Its a Funny Old Game.

Wargamers are I suppose much like other ordinary people. We may have a hobby that is looked upon as well, a bit odd, we may get excited at Hollywood war films for all the wrong reasons but at heart we suffer all the foibles and faults of everyone else. Here we are the last week of January and already my good intentions and hopes for this year [ mostly recorded I may add] are buggered.
 This year I hope to increase my blog readership, granted it is only January, I have lost TWO? people already [ Im starting to feel like Louis Van Gaal!]
  I promised myself to post weekly, it is nearly two weeks since the last post.
 I have promised myself, not to buy anymore wargaming figures or ephemera until I have shifted some of my stuff. However Warlord have released Plastic Hessians and artillery which has caused me some temptation, plus Charles Grant has released a new SYW book which has caused me a great deal of torment.On this however I am staying strong as I know that I need to clear the decks of various items.
 One thing that is fairly on track is to increase the number of games that I fight, and I think I have finally recovered from last weeks re fight of the Battle of Kolin, well just about anyway.
 Kolin from an Austrian viewpoint is a great opportunity to kick the skinny backside of Frederick, they have the position, the cavalry and for once some fair commanders.
 Well in real life they did, Field Marshal Daun and General Weid fought well on the day ably assisted by the excellent Nadasty.
  However enter stage left, the modern day version of Field Marshal Daun, moi. Once again the dice Gods had a field day pouring misery down on my head. I really think God is having a great time wetting himself laughing at my efforts to throw anything but a one or a two. What a let off for the struggling Prussians, still a very good game which reinforced for me anyway, just how good the Honours of War rules are. [ By the way, I am not the love child of Keith Flint, although I am impressed with his little rulebook.]
 I was re reading some oldish Miniature Wargames magazines last night [ I live the dream, you know] from 2010 ish, and in one Kevin Dallimore was asked for him what had been the most significant change in the hobby in the last twenty five years. An interesting question. He said the internet which was fair enough, me I had to think about it a bit [ love me, love me, but Im thick]
 Anyway, I have drawn up a list, because for me, I like tabulation.
 So the most significant changes are, in no particular order;
 Decent cheap Super Glue. [ I know]
 Great quality acrylic paint. [I do miss the smell of Humbrol paints, but for speed alone.]
 The plethora of relatively cheap books, crammed with information. [ Andy, it is a golden age for military research]
 The internet. [ Just for accessibility to other wargamers across the world, never mind the easy shopping]
The rise and fall of Games Workshop. A slightly controversial one this, in some wargamers eyes. But GW introduced a very high level of professionalism into the wargaming world, and more importantly they gave some excellent sculptors a chance to develop their talents. With their gradual demise, a lot of GW players and collectors seem to have made the transition into mainstream wargaming [ I would compare it to Airfix and how that company got a lot of the veterans started]
 A strange choice for me, as I didn't really get Warhammer.
 Anyway, so there's my list of significant changes to the hobby. If I thought harder, I would include more most likely, but every wargamer is different, and long may it remain so.