Friday 25 June 2021

Weak willed wargamer, caves in again.

Wargamers are a strange breed at times and sadly Im no different. In my last post I solemnly announced that I had completed my small Wars of the Roses army and as looking for something else to paint. Well this unit of WOR archers was the result. I like to buy old and poorly painted figures to repaint as long as they are a cheap/fair price. These chaps were. I had bought this old knight a few weeks ago and wanted to place him in a new unit so thats my excuse which was a pretty poor one I admit. 


John had been keeping a new painting project secret during this lockdown and sprang them on me at our Sword and Spear battle a couple of weeks ago. Carthaginians. I quickly pointed up an early Republican army to face Hannibal and his conglomerate army.  
The battle was a cracker. Sword and Spear are a very clever set of rules that require some thinking and a bit of luck. My Romans contained a fair few poorly trained legionaries which caused them issues when they wanted to move but I would argue it reflected the Roman state at the time of Hannibal, lots of legions but most not to well trained up against a better led group of nations each fighting in a different style. 

Those damned elephants. I attempted to use my velites to weaken the pachyderm's progress but failed badly. They do pack a punch and look great on a battlefield. 
My general wisely hiding behind his best legionaries. Unfortunately his co consul was killed in combat on the right wing. My long history of getting my generals killed continues.



One doesnt have to be a genius to know a large angry beast hitting you in the flank wasnt going to end well. But what a game and lovely to see elephants on my table. So another close but enjoyable defeat.                             

I was bitterly disappointed last week when it was announced that Hammerhead which was due to be staged on the 31st July had been cancelled. Henry Hyde provided a valid excuse/explanation of the cancellation but whilst understanding the reason I disagreed.

 It was inevitable as we stagger towards national immunity that it would be very difficult to finally be released from lockdown and given how the governments fingers were burned during the Christmas debacle they are now overly cautious. 

My view is that given the average age of people who would be attending Hammerhead I would hazard an educated guess that a minimum of 90% would have received their 2 doses of vaccine by the 31st July. A cursory check by the people taking the cash at the entrance would have given a decent level of reassurance to even the most fainthearted of wargamers that all was safe. But no.

 Unfortunately the concept of risk aversion has inveigled its way into all aspects of our lives. Now before anyone jumps in and thinks Im one of those headcases who believes Covid is just a bad case of flu and created by the 'controllers' ie poor Bill Gates Im not. In fact I have a very healthy respect for the insidious disease having contracted it when the crisis first struck. But what I will say is that we have to make the last stuttering steps towards something like normality and cancelling events which could have gone a long way to showing us things were okay would have been a good thing.

  I will admit my judgement is a tad clouded by simply wanting to enjoy the interaction of being with other wargamers but by the same token we seem to have now entered a period of being transfixed by an unknown fear that is potentially manageable with a bit of common-sense and understanding the risk.

 I never thought I would admit that I miss the smell of unwashed bodies and barely washed tee shirts.   
 

23 comments:

  1. Excellent new WotR unit Robbie. I think your feelings on Hammerhead's cancellation are understandable but I differ in thinking it the correct decision. The road out of the coronavirus malarky will be longer than we think. Look at Israel today for example. I'd really be surprised to see shows as we know them before WMMS in March.

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    1. Sadly you are probably right David especially given how credence is given to every so called expert who suddenly pops out of the woodwork prophesising death and destruction. The fear factor will be difficult to overcome. It makes me wonder how we gained an empire sometimes.

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  2. Excellent looking new unit of archers

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    1. Thanks Neil. Using basic painted units is a handy way to achieve a quick unit, not that I needed anymore of course.

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  3. Good to see you back to posting, Robbie!

    Of course, your Great Man needed a retinue to lead. Good to see an ancients game on the table too. You painted an ENTIRE Roman Army in a couple of weeks? Amazing.

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    1. I cant compete with your painting achievements Johnathan and to be honest as this lockown goes on its difficult to motivate oneself too much..

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  4. Robbie,cracking painting of your Romans,and well said about this bloody virus-Carronade is planned for September,but we'll see!!
    johnc

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    1. Ill be interested to see what happens in Scotland because there is no doubt little Jimmy Crankie will go a different route, she does like to show whose boss.

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  5. I got expelled from my wargame club in January for challenging their flawed decisions during the lockdown closure during the previous 9 months. They proved time and time again to be so incompetent and risk adverse that they refused to follow the law and invented even more paranoid restrictions to jump through because they had to protect the membership from themselves. When Group of 6 came in they still banned games of more than 2 players taking place despite the mask mandate and social distancing only being advice which adults could choose to follow of not!

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    1. Unfortunately risk aversion has become a national pastime in all walks of life. I sometimes wonder how I reached adulthood given how dangerous the world is. I understand the need for caution but common-sense isnt factored in, but then using sense seems to be in short supply.

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    2. It's not a current fad.I took a trainee on at work and the Coordinator who supervised her told me she was not allowed to use the shredder and I had to lock away the tippex, that was over 20 years ago!

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  6. Great work on the recycled figures Robbie. I think the words final unit should be carved in jello.

    Understand your opinions on Hammerhead, but I am happier playing these safe. The game looks great.

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    1. Thanks Peter. I get caution but sometimes being treated as a child is very very frustrating.

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  7. Love the Rome / Carthage armies, great effort in getting the Roman army together so quickly. Will look at Sword & Spear, I had thought it was a skirmish game.

    Re Hammerhead, I am disappointed as I had booked accommodation for the visit, however I understand the reason behind cancellation is more to do with the uncertainty of knowing what restrictions will be in place at or nearer the time and that traders needing the certainty so they could book accommodation and prepare stock etc.

    The latest infection rate figures for the UK are showing a definite upward trend, so already it is looking like the organisers caution, looking into their crystal ball, has some merit. Boo Hoo!

    On the back of my disappointment at the show being cancelled, I ordered L’ art de la Guerre and O Group rules from a bricks and mortar store, as I probably would have picked both up at the show.

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    1. It would have great to have met you at the show Norm. Simply talking to another wargamer is something one can only dream of Im afraid.

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    2. Telephones are available?

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  8. Lovely looking "additional WOTR unit!" The punic battle looks great, got to love elephants on the battlefield! Pity about the show but it's a tough call for this kind of an event, the Romans look ace!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Iain. I was looking through my armies the other day and found units in many of the armies that have never been used. I sometimes wonder if thats a good thing.

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  9. Interesting opening comment about finishing armies. I was a collector as well as a wargamer, my disposable income allowing me to collect, ratger than game. Over the last 5 years, I sold off the collections as I did not game, and never would with them. Further rationalisation over Covid has leftme with all I want. Suddenly I am not painting new armies, rather finishing stuff I bought 2 years ago. I bought a few things to fill gaps in my remaining armies, but tiny amounts of lead. I honestly have about 6 months worth of figures and vehicles to paint. My big ficus in terrain. My point really is this....... you don't need to keep adding armies. Play with what you have, more often with friends. We have limited time here. Game, game with friends.

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  10. Nice unit, and equal amazement on a new Roman arny painted in a few weeks! :-)

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    1. There was a time I could paint my way through units easily. I think that was when I could drink all night and get up feeling fresh as paint. Age is a bugger now.

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My 6mm Napoleonic set up.

My 6mm Napoleonic set up.
Austria 1809.

Austrian Hussars

Austrian Hussars
Hinchliffe figures

Austrian Grenzer

Austrian Grenzer
Austrian Grenzer

Smoggycon 2013

Smoggycon 2013
Smoggycon 2013

Smoggycon 2012

Smoggycon 2012
Smoggycon 2012

Smoogycon 2009

Smoogycon 2009
My French getting another beating