If you make hay while the sun shines, what if it rains?

With the morning's chores done, the onset of rain put paid to this afternoon's proposed malarkey.  So having been given one of life's lemons, it only seemed right to make lemonade- or in this case the last batch of jungle for the foreseeable future, not to mention the last bits of paddy field that were lying around in a not-quite-finished state.  Quite pleased overall with how building my own terrain has turned out.   

  

Nonetheless, a grand total nineteen and three-quarters square feet of jungle just doesn't seem right.  Clearly this needs to be topped up to a round twenty-four square feet.

I'm going to need a bigger box.

The Great Outdoors

There is a cycle to most things; that whole "Circle Of Life, Simba" malarkey for one thing.  The ever-changing selection of goodies in my veg box, reflecting the passing seasons for another.  Not to mention the change in wargaming activities also brought upon by the changing seasons.

Not for this wargamer the dubious delights of being stuck inside on a glorious day like today.  No, today has been about those healthy outdoor activities such as undercoating, cleaning up figures and making models, which can all be undertaken in the sunny outdoors.  Thus, a fine crop has been sown for the painting reaper come Autumn, Winter and less inclement weather (or some such poorly extended farming metaphor).

Note state-of-the-art recycling bin supports for undercoating board.

Armoured reinforcement for the Free World is on its way.

In prosaic terms, the final 25 CDs-worth of jungle have been completed for the foreseeable future; they'll get an outing in our Darkest Africa campaign.  Sticking with Darkest Africa, some Masai got undercoated, as did-for Charlie Don't Surf- some Peter Pig NVA and M113s picked up at Salute 2012.  The whole undercoating mix was finished off with some jerrycans, oil drums and crates picked up a while back (from Skytrex?) which are intended for use as scatter the next time we have a crack at an NVA assault on a US firebase.  Whatever one makes of S. L. A. Marshall, once can't deny his account of Bird has tremendous possibilities...   

Umm...hello again/Wotta Lotta Lard

Hm.  Quite.  Let's cut to the chase.

Life got jolly busy all round, and I naturally invoked the annual "forget/not get around to updating the blog" clause."

However, let's look at what I have been up to gamingwise over the last eighteen or so week:  The 7TV campaign came to a successful conclusion, with the S.P.A.C.E. Man emerging as the victorious TV series, and the whole affair being wrapped up in a six-player game set around an expanded version of club member Overlord's superb volcano-rocketbase lair that you may well have see in action at the 7TV/Crooked Dice stand at Salute 2011 (let's not dwell on the fact that my entire cast- admittedly four figures- were wiped out by the end of turn two).

It was then all hands to the pumps for our (Abingdon Wargames Club) own show, Overlord 2012 (the coordinator of which is naturally club member Overlord).  We enjoyed a well-deserv'd curry after setting up on the Saturday, enjoyed our highest footfall for over a decade on the Sunday itself, which was fantastic, and we managed to raise about £265 for this year's chosen charity.  I put on a participation game of Charlie Don't Surf on behalf of the club and that seemed to get a good reception; or, at least, the author of the rules commented favourably on the kit being used...

Many more games of Charlie were to be had, as we were also due to run it at Salute 2012; the first time we've actually run a participation game at Salute (although no doubt a club member is emailing a correction to me even as I type).  Other than dashing off to pick up some scenery/figures for 7TV from our chums at Crooked Dice and Ainsty (as well as some M113s for Charlie from Peter Pig), I saw nothing of the show, but the rest of the club seemed to have suffered no pain in piling into a minibus and having a gander around.  I can also use this forum to publicly acknowledge the sterling support of my fellow-conspirators Doc Neodynium and Mr. Smallridge in running the game and fielding public interest.  Thanks again, chaps, and not least for the Leninade and wooly Cthulhu.  It was also rather jolly to have an all-too brief few words with various members of the Too Fat Lardies Yahoo group who swung by.

With Salute out of the way, it might be thought my copy of the Charlie Don't Surf rules could get a rest (they're on the verge of collapsing through ungentle over-use).  However Overlord had cunningly booked us a table at Campaign 2012, hosted by the wargaming chaps of Milton Keynes this Saturday past.  Out came Charlie again, and again it seemed to be enjoyed by the wargamers AND non-wargamers who had a crack at it.  Lovely stuff.

In case you believe none of the above, I shall attempt to put a photos up to prove otherwise, if I get a moment.

Now, as my Rabbi- Mr. Burns- oft says, "the best-laid plans of mice and men aft gae googly" or some such.  Nevertheless, what are the gaming intentions for the immediate future?  

Well, various Darkest Africa games are taking place in preparation for a club campaign based around the same.  I've gone for Zanzibaris, on the grounds they're the only non-colonial force I actually can field in strength.  They are looking somewhat Persil in their white robes at present, but a good dose of Magic Wash should sort 'em out.  Counting chickens before they've hatched, there's a subsequent plan to bring A Very British Civil War to Oxfordshire- or North Berkshire, as it would have been back in '38.    This will possibly involve me recycling my Darkest Africa Brits as part of JOSHUA Force...

In both cases, the rules proposed are distinctly Lard-light.  In fact, I found it very difficult to get my head around the rules after my Lard-rich gaming.  However, I'm looking on this as a chance to focus on the painting/building side of things, so hopefully later in the year I can Lardify another element of my gaming.  At the very least, I might have a crack at some river terrain and Brown water units for Charlie, or have do a bit more work on my Bag The Hun Battle of Britain forces, or sort out some mounted assets for They Don't Like It Up 'Em, or...let's be honest, I've about as much focus as a monkey with the keys to three different banananana plantations.

Ah, almost forgot.  I've discovered a British-made chorizo.  Patriotic porky perfection.

Incoming!

Despite the recent deluge of 7TV posts, I have been keeping my hand in the Lard, so to speak in the meantime, metaphorically nibbling away at the leadpile for Vietnam and Charlie Don't Surf.

Firstly, the Peter Pig door gunners for an under-strength aero-rifle platoon are now all painted and ready to be attached to the four waiting Revell 1/100th Hueys.  Just need to check that there's nothing more that needs to be done to the Hueys.  Once they're sorted, the Hogs and Cobras can be attended to.

Likewise, a start has been made on three firebase terrain pieces from Frontline Wargaming.  As is usual with these things, on the day the Frontline parcel arrived, Timecast released some more goodies for Vietnam firebases and similar military installations!  This is not a problem though, as this means a less uniform look can be generated by mixing the various manufacturers' pieces- everyone's a winner!

Lastly, green stuff has been applied to the gaps in some paddy field I've attempted to make, in an effort to increase the likelihood that I'll have a crack at slapping some paint on them over the winter hols.

This level of (relative) organisation really is most perturbing.

Oh, and there was a black pudding and roast parsnip jumble for lunch today.  Good-o.

Nothing is certain with Warfare...

Nothing is certain: So much for cracking on with 7TV this Friday past.  A last-minute shuffle at work meant I had to step into some quiz master shoes.  Tsk-tsk.

Warfare:  The Doc, Bowman and I zipped down to Reading on Saturday to attend Warfare, where we bumped into 7 of our Abingdon Wargames Club compatriots (three competing in the various competitions, one supporting a trader and three also there as punters).  It was pleasant enough, but getting round was a bit tight, rucksacks and shoving wargamers notwithstanding (wargamers shoving us, that is, not the other way around).  The layout didn't help, as it felt like we were squeezing past and walking through various games to try to take a gander at those in the centre.  

6 of us crammed into a Legends of the Old West inspired game and even if the bank was robbed, at least my US Marshals helped to stop Lincoln being assassinated prematurely.  There wasn't any game in particular that grabbed the attention overall, but aspects of some were clocked.  There was the cunning use of LEDs in an Aeronef-style game and what looked like a large-scale game based around Cambrai.  Unfortunately, it seemed to take forever to set up, and still really didn't seem to have got going when we left (a good four hours after we arrived at 10am; we really were trying to nail the idea of a leisurely stroll around the show...).

No complaints on the shopping front.  Picked up some trucks from QRF to motorise my ARVN, various odds and ends from Peter Pig for my Vietnam and WWII BEF, got a variety of palm trees from various suppliers to continue jungle building for Charlie Don't Surf, and finally grabbed some Kaiser Rushforth boxes in which to hide the lead pile.  It's almost all out of sight now, y'know...

What The H**l Just Happened?

Sweet Mother of Invention, where does the time go?  In the case of the day job, that's easily answered by Y11 and Y10 controlled assessments, and the marking of said assessments.  So...I've been bad at updates.

News in brief therefore:  The VC company are all painted (and rebased where necessary) now, for Charlie Don't Surf and Men of Company B.  I've foolishly offered this as the club game at our show Overlord (10am onwards at FitzHarrys School, Abingdon, Oxon, Sunday March 6th, 2011).  To be perfectly honest, hopefully it'll serve as some reasonable eye-candy to draw in some punters who can be brainwashed persuaded into joining Abingdon Wargames Club.  Another bout of jungle terrain building has thus been embarked upon, thanks to a timely and generous resupply of plastic palm trees (Thanks to Overlord, nom d'email of a fellow AWC member who happens to organise our show; yes, he's Overlord, the Overlord overlord...).  Now to pick a suitable scenario from Surf's Up and get in some more practice games.

Popped to Warfare.  First time as a punter, having usually gone to the show with a participation game.  Stocked up on essentials (paints, brushes), a couple of Kaiser Rushforth storage cases and some Skytrex goodies.  My Google-Fu failed me in the search for a Vietnam-era combat 'dozer, so I've commited heresy and will substitute a British WWII era 'dozer whilst the search continues... 

Got in a playtest of 7TV, the latest wheeze from the suave criminal geniuses behind the Dr Who Miniatures Game.  Jolly good fun- it may have been unrealistic, but as a simulation of cult TV like the Avengers,  Adam Adamant and the Man from UNCLE, it was on the button.  Having Doktor Zermitz wave an ineffectual fist in the last turn as agent Bonaparte Singleton escaped via jet-pack gadget was the icing on the cake!

Obligatory pig-product references- a rather nice chilli using chunks of pig cheek, a chorizo and chestnut soup (just as it snows, too) and naturally pork scratchings at the recent committee meeting. 

Plus some Haggis on St. Andrews Day.

Betwixt wadi and jungle with rod and gun...

With a now semi-complete utility room, I've been able to transfer the sordid business of miniature painting and terrain creation out of the study.  Subsequently (and with the aid of the customary splurge at Colours), there is now a production line of sorts taking shape, of CD-based jungle terrain* and rows of miniatures awaiting undercoating before the inevitable painting procrastination. 

The magpie flitting from project to project seems typical of many wargamers, and I'm acutely aware of it at present.  On the one hand, the introduction of They Don't Like It Up 'Em with my Peter Pig Sudan collection to other club members has them keen on a second encounter.  Opinion is divided as to whether it'll be a different one or simply the last one but playing as a different side.

On the other hand, I'm also personally keen to crack on with upgrading my Vietnam kit (also predominantly Peter Pig).  Reading rules is no substitute for playing them, but repeated reading of Too Fat Lardies' Charlie Don't Surf (CDS) prompted me to undertake the insane step of rebasing miniatures for the first time, even though it isn't strictly necessary.  With the onset of the recent school holidays, this was undertaken with a vengeance, with both Mr. Neatherway and the Div kindly acting as the player guinea pigs to my refereeing.  With Asian take-out and beer consumed, plus an appropriate soundtrack on the iPod, havoc could commence...

Player work commitments meant the game unfortunately had to be curtailed earlier.  This was annoyingly at the point where US Lieutenants Monterey Jack, Bayley Hazen and "Blue" Vaquero had received a harsh drubbing, but would now be unable to take advantage of the fact that the VC (Lieutenants Banh Cahn and Cao Lau) had shot their bolt.  This was exacerbated by players and referee cocking up things as they played new rules, and the fact the action was squeezed on to a very small playing area.  Nonetheless, both Mr. Neatherway and the Div said they'd be willing to give it another try, now that they had a better idea of how CDS plays.  This is encouraging stuff, from players who are at the game end of the game-simulation spectrum.  

Torn therefore between wadi and jungle, it looks like the wadi wins out this weekend, as I attempt to get some Highlanders and Royal Marines ready to take on the Mahdists for September 24th's planned game at the club...

*No prizes for guessing the inspiration of this.