This is the fourth article in a series I will present each of the five powers of Baltic Empires in turn. This time I will cover the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (or “Poland” for short).
The Powers of Baltic Empires — Poland
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Category Archives: Designer Blogs
Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 7 — Running Your Pressgang: A Methodology in Recruiting Sailors to Your Project Team
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By Ed Ostermeyer, Master Engineer (Grade 2)
Ah, the budding entrepreneur returns.
Welcome back, young Inventor.
If you will open your copy of the Inventor’s Vade Mecum to the section entitled “Sailors,” we will get started.
You must be mindful that several decisions must be made before you are allowed access to the Navy’s manpower pool.
How will your fishboat be powered?
If your underwater marvel is to rely on muscle power, then a surplus of brawn would be advantageous.
Infernal Machine: The Tale of the “Pioneer”
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Though the “H.L. Hunley” was the first submarine to sink another vessel in combat, it was by no means the first submarine built by the American Confederacy in the 1860’s.
There were multiple underwater marvels in various stages of completeness at several different locations when war broke out between North and South in April, 1861.
We will concern ourselves with a specific vessel, not just because it was one of the first of a type called a “fishboat” by the popular press of the time, but also for the knowledge it imparted to a team of bright young engineers and mechanics who had a dream of building a craft that would allow them to travel and fight underwater.
Sovereign of Discord: The Strategic Hamlet Program
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In my last InsideGMT article, I gave some background on the Ngo Dinh Diem regime and covered some of the threats to the regime besides the Viet Cong (VC) insurgency. In this article I shift focus to the war in the countryside between the ARVN and VC players. In the early 1960s, the Strategic Hamlet program was the major counterinsurgency strategy of the Diem regime. The main goal of the program was to separate the rural population from the Viet Cong while increasing the state’s control of the countryside. Sovereign of Discord introduces new wooden strategic hamlet pieces and additional mechanics to Fire in the Lake to model this strategy.
The Powers of Baltic Empires — Prussia
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This is the third article in a series I will present each of the five powers of Baltic Empires in turn. This time I will cover Prussia, the clear underdog among the powers during this period (1558-1721), and certainly not the Prussia from later eras that wargamers may be more familiar with.
Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 6 — On Choosing and Caring for a Journeyman
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By Ed Ostermeyer, Master Engineer (Grade 2)
A good day to you once more, young Inventor.
In our last look into the Inventor’s Vade Mecum, we learned how to recruit and retain your project’s Mechanics.
In today’s lesson, the Inventor’s Vade Mecum will provide you guidance in choosing and caring for a surprisingly necessary crewmember for your Wonder of the Age, the Journeyman.
Art Preview – INFERNO: Levy & Campaign Volume III
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Production art for Inferno is well underway from artist Robert Altbauer. Volko takes us on a gallery walk, along with a little introduction to the historical setting and how Levy & Campaign brings it to life.
Two warring parties divide 13th-Century Tuscany. One favors the Pope, the other, the Empire. Inferno players muster up to six armies for each. Here, Levy & Campaign imbedded artist Robert Altbauer displays heraldry on the inside panels of the screens that hide Lord mats—Guelphs along the top, Ghibellines below.
Infernal Machine: Considering the Source —My Appointment with Charleston SC’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center (Part 2)
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The following article is the second in the two part series from Ed recounting his experience visiting the “H.L. Hunley” at Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, SC. You can read the first article in the series here. In this second article, we will see how the Lasch Center is carefully piecing together the answer to the Hunley’s mysterious demise, as well as the experience of the eight crewmen who perished within her iron hull.
The story told by the exhibits becomes a time machine for any museum attendee, taking them back to the America of the mid-19th century where the knowledge and skills garnered from the first hundred years of the Industrial Revolution were being bent towards what would soon be called the science of warfare. Machine shops peopled by engineers and mechanics familiar with the scientific principles and methods learned from the Industrial Revolution were adding this insight to their mechanical skills and engineering expertise, giving form to the dream of underwater travel and warfare. The museum then moves forward to the present, detailing the “Hunley’s” recovery, restoration and preservation.
While the cleaning and preservation of the “Hunley” itself was proceeding, artifacts from within the submarine were being uncovered, each being assigned a coordinate as to its location within or on the hull or the concretion covering its surfaces inside and out. A major part of the recovery effort was the location of the remains of the eight crewmen of the “Hunley” who perished in mysterious circumstances on that fateful night of February 17, 1864.
There was the gold coin of “Hunley” commander George Dixon, found resting near his left thighbone within the hull.
A brass oilcan, found covered with concretions and the leaching of rusty iron, restored to near-original condition (it even had some of its original oil inside.)
The “Hunley’s” rudder, recovered encased with concretions and sea life, and restored to its proper appearance.
Crewman James Wicks’ silk bandana required the skills of Mary Ballard, Senior Textile Conservator for the Smithsonian Institute for a most painstaking of conservation effort.
Most remarkable are the Lasch Center’s efforts to put faces with the names of the “Hunley’s” eight crewmen. Using the latest skills and techniques of forensic science, the Lasch Museum’s conservators have been able to reconstruct a face from a casting of each crewman’s skull. All eight of the reconstructions are currently on display at the museum, putting a human face upon history.
There is much more of the “Hunley” to be seen at the Lasch Conservation Center; the best way to do so is by taking a tour.
The facility is open to the public Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost is $18 for adults and $10 for youth, 6 to 12 years of age.
Membership in Friends of the Hunley will lower the adult fee to $12.
The discount for seniors and military is $15 and children 5 and under are admitted free of charge.
Oh, and they have a very good gift shop on site.
Next time: the sixth entry from the Inventor’s Vade Mecum handbook counsels the Young Inventor on the Choosing and Keeping of Journeymen for his Project Team.
(Note: All graphic images of Infernal Machine game materials used in this series of articles are subjective and may change and appear different in their final form. All images show sourcing unless otherwise noted.)
Previous Articles:
Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare — Setting the Stage
Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) – Part 1: Where Do I Start?
Infernal Machine: The Inventor’s Vade Mecum (Nautica ed.) Part 4 — Installing Dread and Destruction
Sovereign of Discord: Sink or Swim with Ngo Dinh Diem
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The Sovereign of Discord expansion for Fire in the Lake allows players to explore an earlier period of the Vietnam War rarely covered in wargaming, the closing years of Ngo Dinh Diem regime (1961-1963). Although there are a few tactical games and scenarios on the battle of Ap Bac in 1963, I struggled to find a single game at the strategic level that covers the years prior to major intervention by the United States and North Vietnam in 1964-1965. Sovereign of Discord allows wargamers to add this crucial period of the war to their collections. This article is the first in a series of InsideGMT articles highlighting different aspects of the new content in Sovereign of Discord. Today we will focus on Ngo Dinh Diem and the unique strengths and weaknesses of his regime.
The Powers of Baltic Empires — Russia
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This is the second article in a series where I will present each of the five powers of Baltic Empires in turn. This time I will cover Russia, the historical winner of the game that emerged from the period (1558-1721) as a major power in European affairs.