I like to have a bit of humour in my armies, particularly when it comes to commands and the odd vignette. So, ahead of the big ECW game this Friday: 'After overrunning the enemy camp, Covenanter officers hoping to extract useful intelligence from Royalist camp followers, discover that 'Big Derek Fish' is just another clueless joker...'    

 Well, Sunday was spent laying out a table for the ECW game here at Fackham Hall on Friday. It's terrain which makes you think about how you move your units, and dragoons would be handy for cutting holes in hedges. It may need to be changed before the game as a certain friend and opponent thinks it's unfair to cavalry...

 When I first got into wargaming and found Sheffield Wargames Society amongst others, I was bowled over by the sight (and who wouldn't be?) of 28mm armies as far as the eye could see, on a Wednesday night as well as those little ones - you know, 15mm - covering tables, painted apple green and using what was really rudimentary terrain, but which still spoke to me. It was worlds in miniature, and if you are not the sporty type like my brother from another dice roll, Roger the idea of tiny worlds recreated on a table would bring a tear of pleasure to a young eye. I understand that there are people who get this way over watching 22 men chasing a pig's bladder around a fiels, or watching men in white pyjamas kick each other until one twists their ankle - it takes all sorts I suppose. The thing was, if you stopped and did a proper count of the models on each side, you'd find there were 150-200. Now they certainly looked like more, and they certainly looked like armies to the neop

 Greetings all, I was trolling around in the local 'Emaus' charity warehouse today, seraching for a cabinet in which to store the Grand Manner buildings that are currentlt, somewhat haphazardly strewn around the Rumpus Room, and I am pleased to say I was successful in doing so. Moreover, I purchased this fine figure, because I've always been one for a bit of fun. May I present 'Judge Playfair Roughneck', the Fackham Hall 'Rules Lawyer' to be awarded after any game, wherein a player is more interested in the minutiae than the game itself. It's well known that 99% of the time my friends and I are all dedicated to the art of playing with toysoldiers. BUT, we are but mortal and it may one day come to pass that one of us, in a fit of despair, reaches for the rules and causes a scene over something or other. Of course, it's unlikely to happen, but now  Judge Playfair will be keeping his eye on what goes on in the Rumpus Room.  A sobering and salutory warn

 Well, the day of reckoning for the British Crown approaches. A week today, the forces of the Solemn League & Covenant will be facing the forces of of His Royal Travesty, King Charles upon the field of battle. I'm in training,  humming the theme tune to 'Rocky', shadow rolling and sometimes actually rolling dice. I am even working out with a D100 to build up the wrists. Yesterday was a bit of a dark day from the point of 70s and 80s popular culture with the passing of Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode, and Yes drummer Alan White. As a big yes fan, I was particularly saddened. I met him at a fan 'meet and greet' a few years back and he was one of the most down to earth of the bunch and clearly enjoyed meeting the fans.    I was awake yesterday morning at 4AM, and ended up outside in the Rumpus Room at 5AM, listening to Radio 4 and sorting out figures and terrain, my 5 terriers, enjoying chasing off the dawn chorus. Needless to say, I was shattered last night, and so

 I am faced by one of those terrible decisions faced by the veteram gamer from time to time. Today, I shall be taking ownership after an exchange of funds and small talk, around 1300 28mm ACW figures. However, these models are organised in 12 man units, which makes my grognard DNA recoil slightly, when I recall the Gilder days. However, I then consider that traditionally many rule sets for the 19th century used a 1:50 figure to man ratio, which would mean that these unit are fine. At this point I hear the ghost of Gilder scratching at my door and the spirit of Wise whispering that it's OK. Now, the other point, is that there's around 100 units there: That means a lot of flags and a lot of potential for throwing around brigades. In fact the pic above illustrates the point perfectly, being an example of some of the models I have agreed to buy. So, if I enlarge the sizes of the units, I end up being able to table less units and therefore risk a less spectacular experience visually

 Goodness me, but it's been almost two weeks since I checked in here. In my defence, I have been exceedingly busy with work, but I've been actively arranging my next project, which, commits my funds for the rest of the year, until I go into my Winter lockdown on October 31st. As some of you know, I have a cut off date every year, after which I don't spend a penny on gaming until January 2nd. This allows me to focus on the festive period on a hard cash basis. It works and means that I generally begin the gaming year with a healthy war chest. I've done this for a decade ana half now and it's a proven method. Anyway, as I previously mentioned, I have around 1200 28mm Wars Of The Roses with the painter, and last week, he returned the Burgundian and Irish mercenaries, along with the artillery crews. I decided to paint the guns themselves and do the basing as usual. Last Sunday, I managed to get the guns done and based: Now, I am waiting for the Lancastrian half, and the

 Greetings, I was looking at some pictures of similar armies, down the ages in assorted magazines and books. It occurred to me that the base line for painting detail, is completely off the scale these days, which may explain (together with some companies thinking they are selling fine artworks and not toy soldiers which cost them pennies to make) why there are so many skirmish based 'armies' many of which never get finished. Now, let me say at the outset that I am paid to paint very detailed miniatures for some of the most discerning collectors in the hobby. I do it well, and I do it consistently. But, when it comes to my own armies I am less demanding. Does that musketeer's uniform have two or three lines of conjoined lace? At 28mm in a unit of 36 models it doesn't matter because there is a vanishing point for visual detail, and beyond that, if you are painting your models to actually play with (I know... How odd) a well turned out army, painted with care, to a reasona

 Hi all, Well, I have battened down the hatches as the weather is grey and miserable today. Saturday was lovely, and apart from a truck driver in the employ of Lomas Distribution of Buxton (motto: All your road death needs covered) attempting to kill us as we descended into Ashbourne in Derbyshire, we had a leasant sunny day in the country with a wonderful fish and chip lunch on the Square in Ashbourne. Apropos of the many synchronisities in my gaming life, having being considering the Jacobite Rebellions as my next project, then relenting and going with Marlburians (due to Roger's raised eyebrow threatening to turn inside out in wonderment) I was surprised to see this plaque on the front of a shop in the square:   Much good it did him... Anyway, I was mulling over the subject of game sizes, and whilst I am unabashed in my love of the large game, I am starting to think that perhaps setting a false 'benchmark' with regard to the size of games is a bit limiting. Roger and I,