HMGS-PSW Old Messengers Archive

The Messenger, in its various incarnations, has been the HMGS-PSW club newsletter since 1990 (HMGS-PSW was founded in 1998). Below you will find links to WR’s archive of HMGS-PSW old Messenger publications. The archive contains scans of the known copies of the Messenger from years 1990-2006. These old articles by the HMGS-PSW gaming community deserve to be read and retained in the wargaming world. Each Messenger has been scanned as a separate PDF file for ease of viewing.

1. The following are common repeated articles in the old Messengers: Messages from the Front, Secretary’s Corner, Feedback, Calendar of Events, Club News, Fearless Leader report or speaks, Letters to the (Brave) Editor, From the Cardinal’s Pulpit, HMGS-PSW Meeting notes, New Members list, Want ads… etc. I didn’t identify this information besides each issue number.

2. Coding used below: TOM = The Occasional Messenger, TM = The Messenger, TMM = The Mini Messenger, TOMN = The Occasional Messenger – New series (current HMGS-PSW membership publication). Each followed by the Issue # and date of publishing.

3. Thanks to Fred Rosenberg, Tim Keennon, and Christopher Armstrong who lent some of the early issues for scanning into the HMGS-PSW library files.

Still, the archive listing are incomplete with several missing issues. Any reader with those missing issues please contact WR for scanning in those missing HMGS-PSW Messengers.

HMGS-PSW The Occasional Messenger (TOM) series:

TOM01 and TOM02 missing in collection.

TOM3 Oct90  Articles: E-board comments and convention update.

TOM4 Feb91  Articles: Spring Convention update at Pasadena Hilton, Mailing membership list (are you early HMGS-PSW member?).

TOM5 Aug91 Articles: Rumor killing about HMGS-PSW and Strategicon, WWI “On to Constantinople, Lads”.

TOM6 SepOct 91 Articles: Nov Convention schedule, Newsletter guidelines for submissions.

TOM7 DecJan91  Articles: Convention notes from Fall 91 campaign, Heraclea for DBA, WR’s 1st mentioned 25mm Napoleonics game scheduled for Fall 92 campaign.

TOM8 MarApr92  Articles: Spring campaign briefing, Heraclea DBA part II.

TOM9 Oct92  Articles: 8th Annual Napoleonic convention, Glorious 21st of April naval game, Thoughts on Ancient rules, Celtic invasion of Greece.

TOM10 Dec92  Articles: How Many is a Horde, The Orphan Brigade 1861, Battle of Hradok, On Terrain part I.

TOM11 Feb93  Articles: Somalia 1993, Dicemanship, Painting horses, On Terrain part II, Leuthen day, Question of Standards, Crisis of lead.

TOM12 Apr93  Articles: Napoleonic Tournament OccCon’93, Light Infantry in 1806, Emperor’s Headquarters review, Spring Campaigns report, French Frontier 1870.

TOM13 Jun93  Articles: South Mountain 1862, Wagram 1809, Korea July 1950, Panzer Grenadiers.

TOM14 Aug93  Articles: Mons, August 1914, In the Trenches: Brandy Station 1863, Historicon report, Unchained Demons.

TOM15 Oct93  Articles: Unchained Demons part II, Salamanca 1812 re-fought, Violation of Josephine 1807, In Defense of String.

TOM16 Dec93  Articles: Those Magnificent Men WWI, DBA for SYW, A Funny Thing Happened, HMGS-PSW Bylaws part I.

TOM17 Feb94  Articles: Prussian Column Charge (Nap), Euro Fury 1870, Turret Layouts of the Grand Fleet 1916, HMGS-PSW Bylaws part II.

TOM18 Apr94  Articles: Austrians at Bay (Nap).

TOM19 Jun94  Articles: Small Boat Action WWII, My Friend Chase, National News, Guns, Guns, Guns part I (Nap).

TOM20 Aug94  Articles: Renaissance Tournament, Euro-Fury at Origins 1870, My Favorite Attacks, Guns, Guns, Guns part II (Nap), WWII Small boats.

TOM21 Oct94  Articles: Combat boxes (WWII aerial), HMGS Nation news, Plague & Pestilence.

TOM22 Dec94  Articles: Lord Cochrane in Chile 1818, Into the Cornfield 1863.

TOM23 Feb95  Articles: Snappy Nappy…It’s a Snap, Kilts on the Continent (Fontenoy 1745), Neither Magic nor Minis Dixie.

Bloggers, Clubs & Conventions in California

Easy method to promote the historical gaming community in Southern California and WR’s eye on the local historical miniature bloggers and their posts. Also, a handy location to store the links to the California miniature gaming and convention events, both in Northern and Southern California. Links highlighted in bold blue text if known and in no particular order below. Note: With the recent CoVid 2020 situation, several of these events have changed dates or maybe become inactive.

Historical Miniature conventions and local wargaming stores in California:

HMGS-PSW: The local HMGS chapter for Southern California and Arizona region. Their HMGS-PSW site generally contains more information on the local events and discussion.

Strategicon group (Los Angeles – LAX): Three conventions per year each of four days in length. Orccon on President’s day weekend, Gamex on Memorial Day weekend, and Gateway on Labor Day weekend. Mostly board-games and RPG but a small historical miniature group valiantly keeps their historical miniatures presence at each convention. WR occasionally GM’s a scenario at these conventions when family time permits.

Kingdom Con (San Diego): Mixture of role-playing, board games and miniatures (fantasy and historical). Set for April.

Kublacon (San Francisco): Based on past event schedules this Memorial Day weekend convention is fast becoming the historical miniatures convention on the western coast. WR has been to this convention and enjoyed the gaming except for the overcrowding and poor parking availability – the convention organizers are working on the expansion and crowd issues.

Pacificon (San Jose): Another regional convention held over the Labor Day weekend. Small group of No. California historical miniature gamers alway put on games at this convention.

Conquest Sac & Conquest Avalon (Sacramento): Another excellent regional convention with great miniature gaming. Conquest Sac held mid March and Conquest Avalon during November.

DunDraCon (San Ramon): Mixed board games, RPG, and miniatures convention like Strategicon above. Normally held during the President’s Day weekend.

San Diego Historical Games Convention (San Diego): Mixed board and miniature gaming convention held mid November.

The War House (Long Beach): Old fashioned local gaming store run by Steven Luckey in Long Beach CA and regularly seen in the dealer hall of local conventions. Tables in store rear for the gaming community and the wargaming stuff on the walls. WR is unaware of any local gaming group which bases itself out The War House.

Brookhurst Hobbies (Garden Grove): The local mega hobbies and gaming store in Southern California. Link goes to their Facebook page which tends to cover the gaming activities held at Brookhurst Hobbies by Brookhurst Gamers.

 

Blogger & Gaming Club links in Southern California:

The Warren (San Fernando Valley): Hey, one must plug the WR’s gaming group too…but if you are reading this you already know of the WR, his blog, and his gaming activities.

St Crispin’s Irregulars (Anaheim): Apart from their meetings held every month in their meeting hall (Knights of Columbus), this group travels about to other local hobby stores and puts on games. All types and periods of historical gaming.

Winser’s Wargaming page (Manhattan Beach): Duke Winser’s blog covers his gaming in several historical horse and musket era periods. The fun part is reading about his local high school student group learning history and gaming.

Santa Clarita Wargamer: Dave’s blog covers a wide spectrum of historical gaming. HYW to ACW then into the WWII period seems to be his favorite eras. A local blogger, just in the northern valley to WR.

Historical Hobbies.com (Santa Clarita): Bill Witthans historical miniatures site and commentary on the his local gaming scene. Bill is an excellent terrain maker, miniature painter, and ex HMGS-PSW club president.

Drum Barracks Civil War Battles Group (San Fernando Valley): Steve Phenow’s civil war battles group based out of the historical Drum Barracks in Wilmington CA and the San Fernando valley.

 

Other sites of special note or interest (and regular visitors to WR warren blog):

Blunders on the Danube: Peter Anderson’s world-famous site, outside of CA,, especially on the 1809 Austrian campaign. Informational and loaded with historical uniform detail and battles of many periods.

DCHWargamesblog: Burkhard’s blogging site loaded with painted historical miniatures (all periods), scenario gaming, and his devotions into other gaming topics.

Association – Les Riflemen: The French connection in wargaming. Phil’s jaunty site covers many historical periods and always fun to read his blog posts while looking at his fabulous collections.

Don’t throw a 1: Ray Rousell’s blogging site with long time featuring of horse and musket era gaming. Part of the famous “Posties Rejects” team of gamers…. don’t ask.

FoW Roncey Pocket 1944 AAR

After completing the morning String of Pearls Normandy 1944 scenario, WR cleared the tabletop and set up for his afternoon 20mm FoW Roncey Pocket Normandy 1944 scenario game. String of Pearls was fought in daylight, the Roncey Pocket scenario is entirely fought during cloudy moonlit nighttime conditions. Both sides have several special rules outlined in the Roncey Pocket .pdf briefing and highlighted in WR’s previous blog post FoW Action – HMGS-PSW WWII convention.

Scenario rules used for Roncey Pocket include: SS Instant Readiness, Spearhead, Tank telephones, Hedgerow cutters, Headlights, Morning light, Outnumbered, Mobile battles, and Surprise. WR made up several paper “tent markers” to place on tabletop to remind players of the special rules in play. Roncey Pocket rule tent markers (.doc) and his Hedgerow Cutter marker template (.doc) used with the American M4 Sherman tanks.

Opening scenario situation: Scenario starts with both German road bound columns facing in opposite directions. The “Nord Kolonne” (Northern column) of Kampfgruppe Wisliceny 3 SS Panzergrenadierregiment consists, in order of march, the following units:

Roncey Pocket German Northern column roster and order of march. Possible two-gun Motorized SS Artillery battery addition, at column rear, if String of Pearls scenario won by Germans.

Facing the German Northern column’s advance is Easy Co. 67th Armored Regiment. This mobile force arrives in position (mobile battle rules in play), near the road junction at La Rampinniere, and consists of:

American mobile blocking force facing the German Northern column advance. Easy Co. 67th Armored Regiment.

Photos taken during scenario and embedded in this AAR are coded Northern column [NC] and Southern column [SC] to clarify the photo location.

[NC] Roncey Pocket scenario showing the Northern German column and American defenses at start. Note the scenario “rule tent markers” reminding the players of a special FoW scenario rule.

HMGS-PSW WWII January Convention

Just back from the HMGS-PSW January 2015 WWII themed convention held in Anaheim California with a brief summary report.

WR’s two Flames of War scenarios were joined by a host of other 20th Century gaming: Bolt Action (two tables), Check Your Six, Warhammer Great War WWI, Blitzkrieg Commander, BattleTech (on another planet), even some DBA medieval gaming to round out the field.

The Flames of War (20mm) scenarios featured the “String of Pearls” and “Roncey Pocket” Normandy July 1944. Both scenarios taken from the Cobra FoW supplement. Additional information on these scenarios can be read from my recent WR blog post (link): HMGS-PSW FoW scenario. WR is currently in the process of writing up the picture heavy AAR for both these scenarios .

Update 01/23/15: String of Pearls AAR posted: String of Pearls AAR

Update 01/30/15: Roncey Pocket AAR posted: Roncey Pocket AAR

General view of the WR’s ‘String of Pearls” FoW Normandy Cobra supplement scenario using 20mm miniatures. Read the soon posted AAR for complete scenario game details.

Follow up “Roncey Pocket” Normandy 1944 scenario opening turn. Shows the Northern German road column and American armored defenders at left. Off photo at top is the German Southern column and the surprised American artillery company. Scenario is fought at night.

A convention favorite seems to be David K’s Warhammer Great War with hundreds of lovely painted 28mm miniatures. French poulu infantry in red trousers, French cuirassiers, English khaki infantry, German pickelhaube infantry and the tabletop hosts of light artillery and machine guns. Allied “over the top” advance during the Battle of the Marne 1914 scenario. 

HMGS-PSW Spring 2014 Convention

Well, the HMGS-PSW regional late spring convention is in the books. The convention was held in the Van Nuys CA National Guard armory with lots of active gaming and space to swing arms and dice. WR ran his large Omaha beach scenario with great fanfare and a great bunch of players. Unfortunately the American luck totally deserted the landing craft captains as they remained stuck on the sands of Normandy. This caused a breakdown of the recycling of the landing craft (Omaha /D-Day rules in FOW) to return with the next wave of platoons. A complete AAR on the Omaha game is forth coming on WR next week.

Omaha Beach D-Day Flames of War scenario using 20mm. Opening positions viewed from the eastern end of the 12×6 table.

Other games run at the HMGS-PSW regional convention were:

Check Your Six (several scenarios), Drop Zone “N” Gepanzert rules (15mm), Eastern Front using Fire & Maneuver rules (1/72), Bolt Action with Germans and Russian platoons (28mm), Drop Zone Commander game, Pig Wars – Normans vs. Anglo-Saxons raid (25mm), Norman castle siege using WAB (28mm), Sail of Glory, Warhammer 40k and X-Wing demo games. Complete PEL for the event: HMGS-PSW Overlord 2014 PEL

WR counted about 60-70 bobbing heads during the midday headcount so a reasonable turnout for our HMGS-PSW group. Photos of various games in action as WR toured the room….

HMGS-PSW Horse & Musket Day

This last weekend WR traveled south to Anaheim CA for the local HMGS-PSW Horse & Musket themed convention. Seven different games were on the schedule with the Napoleonic era being the favorite era. A list of convention games, rules and miniature scale:

Battle of Cowpens 1781 using Flint and Steel rules 28mm

Storming Los Angeles 1846 using The Old West rules modified 28mm

Granjera de la Abundancia and Ciudad Espanol 1810 using Black Powder 28mm

Battle of Weissig May 1813 using La Bataille rules 15mm

Marston Moor 1644 using DBA-RRR 25mm

Into Darkest Africa using In Her Majesty’s Service rules 28mm

…and lastly WR’s own 28mm scenario game featuring the Battle of Alexandria March 1801. My pre game scenario historical write-up: Battle of Alexandria 1801 and the actual AAR of the scenario: Battle of Alexandria 1801 AAR post convention.

PEL of games, description and GM contact info. HMGS-PSW Horse & Musket PEL

Some quick convention pictures showing the tabletop actions. WR can only give his viewpoint on what he thinks is happening by observation. Players who rolled the dice are welcome to comment about the actual scenario transpiring events here on my blog. First game coverage is the Cowpens 1781 scenario:

Battle of Cowpens 1781 using Flint and Steel rules 28mm. The British forces arrive confronted by the American militia along the roadway.

American and British infantry engage in musketry as their light horse position on the flanks.

Side view as the infantry lines clash and the arriving British and Loyalist horse approach.

Battle end… both sides are suffering losses. WR not sure who won this engagement but I think the British had the inside track.

As WR was settling up his Battle of Alexandria 1801 scenario, the Battle of Los Angeles game was fought, completed and somebody won in pre-freeway Los Angeles. Sorry John, too fast for me to take photos of your lovely terrain and miniatures. Next was the Black Powder Granjera de la Abundancia and Ciudad Espanol 1810 (two games in fact) set in Old Spain. Like the Battle of Los Angeles, the first game was completed in a Spanish blink… the Spanish vanguard forces were promptly routed from the tabletop by the French. So WR only has photos of the second scenario. Hope Tim brings his recently paint Spanish out for another third Saturday game in Redondo Beach (see WR’s blog for details on these monthly games).

HMGS-PSW Convention Oct 2013

As I compose and write-up my tardy French republican Battle of Dego 1796 AAR this week, I came across photos taken at the recent October HMGS-PSW convention. HMGS-PSW (Pacific Southwest) has been arranging historical conventions, since 1988, in the greater Los Angeles area. Well attended compact show with a variety of games and certainly worth a visit at their bi-annual events. During the year they sponsor mini-themed events (ancients, 28mm bolt action, FOW, naval, aerial etc.) at different venues, plus giving support to the local gaming clubs.

HMGS-PSW link:  HMGS-PSW

October 2013 Preliminary Event List with additional game information:  PEL

WR’s scenario “Battle of Dego April 1796” using 25/28mm miniatures.

Breaking the San Fratello Line: Sicily 1943 Part I

A breeze is blowing in the warren. Apart from running the Battle of Sacile 1809 HMGS-PSW convention game saturday, WR’s son has requested a 20mm Flames of War game on Friday night. So, as the Sacile vineyards project is drying, WR has created a convention scenario called “Breaking the San Fratello Line: Sicily 1943”.

“You really don’t want to know what happens if Monty beats me to Messina”. Push forward to HMGS-PSW’s Winter convention.

A full game summary report, with photos, will follow after the convention next weekend (link below). Meanwhile, fellow WWII gamers may enjoy reading the preliminary writeup for the convention program material. Link .pdf: Breaking the San Fratello Line notes,

Aero Hobbies November games – Napoleonics, WAB, and FOW

Under the direction and excellent organization of Adam H., another Aero hobbies (Santa Monica CA) game day has come and gone. With several events planned, even the rainy day didn’t prevent active gamers from their appointed dice rolling.

Game presentations: WR’s 25mm /28mm Napoleonic game representing a 1805 Elchingen like action, a 28mm WAB Siege and Conquest game (storming the old french castle), and a 15mm FOW desert battle. Three different game write ups given below.

WR’s Napoleonic game was a scenario loosely based upon the battle of Elchingen 1805. Dan brought his early Imperial French so WR rostered up a 1805 Austrian force for tabletop action.

French Lannes V corps: Two French divisions of line and legere regiments (9-10 battalions). One battery of 8lb artillery for each division. Attached light cavalry brigade of three regiments (2x hussar, 1x chasseur a cheval) and 4lb horse battery. Small reserve artillery command of 2x 12lb positional batteries.

Austrian Column under FML Riesch: 8 line regiments (8×3 btns.), 3 grenadier battalions (3×6), small hussar half regiment, my 1790’s carabinier regt for favor, 2x 6lb positional artillery, 1x cavalry batteries.

Table overview with Austrian forces deployed on the hillside (Abbey of Elchingen) and along the right side of photo.

Austrian deployment at start.

Austrian plan….hold the hillside with the abbey position, then push the French right flank with strong Austrian force.Even an Austrian can follow those orders.

Austrian massed forces on Austrian left flank await the french appearance…

French arrive. Their deployment was one command per turn….so the order of appearance was…French infantry division, French light cavalry brigade, French infantry division, reserve artillery (2x 12lb) if required. First French division arrives below. Two legere and two-line regiments with their 8lb battery.