Welcome to 2026…..

The group met for a ‘Council of War’ to decide on how we would structure any Campaigns for the next couple of years and review troop stocks so ladz could decide if they needed/wanted to add troops for upcoming events.

As a result upcoming campaigns are:

• ACW Fire in the Shenandoah May 1862
• Napoleonic 1813
• Pyrrhic
• Dark Ages

The ACW campaign is already underway with Russ running it and we are on Turn 2.Map is below. The Union players are Robert/Keith/Goldie/Alan and the Confederates Paul/Steven/Stephen/Rob and me(Terry).

The Napoleonic 1813 campaign will be our 3rd one and Paul will be running this in the second half of the year.

The Pyrrhic and Dark Ages campaigns are for 2027.

And to show the Gods of War are happy with these choices Warlord Games have just released a new book in their ‘Hail Caesar’ series entitled’ The Pyrrhic Wars’!

Within the group we have armies of:

• Republican Rome
• Carthage
• Alexandrian Macedonian
• Successor Macedonian
• Pyrrhic

Additionally there are Early Imperial Roman Armies(that’s me….have way to many of them) and some Spanish. But then…campaigns have a way of spawning armies so who knows what will be added by next year!

The Dark Ages is tentatively 900AD to 1200AD and looks to be Normans/Byzantines/Arabs etc.

Tucked in among these campaigns will be the regular games and several ‘BFG’s are planned. The ‘BFG’ is a ‘Big ******* Game’ and these are those in the past such as out Waterloo 2015 game at the Wellesley Club, the Leipzig game and the Borodino games. A BFG that was held before these was a Gettysburg game on Christchurch which I did not attend… so mid year our plan is to play a 2 day BFG Gettysburg when our local club the Warlords has a 2 day gaming weekend at the club venue, The Johnsonville Club.

The 2nd BFG which will be in 2027 is a Normandy 1944 breakout rumble using 12mm scale.

So lots happening………

There will be updates through the year …..

Very excited.

Now rather than a whisky, as it is summer(well occasionally…when it hasn’t rained) I have been drinking Ginger beers from the Hawkes Bay Brewing Company .

The Ginger Fusion is a 5% alc/vol infused with mandarin. Its a beauty.

Then there is my favorite thirst quencher after a session in the garden. The Spiced Ginger Beer has been infused with Cinnamon and Chili and is truly amazing!!

That’s all for now….. Terry out.