Russell Phillips's Blog, page 3

My first Kickstarter is now live

I’ve decided to try Kickstarter for my next book, a steampunk RPG campaign for use with RISUS: The Anything RPG. It’s now live, and has already hit the funding target and the first stretch goal.

Backers will get the book before it is available anywhere else, and at a lower price.

Backers can also buy an ebook copy of the novel that inspired the campaign at a discount.

The Campaign

Welcome to the Epiphany Club, where the pursuit of knowledge and adventure is the name of the game. A Victorian gentlemen’s club with a difference, its distinguished members are determined to solve some of the world’s greatest mysteries.

For centuries, the wonders of the Great Library of Alexandria have been considered lost forever. So when the club discovers a clue to its whereabouts, the race is on to discover this forgotten treasure first.

In this exciting steampunk campaign, you will play a member of the Epiphany Club, travelling across Europe and Africa to find the Great Library of Alexandria. But with so many people desperate to get their hands on the knowledge contained within the library’s hidden walls, your mission will be far from smooth sailing.

Will you gather all the clues and solve them in time? Or will they merely lead you on a risky wild goose chase?

Your quest will take you on a high stakes adventure where danger and betrayal lurk round every corner. You’ll encounter an array of interesting characters, but not everyone is who they say they are. There’s a network of spies, criminals and even ninjas to contend with, so you’ll need to stay calm and keep your head if you want to reach your goal.

Will you be the one to uncover one of the most famous wonders of the ancient world? Or will you be beaten to the discovery by someone hoping to get hold of the priceless historical artefacts for their own motives?

Back the Kickstarter now

Operation Ironclad Giveaway

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To mark the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Madagascar in 1942, I am giving away one hardback, one audiobook, and one ebook of A Strange Campaign. Because of postage costs, the hardback is UK only, but the others are open to all countries.

Fill in the form to enter the giveaway.

Email Address:
First Name: (optional)
Last Name: (optional)

Select the formats you would like to win:
Hardback (UK only)
Audiobook
Ebook

If you would like to join my mailing list, please tick the boxes to indicate what you would like to receive emails about. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Military history
Role-playing games (RPGs)

The giveaway will be open from 1st May to 5th May (UK time).

I will only keep your details for long enough to run the giveaway, unless you decide to join my mailing list. Privacy Policy.

The Newspaper (an RPG adventure)

My newest book is something different – an adventure for a tabletop RPG. It’s a free one-off adventure set during the Second World War and referencing the events described in A Ray of Light. It’s available as an ebook in PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats. The cover and description are below.

During the Second World War, information was one of the most precious currencies there was. And in this light-hearted and humorous one-shot adventure, delivering a simple newspaper could be the one thing which stops an entire village being erased from the history books and forgotten forever.

In The Newspaper, the player characters will have to overcome several wartime challenges to ensure their delivery makes it into the hands of Dr Barnett Stross, a doctor and local politician in Stoke-on-Trent. If the mission succeeds, their newspaper will alert Dr Stross to the plight of Lidice, a Czechoslovakian village razed to the ground by the Nazis, and inspire him to start the Lidice Shall Live campaign.

While the stakes may be high in this adventure, the action is far from serious. Players will have to keep their heads down and avoid the police, keep their valuables from being stolen by pickpockets, survive an air raid, and stay on the right side of the Home Guard.

Will you complete the mission with your dignity intact? Or will your newspaper merely end up being the next day’s fish and chip paper?

DriveThruRPGitch.ioBookfunnelOther stores

Research help: Operation Colossus

I’m researching a book about the Second World War Operation Colossus, the first operation undertaken by British paratroopers. I know there aren’t any surviving veterans of the operation, but I’m hoping to contact family members who may have diaries, notes, photographs, etc that veterans left behind.

If you’re related to someone that took part, or know someone who is, please email me: Russell@nullRussellPhillips.uk

Below is a list of the men involved in the operation.

Major Trevor Allan Gordon ‘Tag’ Pritchard, Royal Welch Fusiliers
Captain Christopher Gerald Lea, Lancashire Fusiliers
Captain Gerrard Daly, Royal Engineers
Lieutenant Anthony Deane-Drummond, Royal Signals
2nd Lieutenant George Robert Paterson, Royal Engineers
2nd Lieutenant Arthur Geoffrey Jowett, Highland Light Infantry
Pilot Officer Ralph Henry Lucky, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Warrant Officer II Arthur William Albert ‘Taff’ Lawley, Royal Army Service Corps
Sergeant Percy Priestly Clements, Leicestershire Regiment
Sergeant Edward William ‘Little Jock’ Durie, Royal Engineers
Sergeant Joe Shutt, Leicestershire Regiment
Sergeant John ‘Big Jock’ Walker, Royal Signals
Corporal C. E. McD. ‘Derry’ Fletcher, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
Corporal J. E. Grice, North Staffordshire Regiment
Corporal Philip Julian, Royal Engineers
Corporal Peter O’Brien, Royal Engineers
Lance-Corporal Harry Boulter, North Staffordshire Regiment
Lance-Corporal Douglas ‘Flash’ Henderson, Coldstream Guards
Lance-Corporal Doug E. Jones, Royal Engineers
Lance-Corporal Jim E. Maher, Royal Engineers
Lance-Corporal Harry Pexton, South Staffordshire Regiment
Lance-Corporal Harry Tomlin, Royal Engineers
Lance-Corporal Robert Brimer ‘Mad Bob’ Watson, Royal Engineers
Private Ernest Humphrey, Royal East Kent Regiment
Private Nicola Nastri (using the pseudonym John Tristan), Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Private Albert Samuels, East Lancashire Regiment
Sapper ‘Jock’ W. Crawford, Royal Engineers
Sapper R. Davidson, Royal Engineers
Sapper Alf Parker, Royal Engineers
Sapper James Parker, Royal Engineers
Sapper Owen D. J. Phillips, Royal Engineers
Driver Glyn Pryor, Royal Engineers
Sapper Alan B. Ross, Royal Engineers
Sapper David L. Struthers, Royal Engineers
Fortunato Picchi (using the pseudonym Private Pierre Dupont), Special Operations Executive

History Writers Day 2021

Today and tomorrow, I’m taking part in an online book fair on Twitter. There are lots of other authors also taking part, so if you’re on Twitter, you should watch the #HistoryWritersDay hashtag to get all the updates.

I’ll be posting interesting bits and pieces from my research as well as special offers, but for those of you not on Twitter, the offers are also listed below.

Signed Copies

You can get a signed copy of any of my books. Just email me with the details of which book, what format, and what you’d like me to write. Standard list price, plus postage at cost if you’re outside the UK. Free postage if you’re in the UK.

I can even sign an ebook for you, if that’s your preference. Just email me with the details of which book, what format, and what you’d like me to write. I’ll supply ePub, Mobi, and PDF files. Orders received over the weekend for signed ebooks are 25% off the standard price.

25% off Ebooks

If you like ebooks, but don’t want a unique signed copy, you can use coupon code HistoryWritersDay to get 25% off any of my ebooks at https://payhip.com/RussellPhillips

20-60% off Merchandise

Use coupon code CYBER5 to get 20-60% off my range of merchandise at https://www.redbubble.com/people/RPBook/shop

#HistoryWritersDay

I’m taking part in an online book fair on Twitter this weekend. I’ll be offering signed books and possibly some discounts (full details haven’t been confirmed yet).

Other authors will also be taking part, and it promises to be a good event.

For more information, see the twitter thread starting with the tweet below. If you want to take part, follow me on Twitter (@RPBook) or watch the #HistoryWritersDay hashtag.

For those not on Twitter, go to this link on Saturday to see what I’m offering: https://russellphillips.uk/historywritersday-2021/

Hello!
SO WHAT IS THIS TWITTER BOOK FAYRE?
I'm that busy contacting people about taking part & how it will work, I've not actually explained it to you all or to any potential participant wondering about taking part.
So here goes and hopefully you find it all straightforward.

— HistoryBookChat (@Books2Cover) November 17, 2021

Diversity in Military History

I recently saw a tweet that suggested the field of military history has a diversity problem. Namely, that the field is dominated by white men. The tweet generated a lot of discussion and argument. The owner locked the account after receiving hate mail, so I’m not going to link to it.

Some people don’t see a problem. They say that nobody is stopping women or people of colour from joining the field or going to events. It’s just that white men are more likely to be interested in military history. However, there were also women and people of colour sharing stories of how they had been ignored, or held to a higher standard than the men to get the same level of recognition.

It’s a difficult truth that women and people of colour are underrepresented in military history. But it is a truth, and ignoring it doesn’t help anyone. I firmly believe that diversity in any field improves that field. A greater diversity of backgrounds brings a wider understanding and allows for insights that would not otherwise happen.

I therefore believe that we should encourage anyone with an interest in military history to attend events, take part in discussions, and generally contribute in whatever way they wish. Not because it’s politically correct or because I want to signal my virtue. Because it will improve our understanding of historical events.

What’s to be done?

There aren’t any simple or quick solutions. I personally think the main thing that needs to happen is an attitude change. If we as a community don’t value diversity or want it, change will be difficult and temporary. Those of us that see the value of diversity therefore need to communicate that value.

As part of the attitude change, we need to listen. If someone says they don’t feel welcome, don’t tell them that they are. Ask why they feel that way and address the issues they identify.

Some years ago I heard a woman talk about ways to make IT conferences, another male-dominated area, more welcoming to women. She suggested that having female speakers would help. Conference organisers often claim to get the best speakers possible. But in reality that usually means that they get the best speakers they know. Few organisers look outside their own bubble for speakers.

Being willing to look further afield makes it more likely that you’ll find different voices. The speakers at an event are very visible, so having diverse voices on stage will make more people feel welcome at your event. This isn’t necessarily easy. Organising an event is a lot of work, often undertaken by unpaid volunteers.

This is why our attitudes are important. If we honestly believe that diversity is valuable, we’ll be more willing to put in the extra effort. If we see it as an extra that would be nice to have but isn’t really important, we’ll find excuses not to put in the extra effort.

Panzer Kids: Review

I’ve written before about getting kids started in wargaming. Since writing that post, I’ve played several games of Panzer Kids by Peter Schweighofer. This is a set of rules for tank actions during the Second World War, specifically aimed at children. It’s available in two versions, basic and deluxe. The basic version is “pay what you want” and has the base rules and stats for several tanks, so you can give it a try without spending any money.

The deluxe version adds optional rules for wrecks, flank shots, damage, close range, hull-down, hull guns, anti-tank guns, elite units, roads, mine fields, objectives, and micro scale miniatures. It also has four scenarios, a brief history of the war, stats for most of the tanks and anti-tank guns used during the Second World War, and instructions for working out stats for other vehicles.

Both versions include a “Mind Your Manners” section. Most of what is covered here should be obvious to adults, but may not be so obvious to children. The rules themselves are very simple, as you would expect. The basic mechanism is to roll a D6 and add the score to the attacking tank’s attack value. If the result is greater than the target’s defence value, it takes a hit. Once a tank takes three hits, it is destroyed.

Measuring movement. Note the toy syringe.

My daughter enjoys Panzer Kids, and I enjoy playing it with her. It’s a very different experience to playing against an adult, and can be frustrating. She tends to be very cautious, moving her tanks into cover as soon as possible and refusing to budge. She also gets distracted and plays with other toys sometimes. In one game, she used a syringe from a hospital set to give one of the tanks an injection. We use Litko blast markers to mark hits on tanks, which adds to the visual appeal. When a tank is destroyed, she insists on covering it with multiple smoke and blast markers. At first, she got upset when tanks were destroyed, because she assumed that all of the crew had been killed. She felt a lot better when I told her that crews often bailed out and survived.

Overall, it’s an excellent set of rules. I recommend them to anyone with an interest in playing Second World War armour actions with children.

The WW2 Podcast on Madagascar

Angus Wallace recently interviewed me about the battle for Madagascar for the WW2 Podcast. You can listen to the episode below. If you’re not already subscribed to the WW2 Podcast, I recommend it. Angus has interesting guests, and the extras that he releases for patrons are also worthwhile.

Now available: A Strange Campaign

My new book, A Strange Campaign, is now available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.

Madagascar provided the stunning backdrop for one of the strangest conflicts of the Second World War — when Britain went head to head against one of its closest allies.

When British forces landed on the island in 1942, the enemy they faced wasn’t German, Japanese or even Italian, this time the opposing forces were French.

Concerned that Japan might use Madagascar as a strategic base to disrupt the supply line to India, Britain was keen to take control of the island. However, the Vichy forces were keen to defend the French colony and prevent it becoming part of the British Empire.

A Strange Campaign: The Battle for Madagascar gives a detailed account of this fascinating but little-known period of military history. Even at the time, the conflict was a controversial one, pitting two colonial empires against each other.

However, it was also ground-breaking as it was the first time Allied forces had staged a major amphibious invasion. The lessons learned on the shores of Madagascar would prove to be invaluable two years later during the D-day landings in Normandy.

Military historian Russell Phillips examines the tactics used in the battle for Madagascar which included secret agents, dummy paratroopers and attempted bribery.

But just how did the British finally break down months of resistance by the French? And how did a tug-of-war over an island in the middle of the Indian ocean influence the rest of the Second World War?

A Strange Campaign: The Battle for Madagascar Author: Russell Phillips
Genre: World War II
Tags: Audiobooks, Large Print

Madagascar provided the stunning backdrop for one of the strangest conflicts of the Second World War — when Britain went head to head against one of its closest allies.

More info →Buy This Book OnlineBuy Direct (audio)Buy Direct (ebook) Bookshop.org Waterstones Foyles