Project Management - can we get something going?

I think that the extent to which Facebook has replaced blogs in the wargaming community can be seen through the lack of draws, memes and other community events, and it is a bit of a shame. I don't know if we are going to ever recapture that period a couple of years ago when it seemed every man and his blog (see what I did there) was having a giveaway or nominating someone else for an award of some sort. The six by six challenge is fun, and it has brought my attention to a number of new blogs. I'm hoping that I might be able to spark the blogosphere into life again by getting people that read this (am I being too presumptuous to use the plural there?) to post a project management list. This originally came from Prufrock over at 'Here's No Great Matter', and I thought it would be interesting to look at what people's ideal 'realistic' project list would look like. He explains the list thus:
'Looking at all of my unpainted or half-painted stuff, I've been trying to think what I would be satisfied with. By satisfied, I mean feeling that I would never need to paint another thing again, except perhaps to replace something that broke, or to get an extra unit of something here or there for a particular occasion.'

Picture blatantly taken from here

So what will this involve? Well, quite simple really. You make a Project Management blogpost which includes a list of projects you have / are working on / one day realistically intend to be working on. In the post you link back to the blog of the person that you got this idea from, like I have with Prufrock, and these instructions. That way we might get a chain effect of people discovering new blogs that they hadn't been following before. Or maybe just a bit of community bonding like the 'good old days'.

So, to keep the ball rolling, here is my project list:

Ancients:
15mm  Peloponnesian War: Spartans and Athenians
15mm Fall of the Roman Republic: Marian Romans (x2), Spanish, Gallic, Parthian

Renaissance:
15mm Great Italian Wars: Spanish and French
15mm Samurai
28mm English Civil War
10mm Dutch Wars of Louis XIV

Horse and Musket:
15mm Marlburian: English, Hanoverians, Hessians and French for Blenheim era
28mm Marlburian (skirmish): Confederate and Bourbon for Spain
15mm Seven Years War: Prussians, Austrians and Russians
28mm French and Indian War (skirmish)
15mm French Revolutionary Wars (currently not yet purchased and a toss up between Napoleon in Italy and Napoleon in Egypt)
15mm Great Paraguayan War
15mm Franco-Prussian War

Moderns:
15mm 1914 WWI
15mm 1985 WWIII

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
28mm Weird War Rome skirmish
28mm Superheroes
28mm Star Wars

1/2400 Naval - WWI

This is a long list, but as many of the armies will be DBA or skirmish, the whole lot can realistically be completed in the next few years. Well, assuming I get back behind a brush sometime soon. It's been over a week since I was getting some consistent painting done! Interestingly, none of the above are currently 'finished', although there are a number that I have enough painted figures to play games with. I think if you have finished a project, you should probably indicate that.

Nice-to-haves that don't make it to the list would be Napoleonics, Vikings and 1918 WWI.

So will you take up the Project Management blog challenge?

Nate

The up side...

...to selling off your lovingly painted miniatures is the rumble of the courier van in the driveway.
A week since my last delivery, here is the latest:

1918 Germans for the Flames of War Great War rules

Here are the contents of the box set

A big thank you to Caliver Books who delivered this in record time from the United Kingdom - 5 days to the other side of the world! I tried to order the Stoss-platoon as well, but it is not in stock yet. I'll order it later on when all of the WWI terrain becomes available as I'm quite keen on the shattered battlefields and large craters with ruined house.

Also turning up:

Fantastic packaging!

I ordered some Flames of War bases from Sarissa Precision. I have been using Minibits as my go-to for MDF, but they don't make FoW shaped bases, so this was my first order with Sarissa. I'm very impressed with the service and the product, but in particular the packaging. Most companies that export MDF use jiffy bags. This was a box with polystyrene and bubble wrap! I purchased enough bases for the 1914 German and French armies coming from Lancashire Games, but I can guarantee I'll need more in the future, and these guys look like they will be my first point of call.

Still more goodies to come. I can't wait.

Nate

A bit of a shake up

Every now and then I reflect on my gaming and what I am collecting and why. This inevitably leads to wiping the slate clean and moving on to something new. Well, the last couple of weeks have seen that process in full cry.

I've decided to go big into 15mm - WW1, Punic Wars and the Peninsular War. To fund this transition I have sold the SAGA Normans and Anglo-Danes, and all of my companies for In Her Majesty's Name.

Why would I do this? Something has always sat uneasy about the armies and periods that I collect. They always seem to be a dabble in a niche interest and not a representation of what I fundamentally want in a wargame. And what is it that I want? Do I even know? Well, lately it has been a wave of nostalgia, and that nostalgia is for pushing around 20mm Esci and Airfix Napoleonics 20 odd years ago. It isn't so much the plastic figures with flaking paint or the wooden block terrain with lego trees that I miss. It is the size and scope of the battle - about a dozen units on each side with 16 infantry or 12 cavalry to a unit. My aim is to be able to play some solo games in the evening, sitting in my lounge or at the dining room table, or sometimes in the shed where I can leave them set up on the proper wargames table if I need to. Rules have been selected - Flames of War for WWI, Drums and Shakos Large Battles from Ganesha Games for Napoleonics, and Ancient and Medieval Wargaming by Neil Thomas (with a few little extra rules) for the Punic Wars.

Painting has ground to a halt as I always lose impetus when I'm thinking of moving in different directions, hence this blog going quiet over the last month. I do plan to get back to the Gallic Wars SAGA at some point, but it is now definitely on the back-burner. My projects for the next year or more are now all 15mm. I'll probably start with 1918, then Napoleonics, then Ancients and finally 1914, but that is all subject to change based on what the weather is doing on any particular day.

On another note, I am very, very excited about the release of Ganesha Games' new superhero rules, Power Legion. I have been holding out for these for some time, and I am definitely not disappointed. I had them spiral bound yesterday and read through them last night, and they are exactly what I have been looking for in a set of Superhero rules. If it wasn't exam marking time this weekend I'd be playing my first game. As it is, I will probably have to wait another week.

Nate

Another prize arrives

Millsy and Evan over at Canister and Grape had a give away to celebrate their 100,000th page view, with four prizes up for grabs. I came out second and received the book on War ta Sea in the Ironclad Age.

Does what it says on the box.

I'm not much of a naval gamer, having played exactly zero naval games in the past, but this hasn't stopped me acquiring, painting up and then selling fleets of tiny ships. The most recent was Dystopian Wars, which, despite a general enthusiasm at the club just never got off the ground. I do have Navwar WWI starter fleets waiting to be painted though, and I have bought the Victory at Sea rules because they look easy to understand.

This slightly earlier period has always fascinated me, though, ever since I first read about the battle of Tsushima. I then came across a second hand copy of Phil Dunn's Sea Battle games, and was intrigued at the thought of scratch-building ironclads for the battle of Lissa (never happened of course, like 98% of the projects that I dream about).

Old school watery inspiration.

Doing an ironclad project is now a step closer, but it is probably locked up some where with that 10mm 1866 Austro-Italian campaign using Pendraken figs that is also floating in the realms of 'one day'.

Thank you Millsy and Evan and here's to another 100,000 hits!

Nate

100th Post

Finally the 100th post is reached on this blog. Together with my previous wordpress blog that makes 299 posts since I started blogging, not including the posts that I've made for the Rotorua Irregulars blog and my Frolics in Frankenberg imagi-nation blog. This is pretty remarkable seeing as I have no real system for my blogging, posting every now and then if I play a game and remember my camera, or I paint some figures.

Puss'n'Boots. One of my favourite miniatures. He is painted in the same colours as my loyal cat Oscar.

Oscar hanging around during a photo session on the tabletop.

For this post I thought I'd do some pontificating about my hobbies, which may or may not be of interest to you gentle reader. It will take the form of an interview, and as I occasionally play solo games, I have no issue also talking to myself and asking myself questions, no matter how insane and lonely that may appear...

N. Nice to finally catch up with you. You seem to have a very busy schedule.

Nate: It certainly feels like it. I'm not sure that I don't actually just waste a lot of time daydreaming. In real life I am a teacher, and that can get pretty full on, especially with exams and internal assessment marking. As a Head of Faculty I also deal with a lot of the paperwork which the government throws in the way of teachers in order to make their job difficult. I love teaching, but the bits that aren't teaching make my teeth grind. 

N. What do you teach?

Nate: Social Sciences. At the moment this means junior Social Studies and senior Classical Studies. I love teaching Classics. I used to teach History, but when I switched schools they had a perfectly good History department already, so I carved out my Classics niche.

N. You don't miss teaching Senior History?

Nate: To be honest I really don't. It is nice to have history as my hobby, not my job.

N. Where else does your time go?

Nate: I have three wonderful daughters aged 2 -7. I help out with managing one of the school rugby teams. I like to read and watch a bit of TV. I also play a bit of guitar, but this seems to be the last thing on the list. A guilty pleasure. I spend far too much time surfing the net - I need to cut down on that. And then there is wargaming.

N: You are a bit of a wargames butterfly. What are your current interests?

Nate: Currently I'm enjoying skirmish games like In Her Majesty's Name, SAGA and Bolt Action. I'm really enjoying painting up 28mm figures. I've played a few games of Songs of Blades and Heroes and really like the mechanic, so I'm looking forward to my first game of Of Gods and Mortals. I played and painted a lot of Flames of War in 2012-3 and have taken a bit of a break from it in 2014, although the upcoming Great War supplement is likely to change that by the end of the year.

SAGA game in progress. All figures painted by me, but I only own half of them.

N: You've just rattled off a whole pile of commercial wargames rules. Do you play the rules rather than the periods?

Nate: The answer is yes and no. I am certainly not a rules lawyer as my placement of last or second to last in the four tournaments that I've entered will ably demonstrate. I pick up games because I like the period, but I haven't got the time to tinker with rules like I used to do. I also have to take into consideration the people I play with. They are mostly Flames of War players who are happy to try something new if I read the rules for them. As commercial rules are printed in books and easily bought and read, we've tended to stick with 'popular'systems. It is one reason why I wanted to adapt Flames of War to the Yom Kippur conflict, and I will be doing the same with early World War One. This hasn't stopped me playing around with simple rules systems like those of Neil Thomas. But these tend to be for solo games.

N: Are there any rules that you won't play?

Nate: The answer is no. I'll try anything. But there are rules that I don't play as my core rules choice simply because it would mean having to convert my fellow gamers. Too Fat Lardies rules fall into this category. I've played in a Sharpe Practice game and I am impressed with the research that has gone into Through the Mud and Blood, but they have aspects of command and control to them that would irritate and alienate most of the people that I game with. So I borrow some of the ideas in them for my solo games.

Wasn't this picture in my last post?

N: So what periods are you playing?

Nate: Well, obviously the Trojan War which I've just finished painting. I teach the Iliad, and every time I read it I want to game it. So now I can. The Dark Ages is a real interest of mine, but in the past was very much centred around the Age of Arthur. It is SAGA that has made me move more towards the end of this period to do the Norman Conquest. I have armies for the Star Wars Clone Wars, but haven't played it in ages. I also have a shelf full of superheroes courtesy of HeroClix which I have rebased. I am waiting for Ganesha Games to release Power Legions to game with. I've tried Supersystem and didn't really like it. I like Andrea's rules - I know I'll like Power Legions.

In Her Majesty's Name has been a lot of fun. I need to play a few more games though. I come up with these companies and paint the figures but some of them have never seen action!

I still play Flames of War WW2, but I've sold all of my armies now, so I borrow armies to play with. I only tend to play FoW when I go to John's for club nights, so I don't miss having them at home.

N: You mention that you have sold some of your armies. Do you regret parting with them?

Nate: The armies that I may have regretted parting with are the 28mm World War One, the 15mm Marlburians and the 15mm Yom Kippur War. These all reside at John's house now, and to be honest have seldom been played with since I parted with them. These were big projects with a lot of love put into them, but when I look at them sitting on the shelf I feel I made the right choice to move onto something new.

Dearly departed Danes.

N: Speaking of moving on, what projects do you have lined up?

Nate: According to the poll the next thing I need to put together is the Gallic Wars for SAGA. I PMed a chap on the Studio Tomahawk forum who had devised battle-boards for Romans and Gauls, so I'm going to give these a go. Caesar is one of my all time favourite historical characters, so I'm looking forward to this. I have all the figures I need bar a bolt thrower and a couple of Numidian horsemen for the Romans.

When these are complete I should have some 15mm World War One goodness in my hands. Lancashire Games are doing Early War and have a pre-order discount, so that is my birthday present. I'm planning on getting Brits and Germans and using Flames of War as the rules system, with some tweaks. I'm also going to buy the 1918 companies that Battlefront are putting out.

Coming very soon.

Lancashire 15mm WWI British greens. I'm sure Allan won't mind me putting these up on my blog.

Next year it will be back to 28s and an English Civil War project. I'm looking at using Clarence Harrison's Victory without Quarter rules and putting together Parliamentarians and Royalists. I have all of the figures that I need for this.
Then I will put together my Bolt Action WWII armies. I have New Zealanders and Fallshirmjager for an Italy/Cassino project, and a Soviet army as well. Odds are that next year I will get a German Early War army for Barbarossa.
I also have a few other bits and pieces, including some WWI ships which will probably get painted in one of those 'ínspired' weeks when I want to paint something different to the project I'm working on.

Eventually I'll do some Naval gazing.

N: So plenty to keep you busy. Anything on the horizon that is likely to distract you?
Nate: If I win lots of money then it would be 28mm Marlburian using the Front Rank range, but that isn't likely. I keep looking at the Judge Dredd game. I find the figures to be quite expensive, but I so want to do an Apocalypse War skirmish.

The Apocalypse War double page spread, from here

N: Speaking of Judge Dredd, you are also a comics fan, right? What is it that you enjoy reading?
Nate: At the moment it is Invincible by Robert Kirkman. This is a superhero comic done right. No need for turning the main character into a woman or rebooting the series from number one every second month. Just good scripting and great characters.

Well worth reading

N: So not a fan of Marvel and DC at the moment?
Nate: It is sad because I grew up collecting comics in the 1980s with brilliant titles like John Byrne's Fantastic Four, Claremont's X-Men, Simonson's Thor and X-Factor and Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League. The 90s was a comics wasteland in so many ways, and the propensity to jump the shark had already been signalled by some of the ridiculous crossovers at the end of the 80s. The Ultimates had potential but it frustrated me that they needed a 'new universe' in order to introduce good stories that could have been lavished on the original titles. Good stories had to be found on the fringes - Ellis' Transmetropolitan and Ennis' Preacher. The 2000s have had some real bright spots for Marvel - Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men is brilliant, and I am enjoying All New X-Men at the moment. But the new 52 is ridiculous and a lot of the mainstream Marvel titles are pretty much dreck. Or maybe I'm just getting old.
I've tried picking up 2000AD on a regular basis, but with a limited budget I can't justify the outgoings.
N: You don't blog much about comics. Why?
Nate: If this was the 80s I feel I would be able to pontificate with real authority, but I'm not widely read enough in the comics-verse to be able to offer opinions with as much gravitas as I'd like. I guess it is a bit of geek anxiety - a lack of nerd-cred.
N: Getting back to limited budgets, do you buy any wargames magazines?
Nate: I subscribe to Wargames Soldiers and Strategy and Miniature Wargames with Battlegames. I pick up the occasional Wargames Illustrated if it looks like the content might be interesting. WS&S is my favourite out of these hands down. I really look forward to receiving it and usually read it from cover to cover. MWwB I subscribe to because you can't cherry-pick issues. I used to love Miniature Wargames and Battlegames magazines when they were separate. I can't warm to this new mixture. I miss the the old Miniature Wargames photos which were of soldiers that average people would have in their wargames collection, and Gary Mitchell's fantasy sci-fi columns which were always entertaining. Not that I dislike having John Treadaway in MWwB - I enjoy reading his columns too - it would be nice to have both. Wargames Illustrated is pretty bland, and the most enjoyable part of it is the Flames of War articles.

WS&S - my favourite of the wargames mags.

N: Is there anything that you particularly do or don't like in the magazines?
Nate: Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy has good scenarios with oobs and maps. I like this. They have interesting columnists in Rick Priestly and Richard Clarke. I like this. Their thematic articles are inevitably informative, inspiring or thought provoking - and sometimes all three. It is the magazine most like the old Practical Wargamer - my favourite of all the wargaming magazines.
I can't put my finger on what is wrong with MWwB, other than it seems to be less than the sum of its parts, and maybe that is enough.
WI has great eye-candy if that is what you enjoy. But to be honest some of those clashes with thousands of figures on beautiful terrain just leave me cold. It may be beautiful, but it certainly isn't my hobby and I actually find the Napoleonic games in particular with bloated units crammed onto a board to be quite uninspiring. Mega-wargames actually turn me off the hobby. They have no soul. All I can think about is how grinding it would be to play in a wargame with that many units stepping on each other's toes.
N: OK, we are obviously at the venting stage of the interview. Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Nate: Yes. Episode Two is better than any of the other Star Wars movies. The prequels get no love because Episode One was so bad (and it was so bad). Seeing Yoda take on Count Dooku was one of the greatest movie-going moments I have ever had.

Not from the movie, but still Yoda in action

N: No surprises what your favourite movie is then?
Nate: Actually it is Joss Whedon's Avengers. If only he had been handed the X-Men as well. It is obvious that he cares about the characters.
N: OK, some quickfire questions - favourite food?
Nate: Lamb baalti.
N: Favourite fiction book?
Nate: The Iliad
N: Favourite non-fiction book?
Nate: George Malcolm Thompson's The First Churchill.
N: Favourite TV show?
Nate: Game of Thrones
N: Favourite band?
Nate: The Eagles. And the Beatles. And Velvet Underground. And Pink Floyd. And Radiohead. And Nirvana. And... what just one? Sorry, I can't do that.
N: Favourite song?
Nate: So many to choose from. I can't narrow it down. I couldn't even give you a top ten list. I'm finding myself singing Vienna by Ultravox a lot at the moment. This will pass.
N: Favourite historical period?
Nate: The First World War/ beginning of the 20th century.

Picture from Joe Colquhoun and Pat Mills' Charley's War. an epic comic series for an epic war.

N: Why the love for World War One?
Nate: I've gone into it in depth elsewhere, but put simply when I think of WWI I have this nostalgic reaction that takes me back to memories of different times throughout my life where I was immersed in this period, from the age of about 6 until today. I guess you could say I feel like a stakeholder in WWI history and it is the one field of historical debate where I am compelled to argue with people. It is easy to hold 'heretical' views on this war - and I hold views that tick off both sides of the debate!
N: Can you give us some examples?
Nate: Sure, here are few in rapid fire:
1) The Great War was not inevitable, in fact it was completely avoidable.
2) It would probably be better for the world if Germany had won in 1914.
3) The generals in the First World War were not incompetent butchers. Some of them were very good indeed.
4) The fighting was not mindless slaughter. It was very mindful...
N: You're holding a dinner party for any six people in history. Who do you invite?
Nate: Socrates, Jesus, Lao Tzu, Peter Cook, Peter Sellers, Stan Lee.
N: No military men?
Nate: No. I think they'd make quite boring conversation and behave quite appallingly. Napoleon would get drunk and abusive; Alexander would get drunk and kill someone; Marlborough would try to steal the silverware when nobody was looking and Caesar would try to steal someone's wife. Hannibal might be a bit of fun, but he's likely to get drunk and punch Lao Tzu for staring at his missing eye...
N: So you'd invite partners as well?
Nate: It would be interesting to meet Mary Magdalene, but no, symposia are a male affair (although I'd have to warn Socrates that we weren't going to be totally Greek about it...)
N: Do you enjoy blogging?
Yes, but I find it very time-consuming. If I managed my time better I could probably do it more.
N: What do you think about other gamers' blogs?
Nate: The wargaming blogosphere is a wonderful world. I just keep discovering more and more great blogs with fantastic projects and the people are all so friendly. The comments left on each other's blogs show a real sense of community.
N: You've won a couple of prizes through blogging.
Nate: Yes, I won a competition run by Tim Knight over at Heropress, a draw run by Dan Mersey at Merseybooks and just this week a book from Millsy and Evan's Canister and Grape. It will be my turn to run a draw soon, but probably in October or November so that I have some money spare. Postage from New Zealand to the other side of the world is not cheap. I envy the British their Royal Post. Things may go missing and they may be a bit stupid when it comes to posting paint, but they are dead cheap compared to NZ post!
N: Finally, why do you wargame?
Nate: I like the toys. I enjoy painting them. I love the history too. I've thought about not gaming and just modelling, but I do love playing wargames. It is a tactile expression of so many interests. That is why I'm prepared to game things like Star Wars and Superheroes. The interest comes alive in painting up the figures and gaming with them. It is a way to immerse yourself in what you enjoy.
N: Thanks for your time.
Nate: No problem. Have you seen the mess that the girls made while we were typing this?

Nate
and N

I've been liebstered

I'm quite excited that Brendon over at the Gamer's Table has nominated me for a Liebster award - a chain letter award system for bloggers to raise the profile of blogs that they like. It isn't quite an Oscar, but certainly better than an Emmy...

The idea is that blogs with less than 200 followers are nominated by a person who has received the award already and the recipient is to pass the award on to 11 blogs they think are worthy of attention. The rule is to copy and paste the award to your blog linking it back to the person who nominated you. It gives exposure and warm fuzzy feelings - and I'm getting all those warm fuzzies now. Also included in the package is the necessity to answer a few questions, so here we go:
1. Why did you start blogging?
To keep me on track with projects; to form a diary of my work; to record what I had painted due to my propensity to sell stuff.
2. If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?
Nothing. It is a great hobby and has provided me with hours of entertainment, some good friends and the zen-like trance that comes over me when painting (where does the time go?).
3. What is best in life?
To be content with oneself and not take anything too seriously.
4. Do you want to live forever?
Yes. I'm really worried that the day after I die some really important discovery or event will happen and I'll never get to know.
5. Fame or fortune?
Fame. Money means nothing compared to happiness and I have that in abundance, but it would be great if in 200 years someone said, 'Remember Nate? Man I wish I could paint toy soldiers like that.'
6. What miniatures are you most proud of having painted?

Photographed before I had totally finished the horse, I believe this miniature from 2010 marks a significant improvement in my painting style.

7. How do you deal with burn out?
Do something different for a bit. 
8. Why is a raven like a writing desk?
They're both in Game of Thrones?
9. Star Wars or Star Trek?
You're kidding right? See my tagline.
10. If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be?
I'd like to say the Perrys, because I love their figures, but they don't do anything 18th Century, and I'm certain that one day I'll be building the greatest Marlburian wargames armies of all time. So although it would render me totally bankrupt, I'd say Foundry - their range just can't be beaten for variety.
11. What is your favourite takeaway?
Indian. I love a hot curry, even if no-one can be in my vicinity for the next 24 hours...

Which blogs am I passing this on to? I read a lot of blogs with over 200 followers, and they are all in the column to the right, but I'll highlight the following chaps:
Dr Merkury's Lab
The Monkey that Walks
Herkybird's Nest
Wargaming for Grown-ups
Wargaming with Barks
Cor blog me!
Grimsby Wargaming

So eight very worthwhile blogs which deserve to have more than 200 followers.
This is as good a time as any to say thank you to the 80 people who follow my ramblings and to celebrate over 25000 pageviews since December 2012. For a little blog that has been updated on average once a fortnight, I think that it has done OK. I certainly appreciate every comment that is made here.

Cheers
Nate

Hobbitses

These are John's Christmas present. A little late, but still in 2013!

Sorry for the fuzziness, I was experiencing all sorts of technical issues on a limited amount of time this morning.

Dystopian Wars terrain

A while back I made an island for my Dystopian Wars Britannians to sail around. It isn't anything spectacular, but I took some photos the other day when I was preparing the blog post about the Dark Ages buildings.

Cardigan Island, Britannian outpost in the war against the dastardly Prussians and French

A Closer view from a different angle.

The Britannians and Prussians are all painted and ready to go, but John and I still haven't played a game yet, as we are too busy learning SAGA and Bolt Action while continuing to play Flames of War every other games night. We definitely need more gaming time.

Nate

Projects have been happening

Even if posting hasn't :(

All of my projects are now on hold while I concentrate on painting for John and Terry, but being the anal character that I am, I couldn't leave any loose ends, so I made sure that what was on the list to be completed  was finished.
First up, my sea boards and Prussian Dystopian Wars fleet.

The Prussian Fleet

The sea boards are 3' x 4' MDF painted blue. I was going to play around with glass coat (couldn't find it) then had the idea of using clear sealant, but in the end just plain paint looks pretty good. I'm happy anyway.

Close-up of the Prussian Battleship, Cruisers and Frigates.

I used the air brush that Marcus gave me to paint the Prussian Fleet and then put down liberal black wash and brown ink wash for the decking. The photos don't do the final effect any justice at all.

The fleets clash

I haven't even played Dystopian Wars yet due to my dislike of playing with anything that isn't painted. I'm looking forward to it, having read some great battle reports online.

I've already posted pictures of the Britannian Fleet, but not of the Bombers which I've also finished now.

Britannian Bomber

These models are very easy to paint and have a lot of character. I still have some buildings and a French fleet to put together. I'm not really interested in the land aspect of the game, as it was the ships that really caught my attention in the first place, and I'm not 100% sold on the look of the land elements.

Another project that finally got finished was my terrain boards for Superhero gaming.

Fantastic Four square off against the Frightful Four.

It looks pretty good close up, but seen from above...

Bird's eye view

...it looks pretty spartan really. I think that it is enough for me to play games with, but not quite the grand city centre I envisioned. The last two buildings that I made had all sorts of issues with different printers printing different sizes and the facades not fitting the structures. There have had to be a a lot of touch ups. There is also a very prominent bow in the building on the right. It ought to be condemned I think.

Thing and Human Torch take on Thundra and Trapster

But when you get down to street level it turns out OK,

Mr fantastic and Invisible Woman face off with the Wizard and Sandman.

Now all I need to do is play the game...

And the third game that I have been quietly building but have not played yet is X-Wing. I'm looking forward to playing this too, but like all things it is a matter of prioritising it. One of the issues I'm faced with is that Super Rugby has started again and the last half a dozen Fridays have featured one of the two teams that I support (yes, I can support two teams, based on where I have lived at different times in my life), either the Blues or the Chiefs. So my plans to solo game Fridays when I don't go to John's have been kiboshed. Anyway, here are my fleets so far:

The Imperial Fleet with obligatory Bounty Hunter on board.

The Rebels looking slightly outnumbered.

It is Games Night this Friday - I'll try and remember my camera.

Nate

I must have these!

'Ohh - shiny' does not even begin to describe it. Unlike Empire of the Dead which, despite its late Nineteenth Century setting, was just too horror for me to get my teeth into, this is right up my alley. The third set of rules to be released by Osprey in their wargames series is a steampunk skirmish game, In Her Majesty's Name, and it appears that North Star Figures in the UK have the official figures for them.

These are available for pre-order post free world wide and retail for £27 per faction, or $50 NZD. I love Lord Curr's company (above) and the Prussians (below). Although I have to ask why it is always the Prussians/Germans who experiment with Zombies? It is the same with Weird World War Two games. Why do the British and Americans never take the lead in necromancy or genetic manipulation? Sure Nazis are baddies so they do nasty things. But Nineteenth Century Germans? No worse than any other European power I would have thought. Harumph. Lazy typecasting if you ask me. But still very cool.

I do like the descriptions given for the various box sets on the North Star site. Not only are the figures fantastic, but the background sounds like the kind of world I could have dreamed up myself.

Although not as appealing to me as the British and Prussians, I love this Black Dragon Tong Gang almost as much. A Yeti!

And the last group are these cultists. Probably my least favourite of the three, but I bet I end up buying them anyway! All of the pictures are directly from the North Star site, and I hope they don't mind me using them. I guess it is free advertising.

All in all - very cool, and I am looking forward to them being released in April, and the rules in May.

Nate

Miscellaneous projects

And now we come to the wargames projects that don't really fit with any of the other classifications. The first is the Three Musketeers. these are 18mm Blue Moon figures and have piles of character in them. Why did I buy these? Well, I'd like to say that it was the inspiration of the original novels, or one of the movies or maybe just the swashbuckling genre as a whole. But really I have no idea why this topic attracts me above all the other skirmish games possible, it just does.

Musketeers face off against the Cardinal's guard.

Maybe it is the puffy sleeves I like. Wait a minute. I've got it! they are all wearing waistcoats! See my earlier entry on Star Wars for why this could be an attractive feature.

I've painted basically what you see above, but have purchased the entirety of the Blue Moon figures available to be able to create some great little narrative games. The coach in particular is very good. Rules will be Flashing Blades from Ganesha Games.

The other game I'm slowly painting figures for is Force on Force set in Afghanistan. Except I'm actually thinking that it is more likely to be set in an Afghanistan-like modern imagi-nation. I haven't settled on a name yet, but Krapalakistan has a nice ring to it. It allows for a lot more back story without the baggage of the modern conflict. 

British soldiers with a WMIK.

Finally I'm also looking at Victorian Science Fiction, probably using the GASLIGHT rules, and also largely set in Krapilakistan, or whatever I'm going to call it. I just purchased some 18mm British, German, French and US colonial figures through North Star Minis, and have already put together some mechanical monstrosities. I'll look to Blue Moon Manufacturing to bulk the project out - The French Foreign Legion, Horror and Darkest Africa ranges have plenty of potential for expanding the collection and adding character.

Blue Moon Manufacturing Men and Women Adventurers

Blue Moon Manufacturing Missionaries, Explorers and Victims

Both the above pictures are from the Blue Moon catalogue.

A scratch-built walker. Those are 10mm WWI figures next to it, as originally I was thinking of a 10mm Weird World War One project. But I think it will happily fit in with Victorian Science Fiction 18mm.

So those are the projects that defy classification in any of the other entries that I have made, and which will glory in the title Miscellaneous. Should these projects take off into core games that are played all the time, then they will receive their own labels.

Nate