Wargames Illustrated WI451 July 2025 Edition

OBSERVATION POST

We check out new plastics for Dead Man’s Hand and The Barons’ War, along with some handy decals in this month’s reviews.

RELEASE RADAR

Dom Sore’s here with his monthly look at the newest releases in the world of wargaming.

QUICK FIRE

Short, quick-read posts from WI readers about their hobby projects, notes, news, and observations.

THEME: MONS GRAUPIUS: THE HISTORY/RESEARCH

Archaeologist Dr Simon Elliot explores the history of Mons Graupius, the most famous Scottish battle of Roman Britain.

SALUTE PAINTING COMPETITION WINNER

We look at some of the magnificent winners from an incredibly high-quality Salute Painting Competition.

THEME: MOUNTAIN BASING

Rubén Torregrosa shares two different approaches to creating rocky bases in this theme-related hobby article.

BATTLE REPORT: TRAITOR’S TOLL

James reports on an action-packed game of Traitor’s Toll and the many tales that the players wove as they led their guards around the city.

THEME: CATASTROPHE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Pete Brown seeks to learn the lessons of mountain warfare by examining the 1842 Retreat from Kabul.

PARTIZAN SHOW REPORT

We report on the ever-amazing Partizan wargames show, presenting just a smattering of the splendid games that were on display at Newark Showgrounds.

FIGURE SPOTLIGHT: VICTRIX GERMANS

James explores the options in Victrix’s new World War Two release, builds some of the figures, and offers suggestions for players intending to use them as an entry point to the period.

THEME: MAYHEM ON THE MOOR

A tabletop crawler game inspired by moors, gothic horror, and Games Workshop board games of the 1980s.

COLLECTING HISTORY

Kevin Krause showcases the huge number of armies he’s collected over the decades, as he has built what might be the world’s largest collection of 15mm figures.

CHAIN OF COMMAND 2

WI Editor Dan gets his introduction to Chain of Command 2 from Lardy frontman Rich Clarke in a battle report from somewhere in the Falaise Pocket, 1944.

FLAT CAPS, TRUNCHEONS, AND TOMMY GUNS

We take The Chicago Way, via the mean streets of post-World War One Birmingham, and dive into Great Escape Games’ new box set for their gangster game.