Musings from Mons

After a pretty disasterous stop over in Oostende we are now in Mons for a few days. The plan is to have a look around the obvious sites in and around the town before a trip out ot Waterloo. If those two combined dont get the hobby juices flowing I dont know what will.

It is funny how Napoleonics hasn't attracted me for a long time. Around 13 years ago I did amass armies to refight Waterloo using Principles of War, including a whole Prussian army that never made the field. I put the game on at the Crewe show with around 8 players and we had a great time. I seem to remember we then played the game at the club the following week before I promptly sold the collection to John B. I still have quite a few unpainted figures from that time which I havent looked at since then. Although I am happy to play a Napoleonic game I havent had the urge to collect any figures for myself. Having said that, one of the best hobby blogs I have seen in a long time is this http://www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809overture.htm , detailing one mans obsession with 1809 and collecting the armies in 10mm including conversions and some really nice painting.

For now my urges remain with Peter Pig games and figures which scratch my particular itch. I will admit to contemplating some 10mm figures for certain 'side' projects, inspired in part by the '1809' blog. However for the short term I have plans to rebuild my ACW and AWI collections with a slightly brighter painting style. I hope by using my tried and tested method of basecoat and dip and then one highlight, particulalry the AWI will look more eye catching. Aong with the improved basing using the basetex i have utilised on my World War 1 stuff, they should look the business.

Okay, off to navigate our way around Mons.

The above photo is just to show that I do actually get to game occasionaly albeit this was from around March time. It shows Ade D and Keith K slogging it out at Bosworth using Bloody Barons.


More soon....

Musings on muse

So, its been a long time of doing nothing hobby related at all. To be honest the last two years have seen a real decline in my activity, other than web browsing and the odd magazine purchase. Thats not to say i have done nothing, but hobby has consisted of very intermitent bursts of activity with long periods of nothing.

Tis year started off ok but soon tailed off to nothing. My hobby room has become a bit of a dumping ground for alot of stuff other than hobby items. Paints, brushes etc are scattered all over the place with no order whatsoever. The very thought of getting in there and trying to sort it out fills me ith dread. Hence I do nothing and the less I do the less I want to do.

Visits to the club have also dried up. I dont think I have been since Alumwell back in March. Again, the less I go, the less I want to go. These hobby related fugs have visited me before, but not often for such a long period. I have even contemplated selling up and moving onto other things in life. Which is daft talk I know. Once a wargamer, always a wargamer. I know this is a temporay state of affairs and even as I type this, aboard a ferry enroute to Mons, via Dunkirk the juices are flowing yet again.

Whilst I should have been packing last night, I bit the bullet and sorted the hobby room out so I can at least see the table. I have found my nice brushes and organised my paints. I have dug out some prepped figures with a view to throwing paint at them on my return home in a couple of weeks time. I have downloaded the Peter Pig catalogue to the IPad as well as the last playtest copy of 'Longships'. An order will be worked out ready to send off in August for my birthday.

So, Mons awaits before heading down to Landau in Germany. Lots of historical sites to see and motivate. I have a couple of Viking type books on the Kindle (The Burning Land from Cornwell and a Tim Severin one). Ideas around a Messines Ridge/Passchendale game remain a possibility.

Whilst away I plan on getting a couple more blog posts archived ready to publish on my return. Lets hope so any way.

Mre soon....