Forged in Battle 1:3000 fleets hit the streets! Well..."Hit the waves!"

Alexander Hay-Whitton, a South African based in Bangkok has corresponded re: the Forged in Battle review posted here [CLICK]. We went back and forth a few times and I cajoled some extra commentary and pics from him. This is undoubtedly what the FiB sculptor wants to see, so, enjoy!

"The first outing for the Forged in Battle Trafalgar fleets. I finished them yesterday [he did it in a month...I'm envious!]. They look pretty good, even with my less-than-renaissance brushwork.

The rules in question are 'Rum, Buggery, and the Lash', trying to do a sort of DBA for sailing fleets, since I don't think the usually massed record-keeping ruleset suits local conditions. 

Less than glorious, it was a disaster! The rules actually penalized the fleet with more frigates, and we ended up starting way downwind. There were also numerous opportunities for the sort of gamer who plays the loopholes rather than the game.... I need to do a lot to the rules before we try again!"

lovely overview with an island or peninsula to left

"The cloth representing the ocean is cheap Chinese silk (Thai silk is better, but would be wasted on such a project)."


Very nice building models - must ask what they are!

View from the crow's nest - sails ahoy!


maneuvering for a positional advantage but it seems blocked!

things are looking pretty scrappy here

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"Since then, we've had another, much more successful go, following a lot of rule revisions."

"Too Geometrical"

"This second time we brought off a Nelson act, coming in from windward and cutting an enemy squadron in half, beating it down with a full squadron's fire, boarding, and capturing five SOL before nightfall." 

"Break the line!"

Wild melees above and below!

"We also landed some 2mm Irregular Miniatures marines and captured the land battery."

"S. Valentine is captured!"

Players were myself (Nelson), my wife Krisanan (Collingwood), and my regular opps Anthony Reardon (Villeneuve), and Englishman, and Mike Seely (Don Miguel da Siljio), a Canadian.

Rough being a wargaming Alexander, isn't it? Gives you a lot to live up to!

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Yes, but Alexander wasn't much of a naval commander, anyway, altho some say he was "at sea" mentally!

Well, that's all for now - Alex's work is inspiring me to get back to these ships and playtest the rules I was favoring, Bob Cordery's Portable Naval Wargame. The rules and many others are a free download here [CLICK].