historical battle with Exeter heavily damaged early on, but a couple of solid hits from Ajax slowed Graf Spee to the point where the British light cruisers could close for a torpedo attack. Achilles was heavily damaged in the approach, but Ajax scored a hit that crippled Graf Spee and left her a sitting duck for a second torpedo attack that sent her to the bottom. No photos of this one as it was late and my phone battery was flat. I really need to get myself a PO(Phot) for these occasions!

INWarD 2018

Only 4 weeks to go until INWarD 2018, the International Naval Wargames Day, when naval wargamers around the world join in mortal combat to celebrate the birth of the founder of naval wargaming, Fred Jane.

I'm planning to run either a modern or WW2 coastal game, either way something set in the Baltic (I need to make use of the craft I've recently been working on, after all), but I'm interested to hear what other naval gamers are planning as well.

International Naval Wargaming Day 2017

So, today is the inaugural International Naval Wargaming Day (INWD), and throughout the day I've been seeing posts, emails and FB messages about games going on across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia (there is even an INWD game happening in Saudi Arabia!).  So we seem to have got this event off to a good start. To all naval wargamers observing Fred T Janes' birthday and this international virtual gathering, I salute you!

For my own part I'd hoped to be playing two games but fate intervened and I have only managed the one, but it was a jolly good bash. The battle was based loosely around the Battle of the Yellow Sea, August 10th 1904. In this action a Russian force of battleships under Admiral Vitgeft, with escorting protected cruisers and destroyers, is attempting to escape from Port Arthur and reach the more defensible haven of Vladivostok. In their way is a Japanese force of battleships and armoured cruisers under Admiral Togo, with a squadron of obsolete battleships, protected cruisers and destroyers. The Russians aim is to exit as many of the battleships off the right hand side of the table as they can.

Starting point - Russians to the left (west, Japanese to the right (East) 

Vitgeft's Russian squadron

Togo's opposing Japanese fleet

The Japanese battle line, Mikasa in the lead

Vitgeft's heavies - Tsesarevich leading

The fleets close, Japanese light forces to the South, the obsolete battleships closing with Encounter Rock

The fleets turn to the South, Vitgeft's light forces move to the unengaged side 

Initially the two battle lines headed on southerly courses to intersect South of Encounter Rock. An early mistake on the part of the commander of the obsolete battleships put them in range of the Russian battle line, the old ships suffering badly. Slowed and separated from Togo's main force, they struggled to escape to the North. The battle lines soon joined,the Japanese heading parallel and south of the Russians aiming to cross their T. Avoiding this, the Russians took a risk in executing a sharp turn to the East, which could have exposed them to concentrated close range Japanese fire, but luck was with them as Togo's battleship was hit hard, suffered an underwater critical hit and this threw the Japanese intended reaction out of kilter. With the Japanese trying to regain control the Russians swept to the East and opened up a lead in the rush to the eastern table edge. Wrong-footed, the Japanese turn came late which meant they spend the rest of the game playing catch-up. A destroyer attack on the head of the Russian line failed to appreciably slow the Russians; a similar attack on the Japanese line also failed, but accurate gunnery concentrated on Togo's flagship caused Mikasa to drop out of line for more repairs.

The "run to the South" continues -  the obsolete BBs find themselves the unwelcome recipients of a flurry of high calibre shells

Ouch! - red markers indicate a ship that has taken damage, black shows a ship that is Silenced (very heavy damage, unable to fire, slowed)

The battle lines come into range, the obsolete Japanese BBs run (crawl?) for safety

Vitgeft makes an unexpected turn to the East, his leading ships take concentrated fore from the Japanese battleships

The Mikasa also takes fire...

...and the next turn is Silenced

Togo's following battleships also take hits (green markers show a ship that is under fire which affects its own gunnery temporarily)

As Togo loses control the Russians sweep past

Togo recovers control, but the Russians are past

The Russian rush for safety brings them back in contact with the obsolete battleships. Meanwhile the Japanese destroyers move in to attack in an attempt to slow the Russian line

A shift of focus as your intrepid war photographer moves to the Eastern side of the table. Destroyer attacks have gone in on the heads of both lines, and both flagships suffer heavy damage

Both admirals concentrate on getting their flagships operational, whilst the training Russian ships trade shots with the Japanese battleships behind them

alas at this point the photographer ran out of film (or more accurately, battery) so this brought the photographic record to an end...

As the Russian battleships headed for safety the leading Japanese battleships now landed a heavy blow to the trailing Russian battleship Peresviet, which was crippled and stopped. To turn and try to help the crippled battleship would lead to inevitable disaster so the Peresviet was left to her fate. Vitgeft and his damaged but still seaworthy battleships and cruisers would eventually make the safety of Vladivostok.

So, a Russian victory with some lucky breaks - plus avoiding the death of their Admiral which doomed the Russians in the actual battle and caused them to return to Port Arthur.

International Naval Wargames Day - Next Weekend

Next weekend is International Naval Wargaming Day**. Sunday August 6th is the day when naval wargamers all around the world celebrate the birth of naval wargaming and that of Fred T Jane. Looking at my forward plan its likely that I'm going to be playing a few solo AoS and pre-dreadnought games as I playtest a couple of new sets of rules - anything more elaborate is unlikely as I expect I'll be busy with Family/Horse taxi duties, but I should be able to get those important games squared away.

So, for those readers here who enjoy something naval (and I'm guessing that is quite a few of you) get yourself a game organised, solo or with friends and let the world know via your blogs, on Facebook, on TWW, TMP and other wargaming sites what you got up to :)

Cod War action from the recent Naval Wargames Weekend - HMS Mermaid escorts a Hull trawler in Icelandic waters

As an aside, readers could be forgiven for thinking that I've been a bit lax recently on the wargaming front. But in the last few weeks I've completed a host of new 15mm Russian Front models, kicked off a couple of new rule projects, spent an inordinate amount of time renovating horse jumps and doing other horsey stuff as well as having a very busy - and ultimately incredibly frustrating - time at work. So I do have an excuse for not having taken some happy snaps of the new arrivals and posted here. Anyway, its INWD next weekend, the Thornbury IPMS show the weekend after than and then I will catch up, as well as kick off the second half of the 2017 "Plan".


 **It is actually the inaugural INWG this year - having seen various other "niche" wargaming areas having similar activities I thought it was about time that the Senior Service had its time as well 😃