TAKING STOCK & STEPS

A long time ago, on a table far, far away...

I’ve always played 15mm when it comes to Horse and Musket and my Greek Hoplites, 20mm when it comes to World War II, and 28mm for Dark Ages, but that is only a small skirmish collection gifted from a friend over thirty years ago and is really only two small skirmish forces with enough flexibility to act as Normans, Saxons or Vikings, but not all three at once.

I also have a few “Oldhammer” armies but they are currently packed away and have not seen dice or a table for at least a decade.

My wargaming room, my figure and terrain collection, and my war library, all remain "at home" while I am currently living in another country. So save for a small box of modelling supplies, some terrain projects that I resolved to complete and a small collection of figures that I included in my shipping.

Also there is a lack of opponents in this part of the world which means that I have to focus on other aspects of the hobby and then seek out active time to game when holidays roll around which is also time I want to spend with my wife as we do our best while being geographically separated. (Visa requirements and job contracts can be a bit bothersome for the married expat)

A lack of opponents also means a lack of hobby stores, this, coupled with an unreliable mail service means any projects need to be carefully planned around holiday and travel plans, with "blitzkrieg" shopping strikes to gather everything that is needed. Which means flexibility when it comes to consumables, particularly around paint brands that might not be readily available. AI has proven a real boon here, enabling me to quickly identify the closest colour and style match between manufacturers. It helps offer good suggestions for alternatives and has allowed me to "translate" the paint options used in some tutorials to more readily available choices when I go holiday shopping, and when I do get to visit some of the local art supply stores.

Luckily my gaming group resides in the same city and country as my wife. Unluckily they all have a not so minor obsession with Bolt Action, particularly Bolt Action in the Far East. And with so many years (and dollars) invested in 20mm World War II, the idea of a 28mm project is one I have chaffed at, but am also slowly coming around to the idea of, even if I still hold some reservations. Though, if honest, I'm starting to see some merits, chief being that in the small windows of time that I do have I would be able to bring something to the table.

So in short, my hobby life has to compromise to fit around the realities of needing to “earn a crust” while also competing with a hobbyist (moi) who is quite skilled at finding reasons to procrastinate. And yet at the same time I need to scratch my hobby itch and maximise the time I have.

Or as I like to say “too many periods, wrong scale and not enough time”.