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Yes, that really is the photo that Per supplied as his mug shot for this piece! I can hear the collective "Aaaaah!" echoing around the digital ether. But this is also the man who, towards the end of the podcast tells your host, "It's not like I'm meeting Bono"!
What can I say about this marvellous Swede whose love of the hobby and deep and abiding knowledge of his subject matter combine to create one of the most impressive personalities in wargaming?
Per is a wonderful ambassador of the hobby, friendly, approachable, intelligent and with a dry sense of humour that you might only notice when you're halfway out of the door after meeting him! (Watch out for his comment about the Dark Ages being "Scandinavian colonial"!) Here, then, is this Swedish superstar of the hobby in full flow, waxing lyrical about 6mm gaming, the Great Northern War and other Scandinavian conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries, making snow-covered terrain and the joys of being a wargaming parent.
Finally, Per has supplied us with the most amazing "Suggested Reading" list, which will forever end requests for "more about the Great Northern War, please"! Huge thanks to Per for this – final proof, if it were needed, of Per's passion for his subject matter. What a treasure trove!
The Specific battle on Per's website that we discussed:
A Christmas Carolean Battle Tale
Some of Per's GNW tables:
Towards Moscow Trilogy (TMT) – The Joy of Six 2017
The What-if Battle Horka 1708 at Joy of Six 2018
Poltava 1709 at Joy of Six 2019 – the Grand Finale of the Towards Moscow Trilogy (TMT)
Rules to try out for the Great Northern War
Rulesets Per would recommend checking out for various levels of games that work well for the battles during this era. There are some notes in an old blog with regards to rules you may want to check out (note here).
Big Battles
Polemos - Great Northern War (Baccus)
Twilight of the Sun King (Pike and Shot Society)
Might and Reason (Sam Mustafa)
Medium sized Battles
Beneath the Lily Banners (League of Augsburg) and their With Talon and Claw supplement
Gå På (Årnfelts Förlag)
Maurice (Sam Mustafa)
Skirmish level games
Sharp Practice (TooFatLardies)
Donnybrook (League of Augsburg)
Pikemans Lament (Osprey)
Miniatures Per thinks work well for the Great Northern War
2mm – Irregular Miniatures
6mm – Baccus - everything you need for GNW, including scenics; Perfect 6; Leven Miniatures; Total Battle Miniatures; Time Cast; GS Miniature Workshop.
10mm – Pendraken - Russian, Swedish, Marlburian, Renaissance Polish
15mm – Legio Heroica (Swedish, Russian, Vienna 1683) CP-Models, Dixon Miniatures, Roundway
18mm – Blue Moon (Russian, Swedish, etc)
20mm (1/72) plastics – Ukrainian Cossack Revolt, Great Northern War, War of the Spanish Succession
28mm – Warfare Miniatures, Ebor miniatures, and for Polish types find your favourite Renaissance Poles.
30mm – Spencer Smith Miniatures sells the fantastic Holger Eriksson (but limited to Swedes!) stuff and of course their 'classic' Spencer Smith18th Century ranges can be used..
40mm – Holger Eriksson Moulds and Karoliner range from Prince August GNW moulds (see also their Holger Eriksson moulds)
Great Northern War related books in English (as at 26/10/19)
General Histories covering the period
• Frost, Robert, The Northern Wars: War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe
• Roberts, Michael (ed.), Sweden's Age of Greatness, 1632-1718 (Problems in focus series)
• Lisk, Jill, Struggle for Supremacy in the Baltic, 1600-1725
Biographies
• Bain, Nisbeth, Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire
• Hatton, Ragnhild, Charles XII of Sweden
• Voltaire, F.M , History of Charles XII
• Massie, Robert, Peter the Great
• Sharp, Tony, Pleasure and Ambition: The Life, Loves and Wars of Augustus the Strong
Battles and Campaigns
• Dorrell, Nicholas, Dawn of the Tsarist Empire – Poltava and the Russians Campaigns of 1708-09
• Duffy, Christopher, Russia's Military Way to the West, Origins and Nature of Russian Military Power 1700-1800
• Englund,Peter, The Battle that Shock Europe
• Klink, Stephen, Great Northern War Compendium Vol 1
• Klink, Stephen, Great Northern War Compendium Vol 2
• Konstam, Angus, Poltava 1709: Russia Comes of Age (Osprey Campaign)
• Megorsky, Boris, Peter the Great's Revenge
Armies and Uniform Information
• Ericson-Wolke, Lars & Alekseevich, Valerii, The Swedish Army of the Great Northern War 1700-21
• Höglund, Lars-Eric et al, The Great Northern War 1700-1721, I, Colours and Uniforms
• Höglund, Lars-Eric et al, The Great Northern War 1700-1721, II, Sweden's Allies and Enemies Colours and Uniforms
• Konstam, Angus, Peter the Great's Army: Infantry vol. 1 (Osprey Men-at--Arms)
• Konstam, Angus, Peter the Great's Army: Cavalry vol. 2 (Osprey Men-at--Arms)
• Megorsky, Boris, The Russian Army of the Great Northern War 1700-21
There is also an upcoming book on the Battle of Poltava by Moltusov published by Helion and a book on Swedish Uniforms 1700-1720 from Osprey.
Tacitus.Nu Great Northern War website
Per's Blog Roll a One