Awards Season

Have been very kindly 'nominated' for this Leibster Award (no idea what it is though ?) by two jolly nice blokes Big Lee of BLMA (http://www.blmablog.com/) and Ian from The Blog With No Name    (http://walladvantage2.blogspot.co.uk/). Thanks chaps and glad you enjoy my ramblings.

So I include the 'rules' :-

The rules of the Leibster Blog Award very simple:

1. Copy and paste the award on your Blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.
2. Pass the award to your top 5 favorite Blogs with fewer than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award 
3. List your nominations (complete with links) on your own Blog.
4. Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day!

And my nominations (this proved much harder than I thought with the less than 200 proviso and so many favoured and visited blogs !!!). So apologies to anyone I don't mention tis not a slight.

1. http://napoleonicsinminiature.blogspot.co.uk/ Paul Alba excellent blog with some very nice painted AB Napoleonic figures

2. http://pcjohnstone.wordpress.com/ Norman Johnstone blog a Vassal opponent and throughly nice egg. Nice mix of board and miniatures games. 

3. http://wargamesandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/ Brent Oman (author of Piquet Field Of Battle rules) another blog with mouthwatering paint jobs and since I love the Piquet family of rules its a no-brainer. (dont know why a bloke in Denver Colarado USofA has a .co.uk tag !?)

4, http://garagegamer.blogspot.co.uk/ Garage Gamer with some of biggest Napoleonics games I have seen. Sort of Wargames Holiday Centre in his own gaff !! Sod !! :-)

5. http://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.co.uk/ Gonsalvo Blunders On Danube blog another Piquet-centric site but  with loads of information and lots of scenario ideas. 

I could have easily listed another 10 or more blogs 

Proper Wargamer 'poll'

Found this over on Big Lee's blog (http://www.blmablog.com/2012/11/a-proper-wargamer.html) and of course being a sucker for such nonsense I cannot resist so..................................:

To genuinely call yourself a Wargamer, then you must have done most or all of the following:

* Spent at least £500 on figures / tanks - and you get extra kudos for every £500 you've spent
Only £500 ha ha ha !!!

* Pricked your finger or thumb on a pike block - several times
Oh yes and also on Lances, Spears and one ot two Tank barrels (those old Leicester Micro Models) !!

* Tried at least 10 different rule sets and vowed never to play half of them ever again
Only 10 ha ha ha !!!!!

* Bought an army off EBay
No armies but lots of Rules and Board Wargames

* Sold an army on EBay
I have never sold a figure I have painted as no TRUE Wargamer ever would !!!!!!

* spent months painting an army - then used it in anger once
I can spend months on a unit never mind an army and some stuff painted but never used !

* tried several different periods and genres
A myriad of periods and scales but only 'genres' are Miniatures, PC & Board with Historical basis (not a great fan of Fantasy stuff despite recently venturing into Middle Earth RPG)

* dropped a box of figures on the floor from a great height
Thankfully no just single figures on odd occasion

* lost a battle on the last throw of the dice
And on the first !!

* made at least one enemy for life
Not that I know of but I only play with friends so who knows ?

* had a proper, stand up argument over a wargamers table
I prefer to term these discussions or debates and never heated enough to fall out or come to blows

* thrown a dice across a room
Once and mate has not let me forget it !!

* rebased an army for a different rule set
Oh yes....................and once or twice back again.................. 

* inflicted a whopping defeat on an opponent
Not often but suffer plenty

* suffered an embarrassing defeat due to a stupid tactical decision
Beware for we are Legion......................................................

* joined a wargamers club
Belonged to local club in past and several online clubs

* bought a ton of lead that remains unpainted
Only a ton ha ha ha !!!

* been to a wargamers show
Yes for  overdose of all thing Wargaming

* have more dice than is logical or necessary to own - and have used most of them
More than is logical or necessary ha ha ha !!!!!

* have taken boxes of troops down to a club just to show them off to your mates
Na one is much to mature for that

Couple of additions I would make to list are:

* Blog or have a web-page about your Wargaming activities
Well you are reading it so............................

* have book collection dictated by Wargaming research & background reading
Oh yes indeed

* critic Hollywood 'War' movies as to historical accuracy or lack thereof 
Of course despite enjoying the read.........mostly

* spend car/train etc journeys checking the lie of the land and/or thinking that would make a good terrain item
Yes indeed sometimes to detriment of safe driving !!

Happy New Year

Wishing all visitors a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Looking back on 2011 in wargaming terms I had a decent year, lots of games played and a whole Prussian 15mm Army painted (after several years of little or no painting) and several odds and sods painted. I bought a literal ton of gaming related books of most are rules (and even managed to give several an outing !). I also obtained a lot of terrain items, not least more trees, which enhance the look of the tabletop.
A good year for this blog too as I am now quite competent and quick with it.
Only downside is not being able to complete (ie start) my British AWI project with the very nice Peter Pig figures still sitting waiting (expansion of Prussians to blame !). Also lots of other projects contemplated/started by unfinished (the 'curse' of the wargamer) such as re-basing my 6mm WWII, re-basing 10mm WSS and completely re-doing 20mm WWII stuff. Getting an eye infection problem last week or so not helped with any of this of course (improved greatly I am glad to say)

As to 2012 well the AWI British and the other projects obvious candidates. Several new rules (its definitely a disease) in pipeline with 'Die Marching' 'Maurice' & 'Pike and Shotte' high on wish list.
As to new projects I suspect that ACW is likely in later half of year big decision is to whether I go with 15mm Confederates (to oppose mates Federals) or go do I go with 10mm doing both protagonists (I really fell in love with the 10mm stuff from Kalistra at Warfare), this will of course mean a glutch of ACW rules required !
Dbmm competition at end of January in Munster and Warfare show visit again in November only scheduled 'events' thus far.
Other than that its get as much painted and get in as many games as possible, ie business as usual.