Reveile 2025

 On 30 November Lincombe Barn Wargames Society held our annual show, Reveille at our regular gaming venue, Lincombe Barn in Bristol.

The show was well attended and visitors and traders seemed very happy.

We had an emphasis on participation games this year with a 1970s heist game. 

 

WWI tank participation game.

A viking raid participation game by the Skirmish Wargames Group.

 

WWII participation game in 15mm.

 

Traders included Great Escape Games, Blotz, The Square, Martin Hackett, Oakbound Studios, Disain Studios, History of Wargaming Project, Scarab, Reinforcements, Gloster Models, HeadBunny Games, Grubby Tanks, Black Scorpion and MC Model Painting and there was a table for our own club members which was also busy.

 

A donation from door receipts was made to charity. 

Upcoming events at Lincome Barn in 2026:

Wargamer's Tabletop Sale, 26 May 2026 https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ttsale.html

Hordes of the Things tournament: 21 June 2026 https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/barnhott.html

Reveille  will return in November 2026

Crusades 15mm

We played Soldiers of God, published by Artorus Games at the local club the other week.

https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ 

 

I had the Muslim right flank, Brian had the left and centre. We chose a mission that gave us a move-shoot-retire order on each flank and manoeuver in the centre. Opposite John has the Christian centre and left, and Kev has their right.

 

 Each turn we draw four additional order cards and assign them to commands as we see fit. Orders include charge, rally, shoot etc. I repeatedly use advance-shoot-retire, concentrating on the enemy knightly order unit. Almost worn down they charge and I unexpectedly win the combat, destroying them.

 

 On the left Brian is doing the same.

 In the centre the infantry move forward very slowly. Eventually they come together but their foot knights are much better than our spears.

 

 John's mounted mena at arms charge my horse archers but there are other priorities for melee cards so nothing happens here for a good while. I moved my camalry into the flank of the sailors and marines but with no charge card to make contact they stayed like this for six turns. In fact we didn't draw a single charge card in the whole game until we sacrificed some cards to change our orders.

On the left Kev's force moved forward. Shooting and running is no longer viable so everyone charges.
 

With a charge card now available every turn. I wipe out the enemy on my flank and kill the commander. Having killed the sailors my camalry charge archers in the centre rear, supported by my own archers who have killed the centre commander. And my infantry position themselves to join the fight in the centre.

 

However we have lost in the centre. Both side's army morale was down to six, from twenty five, a draw.  

Hordes of the Things tournament 2025

 On 15 June Lincombe Barn Wargames Society hosted our annual HotT competition.

We had 12 players of which 10 were from outside the club.

 

Prizes were donated by Alternative Armies. 

https://www.alternative-armies.com/

Hot pies were provided at lunchtime.

We had five rounds, with a total of 30 games played.

 

 

I debuted my Turkish Star Wars army, complete with furry monsters and mummies, based on one of the worst films ever made. You can find the whole movie on Youtube.

 

The winner was Keith, winning all five games,with his Asag and the Stone Allies army. 

The top prize was an army and there were smaller prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, all from Alternative Armies. There was also a chocolate dragon for last place.

Thanks to all those attending, Nick for running it and Andy for cooking.

 

Treasure Hunting with Donald Featherstone's Skirmish Rules

 After our AGM at the club we John Curry ran an 8 player game using Donald Featherstone's skirmish rules, published in 1975.

 We each had two characters, either a veteran and novice, or two average types. One remained on the boat until the first character was incapacitated. We were searching a south sea island for a rumoured horde of gold.

We split into three group to search for the treasure. It was semi-cooperative, but there might be an advantage in being first to find the treasure horde.

One of the party was eaten by a giant crocodile before even getting ashore. 

Our party were attacked by a large gorilla which started by throwing coconuts at us.

We killed it but the second one had an adventurer pinned to the ground and another killed. I put a big rock between me and the gorilla and tried a risky shot at the gorilla to save my associate but rolled a one, killing him. The Gorilla then got me and all three of us brought on our replacements.

 

The group in the centre encountered hostile natives and soon found a corral. One of them fell into a pit trap, his would be rescuer was killed by a thrown spear.

 We wen to help them clear out the corral and encountered a native and a loudly dressed individual who wanted to capture him.

 

The group at the other end encountered were attacked by natives, but chasing one round rock found he disappeared  and ran into some lavers,who weren't inclined to fight. 

They fought off a gorilla and discovered a temple, a likely place to find the treasure. 

The temple was empty but slavers were rushing past us in the direction of our boats carrying a glittering chest. We gave chase and shot from all directions at mostly long range as they stole a boat. Several adventurers rushed to board the boat, several were killed but at least one got aboard. 

The last slavers tried to surrender but we weren't showing mercy to a slaver. We took the treasure and saved the boat. Most of us had lost our first adventurer, one or two had lost both. The rules were quick and straightforward and we all had fun.

Civil Little Wars

 We were able to try out a play-test  version of these English Civil War rules.

 

Each side had three files of troops plus a Captain, Lieutenant, drummer and Ensign.

 

Our first session was a straight battle. I had the Parliamentarians.

I pushed a file up the right to get the cover of a large tree while Andy had to clamber over a wall.

Andy's forces included a unit of halberdiers, the Queen's lifeguard. His musketeers popped out and exchanged fire and then moved back behind a house.

I moved up the centre and shot at the the halberdiers, but Andy's next unit of musketeers inflicted significant damage on me.

 I threw everything up the table to try to recover the situation but soon both my units were almost wiped out.

 

Game 2, vs John Curry. We had a scenario this time, to escort Queen Henrietta Maria across the table and exit using one of two roads.

This time I was the Royalists. The Parliamentarians moved across to block our path. My first unit was rapidly devastated when it moved out to fight. The initiative system allowed John to have multiple turns in a row, reloading and firing while I was unable to respond

I sent the Queen and her guards round the side  while my second unit of musketeers got almost wiped out. Then I sent the guards racing up the road to tie up the closest enemy unit. 

Since the enemy couldn't shoot the Queen I hoped the speed of the horse might get her past them and out of reach to escape alone.

This didn't go well either and my halbadiers were wiped out with another parliamentarian unit joining the melee. At this point I intended to have the Queen ride back to the rear and exit the table, preventing her capture. But John was able to keep the initiative and was marching across the table. We decided to end it there as the Queen would have been off when I did get the initiative back and assumed she would have escaped, making it a draw. Although I had taken about 8 times as many losses.