A Weekend Waffle

 A very good morning to you all.

For once, I'm late to the party. I speak with regards to the sixth edition of Car Wars, which I confess, I simply disregarded in 2020 when it was Kickstarted. Schoolboy error!

As I mentioned the other day, I had managed to get the Double Ace set and had bought the other add-ons, apart from a single item which had to be bought from the U.S. Fortunately, a friend over the pond was kind enough to take delivery of this deck of cards for me and is forwarding it on (together with a rather smart Car Wars 40th anniversary badge) to me because Steve Jackson Games don't ship to the UK anymore.

Now it's just a question of waiting for delivery, although the expansions I ordered have arrived already, and I did buy two extra two player starter sets as ZATU Games have them at a £30 discount at present and one can never have enough cars, dice and turning keys, not to mention additional rule sets.

One of the things I didn't like the look of when I saw the renders, was the car design. Single piece plastic cars? How tacky! How Gauche! How '70s boardgame'!

How wrong I was...

The models are robust, crisp, model grade miniatures, most of which really appeal to me asthetically and look as if they could be real fun to paint - yes I am seriously looking at applying the pigments myself on the case of this particular game.

The rules are a lot different to those I poured over as a 14 year old on that warm Summer afternoon, milk and cookies on the table, as I sprawled on the sofa like some juvenile Rochester.

But, from what I've seen, the difference is positive. I never warmed to Gaslands. There were no particular reasons, other than I just didn't see what all the froth and hype was about - and I speak as a Frother and Limpet of some repute - so the fact that this game sseems to play so well, was a pleasant surprise. I've always been a proponent of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it...' but in this case, I must say, it's the right way to go.

As you would expect with SJG, the whole game is a slick, high quality, product with little dressing. It stands on it's own four wheels as a solid product.

I was on the phone with a friend yesterday morning, explaining that I've been feeling a little weird since realising that I've pretty much got to the end of the 'big buys' phase of my wargaming life. I'd written to him and mentioned that I was looking at 200 figures at most now, and he actually said that he genuinely thought I'd omitted  a zero from the total.

When we spoke, he reassured me somewhat and I'm now a bit less depressed about things. To be honest, the sense of 'loss' at my realisation had initially hit me in the same way as the news of the passing of two contemporaries in the hobby a few years ago. They say that every story needs a beginning, middle and end, and I think that I was having to come to terms with the conclusion of the middle of my gaming story. But what a story it has been, let me assure you, thanks to being more than just a passing hobby for me. 

I began reading 'Tabletop Wargames' by Rick Priestley and John Lambshead, yesterday afternoon and it's really interesting. As I'm currently working on my fantasy rules,  I'm hoping that they'll benefit from the reading of this fine tome.

I was speaking to one of the organisers of the Sheffield based Steel Warriors wargames show last week, and they mentioned that the show may have to be cancelled 'due to health issues'.

I'd planned to take a 15x5 fantasy display game there in the new year, but it looks as if that won't be possible. So, I'll bide my time and look at other shows. On the upside, that does mean that I can add even more to it, as well as roping in more friends along the way.

Well, if you will excuse me, I've got to go and get ready for a trip to the museum. Sheffield's museums are not as good as they were in the 80s, particularly the art gallery aspects (Grayson Perry - 1% talent, 99% hype, but Sheffield wave him like a banner) which pale when compared to Manchester and Bradford, and I can only wonder where the excellent art we used to have in this city, has gone.

TTFN

PS: I was asked by a couple of people what the f**k was going on here:

 The hedgehog was a handpuppet called Spike, who for a whil went everywhere with me, be it to wargames or reenactment events. He's seen here with me (teen studmuffin) helping him take his turn, along with Mick Rothenburg (handsome bastard) and John Armatys (gentleman wargamer) playing John's excellent Pike & Shot rules in the late 80s. Spike's whereabouts are unknown at this time, but sio far , the rest of us are still alive and kicking.