Doings in Zebra-ville

Been busy away from the hobby much of this year but not abandoning it.  Have 72 28 mm animals on the bench to paint for the local club's event for 2014.  Long way to go.

A major portion of my hobby focus, and budget, has been away from miniatures and focused on model railroading this year.  This is good for me because that is my primary hobby and miniatures have always been a side interest (truly, despite the evidence here at this blog).

While I don't anticipate losing my long term interest in miniatures, I continue to try to talk myself into reducing the numbers of periods I have.  Or, failing that, to at least dramatically reduce the number of figures I have in most of the periods I have figures for.  I recently started priming up bases for my AWI collection, just the bases.  With less than a third of the needed bases primed, that number by itself is intimidating - and that is without prepping a single figure.

Don't really know where these musings will lead but figured I should take a moment in this busy summer, more away from hobbies entirely than not, and add an update.

The real challenge in reducing the collection is deciding where to do so.  Hard.  Very hard.  But just might start getting more serious on this front.  Might.

Progress On A Front

The wild west being one of the most popular tabs here, you might want to check out what I am about to post there.  Finally solved a long simmering problem that will help in the mega-game edition.  I'm off to sort it out for all to read.

And below is an overhead shot of the buffalo herd for my wild west games where you can see just how many beasts I've painted up for it.  Obviously the bases weren't done when this photo was taken.

Followers Blocked

Okay, so I've stumbled on how to block unwanted followers but now I find when I try to renew the gadget that allows - and shows - followers that I have to join up with Google+.  Will have to explore that a bit more before deciding on whether to do so or not.

Otherwise, life is busy away from gaming this summer.  But, man oh man, is Blue Moon Manufacturing coming out with some super cool releases!  And if you decide to dive into their gangsters, don't forget that both rebel minis (http://www.rebelminis.com/15mm-gunmen-hostages-punks-e.htm) and Khurasan both have some figures that can add in.  Unfortunately, the Khurasan site is down while the proprietor is away but he has both a nice set of cops and another of gangsters.  Just adds some more variety to the mix.  But that Blue Moon offering with its buildings is astonishing.  Now they must add in some vehicles to make the range truly viable.  HO cars are TOO big!  Here's the Blue Moon link for the range: http://www.bluemoonmanufacturing.com/index.php?cat_id=134

And if that period doesn't work for you, then check out their new and growing range of colonials.  The NWF fortress is spectacular! http://www.bluemoonmanufacturing.com/index.php?cat_id=133
I keep having to wipe drool pools off my computer when I look at that tasty bit.

Note to followers

My apologies for deleting the follower gadget but it was being used by porn sites and I don't care to forward their efforts.  While I tried to find out how to delete just those followers, I was unable to determine how to do so.  Perhaps in the future I will figure it out and restore that feature but for now it will not be a part of this blog.  I'm not a prude about it but I just don't think it appropriate for this blog.  Thanks for your understanding.

Do you really have to be in Pamplona to run with the bull?

I suppose to run with the bulls you do.  But this is about Bull Run, the battlefield and Celebrating History.  The photos below are of three 4' x 5' pieces of terrain, subsequently slightly modified to tone down many of the roads and paths a bit, I custom built to recreate the first edition of that doubled up American Civil War battle.  So what you see is a 5' x 12' total set up.  

These pieces were created for the original Celebrate History convention which occurred way back in February of 1998 -- and were transported from the Sacramento area to the site in the back of an open pickup truck under tarps in pouring rain all the way.  But hey, John Hill himself thanked me for putting on this game with his Johnny Reb 2nd edition rules.  Well, me and Jerry who provided the bulk of the figures.

And it was a game to be remembered even though there were only four players in it including Jerry and myself.  But all four of us knew the rules so well we played along at a famous clip.  Right until I caved in and let two others join in that sort of spoiled the pace.  But hopefully we made a couple of gamers day by letting them participate.  And that is what a convention is about, or should be.  Often think it would have been great to play through with just the four of us, if I recall right Dave P. was one of the others and I don't recall the fourth person this evening as I type.

So what is with the photos at this far removed date?  Time for them to seek a new home.  I have a possible buyer and need the storage space for other purposes.  That and I've developed a completely different terrain philosophy that works better for me.  Still working on the rivers and roads part of that new stuff, though.

One pleasant element of this set is that it really yields six possible game tables: each piece by itself, the two possible sets of two, or all three together.  But it is not modular, they only match up as a set or the two subsets - no turning around to make other sets.  But it was meant for a particular battle.  And certainly the most gratifying comment of the day was the onlooker who stopped and asked if this was the Bull Run battlefield.  Though that might have stemmed from having the right buildings in the right places, at least certain signature ones.  Oh, it was all in 15 mm, of course.

The photos were taken on the lanai in late afternoon with the pieces standing on edge.  There are a few minor dings that could use some repair but they are still quite serviceable pieces.  I believe the third from the last -- the last two are detail close-ups -- gives the best overall sense of how the table setup works.  The stream in the first photo is Bull Run.  Afraid I'd have to get out the atlas to identify the other one just now.

Well, that's it for the moment.  Maybe I should have put this under the terrain tab but I have a reason for putting it here.

Tabs and Going Over The Hill

Part of that post title refers to terrain -- see under the Scenery tab above for a couple of short notes on pending projects.  The other part, tabs, means I'm considering another adjustment.  Blogger limits us to twenty tabs for different pages (or did, haven't checked if that has changed) and I'm thinking about putting the German East Africa tab back up.  Still a sceptic about a comprehensive 15 mm range being produced but a new book I'm reading has reinvigorated that interest.

One of the great life distractions has recently settled down but I still have a couple more pulling focus from miniatures.  Need to get the house painted and that means a lot of work getting the homestead in shape for the painters.  The other is working on my model railroading project.

Just wanted to post something so those of you following know I haven't abandoned my blog.  Up to nine followers now I see.  I suspect when I get a lot more pictures up and some game reports there might be more.  Unfortunately, I still haven't played in a game this year - and it's almost half over!  But all is not bad.  As I get the train room back into shape that means I'm getting the painting space back into shape as well.

Alienation

No, this is not about space beings nor is it about extra-legal immigration but instead it is about something that just might alienate some.  So be it.  I've noticed something that to me is odd.  And it isn't just local to my area.  And, of course, from the perspective of those who make their living in the hobby, it isn't all bad.  But I find myself wondering why so many members of the hobby - certainly (hopefully?) not all -- are windsocks.  If the hobby blows this way, wham, they blow that way.  And if it shifts a degree, slam, they shift a degree.  Rather than having any focus in their endeavors, the Windsocks shift to whatever is the meme of the moment within the hobby.  Now, variety is good.  But inconstancy is not.  And I find myself wondering if this is one of the challenges that causes this hobby to be so scattered.  How does one get an army fully painted and deployed on to the table if one is constantly chasing seventeen different rule sets/periods/scales/basing schemes from week to week?  Just doesn't happen.  The vagaries and vicissitudes of life throw us enough challenges.  I suspect that a more focused approach on the greater part of the hobby will give the hobby renewed vigor -- and bring in more members.  Of course, there will always be those odd ducks who can never focus -- within or without of the hobby.  Then there are those who feel that their chosen period needs yet another set of rules.  Though why one period needs seventy-two different rule sets is beyond me.  (and for the bio-strategically retentive, the seventy-two is a random number for illustrative purposes -- get over it).

I have not been entirely innocent since I have accumulated so many periods.  Plus I plan yet another set of rules in the great mix.  But my purpose is to simplify handling that accumulation -- one core set of mechanisms for all periods.  And, YES, it is possible.  If not your cup of tea, don't drink it.

Enough for now before I get really wound up.  Just an observation, nothing more.