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Messages - Easy E

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1
Space Naval Games / Review: Voidfighter- Osprey Games
« on: October 14, 2025, 08:36:59 PM »


This week I take a look at the latest game in the Osprey Wargaming Series of Blue Books.  This is a model agnostic, kitchen table game of space dogfights.  If you have any X-wing, Battlestar Galactica, Silent Death, Aeronautica Imperialis, or other flying models this game may give them a new life on the table? 

I myself in no stranger to designing space dogfight and aerial wargames.  I have also played a few in my time.  Therefore, I am looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer. 

So, let's kick the tires and light the fires!       

https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-voidfighter-osprey-games.html

2
General Discussion / Review: Victory at Sea- Warlord Games
« on: October 09, 2025, 11:35:37 PM »


I think getting these rules have been on my "To-Do" Goal list for the last 3, maybe 4 years or so.  I like Naval wargames but I am more Jutland than Midway.  Therefore, I was hesitant to pull the trigger.  Plus, I was not a huge fan of the Starter Set focusing on the Pacific Theatre, i.e. US vs Japan.  However, I heard good things about the rules and it seemed to have a pretty comprehensive list of ships from all the major nations in it. 

With the tariffs impacting Warlord imports into the US, I decided I better get a copy of the rules before "Tariff-Pricing" went into effect.  I pulled the trigger and picked up a copy from The Miniature Market out of St. Louis.  I opted to just stick with the rules for now for a couple of reasons:

1. I wanted to see if anyone else at the True Crit Gaming Guild was interested before I dove in with two fleets.

2. I like GHQ as they were a "local" manufacturer of Naval miniatures and I might want to build my fleets with their range instead.  Also, no "Tariff-pricing" on them either.

3. You don't need miniatures for Naval wargaming.  You can start off with top-side looking paper templates easily enough.  That is what I used to play-test Castles in the Sky and it worked great!       

4. I was not 100% sold on the scale or the basing of the Warlord range.

With all that being said I figured that a copy of the rules would be a good place to start on my journey before I dropped too much money, time, and effort into the game.  I had done a Black Seas demo back in the day and ultimately decided not to follow up on it.  I was unsure if that would be the same with this game. 

Now, let's get the Diesel's powered up, site in the guns, and raise the battle flag!  Off we go, diving into Victory at Sea.....



You can read all my thoughts on the blog here: https://www.bloodandspectaclespublishing.com/

3
General Discussion / Naval Wargaming Discussion for WWI
« on: September 24, 2025, 11:41:30 AM »
I figured some folks would like this discussion about Naval Wargaming.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFeRi_gEkGY

Basically, there is not a lot of data points for naval wargaming!

4
Misc. Naval Games / Austro-Hungarian Fleet for Castles in the Sky
« on: August 05, 2025, 11:26:56 AM »
I have been playing some Castles in the Sky with the True Crit Gaming Guild, and that encouraged me to pick-up another fleet. I managed to get this Austro-Hungarian fleet from Brigade before the new Tariffs kicked in. I got them from Scale Creep Miniatures.

You can see how I painted the entire fleet on the blog, but here is a flavor of it.....



The blog can be found here:
https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/08/on-painting-desk-castles-in-sky-austro.html

5
General Discussion / Re: MBS in 2025
« on: July 06, 2025, 11:32:07 PM »
Wow, great table!

6
General Discussion / Review: Pacific Command - Osprey Games
« on: July 01, 2025, 08:18:18 PM »


Mike Hutchinson returns to the Osprey Wargaming Series with something a bit different.  Previously, Mr. Hutchinson wrote Gaslands (which got an Osprey Hardback re-release which means it sold well) and the less well-received A Billion Suns.  His other big Non-Osprey book is Hobgoblin which is a fantasy Mass Battle Game.   Therefore, turning his hand to a historical, WWII, Naval combat game is a bit of a different look for him.  I am interested to see what he comes up with. 

I have always been interested in Naval combat.  However, my interest is more Jutland than it was Midway.  The Pacific Theatre of WWII seems especially.... popular?  I mean, the Victory at Sea starter set focuses heavily on the Pacific Theatre, even if it is strangely missing the carrier elements.  Therefore, this is an area of the war that has gotten a lot of attention in wargaming circles over the years, and much of it has been very dogmatic and rivet-counting focused.  I am therefore interested in how Mr. Hutchinson takes a crack at the period and genre, as he often brings novel and simplified approaches to complex genres.

With that said let's fuel up our dive-bombers, clear the decks, and scramble all aircraft! You can read all the details on my Blood and Spectacles blog:
 
https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/06/review-pacific-command-osprey-games.html

7
General Discussion / Re: Finally, after all these years....
« on: June 16, 2025, 09:58:38 AM »
True.  With rumors swirling about Warlord's future, I could also see it being dropped. 

However, that is less of a problem for me now because i have the rules and no one can take them away. 

Edition changes are worse because no one wants to play old rules, but they will play dead ones? 

It is a strange world we live in, but it is true!

8
News and Rumors / Re: Pacific Command is now available!
« on: June 13, 2025, 12:27:45 PM »
Yeah, that sounds great!

I bet you could grab Mike too.  He is a member of this board.  :)

Edit: You sly dog!  You and Man Battlestations gets a shout-out in the book!

9
The Pavilus Binary War / Re: Quick Update
« on: June 12, 2025, 10:53:57 AM »
Man, late to the party but this seems like a great idea!  I am jealous!

10
News and Rumors / Re: Pacific Command is now available!
« on: June 12, 2025, 10:50:08 AM »
I got my copy in hand and am working on a review for it.

11
General Discussion / Finally, after all these years....
« on: June 11, 2025, 10:52:27 AM »
After three (possibly more) years of having it on my radar to buy, I finally picked up a hard back copy of Victory at Sea from Warlord.  I now expect a new edition in about 3-6 months. 

I also got a copy of Mike Hutchinson's new Pacific Command from Osprey as well.  The pictures inside use Warlord minis. 

This time around, I skipped minis as I can use paper templates for now.  Eventually, maybe I will get some GHQ minis. It depends on if I can get anyone else around these parts interested.

12
Misc. Naval Games / Castles in the Sky- Clash over South America
« on: May 27, 2025, 10:52:24 AM »


The Americans had been patrolling near Paramaribo in the territory of the Netherlands, as part of a diplomatic effort to win their support at the Hague.  However, the nearby British and French were not happy to see an American force so close to their Spheres of Influence.  A Fleet for each power was deployed from Georgetown and Cayenne (respectively) as a precaution and a warning. 

However, they did not realize that the American flotilla was commanded by Rear-Admiral Thomas, a notoriously aggressive commander.  As the three fleets began to converge just north of the border with Brazil, the Europeans soon realized their error.  The American commander raised the battle colors and signaled for the other two fleets to stand-down.  The two European commanders declined the offer and battle was soon joined.


Forces
Americans

1 Michigan class Battleship - Comm 2

1 Denver Class Cruiser - Comm 3

1 Bainbridge class Destroyer - Comm 2 - Air Torps




The French

1 Charles Martel Class Battleship - Comm 3

1 D'Iberville Torpedo Cruiser - Comm 2

1 Chasseur Destroyer - Comm 1- Air Torps



The British

1 Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship- Comm 3

1 Warrior class Cruiser - Comm 3

1 Bull Finch class Destroyer- Comm 2 - Air Torps



Set-up
Our table was a 4ft-by-4ft board, and each MU was 1 inch.  The Americans and British took opposite corners, and the French were in the center on the far side.  The Americans and British deployed high and fast, with the French going at mid-range and speed. 

There were no clouds or cloud cover.  There were a few rock formations at 1-4 altitude. 



You can read the full report on the Blood and Spectacles Blog here:
https://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/05/battle-report-castles-in-sky-clash-over.html

13
General Discussion / Re: 3D STL files for Aeronef
« on: May 05, 2025, 05:34:29 PM »
Oh yeah, that's the stuff right there......

Thanks!

14
General Discussion / 3D STL files for Aeronef
« on: April 24, 2025, 11:59:38 AM »
Greetings all,

In the US, I have been having a hard time getting my hands on the Imperial Skies Range from Brigade.  I love the models, but with the new climate it is tough to get things from across the pond. 

Is there a good place to find some STL files for Aeronef style ships?  I want to add a fleet or two to my Castles in the Sky fleets.

15
General Discussion / Re: MBS in 2025
« on: April 24, 2025, 11:53:27 AM »
Keep us posted on the Discord.  I would join that.

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