Belated, Random Update!

As threatened previously, I have returned following my blogging 'sabbatical' (which is a very popular but pretentious term used increasingly nowadays, particularly in the media) and while this isn't a gaming post as such, I hope it will be mildly interesting.

Very briefly, Mrs Monty and I have recently returned from our summer holidays, part of which was spent back in my home neck of the woods (literally) in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, where we were visiting family and friends. Whilst there, among other things, we visited Chepstow castle, situated on the Welsh/English border at the mouth of the River Wye as it feeds into the Severn Estuary.

Norman in origin and dating back to 1067, the castle was active for many years and its  position, perched high over the River Wye made it strategically vital. Among its many custodians were William Marshal and Richard de Clare to name but a couple.

View looking north at the remains of the Norman central hall, giving an ideal of the protection offered from the river and its cliffs.

(Mrs Monty ruining an informative shot of medieval stonework...huurrumph!)

Unknown to me, however, was the fact that Drogon's Welsh cousin, Blogon (I know) had decided to  make the castle its home, before suddenly and unexpectedly emerging from the inner bailey to ruin our picnic lunch. Hmmm.



On a completely different tact, I was able to make an excellent purchase for £2 of Zulu Dawn in a local charity shop situated in the nearby market town of Monmouth - which itself is notable for among other things,  being the birthplace of Henry V.The film, one of my overlooked favourites, has proven a nightmare to get hold of online, so this unexpected opportunity was most welcome.

I have been flirting with getting into Colonial gaming during my malaise - more of which in a later post. However, if it's anything like the vast majority of my other 'projects' it will no doubt result in abandonment as my attention drifts elsewhere.

Finally, for now, a quick glance at my painting table, back in the 'Eagle's Nest'; just to highlight some of the chaotic non-progress that is being made. I am painting stuff, with a few things almost ready for formal unveiling into coherent games...but I must achieve focus!

Hopefully, some of you are still reading at this point, if so, many thanks and I look forward to putting something useful up very soon.

That's it for now,

Monty

Chaos!

You will probably be aware (or more likely, not) that I haven't been 'on' lately. This is due to the chaos and general lack of focus I am experiencing lately; as illustrated by my desk here.

There are numerous other things out of shot, either not started or incomplete, no games to speak of and, more worryingly, no real desire to play one. I'm sure I will snap out of it and so, at the moment I am enjoying painting the random bits and pieces I have tucked away.

While I am concentrating on random 28mm stuff at present, I feel 15mm - for me -  is the way back onto the tabletop and into an actual game again; they take less time to paint and space is now a premium anyway. I am, and always have been a skirmish gamer and will remain so, so that is the obvious scale - now, what period...?

That's it for now,

Monty

Blogger Issues!

Anyone else experiencing Blogger issues at present?
My account is playing up and won't let me edit, create or post updates - bloody frustrating!
This post is being produced on my phone; not sure if the problem is Blogger-centric, or something to do with my clapped-out PC.
The irony is that I actually have some update stuff to post for once!
Time will no doubt tell...
That's it for, now,
Monty

Classic War Films Upgrade

I'm very aware of my lack of posting lately - there is painting (of sorts) going on in the background - but life has been soooo busy recently.

I will put some stuff up soon, but in the meantime, I though I would quickly highlight my latest classic war film upgrading to blu-ray from DVD (yes, extravagant, I know - but necessary...)

All are fantastic conversions with excellent full HD picture quality and Dolby 5.1 sound which breathes new life into them all round.

More to follow, including The Dambusters, which should have arrived with these, but has been delayed - drat!

That's it for now,

Monty

The Eagle's Nest

A hectic period of relocating, changing jobs and general confusion has largely passed and allowed me to settle into my new surroundings - the spare box room - now dubbed, ahem, 'The Eagle's Nest'.

You see, sadly, I am not blessed with the sort of grandiose bespoke gaming real estate ( 40 feet long gaming room/shed/outhouse/pavilion/basement et al.) that some of my more fortunate blogging buddies have; so it's a humble 7' x 7' domain that schizophrenically acts as office, library, painting room, retreat, sulking/brooding hole.

However, that said, I count my blessings and realise that I am more fortunate than some, who have to make do with less. Be aware, poor photography follows...

The centre of my 'empire', with recently acquired natural light lamp; painting activity - of sorts - has resumed.

Pretentious, 'panoramic', 360-ish view of my humble bolt hole...ho hum... ;)

I must  try now and squeeze some painting in somewhere between everything else going on at the moment!

That's it for now,

Monty

Happy New Year!

I've been wallowing in the annual festive fug  and all normal routine has been duly kicked into touch. However, prior to breaking off for Christmas I did complete a number of long term jobs I had on the go for some time and will post them upon my return to London in the New Year.

In the meantime a picture of my very modest Christmas swag will have to suffice - the little woman and I decided upon austerity measures this year due to the impending, delayed global financial collapse.  There are a couple of things missing, a few bottles of grog and  a blu-ray of one of my favourite films, Gangs of New York.

Two things worth mentioning; wargaming took a back seat on my austerity list, as I already have numerous uncompleted projects littered about the place. However, I can't wait to get my mitts on Conquest Games' Norman Infantry, which upon initial inspection, look great.

Another pressie I'm looking forward to getting to grips with is 'Decision Points' - the political memoirs of George W.Bush. We all know he is widely ridiculed - often unjustifiably - particularly among the naturally Left-leaning European press and has made a number of gaffes, usually during public speaking events; however, I find him fascinating and am looking forward to reading his account; my thoughts of which will be posted in due course.

2013 is a monumental year for me on a personal front, as redundancy looms which brings to an end nearly twenty-nine years service as a soldier in the British Army due to defence cuts. Suffice to say, new challenges abound!

All that remains though is to wish you all a very Happy New Year and look forward to more painting, gaming and blogging (but almost certainly not in that order!)

That's it for now,

Monty

Bits 'n' Bobs

I'm sure you will have noticed that I haven't exactly been productive lately, either with painting or posting. This, I suppose is due to a complete 'block' and evaporation of enthusiasm for table top gaming, which I'm sure will wear off soon and I'll be back to my usual low output in no time.

One of the things that has demoralised me is my endless mass of unpainted stuff and half-arsed unfinished projects. I intend to just start painting things again, not in any order or with any particular end goal, but just to regain the pleasure of (poorly) completing models and figures again.

 In the meantime, I have got these few GZG examples which I've recently finished, having had them lying around for over a year...

Alien mercenary, which is by far my favourite...

Human ravager with Crusty...

UNSC troops, which I decided to give the Master Chief look...

Fight!! 

That's about it for now, pretty pathetic, I know...but I'll BE BACK :)

Monty

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

This looks good fun, although I haven't read the book it's based on, I do own and have read Seth Grahame's other mash-up novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I recommend.

I am painting and making stuff, although fairly incoherently in the background, and will post some of my latest bits and pieces soon; in the meantime, enjoy ...


That's it for now,


Monty

Interlude, just for a laugh...

Saw this on FB and it gave me a chuckle...

That's it for now,


Monty

Two Hour Wargames

Everyone has their favourite set of rules that they usually spend most of their time on in one way or another and for me it is, far and away, those offered by Two Hour Wargames or THW. 

Created and developed  by Ed Teixeira, they are constantly expanding their range and cover everything from fantasy, gladiatorial combat, WW2, pulp, zombies and colonials - to name but a few!   For those that haven't tried them, here is a brief resume from their website:

'Welcome to Two Hour Wargames makers of entertaining games playable in two hours or less. All THW games can be played solo or same side (cooperatively) as well as head-to-head. With THW you can play with your friends as well as against them. Customer satisfaction and support is our goal and our 4800 member Yahoo Group is available to answer all questions'

Just a few of the titles on offer, giving an indication of the range available.

There are a number of things that stand out that for me, make THW the system of choice:

Firstly, and not least, the system is intuitive, flexible and lends itself to real-world tactics, rather than 'gamey' mechanics. Players can use any figures they already have and it doesn't rely on specific basing or scale conventions.

THW's ethos is unpretentious, friendly and open to user input at every level, with Ed on hand to answer questions daily via the enthusiastic Yahoo Group.

But, for me it is the unorthodox and ingenious 'chain reaction' system used by all THW games that allows solo, co-op and multi-player games with equal ease that set it apart. Quite unlike any other on the market it offers a challenging and unpredictable game every time you play.

When I returned to the hobby 3 years ago, my playing habits and the time available to me had changed since my last incursion back in the 90's; I now don't have the time or inclination to learn multiple rules sets or paint endless specific figures for each game system and quite often play solo due to work constraints. Therefore, THW is perfect - once you learn the core system, you know 90% of all games within its range - perfect.

The core system 'Chain Reaction 3.0' is available for free download from THW's site and are well worth a look, who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised...

That's it for now,

Monty

Rage - 2011 Gameplay Trailer [HD] - Pixel Enemy

Got this beauty brand new for Xbox at Tesco for thirteen quid - bargain! Painting is continuing (slowly) in the background...

Guns at Batasi

I mentioned the brilliant film 'Guns at Batasi' - which the good lady bought me last Christmas - back in January, and thought I would belatedly post this classic sequence of scenes for your perusal. 

For those that haven't watched the film, Richard Attenborough is at his best as RSM Lauderdale, the career soldier and focal point for his regiment, now under siege in his own mess following a mutiny by native troops in colonial Africa following a coup.

There are fantastic performances all round which are well worth an afternoon's viewing with your feet up; and while there may be no gun-play to speak of, despite the title, they demand your full attention.

Highly recommended.


That's it for now,


Monty 

Battle of Hastings

We had a great day out on Saturday at Battle, East Sussex, to watch this year's re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings. In glorious October sunshine the site of the battle came alive again with over 400 participants clashing in a stirring representation of that epic turning point in English history. In addition to the battle, there was also plenty of other activities, including falconry, weapons' and equestrian displays. 

 This was our first visit to Battle, which carries a tangible sense of history and we  intend to return and take it all in again in slow time; there is much to see all year round, with various tours, a museum and buildings such as Battle Abbey, (above) built by William on the site of Harold's demise to give thanks for his victory and to commemorate the thousands who fell that day.

Norman cavalry begin to arrive on the field...

There were a number of excellent cavalry displays including use of lance and javelin against infantry and mounted swordsmanship.

The display begins with the English beginning to arrive on Senlac Ridge, shortly after, 'King Harold' emerges at the head of his banners to survey the field.

The English shield wall begins to mass...

Arrows from  Norman bowmen begin to rain down on the defenders as the battle opens...

The Norman infantry begins its advance towards the waiting English...

'Duke William' leads the cavalry charge against the shield wall...

Battle is joined proper...

The English were again defeated and a sense of reverent sadness fell across all assembled as a minute's silence was observed at the finale.

A great day out all round, with much to talk and think about and which is thoroughly recommended. Next year's battle event promises to be an even larger spectacle with many more taking part  and we have already cleared the diary...

That's it for now...


Monty

Wargames (Soldiers and Strategy) Magazine

When it comes to wargaming, I am without doubt a 'lighweight'; only having returned to the hobby two years ago after a twelve-year absence and certainly not up there with the 'big hitters' that I regularly see (and admire) at shows and among these hallowed electronic sites.

With all this preamble blurb in mind then, it is unsurprising that my sighting and subsequent purchasing of this previously unseen gem caused such a pleasant surprise to me whilst visiting my local WH Smith newsagent.

A fantastic, unbiased read full of diverse  articles which  is a world apart from Wargames [FOW] Illustrated...

I am probably the last 'war gamer' on Earth to see this magazine, but will certainly be supporting it in the future...great stuff!


That's it for now,


Monty