Borag thungg, Earthlings! It's been an odd Christmas, as my family has ceased to collectively celebrate the season with the passing of my Nan and latterly my Mum. I have always loved Christmas, from my earliest years, but I think I am finally starting to thing 'What's the fucking point?'   Christmas Eve, I would go on what became known as 'the mooch', visiting game stores and meeting up with friends for the last time for a few days, when we we would seemingly be so unfairly 'forced' to do what our parents wanted. One last chip butty before an avalanche of comestibles, and maybe get a chance to see the GW girls dressed in something seasonably raunchy - we were young - and generally enjoy that building excitement before the big event.   In the evening, there would be a massive buffet at our house - my mother for all her faults, put on a great spread and I could sometimes wangle invited for friends, stuffing ourselves until we were like Mr Creosote.   In ...

 I am looking for parts for the Citadel Giant: These heads, along with the two unencumbered right hands and the three 'victims, as well as the sheathed dagger. I will pay a good price for any of them         Colour photos, reproduced with the kind indulgence of Richard Hale, Copyright SOL  

 Hi All, Just a few pics of the set up for the Christmas game here at the Dark Tower. Almost exclusively a 'cavalry' game, with a 'few' wolves and wolf riders.

Well, I am a week into my Christmas holiday and frankly, I am knackered. But I'm knackered in a good way. My studio is all cleaned down and ready for my return in early January for the most part. I have been reflecting at some depth on the whole 'If you play fantasy, you are not a proper gamer' chain of thought and indeed my friend's suggestion that I simply go with fantasy. Well, you know, I am now seriously mulling that as a viable hobby path, albeit mindful of the fact that I will be wasting the decades I have spent building a deep knowledge of and indeed, deep roots in the historical gaming hobby. So, perhaps I will indeed go down that road in 2025. I certainly get a lot of pleasure from the sword and sorcery genre. I am not intereted in those systems which try to dress Orcs as WW1 Tommies - or as I have termed them (and I claim this as copyright: M Hides 2024 and as trade dress of Satanic Panic Miniatures) 'Fantastorical' ™ games. The Christmas game is 10 d...

 Pictures speak louder than words... If you have any of the parts in this pic which are not on my model, please reach out to me...

I fear that this may just be a bit of a rant, so buckle yourself into your +2 plate mail and move your vorpal blade to a safe distance. Done that? Than I shall begin. I have been a fantasy player as long as I've been a player of historical wargamers. To me they are both enjoyable, and in some cases you can take a historical army and cross it over into fantasy service, thus getting 2-4-1 coverage for your money. I have noticed in well over 40 years now, that historical gamers can get a little sniffy, if not downright bitchy about those who play fantasy themed games. Why? I have at times had to listen to people who are generally pretty decent human beings, froth, foam and ejaculate like a 3rd rate 30s Fascisti about the heresy and wrongness (in their opinion) of fantasy wargamers, whilst equally vigorously defending and espousing those fine historical wargames they (as right-minded gamers dont'cha know) indulge in. News flash, you wankers: We all play with little metal dollies (a...

Many years ago now, when I was but a callow youth, the venerable John Armatys - a true 'Gentleman Wargamer' - asked me, one Wednesday if I’d be interested in playing a Marlburian game with him, using his 7YW Prussians, and a wonderful and carefully block painted British Marlburian army, on which, IIRC, John had carefully painted all the grenadier mitre caps for the various regiments. That army was an inspiration. I loved the simple but so neat finish ( please understand that’s not a backhanded compliment to John, I loved it ) and down the decades, I’ve looked everywhere and crossed my fingers that I might find a similar army. I have owned some exquisitely detailed armies, but the point was, the state of the art for me was an army like John's.  I almost got something similar when Stuart Asquith’s collection came up in the early 90s via Terry Wise and his regular sales list - always a joy to read - but was literally a phone call too late. Back then we couldn't afford a p...

After attending the Recon show yesterday in Pudsey, I was moved to pen a piece on the state of the bring and buy.   Whilst ythe new organisers of the show, have unarguably 'saved' what is a very enjoyable show at what for I and many, is a great venue, the bring and buy is a runaway train, waiting to reach terminal velocity Having run a bring and buy for over 20 years at a major show, and having also developed the booking sheet now used by so many other shows, I believe that I am qualified to comment thus: The organiser, as is his way repeatedly takes items as soon as they are booked in, and stashes them away in the storage room adjacent to the booking-in point, or simply hands them to a friend, thereby not giving any member of the public an opportunity to view, let alone purchase a lot. Whilst this may be agreeable to the seller, it simply negates the point of the bring and buy. Items are also sometimes purchased, rebooked by the organiser and sold at considerable p...

The great thing about this blog for me, is that it has allowed me to record a life in gaming, the people I've met, mistakes I've made and the things which, have connected the various stages of my gaming journey. You may say I live in the past, and I'd not argue with you. But let me be clear, I have a very accute aesthetic sensibility. I've 'morphed' many times in my life and the life I live is quite carefully curated and crafted. I interface with and understand modern technology, and I keep very much up to date with news, and world politics, which themselves make me less inclined to engage with the 'modern' world.  I approach my 70s and moreso 80s lifestyle afresh, looking at the things which, I just wasn'y interested in at the time, being a kid. I osmotically absorb articles, books and history shows about things like the Miner's Strike, the Cold War (same shit, different day - terrifies my wife and because I know you need three 6s to get a launc...

 It's a busy trime here at Fackham Hall, as I finish my work for the year ahead of a month off, where I have as little contact with my studio as possible, and attempt to visit some really good restaurants. But first, there's the matter of attending the last Recon to be held at Pudsey Civic Hall, before those near sighted arseholes at Leeds City Council, do away with what for me, has been a great venue to attend shows at, for over 40 years. The memsahib's not been well, so I'm crossing my fingers we can make it. I was listening to the latest Grognard Files podcast today, and like my friend Roger, expected great things as they discussed the year in role playing for 1984 with a guest, who just frothed about his diary and Fighting Fantasy which was around before '84 and although a game changer for many kids who had trouble getting interested in books was hardly the highlight of that great year. Roger had signalled that it was a poor show, and so, doubting his dubious op...