2020: The Pandemic That Killed the Cons

What a year! While we are halfway through 2020, I think we can make the call that for our hobby this year is not one we wish to remember. Every week we hear about yet another convention being canceled, “indefinitely” delayed, or moved to a virtual setting. How will this effect our hobby? What will our hobby look like when things get better and how long will this last?

Review: Verdun 1916 Steel Inferno

Many of our readers know that I am fascinated by the Great War, it was an event that changed the world unlike any other and when the guns fell silent in 1918 society, maps, and military thought were almost unrecognizable from how they looked in 1914.

This passion has led me to help develop a bunch of games that cover the Great War. Back in January I caught a glimpse of a game called Verdun 1916 Steel Inferno (V1916SI) by the French gamers at the Fellowship of Simulations. I was impressed as most gamers are with the sheer beauty of the game and I made sure I was the first backer when the project hit Kickstarter on 21 February, the 104th anniversary of the start of the battle.

Flames of War: Firestorm Gazala

During the lockdown we looked at ways we could help our local gaming stores once the hint of normalcy returned. While under lockdown we chatted a lot with our friends from the UK, the staff of , and Mark Goddard came up with an amazing idea, why not kick off another Firestorm Campaign for . When Mark approached me with the idea I immediately wanted to help support this great idea and I even enlisted our Iron Tom Burgess the commander for one of the teams.

Going Virtual: Gaming During COVID and Beyond

By Mitch Reed

We may hate to admit it but gaming is a social hobby, we may build and paint our models in isolation, but the reason why we do this is to meet up with fellow gamers and play the games we love. In the last few months, a pandemic has taken away our social outlet with conventions being canceled and gaming stores closed to gaming. Even as we slowly recover and open up our nations many gamers may be rightfully apprehensive to return to the table. So, we may be faced with a long period where we are deprived of the social aspect of our hobby.

Oak and Iron: Shopping Guide, Online Play and a Spoiler!

Since the lockdown, many of us have been busy painting our ships and we look forward to the time we can once again play with our boats with our fellow gamers (more on this later). From reading the posts on Facebook a lot of gamers have wondered about which boxes they should pick up to fill out their fleets and the best answer is that “it depends”. This article will help you understand the three different points levels the game is played and what ships will most likely fill your fleet at those point levels.

Oak and Iron: Online Campaign is Ready to Shove Off

The guys at are starting an online campaign for all of us who are locked down. The instructions are below and you can sign up on the .  The crew at NDNG will be playing and covering the action for you… so look for updates as the campaign progresses.
From the Grand Admiral (Mike Tunez)…. Greetings fellow commodores! I’m happy to announce that we will be launching an online campaign for Oak & Iron games played on Table Top Simulator! Beginners and new players welcome!

Blood and Plunder: Painting the 6th Rate

I have been in a painting slump ever since November 2019. I have had this happen to me before where I go months without painting anything, however with the lockdown and the fact I really wanted to play with the amazing 6th Rate Frigate from so I found myself back at the table.