The Independent Wargames Group

Good morning and felicitations on the first day of 2026. I felt that I should type something in my main blog to;

1] Prove I was alive.

2] I am still a wargamer.

3] Because I wanted to put down some thoughts about 2025.

My last post was back in May 2025 and at that time I faced a lot of questions that I needed to answer or simply ignore. 

2025 became the year that I wanted to actually become useful again, that is generally and had nothing to do with wargaming. In fact I had serious doubts about my future in wargaming as I hurtled towards the big 70.

In order to finance my main aim for 2025 I had to raise some funds and reluctantly sold my lovely 25mm English Civil Wars collections. I was in several minds about which one of my collections to lose, it could have been my massive SYW collection, my ACW collection, or several smaller but equally precious smaller collections. But it was my ECW collection that went. It hurt but was necessary as politics, even local ones isnt cheap.

  Did I regret sng the ECW collection that I had worked so hard to build? Of course I did, but needs must. And now that I know it is actuually being used, its a little easier to accept.

 So by May 2025 I was ensconsed in local politics and that has been a huge learning curve and took up a great deal of my time. But I dont regret the choice thankfully.

But wargaming suffered. 

Not the games, because I made certain I was able to get a game virtually every week with John who introducded me to the world of Midgard and later Pillage. Both have been hugely enjoyable and are examples of well thought out wargame rules that provide a fun game but also great narratives and stories. 

What did suffer was my painting. I havent picked up a brush since May 2025. Not because I didnt have time but simply because I had no desire to paint a figure of any sort.

I hadnt felt like that since the very early 1980's. Every wargamer will face the same sensation eventually, whether because of personal or financial reasons but in my case I didnt see the point of painting more figures that I simply wouldnt use. Perhaps it was a result of selling my ECW collections? Its not important now and there is no point analysing something that could change again very quickly.

 Another thing that did suffer was me attending wargames shows. In the end I managed three, which is well below my usual tally. Sadly worklife balance was a big factor.

  The shows I attended, I enjoyed. Not because of the trade. Not because of the games, but because of the wargamers I met.

Ive just noticed there are a lot of 'nots' in the text, whats that about?

Anyway here we are in 2026 and a big birthday on the horizon. Will that change things? Hopefully not. One thing that struck me focefully is the healthy state of the hobby. The rules being producded provide some excellent games. The figures, especially the resin and plastic ones are improving in qualitity expotentially.

 Unfortunately the pressures on our cost of living are forcing prices up and shrinking the size of armies and collections, hence the smaller games being popular perhaps?

  One ambition I do have is I would actually like to win a game in 2026 as I havent come close all of 2025!!!

I should blame my dice and I would be justified to a certain extent but the reality is Im just not a very good general, or John is a wargaming genius. I think its the latter.

I must apologise for the lack of photographs, my poor PC is on its last legs and needs a good seeing to.

 2025 saw the loss of another influential wargamer and all round decent man, George Gush. Sadly there was no decent obituary of Gush who was a huge influence on me and John in the 1980's with his wonderful renaissance rules and books. Perhaps someone will provide a detailed obituary of Mr. Gush, he deserves one.