tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post4924826033795903962..comments2024-03-18T19:14:27.195+00:00Comments on Battlefields and Warriors: 2018 into 2019Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-61998299158455676172019-08-08T05:20:46.806+00:002019-08-08T05:20:46.806+00:00Yes, I have been still "gaming" in that ...Yes, I have been still "gaming" in that in the last 12 months I have written about four fairly different rulesets, and played some RPGs and a boardgame entirely in spreadsheets. So still at it - just not physically :-)Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-5830962886346956522019-08-08T04:30:37.824+00:002019-08-08T04:30:37.824+00:00Hi Shaun, I went through a period of feeling that ...Hi Shaun, I went through a period of feeling that I had lost the balance between the time spent on thinking and planning and the time spent on actual gaming. Rather like you, this was exacerbated by a period of a couple of years of moving into a home that needed significant renovation and so for the bulk of that time, most stuff was in storage and play time and dust free space was hard to get.<br /><br />Now out at the other end, I still having something of an imbalance, but there has been increased gaming activity, so the gap is closer, but I have also resolved to the thinking that planning, prep, rule writing and blog writing are viable parts of the cohesive whole of what I see as quality hobby time.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-22602526661769429682019-08-07T09:14:49.781+00:002019-08-07T09:14:49.781+00:00Hello Norm and Kevin
I still haven't played a...Hello Norm and Kevin<br /><br />I still haven't played any games with any figures, oh, maybe one 15mm ancients. But have written a few rulesets over the last 6 months, mostly for the 6mm stuff on a small table. I have not really done any boardgames or looked into them either!<br /><br />At the moment I am still awhile away from getting out any of the boardgames to play and miniatures is getting closer - I was all set to play some 6mm WW2 and/or ancients to test out the rules, and then I got distracted by thinking with only a few minor tweaks, i could do 15mm ancients with the rules... In all still no games, but fun writing rules for them! <br /><br />Oh, and I would likely do 15mm if I could start from scratch for everything but 20mm is still my favourite visually, so maybe it is just my head talking, not my heart :-)Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-10182508076907333012019-08-07T06:24:23.260+00:002019-08-07T06:24:23.260+00:00I like the visual "mass" of large 6mm ar...I like the visual "mass" of large 6mm armies on the table. They are cheaper, easier to paint, easier to store and you can fight a decent battle on 6x4. For me 6mm really shines with AFVs, elephants, cavalry and close order troop formations. I don't like it with open order infantry and am never really happy with my WW2 troops at 5 figures on a base.kevin halloranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10836302345952439069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-88923414700535497932019-08-07T04:39:42.678+00:002019-08-07T04:39:42.678+00:00Kevin I was reading an interesting thread a few we...Kevin I was reading an interesting thread a few weeks ago in which people were asked if they could start again, would they choose a different scale. Of course answers were all over the placed, but the two comments that struck me most were the number of people who would down scale, but were too invested and those who downs scaled anyway and considered themselves sole small scale gamers.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-19932783621659987962019-08-06T07:53:05.209+00:002019-08-06T07:53:05.209+00:00How interesting to read Shaun Travers' post. ...How interesting to read Shaun Travers' post. Years ago I began to buy board wargames with a vague intention of playing them at some undefined point. I encountered several problems: firstly, I could not bring myself to punch the counters; secondly, in many cases I could not understand or remember the rules; thirdly, I found the maps a bit small and the idea of stacking counters horrible. So I am now mainly a collector. I also spent many years buying and painting miniatures, mainly 15mm and 28mm and I have several large ancients armies in the latter scale. But late (perhaps a bit too late) I discovered smaller scales and now all my efforts are in 6mm (WW2 AFVs and infantry and WOSS), 1/600 (WW2 aircraft) and 1/4800 (WW2 and Napoleonic naval). I also took the plunge to buy lots of Kallistra. Somewhat annoyingly 2D6 Miniatures have started to bring out a line of WW2 1/285 models that are at least as good as GHQ and half the price. I don't need them but they are irresistible to me. kevin halloranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10836302345952439069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-85539094907964310552019-01-11T08:02:32.912+00:002019-01-11T08:02:32.912+00:00Thanks for the kind thumbs up. I feel that much of...Thanks for the kind thumbs up. I feel that much of what you say is pretty much on the money and I have been leaning that way since posting this. I have been hugely enjoying your posts and not least, your town of Brampton has really shown what the smaller scale allows, something I can put into context as we both share an interest in putting Kallistra hexes on the table. All good and thanks for the nudge :-) Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-72688185194118714802019-01-10T23:45:16.316+00:002019-01-10T23:45:16.316+00:00Sorry Norm but practicality has to triumph over ev...Sorry Norm but practicality has to triumph over everything else. 28mm usually means big boards (think about your back) and the storage of both units and terrain takes up a whole lot of space. I tried 15mm but found it an uncomfortable compromise, still a lot of room needed for storage and still relatively big boards required, the other downer was it seemed to get quite expensive to build the bigger armies that the scale allows. Last year I discover the joy of six and haven't looked back. Big battles in a small space, easily stored away, modest expense for decent sized armies and for me the most important thing - quick enough to paint that I can actually get on with the gaming and not shelve them when the grind of very labor intensive unit production causes me to lose interest half way through. They used to say go big or go home, I say stick with small and never leave the house...lol. By the by your blog is my favorite on the interwebz, so keep up the good work in 2019.The Jolly Broom Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14037134974588645559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-73196211247772061092019-01-05T17:29:05.205+00:002019-01-05T17:29:05.205+00:00Thanks Jeffrey, enjoyed this afternoon looking at ...Thanks Jeffrey, enjoyed this afternoon looking at your new desert Hex map and your ancients figures and look forward to what games fall from that in the coming year.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-19543972298656123492019-01-05T13:39:59.030+00:002019-01-05T13:39:59.030+00:00Ooh lots of good nuggets of rules suggestions in t...Ooh lots of good nuggets of rules suggestions in this post. I like the hex based wargames as well. Good luck with meeting your goals and thanks for an enjoyable/ inspiring read.<br />Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105115373962034056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-37605748126586216862019-01-02T05:23:30.849+00:002019-01-02T05:23:30.849+00:00Thanks Dave,I have fond memories of Skytrex,I had ...Thanks Dave,I have fond memories of Skytrex,I had been doing micro WWII with the old Leicester Models, which were not particularly well detailed, but were all I knew that existed and then suddenly came across the crisper, more detailed, larger Skytrex and I was smitten. I was even using their rules. I think in those days, Skytrex and Irregular Miniatures were the two main companies to buy from by mail for the smaller scales.<br /><br />Timecast are doing a range of 1/144 for Cold War gone Hot, which I have seen at shows and fancy a dabble at and on the Rumour Mill, The Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) my be doing a plastic sprue with 1/144's on it for circa 1985.<br /><br />28's seem to get a lot of promotion mainly because they photograph so well and perhaps blogs and magazines tend to over-emphasize their presence in the hobby. <br /><br />I find that I am often enjoying a smaller scale game and then when I come to look at the photographs, they don't seem to 'give off' that sense of visual satisfaction that I was actually experiencing with a real world eye and so an excited and enthusiastic write-up doesn't always seem to be captured in the accompanying photos. <br /><br />I think ultimately, like you, for me, space will become the determining factor. All the best for 2019 Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-16022517419458159172019-01-01T18:57:08.591+00:002019-01-01T18:57:08.591+00:00Happy New year Norm!
Great read as always.
I had ...Happy New year Norm!<br />Great read as always. <br />I had little space for over two years. I played some 1/200 scale Rapid Fire with old Skytrex figures I still have. I have just moved and can squeeze in a 6x4. I am still playing with my 1/200 and my 15mm remains packed away.<br />I also pulled out my old micro and, shudder, am playing Team Yankee as a fun solo game in 1/300. I have fun with it but it’s not something I should shout about!<br />What this shows is I like the smaller scales, can cope with less space, and still enjoy gaming. <br />I have never had, nor wish to have 28mm. <br />I look forward to your blog again this year <br />DaveDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00810917899000829312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-5555790973603630232019-01-01T13:27:07.722+00:002019-01-01T13:27:07.722+00:00Hi Shaun, I have enjoyed your thoughtful posts in ...Hi Shaun, I have enjoyed your thoughtful posts in 2018 and it was your 'game in a drawer' type posts that first brought me to your blog and despite this being a prime interest to me, my favourite photo from your postings has been with the 1/72 Churchills advancing over open ground. <br /><br />And so it is, one makes the heart beat faster and the other works best! A house move sure is the moment of reckoning as to what you have and what is sensible or do-able to move forward to the next property.<br /><br />So far I have changed my mind twice today as to which way to jump!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-51098699535961291572019-01-01T12:54:06.018+00:002019-01-01T12:54:06.018+00:00Hello Norm
A good roundup of your years blogging....Hello Norm<br /><br />A good roundup of your years blogging.<br /><br />I understand your issues with scales and something it seems most of us grapple. I was a 20mm WW2 person and 15mm ancients for 25 years and thought I would just get some 6mm WW2 to play in a small space. I have a lot of them now but still not playing with them enough to justify the expense. I do love the visual nature of 20mm but i agree with you on storage. As part of getting ready for our planned move into a new house I tided up my gaming stuff and realised the boxes and boxes of terrain I have for the 20mm ww2. It takes up a lot of space and I still crave more terrain! I feel your pain over storage. 20mm WW2 will win out but 6mm will continue for the more portable games and those in the map drawers. I hope that you do get it sorted in your mind as I know you have been undecided for a few years now. But being a gamer it is part of the culture to agonise over scales.<br /><br />Regarding ASL and complexity, I have a few boardgames I have been collecting for a over the last 30 years to play when I get some time. Some are quite complex, some take a long time and a couple are monsters. I have mostly done miniature gaming in the last 10 years since rebooting playing more wargames. I now worry that I prefer less complex games and maybe even prefer miniatures! i was mostly a boardgamer in my 20s and 30s but the last 15 years have seen me play very few. I have a short list of boardgames I really need to play in the next year or to to see if I should keep or reduce my boardgaming collection. I have so many rules and so many boardgames I do not think I could stick to one system but I definitely can see the appeal of really getting into a system and the whole reasoning of the 10x10 movement.<br /><br />So I am not really helping you out here other than highlighting you are not alone :-)Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-3122052264300146572019-01-01T11:33:08.766+00:002019-01-01T11:33:08.766+00:00Thanks Iain, those were largely the 2018 solutions...Thanks Iain, those were largely the 2018 solutions that brought me back around full circle :-) and so could persist for a time longer<br /><br />As to which scale, your mention of tanks is a fine example. I like the 10mm tank for its functionality, suitability to a smaller table and to fit the hex format ...... whereas the 1/72 makes me swoon :-) and there-in is my dilemma, I suppose it is essentially one of the emotional over the practical. <br /><br />I shall just have to be brave ....... or just do what I did in 2018 and slightly procrastinate :-)<br /><br />Hooray for choice .....I think!Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-48060996676086764672019-01-01T11:10:12.626+00:002019-01-01T11:10:12.626+00:00I've really enjoyed your blog this year with K...I've really enjoyed your blog this year with Kursk, the Bulge and the 28mm Perry civil war game highlights. I don't have the same problem as you as I only use 28mm and mostly seem to be stuck in one period ! Storage is still a problem for me, I use really useful plastic crates which are waterproof,no room in the shed for a couple of cratec of terrain then ? You do seem to prefer your 1/72 tanks to your 10mm,I guess you can use the same terrain for 15mm,20mm,28mm and the another set for your smaller scales 6mm to 12mm after last year's experience a purge of the larger scales did not work, you just re bought, so maybe you send a load into the loft or the really useful box in the shed,a kind of holding area so you can try and concentrate on a few scales and periods without throwing the baby out with the bathwater? Good luck with that!<br />Best Iaincaveadsum1471https://www.blogger.com/profile/02174163740406928172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-71622247533775078202018-12-31T05:37:02.145+00:002018-12-31T05:37:02.145+00:00Thanks Dave, multiple scales ideally would be the ...Thanks Dave, multiple scales ideally would be the best solution, but it is the collecting of the terrain in multiple scales that cause me a storage problem and in addition, to do both hex and open tables adds to that, as the storage of the hex tiles and specialised terrain adds another series of big boxes.<br /><br />There was a series of collectables (Axis and Allies I think), that mixed two different scales between vehicles and infantry. From memory the Memoir '44 system by Days of Wonder also does the same, so you are in good company :-)<br /> Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-83040987559191637722018-12-31T01:29:54.788+00:002018-12-31T01:29:54.788+00:00Great read as usual Norm and I sympathize with wha...Great read as usual Norm and I sympathize with what to do about the various miniature scales. Here is what I do and my general rule of thumb.<br /><br />1/32-1/35 Dioramas only.<br />1/48-1/56 Skirmish games (i.e. individual men/vehicles<br />1/72-1/76 Company/Platoon sized engagements<br />1/100 Battalion/Company sized engagements<br />1/300 Division/Brigade/Regiment sized engagements.<br /><br />My gaming table is approx 5x9 ft and in some cases I don't use all of it. This may be heresy but recently I have been mixing my 1/72 scale infantry stands with my 1/100 vehicles.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />DaveDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838620751948209784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-13208048882996373772018-12-30T19:40:55.269+00:002018-12-30T19:40:55.269+00:00Hi John, that is pretty much the simulation Vs fun...Hi John, that is pretty much the simulation Vs fun balance that I have been thinking about. I want my figure games and boardgames to be be doing something different to each other. Yes, I think the end of year posts are interesting and help bring a small pause to re-assess direction and purpose ..... the unspoken New Year’s Resolution.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-56818129629761934052018-12-30T18:54:32.057+00:002018-12-30T18:54:32.057+00:00These year end reviews / upcoming year plans are e...These year end reviews / upcoming year plans are easily my favorite tradition of the hobby blogs. You've inspired me to take another look at some of my board games or maybe pick up a new one for a more a deeper/serious gaming experience, as my figure games are very much "toy soldier" affairs.John Yhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16465161620134394060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-18100262585331406842018-12-30T15:41:50.975+00:002018-12-30T15:41:50.975+00:00Thanks Aaron and good luck with your up-coming mov...Thanks Aaron and good luck with your up-coming move, I hope things settle quickly and that those rather fine Xyston figures are not absent from the table for too long. Cheers Norm.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-74338944208603905422018-12-30T15:09:23.986+00:002018-12-30T15:09:23.986+00:00Norm, you are always an inspiration. So many good ...Norm, you are always an inspiration. So many good ideas, and so much energy.<br /><br />Good luck with the 2019 projects, and I hope you get to enjoy them as much as we get to enjoy reading about them :)<br /><br />Very best wishes for the coming year,<br />Aaron Prufrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659918463589870423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-35166635063951716542018-12-30T13:31:26.972+00:002018-12-30T13:31:26.972+00:00Thanks Ross, I think you are exactly right that se...Thanks Ross, I think you are exactly right that seeking different parts of the collection to do different things is the way to go.<br /><br />One of the things that I enjoy about your blog, other than the obvious charm of your table and figures, is your own inclination to review and tinker with how best to manage rules and collections.<br /><br />May MacDuff and Blasthof Bridge have many outings in 2019 :-)<br /> Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-74099302532663609402018-12-30T13:21:02.302+00:002018-12-30T13:21:02.302+00:00Thanks Lee, your own diversion or purpsoe between ...Thanks Lee, your own diversion or purpsoe between the 40mm and 15mm strikes a similar chord, though I know you are very happy with both. I think I would just like to get to a stage that I enjoy the painting for reasons of having a more certain objective.<br /><br />Look forward to seeing your early games with your two current projects - cheers. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-67005764446045798832018-12-30T13:17:20.564+00:002018-12-30T13:17:20.564+00:00Thanks Steve, I have always enjoyed your 10mm Blit...Thanks Steve, I have always enjoyed your 10mm Blitzkrieg Commander games and it shows the scale at its best for WWII. <br /><br />I now understand your point on the 6mm buildings, I have 10mm buildings, but recently bought a 6mm Farmhouse complex from Battlescale which works well with the 4" hexes and looks absolutely fine with 10mm Napoleonics, though a stretch with my 12mm stuff.<br /><br />Thanks for supporting the Bulge campaign game, which I think for both of us, the insight from Beevor's book, brings another dimension to the gaming matter.<br /><br />Glad your post Op recovery has gone so well. Onwards and upwards for 2019 :-)Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.com