Dangerous when Thinking

Maybe it was Stuart Asquith's departure (a good and fitting send off by the wargaming community which has been covered elsewhere online), or reading about Rod Stewart's model railway layout in the latest issue of Railway Modelling magazine, or watching back to back episodes, en bloc, of Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing, or once more indulging in the boxed set of Detectorists. Whatever it was, it's all got me thinking...

Stuart Asquith used to use the phrase "seeing how the other chap goes about the hobby" when describing what he got from visiting fellow gamers and discussing their approach, their projects, their gaming.
I'm fascinated by how people approach their hobbies... whether that's wargaming, model railways, fishing, or metal detecting, or any other sort of middle aged blokiness (because, let's face it, that's the category most of us reside in).

I've been having a look at how I've been going about the hobby, and have been taking stock.
This was also precipitated by a 'change' in personal and domestic circumstances (Women! can't live with 'em…). Actually, our splitting up has all been very adult and mutual, and the upshot is that I now have part of my home as a wargames room again!!

It's not yet fully fitted out, but there are troops on some of the shelves, and a table is set up (room for up to 8x6).

The likelihood is that I will get more games in 2020, even if solo, and certainly more chance to take photos of what I've been painting.
And I have been painting, a little.

Some might say I've been butterflying around, but I think that's allowed in a hobby, isn't it?!
Peter Gilder did it. And Don Featherstone before him.
And certainly Stuart Asquith did.
But, what they did do, when alighting on a particular flower (aka wargames project), is they would give it a thorough go.
Butterflies? Yes. But very thorough butterflies.

Recently, my interest in ancients has been rekindled. I needed a reason to finish off my Macedonian Successor army, and it came along in the form of a campaign opportunity courtesy of Henry Hyde and the guys on the Loose Association of Wargamers forum. Henry, as games-meister and head of state of Byzarbia, is aiming at a sort of 'anything 3000BC - 1500AD' Hyboria style affair (a la Tony Bath), set in the fictional Bathelas region.

I'm referring to it as Imagine-Ancients.
My own Macadamians (headed up by Philipolytas the Great) will take the field.

So that's one little project to be going along with for the coming year.
I have others... plenty of others. And I may publish a 'state of my projects' update, prognosis, and stocktake over the holidays.

Meantime, I wish all readers a very Merry Christmas.