Small Rant

I am getting really, really, really fed up with the wargames myth that Thebans had white shields!!!!!!
The latest version of this fantasy is Warlord Games "Sacred Band" advert. I really dont know where this idea comes from.
https://store.warlordgames.com/products/theban-sacred-band

Fighting Crabs

Surely some F?*kwit will come up with some rules for this:
Ninja Crab

I can see this working well in 13.5mm epic scale and 53.7mm for skirmish.

If you've lost some followers recently don't worry, you probably haven't pissed anyone off.

It's just that Google, in it's latest bid for world domination, no longer lets you follow a blog unless you are signed in via a Google account.
Carry on Google.
(Bastards)

Painter's Block

There seems to be endless posts on wargames blogs about lost mojo and inability to paint. Let's be honest, it happens to all of us, but for wargamers this appears to be a thing that we need some form of absolution from other gamers for. There is an answer to it and it goes like this:-

1. Wargaming is a hobby not a job.
2. If you can't be arsed to paint, don't bloody paint!
3. If you are hung up with guilt for the sin of having too much money wrapped up in the lead pile and you feel you really must paint it or you will be damned to eternal perdition  - SELL THE BLOODY STUFF ON E BAY AND GET SOME MONEY BACK..
4. "Spend some time" with the wife / girlfriend / boyfriend* - if you haven't got one try getting one they can be fun!
5. Play with your children or grandchildren.
6. Watch something on the TV or Netflix that doesn't take itself seriously like "Firefly" or "Boston Legal" - don't watch anything historical where you could spot the wrong button, facing colour, weapon or other inaccuracy that might inadvertently  put a hair up your ass and give you a case of pointless angst in addition to your "painter's block"
7. Learn an instrument.
8. Get some figures out and play a game, solo if necessary.

In summary: GET A BLOODY LIFE!

*for the sake of the PC brigade.

Bah Humbug!

A gem from Rich at Toofat Lardies

I spotted this on a rare visit to the "dark place". Read the whole thread:

http://theminiaturespage.com/news/talk/msg.mv?id=444905289

Well played sir, well played.

The number is now 23

26 AND YELLOW LIGHTING

GO JAYS!!!

Seems odd to me that wargamers feel the need to complain about yellow fluorescent lighting at shows. If they are going there primarily to take photographs perhaps they should get an attitude adjustment and accept that shows aren't organised with the main aim of facilitating the blogging paperazzi .

Women's' World Cup Final: Japan Vs USA

A gem from Al Murray on his Radio 5 program this morning:
"They should call this "Girl Harbour"...............The Japanese will probably kick off 15 minutes early........The Yanks will probably come back with some strong attacks very late in the second half".

Let's Get This Show Back On The Road

THE PLOT GOT LOST A BIT

Before it drifted off into the realm of cynicism and p*ss taking as a result of watching one particularly well known wargames forum digging itself further into the clarts over how and by whom it was run, this blog was really just meant as a means of keeping a record of what painting I'd done plus the occasional games report. I really think it's time to stop rubbernecking at the trainwreck that the Dark Place has become and spend the time painting!

Looking forward to next year the first thing that I really need to get done is clear the desk of all the bits of things that are already on it. At present this amounts to:

20 15mm TYW Swedish Infantry THAT WILL ACTUALLY FINISH THE TYW SWEDISH PROJECT!

8 15mm Spanish Napoleonic Artillerymen for the Talavera Scenario

2 15mm 12Pdr Guns that will double as French and Spanish

12 10mm Crimean War Infantry.

RULE 1 FOR NEXT YEAR - FINISH ONE UNIT BEFORE YOU PUT ANOTHER ONE ON THE DESK. CLEANING UP METAL, BASING TREES AND REBASING WHILE THE PAINT/VARNISH DRIES ON THE CURRENT PROJECT JUST LEADS TO INCREASING PILES OF UNFINISHED BITS ON THE WORKBENCH.

SOME TARGETS FOR 2014

I think 2014 needs to be a terrain year. In 2013 I changed the way I set up the table using terrain mats with hills created by "stuffing things underneath". This was mainly inspired by Jeff Knudsen at

Warartisan,com

I've been following Jeff's site for a while as the the rules he's written, "Napoleonic Command" have intrigued me for several years. There have been some great reports of his games posted on Flickr and linked to at the Dark Place. The terrain is exceptional and all done with terrain mats contoured by putting toy stuffing underneath. The settings are also realistically sprinkled with minor terrain items too, but here's where the genius of his rules come in - walls, hedges and minor streams have no effect unless want them to. Major walls yes, wide streams, yes, but bog standard walls and things that require you to lose 1/3 of a move every 

time you cross them or prevent charges or whatever have no effect other than to make the table look bloody great.

So I want to get some more terrain features and try to get the table looking something like Jeff and his group's table, but I don't want to get into too much scratch building, so I think a few more orders will be going in to:

www.totalbattleminiatures.com

I have been really impressed with their prepainted rivers and I think I will be getting some more plus a couple of their tiles for hamlets/villages, etc. If you order them painted you have to be prepared to wait a while, but the end product is well worth it.

As far as trees, etc. are concerned, the landscape-architect-son-in-law has just given me a load of various forms of trees and Woodland Scenics stuff left over from his degree so it will be an order to ERM miniatures for some of their MDF woodland bases in the New Year.

Figures-wise I will continue adding to the Napoleonics for the scenarios in "Wellington's Victories". The additional number of units required gets less of a problem for each scenario - well at least until the two cavalry scenarios anyway.

I want the Thirty Years War project finished this year. As I mentioned above, the Swedes are virtually finished and just need the bases done. I've stopped using static grass for new units - it's too much of a pain in the backside to use and no matter how much you try some always gets left on the desk and stuck in the varnish, so from now on it's ready made tufts from:

www.tajima1.co.uk/

When the  Swedes are done I need to paint up a few pikemen for the Imperialists and rebase the rest and that's it!

Then there's the 10mm Crimea business. I said I'd do this with Scotty, but his ability to paint by telekinesis from work during the day coupled with my slow pace and timewasting on sundry internet wargames forums has left me miles behind. I need to complete a division with artillery plus a cavalry brigade at least to ease my conscience.

All the other bits; Flodden, Greeks and rebasing the Hundred Years War Armies on Impetus bases will just be there to relieve the monotony this year.

Baseball

There will be a two week gaming hiatus in April as we are going back to Toronto for the opening home games of the 2014 season. This will doubtless be another year when the Bluejays  greatly under achieve and  languish at the bottom of the AL East, but as I follow ( I don't actively support) Newcastle United I am used to this sort of thing. The major difference is that going to the Rogers Centre in Toronto is a friendly, pleasant experience whereas I won't even set foot in THE TOON on a match day.

Anyway, no matter what the result against the Yankees on April 4th, it should be a great experience. FF to 1:50 on the following video - cant wait:

Rogers Centre Opening Day 2013

All the best for 2014.
Neal

X wing and an update

Of possible interest

Link

Amicalement,

PasaDoble01

I've nearly got a wargames room again

Well eldest daughter has fled the nest to her new home in Lancashire, so her room has to be put to some other use:-

I've nearly finished the last 6 cacadores for the Light Division that have been hanging around like a bad smell for months, so when they're based I'll stick the whole division on the table and take some pics.

No I haven't posted anything for a long time

But I have been painting. Might revisit this blog soon