Once again, been a while

 Yes, the blog and I are alive.  Summer is over, classes have started, but gaming is back on the agenda. As I have mentioned for some time, I am very slowly working on BFE3.  This is a project that is more about clarifying things and simplifying the game.  Ridding unnecessary complication or rules that just don't get used is the priority.  But I am also wanting to learn more about the military systems of the "Native" armies.  When I wrote BFE (1) I tapped into the secondary materials that were to hand.  Frankly, much of it was more popular history than scholarship.  I want to remedy that by looking more closely at recent scholarship. It might not change much.  Clearly the Zulus had a well known military structure and doctrine .  The Ansars of the Mahdi/Khalifa also had systems that need more attention.  But whether this will change the way BFE is designed and played, I am not sure.  

Another influence on BFE3 will be the work that my group is doing to develop an ACW version of the game.  This has been very instructive and resulted in some interesting new mechanics.  The game is set at a higher level (regimental as opposed to the company) but there is cross-over conceptually and I have found it useful in contemplating ways to simplify the colonial game.

Progress is slow but stay tuned.

Of course, while all this is happening I am enjoying photography and local travel in our van.  

Towton refought

 As part of a world-wide Wars of the Roses event, we contributed by playing Towton.  It was down to us to see which side - Yorkists or Lancastrians -- would take the prize of the crown.  Well...it was the Lancastrians!

The event was held outside and was one of the first games we had payed as a group since Covid restrictions were imposed some 7 months earlier.  It was great to see everyone and push lead.

We used a house-set of rules and it played really well.

Here some shots of the battle:

Gaming on the horizon!

 Well it looks like a game is on the horizon.  Partly due to changes in public policy and partly due to better weather, we are going to play a large game outside.  I am delighted.  We have been doing zoom games and meet every week for a gab-session, but it will be delightful to actually see the crew around a table pushing toy soldiers around.  I know that those of you in the US and UK have had this opportunity for a little while already.  Happy gaming, all.

A long time in coming and still no gaming....

 I have not posted anything in a long time....obviously.  I have painted and built terrain, but without a game to report on it seems less important to post.  I hope this changes very soon.  Locally the health authorities are allowing small groups of people to gather outside.  As the weather improves this will mean outdoor gaming.  Last summer we did a multi-game mini-convention in our group..  It worked so well that we plan on doing it again regardless of Covid restrictions.  

So, just a quick post to say that I am still around and looking forward to gaming.  Spring is emerging and hope is on the horizon.  Here are a couple of old shots of the past and one for

a hopeful future....

One of the last games before the lock-down

 We played a cracker of a Shako II game using a new scenario by Michael Hopper.  Set in Spain, it featured lots of my building sectors crammed together to make a substantial hill town.  Fond memories and now with the vaccine being administered there is hope that we will all be able to get on with life, including the madness of toy soldier battle games.

Expanding my ancients to early modern (renaissance) collections

Grand manner gaming means big armies.  I know this is relative and I see collections on the web that make my collections look small, but compared to where it used to be my collections are getting quite large.  Regarding my ancients to early modern collections, part of the motive here is a house set of rules that I am developing that requires much larger armies.  I have about 20 armies that cover this very broad period and all of them need expansion.  To give an example, whereas I used to have 16 stands of Marian Roman legionaries (each of 8-9 figures) which suited Armati, I now have 40.  Not all of my collections needed doubling, but many have become significantly larger.  I must say that this has really inspired renewed interest in all of these armies.  While it is a lot of work that will take me years to fully complete (notwithstanding significant increases in my colonial, Napoleonic and WWII collections) it is all part of the fun.

One important point: I don't have to do this alone.  While I have a solid collection of some 15,000 painted figures (and about 400 WWII 20mm vehicles), I am blessed with a group of fellow madmen who meet every week (these days in smaller groups with masks on...) who have massive collections too.  

So,while I am chipping away at my expansion plans, they all have armies that can fill-in and provide opponents on a grand scale.

Here are some shots of my expanding phalanx....still some way to go.

North African Adventures

One of the White Rock Gamers recently put together a French Legion force.  So it was time to get them on the table.  It was a crazy game with two French columns coming back to base from a "pacification" operation.  Of course, the Berbers inserted themselves to intercept the French.  Heavy casualties were suffered by both sides, but the French made it back.