Battle at the Mouth of the River Blackwater

When H.G. Wells wrote and published The War of the Worlds in 1898, few could have predicted that it would become one of the first novels to spark a genre that remains wildly popular to this day: the alien invasion. With this book, Wells established a trend that continues to thrive in the third decade of the 21st century – and shows no signs of fading. Yet The War of the Worlds was more than just a trendsetter. It also served as a powerful political and social commentary on the turn of the 20th century – on mankind’s faith in its own progress, and on the fragility of that faith.

The novel also stands as one of the earliest and most striking portrayals of modern industrial warfare: merciless, mechanised, and devastating to both civilians and military alike. When reading the chapters depicting the destruction of London, one cannot help but hear ominous echoes of the First and Second World Wars – and of more recent conflicts – with their ruined cities and terrified civilians fleeing in panic, indistinguishable targets to the enemy alongside military infrastructure.

One of the most vivid examples of this writing is the Battle at the Mouth of the River Blackwater. Wells describes thousands of refugees gathered on the beaches, desperately trying to board small boats and escape to the larger vessels anchored nearby. When Martian war machines appear on the horizon, panic erupts, and the race begins – can the ships escape before the Martians strike?

The British Channel Fleet was stationed too far away to respond immediately. The only vessel in a position to act was the HMS Thunderchild – a fictional warship inspired in part by the real-life torpedo ram HMS Polyphemus. Thunderchild launched a daring and sacrificial charge, taking the Martians by surprise and destroying several of their machines before being sunk herself. The dramatic clash remains one of the finest literary depictions of naval combat during wartime.

Thanks to Thunderchild’s heroic sacrifice, most of the civilian transports were able to escape.

Because The War of the Worlds takes place in 1898 – the very same era as Gods of War: Togo – we decided to pay homage to this legendary work by recreating the Battle of Blackwater using our game’s rules.

⚔️ On one side, the Martian forces: three fighting machines arriving in the first wave, followed by three more in the second wave (each entering after a first-wave machine was destroyed).
🚢 On the other side, civilian transport ships, whose mission was to escape by reaching the far edge of the table; HMS Thunderchild, positioned close to the transports; and part of the Channel Fleet, led by two battleships.
🌍 The Earth forces scored points for successful transport escapes and for destroying Martian machines.
🛸 The Martians gained points for destroying transport ships and warships alike.

📸 We invite you to view our photo gallery, where you’ll find a full description of the events of this dramatic battle.

🎲 This dramatic battle at the mouth of the Blackwater was an absolute joy to play. And though HMS Thunderchild did not manage to ram a tripod (she did destroy one with torpedoes!), it was the British torpedo boats that fulfilled that daring task!

🙏 We’d like to extend heartfelt thanks to all players, and to Bolter.pl – our distributor and gaming venue – for hosting this epic scenario.

💡 It’s also worth noting that the real-life inspiration for Thunderchild – HMS Polyphemus – took part in the battle. Her presence served as a symbolic tribute to the legacy of H.G. Wells.

🛒 And finally – yes, you can get the tripods and Thunderchild models here: LINK.

Full steam ahead! 🚢

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