Monday 18 May 2015

Getting back up to speed


Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it! What is it about twenty-first century life that means that you try and save up some time for your hobby, only to find that ….. well, things just crop up to stop you. It’s been a frustrating year for me in hobby terms, with a few false starts, a couple of blind alleys and a cliff-edge or three. I’m sure you know the sort of thing.

But, thank you all for sticking with this blog. And, as my wargaming chum Mike Whitaker once memorably recommended in his blog, I’ve stayed “on the bus”.

So here’s what I’ve been up to recently.

I’ve placed the Tirailleurs Sénégalais on the back burner for the time being. They’ll be back, possibly this autumn. A brief hiatus, but nothing more. Coming back to a “large” (also known as “over-bloated”) project can be daunting and intimidating. One of the things I found coming back to the hobby was that a large half-finished project doesn't encourage you to get started again. The very size of what’s remaining is a disincentive. It’s like being constantly reminded of your failure to complete something.




So, I’ve opted for something much smaller. I’ve managed to paint and finish a small group of German trench sentries and some tempting targets for British trench raiders to try and capture. Nothing remarkable, but the Brigade Games and 1st Corps sculpts were fun to paint and, above all, they were something achievable.

I found having just a handful of figures to paint was reassuring. I could feel I was “getting somewhere”, even speeding up a couple of times to get the first figure done.

I’ve vague plans for the next set of figures to paint. And, probably on the same basis, a handful of Great War Miniatures highlanders look manageable.

As well as painting, we’ve been play-testing TooFatLardies’ new supplement for “Chain of Command”, entitled “Fighting Season” at the St. Albans wargames club. This supplement recreates fighting in modern-day Afghanistan. It’s early days, but Richard Clarke has posted some very thoughtful material on his blog, “Lard Island News”, addressing some of the ethical issues with wargaming this conflict. He’s been joined by some excellent blogging by both Benito and Mike on their own blogs, Gaming with TooFatLardies and Mad Padre Wargames.

Here are some photos of the play-test games.





The next edition of Wargames Bloggers Quarterly is also out – available here. WBQ4 like its previous three issues is a great combination of fine writing and wonderful photographs. Huge congratulations to everyone who worked on it. WBQ4 is an excellent addition to the stable of hobby magazines, all the more so as a free and entirely volunteer driven publication.


And, finally, I did make the trip to Salute this year. I also took the time to hook up with other Bloggers at the meet-up. I’ve been remiss in posting photos of the day, but I hope the photos below make up for that (including Michael's spectacular "Stockholm 1392" game). It was great seeing you all there!











42 comments:

  1. Good to see you back in the blog-o-sphere!
    Cheers
    Matt

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  2. Good to see some more inspiring WW1 stuff from your talented hands Sidney!
    Great pics of Michael & Co's table - I'm sure they'll appreciate the mention with all the work they put into that thing!

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    1. Thanks! Michael's table was a wonderful sight at Salute. I loved the little vignettes and play-cards he had created.

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  3. The WW1 minis are just amazing, fantastic job...and beautiful pics of course!

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    1. Thanks Phil. The 1st Corps figures were lovely to paint. They look, well....kinda squashed when you get them out of the plastic bag. On one occasion, a couple of years back, I actually threw them in the bin, thinking "I'll never paint them". My inner lead mountain conscience spoke to me, and I fished them out the next day. And yes, I'm glad I did as they painted up very well.

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  4. Good to see you back on here. Do you plan to be at Partizan?

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    1. Thanks Scrivs. I would love to be at Partizan, but sadly I can't make it. I'm gutted to be missing it, and your game.

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  5. Welcome back, your posts are always looked forward to. Nicely finished figures as usual.

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  6. Superb painted figures Sidney and love the way the pictures have been framed.
    Looking forward to the release of FS.
    Welcome back,
    Pat.

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    1. Thanks Pat. Good to be back. I'll try and update more often!

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  7. Good to have you back and I am patiently waiting for the complete guide to painting Senegalese troops.

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    1. Thomas!! Great to hear from you, and no, I've not forgotten. I promise I'll do that. The Senegalese I've done look OK, so you'll like the guide when I get around to it. Sorry it's taken so long, and thanks for being so patient!

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    2. I've been keeping busy with Viets and French so far but I went and promised a CoC game at GothCon next year and 4e RAC are on my wish list for that so that guide will come in handy.

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    3. Right you are, Thomas! I shall be sure to get the painting guide posted in good time!

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  8. Great to have you back and what a lovely selection of work, especially love the added detail to the base work. Great to have had the opportunity to catch up again, although there never seems to be enough time.

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    1. Thanks Michael. It was great seeing you and everyone at Salute. And no, sadly never enough time.

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  9. Welcome back Sidney,,, it's happens to us all I think at some point.. I am pretty in the thick of it at the moment so feel your pain!

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    1. Thanks Dave. It happens, but it's always terrific to return!

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  10. Great post, welcome back...

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  11. Great post Sidney, good to see you back posting.

    All the best

    Airhead

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  12. Cool photo's mate, glad to see you back in the saddle.

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  13. Great to have you back! Some very cool pics too!

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  14. Greate to see you blogging again Sidney and really good to get a chanse to say hi at Salute. Appreciate the pictures of our Stockholm 1392 game, glad that you liked it:)

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Michael, it is a great pleasure to blog your photos! Thanks so much for sparing the time to chat at Salute. I adored the game - absolutely wonderful in every regard. I loved the way you had achieved so much on a very manageable sized table. Really first class!

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  15. Those sentries are great...lovely basing and shading.

    Looking forward to WBQ4!

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  16. You've certainly been busy since your last post; great WW1 figures and nice to see you meeting up with the rest of the bloggers.

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  17. Welcome back Sidney! Real life hits us all, but glad you've found a little time to get some light hobbying in.

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    1. Thanks Phil. It's been busy, but my hobby is something I love and miss terribly when I don't get time to do it. Very much looking forward to catching up at Evesham.

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  18. I hear you Sidney. I hit a really nasty hobby slump for a few months and painted and blogged very little. Just like you I'm getting back in the saddle again getting back into the flow. Currently I have two things going where in one project I'm painting one figure at a time and just enjoying the ride and in another project I'm doing 30+ figures in one go. This way when I come to the painting table I can simply relax and paint what I'm in the mood for without pressure. It's working quite well for me. As ever your figures look excellent.

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks Christopher! It's reassuring to hear I'm not the only one. Manageable projects - yep, that's the way to go!

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  19. Your absence was both noted and felt but this just makes your return all the sweeter. It's great to see 'Roundwood's World' updates back on the blogroll. :)

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  20. Your absence was both noted and felt but this just makes your return all the sweeter. It's great to see 'Roundwood's World' updates back on the blogroll. :)

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    1. Curt, it's very good to be back. And its wonderful to welcome you and everyone back!

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  21. Great to see you back at the brushes! Your WW1 stuff always inspires me. Great work on the latest figures as well!

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    1. Thanks very much! The feeling is absolutely mutual - as everything you do is outstanding! A great pleasure to welcome you back here!

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