New Year, Projects

Well as 2012 draws shuddering to a close I inevitably start to look to the new year with a view to which wargames projects I should attempt. 2012 as a year was unfocused for me and I don't want to fall into the same pattern next year. I am the first to admit that as a wargamer I get easily side-tracked by new films, novels, rules, and nice shinies! So realistically I know that I will struggle to complete these ideas. It is important for me, at least in my own head (it echos in here BTW), to try to bring the following ideas to life in the next 12 months. OK let's all be realistic I won't manage them all, but here's what I am thinking!

Circus!

OK the picture gives it away. "Circus" of course refers to the Roman Circus. This will be a very short and quick project. For one thing there will be minimal figures and the terrain is pretty straight forward. I want this project completely finished by the end of February. My main concerns at the moment are figure scale and the rules of course. But I have ideas for both of them and I am not panicking just yet.

Monshonga Station

Monshonga Station is the name I have given the WW1 East Africa Game. The name may well change but as this needs to be finished by 1st week of June for the Broadside '13 show you know this will be my early focus for the year. To be honest there's not too much to do. I have one side painted (German Askaris) so only terrain and the other force to do. As I painted all the Askaris in 6 days I realise that painting the figures for the game will not take up too much time. The Terrain will also be an easy fix as this year I will be making all the scenery free standing. So with no terrain boards to make this could all be done quite quickly.

No Peace Without Spain.

For a couple of years I have been thinking that I would like to do a large battle game with ranked figures and in a horse and musket era. My first thoughts were Napoleonic. However as soon as you mention that era at the club you get bombarded by comments about 15mm armies Shako rules and how massively huge their armies are. So Napoleonic battles are passe in the club setting and if I was doing it in any scale OTHER then 15mm my choice of scale would be questions and there would be an implied criticism. If I choose another set of rules other than SHAKO that would also be frowned upon. I would be told that I can do what I want, of course, and Informed that they already have all the armies and literally thousands of figure. I want it to be my project and not a joint one with the club. Therefore I think I would like to do the War of Spanish Succession (WSS). I know that I will need to make all the terrain and build at least two armies, so this will be a year long project. I plan to use the "Beneath the Lily Banners" rules but all in 1/300th scale. Needless to say the units will have more than 18 figures in a them, as I want to keep the base sises the same (or similar). As yet I have not settled on which armies to select as there are so many options. British, French, Dutch and Bavarian all hold appeal I will just have to wait and see.

Zone.

My real introduction to wargaming came in the 80's (that makes me feel old) when me and 2 Friends played modern era micro tanks. So my final game that I want to do is some 1980's era cold war wargaming. This year gone I have been collecting rules and trying to determine not only which set, but also which scale. As I already have two armies in 1/300th (6mm) it makes most sense for me to use that as a starting place. If I was clever (I am not) I would use the terrain from WSS and 1980's and make them compatible. I must admit I will try as it will make my life easier but the "modern" battlefield is different from the 18th Century one, Roads are different, buildings are different, field sizes and agriculture are different. But perhaps from a game point of view mayhap we can get round that.


Here are a few game ideas that did not make the list: 28mm Super-Heroes. King Kong, Aeroball, Gangsters, Samurai. 20mm Mad Max, 15mm Bloody Barons (although this might when Peter Pig re-releases the rules next year), Franco Prussian War. Boxer Rebellion. 10mm Zulus, meta horde Zombies,

Thanks for reading. Let's hope I can finish these project in the next 12 months. One thing is for sure I will get sidetracked but at least I have a plan for next year written down now.

As always comments are very welcome. I shall try to post again on Monday before the year ends If I can't manage it have fun and take care, All the best Clint.

Another Christmas Over.

I hate my Birthday and Christmas and New Year. I am not just saying it. I mean it. To me these things all in the Winter months are reminders that I am just treading water in my life and getting older but without really achieving anything significant. Which is why I hate them. For Me Boxing day is worse though all the family want to get together and my cousins bang on about their exciting careers and holidays and jet setting and I just end up feeling depressed and useless and pretty worthless in my life. The one thing I asked for this year was to be left alone at Christmas time. It was a gift I was not to receive. The only thing I really wanted and the family will never give it to me. I even got stitched up at work and dropped right in it at work on Christmas Eve by my supposed work colleagues. All this makes me sound like a petulant teenager and not a middle aged man rapidly approaching 50 which is of course the true situation.

However not to put too big a downer on the whole thing I was given a couple of nice gifts which I really do appreciate. Back in the day the comic 2000AD was my weekly fix and while I did like Judge Dredd, I am sure there is an ISO cube waiting for anyone who says otherwise, for the first 27 editions of the comic I loved HARLEM HEROES! As we all know Dredd was not in issue one, he first appeared in issue 2, but the HEROES were! They only lasted 27 episodes but they were an underdog story and as a scrawny teenager I could identify with them. Not because they were athletes, I clearly was not. Nor because they were black negro Americans again I am not. But because they'd been handed the shitty end of the stick and as a youth so I felt had I. Anyway thanks mum for gifting the comic book collection to me for Crimbo. Yes I had to order it and take delivery and pay for it! (She has reimbursed me since!) But it was from her and it is appreciated. I had completely forgotten how badly drawn it was or how naff the dialogue, but still it did and no doubt still will hold a place in my heart.

The Max Brooks Zombie Survival guide which I must confess I had not actually read. Which is probably a surprise for a guy who plays zombie wargames to admit but none the less I have not as yet read it. It is now however on the pile of things to read so one step closer. On Saturday when I blog intend to talk about my plans for next year (at least as they pertain to wargames) and this will no doubt feature in those plans.

I also received two DVD box sets from my Sister (one for Christmas and one for my birthday). "Pacific" which I hope is like "Band of Brothers" I have never seen and while the war in the far east was never really my bag it will be of some interest. As a wargamer most things with some form of conflict will hold something for me.  So I am quite looking forward to it.

As hinted at above I was a wimpy kid! As a weedy nerdy four-eyed picked on and bullied kid at school of course I loved Blake's Seven. I am now terrified of opening the shrink wrap and watching the first series. There is no way it will live up to my memories. The costumes acting sets and scripts will look and feel old fashioned (and not in a good way). Jan Chappel whom as a kid I had such a crush on will no doubt fail to live up to my dreams and Villa Restal (my favourite) will not be as clever and witty as I remember. Still it will perhaps bring back some thoughts of my youth and the optimism I felt about the future (at the time).

Please don't wish me Happy birthday, it will just piss me off! I just need a couple of stress free days to recharge and I'll bounce back.

I'll do a happy optimistic post on Saturday.  All the best Clint.

Supierior Firepower!

I just wanted to share the festive seasonal greetings with you. I hope that Santa brings you a whole lot of nice loot, but more importantly I hope you have a Brilliant time and manage to put smiles on the faces of those close to you.

Thanks for Reading my blog I hope everything goes well and you have a safe and pleasant holiday. Looking at the picture perhaps giving is better than receiving!

All the Best Clint.

Zombie Hunter Kev.

My latest Zombie Hunter is Kev. No Not "Zombie Kev" from the club, but Hasslefree's Kev ZH figure. As with all Hasslefree figures It is a really nice sculpt and as such a real joy to paint. This figure seems a little shorter than most of their range which I quite like as it gives a natural height variation. I must admit I did struggle with the colours this time out, but am quite happy with the final result. (Although the "jumper" has been painted 3 times now). As regular followers will know I bought him as part of the Zombie Hunters pack. Tony being my favourite was the first one completed and now I only have Ken to paint. You can take that as a warning that there will be another one along soon. Overall I have enjoyed painting them all and I shall do a group shot once Ken is ready.

I have both front and rear view as the armour is hard to see clearly from the front as is the webbing harness. I wanted a contrast between the two as I want all the figures to look like they have found their items and not been issued them and yet I do want them to look realistic. I was lucky enough to see this armour on a TV cop show but the webbing was the same green. But as I wanted a contrast and dark blue looked wrong I settled on brown. Therefore we can assume that Kev has taken his equipment from a military source, as opposed to Tony who's armour is Dark Blue and most likely police issue. The grey pullover is civilian clothing and is probably his own prior to the Zombie apocalypse but the trousers are probably looted along with the boots and armour.

Well that's today's post. As my next scheduled post would be X mass day I shall do a very brief blog post tomorrow instead.  Thanks for reading See you all tomorrow. Take care and kill Zeds!

All the best Clint