Monday 20 May 2013

A Huge Thank You: 400 followers and future plans

I noticed a few days ago that the number of followers of this Blog has ticked around to just over 400. I just wanted to take the time to say a huge thank you to every single follower, commenter and reader who's supported the Blog over the years. 


I really am very grateful indeed to every one of you for sharing the hobby with me.  When I started blogging in 2010 I thought it might be a bit of a solitary pastime. But not at all. It's been a gateway to a terrific community, full of ideas and friendship - thank you all for making it such fun!   I'm not sure I offer anything new at all - I think every idea I've posted on the Blog has been adapted and modified from things that other people have pioneered.  But I have really enjoyed jumbling those ideas about and coming up with gaming ideas which have been fun wargame with, and which are (fingers crossed!) also enjoyable to read!  

And hopefully you can continue to enjoy the hobby with me going forward in the future.

And any mention of "The Future" for a wargamer tends to lead to thoughts of elaborate and ambitious plans. As I rule, I really don't really like predicting or announcing what I'm going to do. One of my favourite quotes comes from something Tears of Envy posted a while back on her blog from Victorian philanthropist Henry Wellcome: "Never tell anyone what you propose to do until you have done it". Sound, prudent advice. Which I am about to ignore (no doubt at my peril).

I like reading wargamers' plans and targets, not least because they always seem to have that feel of excitement and expectation about them. So, with that backdrop, here's mine for the next 3 or 4 months:

As you know, I'm still working through a series of posts on painting French late war infantry, with a few more Verdun-related and French-Great-War book reviews to come. After that, I'll post the French support weapons and artillery (some very nice models to model and paint from Brigade Games and Scarab), with some "hardened" veteran infantry and Tirailleurs Sénégalese bringing up the rear.  I'll also try and find a more Gallic-ised banner for this Blog (something I've been meaning to do for what seems like forever!)


That probably takes me up until July, at which point I'm looking forward to modelling and painting a French armoured Escadre from the Groupe D'Artillerie Spéciale at Berry-au-Bac, at the opening of the Nivelle Offensive in April 1917. It's been a while since I tackled tanks on the painting table, and I'm keen to get back to weathering oil stains and rust! 




Alongside the front line troops, I'm hoping to do some French command stands and a short series of French vignettes, including a couple of well-known wartime personalities, a distinctive Parisian air and some French Trench Loot (matching the British Trench Loot I did a while back).

On the writing side I shall be posting some more Verdun and French related book reviews, which I think people seem to have enjoyed (at least they've told me so!). There's a couple of Verdun scenarios for "Through the Mud & the Blood" (which are written but not play-tested), and also a feature to be posted on creating French "Grandes Hommes" for "Through the Mud and the Blood" which is half-written but also needs play-testing. Finally on the writing front, and to accompany the Escadre from the Groupe D'Artillerie Spéciale, there's something I'd like to post this summer about recreating French Great War tank tactics on the tabletop - this would be a short article, pretty much along the lines of the "Rolling Into Action" article I prepared for the TooFatLardies Christmas Special in 2011.

I'm hoping to round-off the Verdun Project with a few game reports and AARs, together with an AAR of the "Verdun: A Lost Generation" boardgame from Against the Odds - probably in the summer when I can get my boardgaming chums over for a weekend. 


I think doing much more than finishing the French in 2013 may be a tall order. But once I've finished the French, I'll hopefully make a start on Lord Strathcona's Horse from Moreuil Wood in 1918.

Hopefully you can join me some, or even all, of these! Best regards and thanks until then, mes braves!

55 comments:

  1. gratz on the followers always enjoy your painting

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  2. Congratulations; your audience is well-deserved!

    FMB

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  3. No surprise Sidney - your blog is a credit to your great efforts. Congrats.

    Frank
    http://adventuresinlead.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. I feel the same about your own Blog, Furt! Thanks all the same!

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  4. Very many congratulations Sidney, I'm proud to be one of the 400 as this is one of my favourite places to come for inspiration.

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    1. Very kind Michael - but you should know the inspiration is certainly a two-way thing!

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  5. Congrats on the 400 followers - I should be joining you there in the next day or two.

    Your plans for the future sound great and I wish you the best of British (given the context, French?) with them.

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    1. Thanks so much Tamsin! I saw your own clock was ticking round to 400 as well....and very much deservedly! Thanks again for dropping by!

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  6. yay! Congratulations mate! Well deserved. It's always nice to come and read what you're doing.

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  7. Congratulations Sidney!

    Not unexpected though since you always deliver top notch work!

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    1. That's very kind, but a lot of the work is standing on the shoulders of Giants!

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  8. Congratulations on the milestone, its very well deserved. Looking forward to seeing more of your painting guides (love your WWI stuff) and looking forward to your next projects. Looks like your going to be very busy!

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    1. Lee, thanks so much mate. I'd not be blogging today if it wasn't for people like you.

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  9. Congrats sir and looking forward as always to more good stuff on this excellent blog!

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  10. Congratulations on hitting 400 followers.

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  11. Congratulation Sidney !!! Well deserved !

    Looking forward to follow your future wargaming adventures

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    1. Thanks Michael - I really hope you like what's coming shortly.

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  12. Congratulations Sidney. I look forward to your blog's future with great interest, whatever you can find time to do will be welcome.
    I must say. That Verdun boardgame looks interesting. Perhaps I'll check it out.

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    1. Thanks Mike! You're right about finding time, although having a blog helps hugely in creating a focus on getting things done.

      The ATO game of "Verdun: A Generation Lost" is by Roger Nord, who also did an ATO game on The Somme called "The Big Push" (using similar systems and graphics). There was some chatter on ConSimWorld recently that Roger was planning some additions to try and link both games together in a campaign, which would be fantastic.

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  13. Congrats Sidney and no doubt you deserve it!

    Christopher

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  14. Very highly deserved!! Now for the 1000 mark

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    1. Thanks Benito, and thank you also for your own terrific blog from which I have taken so much inspiration, so many ideas and learnt so much about how to do a blog just "right".

      1,000 followers? I think that might be a bit ambitious, but its a very good thought all the same.

      Gracias!

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  15. Congrats on the milestone! I haven't been reading your blog for very long but I very much enjoy your WW1 stuff and admire your painting skills.

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    1. Thanks Louis. You're as welcome here as anyone, and it's great to have you visiting. Thanks so much for commenting, Sir!

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  16. Thanks Andrew, great to have you visiting here!

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  17. Well done on the blog milestone Sir Sydney!! You've a terrific blog, full of useful info and beautiful figures!!! Keep it coming!

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  18. Congratulations on the milestone! As someone new to this blogging malarkey, your blog is a great source of inspiration to me and hopefully one day I can emulate your achievement! Congrats again and keep up the great work!

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    1. Thanks Vulcanologist! Looking at your blog, I'd say you're more than well on the way to getting there. Everyone starts small with a blog, but its amazing how they grow and start taking over your hobby life!

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  19. Nice one Sidney, congratulations. Looking forward to your continuing exploration of the Verdun campaign. Keep up the good work.

    All the best

    Airhead

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  20. Well done Sidney! An inspiration as always. Really looking forward to all the French figures, tanks and vignettes.

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    1. Thanks Mark - here's hoping you like them when I get them up here on the Blog!

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  21. Well done Sidney hardly a surprise given your high standards of modeling and gaming.
    Regards
    Stuart

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    1. Stuart, that's very kind. I'm taking nothing for granted though!! On the gaming side, I get a huge amount of help from other clubmates running the games, so its not all me!

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  22. Congratulations sir! Here's to 400 more!

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  23. It is all very well deserved! This place has an atmosphere of welcome and camaraderie about it, which makes it a joy to visit. It's also packed full with thought and inspiration, and even if you "just" nicked some of the ideas from somewhere else, the pieces are put together here to create your very own picture of the hobby. And this genuine perspective makes it worthwhile anyways.
    So, thanks for all your efforts and sharing them with us, it's a pleasure!

    Cheers, Tilman
    www.mountainsoflead.com

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    1. Tilman, Sire Godefroy, Sir, I don't know what to say! That's very kind indeed!

      I do try and put my own picture of the hobby together from what I see, what I buy, what I model and the wargames we play. It's my own view and its just one of thousands.

      I'm really conscious that I don't want to say "You should definitely do it this way" - not least because the way I do things is constantly changing and being inspired by everything I learn about the hobby and everything I see at wargames shows, at my club, on the internet in everyone's blogs. With that caveat aside, what a blog gives me is a chance to show a snapshot of what I'm trying (and sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing with) at a particular point in time. And if people allow me to share that with them, I'm delighted.

      Thanks again for dropping by and commenting :)

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  24. Congrats Sidney! Very well deserved.

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  25. Indeed! A well-deserved throng you have (with many more to come). Your site is always a great inspiration to me and my efforts in the hobby.

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    1. Curt, thanks so much. The inspiration is entirely mutual, believe me!

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  26. 410 now. Well done Sidney and well deserved, the numbers speak for themselves.
    Like the sound of what is coming up, especially the tanks.
    Cheers,
    Pat.

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    1. Thanks Pat. The tanks are going to be great fun to do. Significantly more mercurial than the British tanks in the field, with the FT-17s being very colourful. Hope you like them!

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  27. Congrats on the landmark mate, very, very well deserved. Looking forward to seeing the tirailleurs senegalais, and of course les chars!
    Ben

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    1. Thanks Ben! Very much appreciated, Sir! Fingers crossed you really enjoy what's coming soon! The Tirailleurs Senegalais should be a lot of fun!

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  28. Given the quality of the content 400 is only the beginning! I've been following your posts on the late WW1 French with a great deal of interest. Well done sir - Keep it up!

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    1. Al, that's very kind indeed. I've hit a bit of a bonus time with the hobby at present. I've no idea why, maybe its the May and June sunshine finally arriving in Southern England....but everything seems to be coming together. Painting seems to be easier, and I'm getting more games in. So plenty more to come, I hope. Fingers crossed anyway! Thanks again for dropping by!

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