I'm not dead, yet...

It's been an unbelievably busy Autumn. Real Life™ has demanded almost all my time. Things seem to be getting back to normal now. I've recently re-established my hobby space (in the new house ).

Of course, now that I have dedicated gaming space there are an  infinite number of distractions, too. Focus, focus...

french & indian game fiasco...

We inaugurated the 'war room' in the new house with its first game last Sunday. Sad to say, but it's been such a long time since I've run a game that I really flubbed up on the rules. Note to self: Even though you wrote the rules... READ them before inviting people over to play!

the fleet floats...

It's been a slow few months for gaming projects. But I did hunker down and get my ship rehab project pretty much complete. I've still got one un-built galleon kit, but the stripping and repainting of the used models is complete.

the return of the king...

It's been a long time since posting. But I've not been entirely idle. But this project does seem to be winding down. I've got two more 24 figure units to complete and then I still need a handful of officers and commanders. But after that it will probably take some game playing to inspire me keep cranking out ECW figs. Unfortunately, officers are a bit of an issue with 54mm ECW.

A Call to Arms ECW figure sets do not include any mounted officers. At first I thought I'd have to get out the conversion knife and see what damage I could wreak on a few flamboyant Confederates. But so far I've been able to avoid that.

converting covenanters...

One of the challenges of collecting 54mm English Civil War figures is that it is a pretty specific area of interest and few figure manufacturers pay a lot of attention to it. Consequently, except for indulging in some more expensive metal figures for commanders, etc, I'm pretty much limited to using the 'A Call to Arms' figures. While it is a nice range, there are some figures which are inconvenient for wargaming and I don't expect to seem many (if any) more poses released. Therefore, it is time to try my hand at converting 54mm plastic figures to add variety, especially among officers and standard bearers.

a gathering of horse, part deux...

Ha! Auto-Focus-Nemesis strikes again! Nevertheless, an eight figure squadron of 54mm cavalry makes for an impressive sight. I really do like these figures. Once again, a forthcoming game proves to be a wonderful inspiration for getting things done.

let slip the dogs of war...

Big-Fig Battle Day finally arrives. I must confess... I've had a decadent wargame weekend. On Saturday I participated in a Zulu vs. British game. On Sunday we play-tested Quindia Studio's 'Victory Without Quarter' ECW rules. Both days were exquistly fun. And, now that I think about it, both games were played with plastic figures. The colonials and Zulus in 20mm, the ECW in 54mm. Hmmm... perhaps I'm overcoming my long standing prejuduce against plastic wargaming. As much fun as the Zulu game was, I was really looking forward to seeing the big-figs in action. I dragged my 4x8 sectional wargaming table out of the basement and overlaid the dining room table a full two days before the game. My wife was quite indulgent with me, bless her heart. This was the first game I've hosted in over five years.