Down Order Podcast

An overview of Operation Deadstick – the securing of two vital road bridges crossing waterways north of Caen on D-Day. The episode also includes an introduction to the British airborne forces involved in the Normandy and a breakdown of their equipment and tactics, as well as reference to the German units present. Towards the end, … Continue reading Episode 54 – Normandy: Pegasus Bridge →

Bryan Cook, friend of the podcast and author of the new BA campaign book, is the guest on this episode. After being interrogated for a bit about ANZAC history, Bryan talked through the process of putting together a book to cover the Hungarian campaign in WWII. There is discussion of new missions, selectors, units and … Continue reading Episode 53 – Fortress Budapest →

A stubborn episode that’s been trying to get out for some time! In the first half I talk through all of my games from the Bolt Action GT in Nottingham (lists, missions, slagging off opponents, etc), which took place in November, and in the second half I reflect on the best (and worst) hobby aspects … Continue reading Episode 52 – Warlord GT and 2018 in Review →

This recording covers our trip to CRISIS from the 2nd-4th of November 2018, during which we ran a large game depicting the Tavronitis Bridge battle on Crete in 1941, which some people may have seen featured in recent issues of Wargames Illustrated. I was joined by clubmates James Morris and Thomas Webster-Deakin. After the show … Continue reading Episode 51 – Road to CRISIS →

Richard Clarke is the guest on this episode and he talks in detail about the new early-war handbook for Chain of Command, Blitzkrieg 1940, which includes nearly 60 new force lists to use in the game, as well as campaign-specific special rules and a series of new national arsenals and characteristics. Richard is a very … Continue reading Episode 50 – Blitzkrieg 1940 →

Dave Hunter returns to the podcast to delicately assist with this potentially divisive show topic: BA Vs CoC. The aim though is not really to decide which is the best game, but to compare and contrast the two leading systems for 28mm WWII wargames. Each has a very distinct ‘feel’ as a rules system and … Continue reading Episode 49 – Bolt Action Vs Chain of Command →

I was joined by Christian and Jan (from Hamburg) to discuss wargaming the Germans in WWII. They gave insight into the history, organisation and characteristics of the Wehrmacht, as well as helping to pronounce some of those tricky German words… This episode also includes the £20 voucher draw for Patreon backers, courtesy of bossminis.co.uk – … Continue reading Episode 48 – Playing Germany in WWII →

Last year’s winner, Mike Wilkins, and I talk about our 1000pt lists (Free French partisans and Italian Front Germans) used at the recent 78-player event  in Cambridge – and then run through each of our games in detail. I’d like to offer a continued ‘thank you’ to BOSS Minis and to the new Patreon backers, … Continue reading Episode 47 – A ‘Cam’ Bridge Too Far 2018 →

Bruce Hamilton comes on the cast once again, this time to talk about a North African Commando raid from 1941: there is the usual mix of history and gaming chat about how you could recreate elements of Operation Flipper for Bolt Action. Towards the end, we also talked a little about the upcoming Cambridge event … Continue reading Episode 46 – Operation Flipper →

A review of the recent open event that took place at Warlord Games HQ in Nottingham, at the end of November 2018. The guest for this episode is Bruce Hamilton and we talked through our lists and described each of our games in detail before revealing the final standings… This episode also features the prize … Continue reading Episode 45 – The Warlord Games Grand Tournament →

In this episode I sat down to have a conversation with Nick Eyre of North Star (who produces the figures for Artizan Designs, Crusader Miniatures, Copplestone Castings, Frostgrave, etc). We talked about a range of things, including: the origins of the company and the history of wargaming in Nottingham; the sculpting and casting process; how … Continue reading Episode 44 – North Star Military Figures →

Sam and Barry dig deep into the story of how Anglo-Canadian forces enacted the breakout from the eastern end of the Normandy beachhead. We discuss important units involved in the conflict, such as the 7th Armoured Division, 21st Panzer and the 12th SS Hitlerjugend, as well as focusing in detail on a number of important … Continue reading Episode 43 – Normandy: The Battle for Caen →

Sam is joined by Dave Hunter, Christian Tiansen and Steve Tibbs, who all attended the latest Mediterranean themed team event at Sanctuary Gaming Centre. The first half and hour features a ‘live’ recording from the day, with players already stuck into their games in the three theatres: Crete, North Africa and Italy. The last hour … Continue reading Episode 42 – End of the Beginning III →

Barry and Sam talk about the Partizan wargames show in Newark, discussing purchases and their relevance to current hobby projects (Congo, Sharp Practice, ancients, terrain for End of the Beginning III – don’t tell our wives…). In the main segment we read out and discuss  entries for the Dream Game competition in which listeners submitted … Continue reading Episode 41 – Dream Game →

Sam, Steve and Bob recount the recent event in all its gory detail, from missions and tables to individual games and reflections on the V2 system in a large, open tournament. Expect Tiger Fear, Gurkhas, tank platoons and curiously lurid terrain placement… Stick around for the end when Steve and Bob are challenged to a … Continue reading Episode 40 – A Cambridge Too Far 2017 →

This episode features a conversation with Mad Bob Emmerson, discussing lists ahead of the big 2d6Lodge Cambridge event, with particular focus on the mighty French FT-17 tank. The main section contains recorded hightlights of a ‘live’ game between mid-war US and German forces – the latter built around a Tiger Tank. Barry and Sam get … Continue reading Episode 39 – TIGERS →

Sam talks about a new listener competition to win a copy of Armies of Germany 2nd Edition and his ‘dream game’ set during the Battle of Crete, then connects with Barry through Skype for another round of TGtBatU – with Barry picking the WWII units to fit the categories. Competition entries can be submitted to … Continue reading Episode 38 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly →

This recording features Steve Tibbs as a guest and covers The Battle of Anzio during the Italian campaign as the historical topic (with thoughts on army lists, missions and modelling);  event coverage; V2 chit-chat and some thoughts on the new AoG book. Plenty of Tiger talk when it comes to Anzio! There’s also a 5% … Continue reading Episode 37 – The Battle of Anzio →

New backers of the Patreon campaign are thanked and a prize draw is made to determine the winner of a Rubicon Opel Blitz. Sam talks through his SAS army list, giving a brief history of the SAS in the desert and a description of the new force characteristics and unit choices. Playtesting the SAS, with Dave … Continue reading Episode 36 – SAS in North Africa →

Sam and Dave are joined by Ian Hill to talk through three large open events that have taken place over the last month: two of them seeing out the first version of BA; one ushering in the new 2nd edition. We also play a game of ‘Operation’ intermittently throughout the show! Some ripe language to be … Continue reading Episode 35 – Welsh Open, MOAB, Derby Nationals →

Seamus, Sam and Dave talk about recent BA events before tackling the main topic: an overview of Operation Mercury – the airborne invasion of Crete in May 1941. (We experienced some small fidelity issues during the transatlantic call, but nothing too catastrophic)

Sam, Dave and Pete discusses their experiences at the second Down Order team event run at Sanctuary Gaming Centre. Pete also describes his forthcoming event (Enigma) and Dave describes his new selectors for the Maori. There is also some Sharp Practice 2 chat, with particular reference to the French-Indian War. Pics from EotB 2: https://www.facebook.com/enrich.salaams/media_set?set=a.1701887210081423.1073741838.100007804809240&type=3&uploaded=44 Dave’s Maori … Continue reading Episode 33 – End of the Beginning 2 →

Sam and Dave are joined by the venerable Ian Hill to review the BHGS event, Roll Call, which took place in April. Seamus’ BA event in Chicago

Dave and Sam are joined by Andy Singleton of Volley Fire Painting Services to talk about the recent sixty player event held in Cambridge. Andy also talks about his background and current projects, while Dave describes some of the new lists he has been writing (Fallschirmjager, Maori and DAK) which are tailored to be more … Continue reading Episode 31 – A Cambridge Too Far →

Sam and Dave are joined by Mad Bob Emmerson to chat about current projects, including End of the Beginning 2, events on the south coast, Gorgon Studios and forthcoming offerings from Bob’s evil laboratory. Bob also undertook the Good/Bad/Ugly challenge and Philip from Germany provided us some authentic translations in his native tongue. Click here … Continue reading Episode 30 – Miscellaneous Ramblings →

Sam is joined by Stuart Kelly (Stubert, of Cambridge) and Seamus Hamrin (Weekend General, outta Chicago). The two guests provided their take on Good/Bad/Ugly in Bolt Action and we also took a look at the new FAQ/Errata document from Warlord. Finally Sam gives an overview of the final release of the Theatre Book series; Duel … Continue reading Episode 29 – Duel in the Sun →

Rich, Sam and Dave tackle Gates of Antares, gender and diversity issues in wargaming, listener feedback and the BAA Format. The main feature for the episode is a listener suggestion – we take turns to choose a BA unit to fit within each of the three categories (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…). There’s … Continue reading Episode 28 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly →

Sam, Rich and Dave answer a selection of listener questions about the future of the game and personal hobby projects for 2016.  Sam and Rich also talk about the tournament they attended in Birmingham (To Hell and Back).

Thirteen listeners from around the world undertook the challenge: to describe their favourite WW2 vehicle in Bolt Action, in three minutes (ish).  The winner, revealed at the end, will receive a mystery vehicle courtesy of Mad Bob Miniatures.

We are joined by Joe Piddington, the director of Miniature Wargaming The Movie, to discuss his Kickstarter project. We spoke about his ambitions for the film,  the wider development of wargaming culture and his experiences in Bolt Action. Joe’s project can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/954318608/miniature-wargaming-the-movie 

Sam and Dave are joined by Bob Emmerson and Bryan Cook to discuss the French presence in the North African theatre. Bryan describes MOAB, his event in Sydney and Dave talks about his Maori selectors. Tirailleurs, Goumiers and the Foreign Legion all get mentioned. Definitely something a bit Vichy going on in this episode… Some … Continue reading Episode 25 – The French in North Africa →

Sam, Dave and Mad Bob discuss three recent events (Britcon, The Welsh Open and The Derby Nationals) with particular focus on missions, event packs and list balance. We also reveal the first Down Order listener competition… Send entries to this address: downorderpodcast@gmail.com An mp3 (no longer than 3 minutes) would be ideal, describing your favourite … Continue reading Episode 24 – The Nationals →

We discuss the recent North Africa campaign day held at Sanctuary Gaming Centre. Sam and Dave were joined by Steve Tibbs from 2d6Lodge Gaming Club in Cambridge, who also played in the event. Steve tells us about his forthcoming tournament and explains how he went about writing a Royal Thai army list. Sam also gives an update … Continue reading Episode 23 – The End of the Beginning →

Sam and Dave are joined by Giac, joint TO of the BA Welsh Open. They discuss plans for the event (taking place at the end of September in Cardiff) before Dave quizzes Giac on his list of Ten Commonly Overlooked or Misunderstood Rules… Towards the end, Sam describes a family connection to a Churchill tank … Continue reading Episode 22 – Commonly Overlooked Rules →

Rich, Sam and Dave discuss the recent two day event in Preston. Rich only joins us for the first hour, but Sam and Dave talk through their lists and games in detail. Talking points include: Brandenburgers, flamethrowers, the 1250 point level and mission-specific strategies. One list in particular drew a bit of attention, but all … Continue reading Episode 21 – Ribble Rumble 2015 →

Sam, Dave and Barry talk about the upcoming Down Order team event, taking place in August and also the recent Black Dragon tournament in Leicester. Dave and Sam then discuss the quirks of the British army book and Barry describes the Canadian contribution to the war.   Details of The End of the Beginning

Sam is joined by Pete Melvin and Mad Bob Emmerson to discuss the latest Phoenix Gaming Club event – Operation Phoenix. http://www.madbobminiatures.co.uk https://phoenixgaming.wordpress.com

Sam, Rich and Dave met at the farm to play a 2400 Vs 800 point game with the Soviets attacking the Finns. We talk through the historical context and then describe the game intermittently, between turns. See pictures of the game on the downorder.com Facebook page. There is also a UK tournament update. Facebook pictures

  Sam and Dave review the BHGS event which took place in Cranfield in April. Sam took early-war Soviets and Dave used his Maori. We also mention a selection of new UK events that have been announced for this year and beyond…

Dave and Sam were thrilled to be joined by Brad ‘Old Man’ Morin from the Ghost Army and LRDG podcasts. He talked us through his experiences on the Australian BA circuit and shared a Polish partisan list based on the Warsaw Uprising. Sam described the Lock & Load tournament and Dave recounted a four-player desert game … Continue reading Episode 16 – The Warsaw Uprising →

  We chat about the challenges of writing a viable Panzergrenadier list using the current rules. Dave talks Western Desert, Rich talks Soviet experimental tank lists, Sam talks US 29th and Point Defense and Barry talks Fury. Dave’s vocals were plagued by a crunchy scraping menace for parts of the recording (which was revealed to … Continue reading Episode 15 – Panzergrenadiers →

  Sam and Dave are joined are joined by Pete Melvin from the Phoenix Gaming Club. The main topic covers our considerations for attempting to assemble a historic, characterful and fun army. We also try to find a good balance between strength in theme and strength on the table. We chose three forces to discuss: the 28th Maori Battalion, … Continue reading Episode 14 – Historical Vs Competitive →

  Full crew. Our main topic is an overview of the campaign in North-West Europe and discussion of the missions, units and special rules described in the theatre book. Rich talks about his terrain projects and flirtations with Chain of Command, Dave assesses the latest Warlord FAQ and Sam mentions UK tournaments in 2015.

  I am joined by Gary Betts (Gazerb on the Warlord forum) who runs the Bolt Action tournaments for the three big BHGS events in the UK. We talked about missions, tables and rules being used in 2015. Dave also dropped in part way through and we had a bit of a chat about what we’d been up … Continue reading Episode 12 – BHGS Tournaments →

Barry and Sam play a game using Warplanes as well as testing the DOT NET Format rules tweaks from the guys at the BAR. I have no idea if an audio playtest recording works – let me know! There are pictures of the game on our Facebook page. Our new theme music is from Shostakovich’s … Continue reading Episode 11 – Playtesting Warplanes and the DOT NET Format →

The full cohort records together for the first time. We do listener feedback, talk about a few recent events, then dive into our lists of favourite tank destroyers from WWII. We discussed historical TD doctrine and also which vehicles we feel are good or bad choices in Bolt Action.

  Sam, Barry and Dave seek out terrible truths hidden in the misty and horrifying labyrinth of the Nazi Occult. We also talk about unholy relics, ill-omened expeditions, frightening technology and other chilling prospects. At the end, Sam describes a home made, zombie-themed Bolt Action mission called The Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead … Continue reading Episode 9 – Halloween Special →

The conclusion to our two-part episode. Rich and Dave talk through the tournament setup, their lists and their games. We mention Bob Emmerson and his highly successful Hungarian Tanks Kickstarter. We also answer and discuss the Quizzy Question asked in the previous episode.

We chat about the what we have been up to recently, including  wargames shows and modelling projects (aerosans, tachanka, bears…). I also interviewed Alessio Cavatore and asked him about Tank Wars, VFTs, errata and chatted about his new Loka Tarot game. This episode is the first half of a flippin long recording. 8b will cover the … Continue reading Episode 8a – Tanks, Bears and VFTs →

We review the Russian army book, covering the national rules, theatre selectors and individual unit choices. Rich talks about the types of lists he has played and highlights some of the more obscure options. Dave explains why he thinks this is the most flexible and varied of the army books. Sam reveals what goes on … Continue reading Episode 7 – Armies of the Soviet Union →