So, what are we doing now?

There is just so much to get through...given that I am turning into such a patchy blogger...that I am going to have to run this post in mini batches. In my defence, there is an awful lot happening and much of it just eats up my time usually set aside for blogging.

A famous member...
We now have a famous member...well, almost famous....well, as famous as a wargame club member can get without recourse to multiple, grisly and public mass murders anyway....and we really do not want to go through all that again! Our own Mark Pugh, Little Markie, has won the Readers Painting Competition run by Miniature Wargames! He entered some of his WW1 Belgian infantry, made by Brigade Models, but never said a word to us...his bestest friends! Anyway, well done Mark, good job. I have added a few pictures of Marks Belgians here. These are worthy winners in any painting competition but, personally, I don't think they are Mark's best work...which just goes to show what a revoltingly talented bod ol' Markie is, just don't tell him I said so. Well done mate, good job!

Bloody websites... :(
The website saga continues. The host company are refusing to unlock the site and it has even taken us a series of arguments, threats and begging just to get them to allow us to redirect it! As it stands today, anyone visiting www.mhwc.co.uk will be redirected to a page on the Brigade Models site. There is also a page on this blog site now that keeps you updated about new traders and clubs but none of these are as effective as our website. We are now having to build an entirely new site and come up with a new domain name to avoid this hacker (git) that caused all this grief in the first place. If we keep the old domain name we risk another attack so we need to build in some safeguards. All of this is a total pain in the arse of course and just one more job to add to the ever growing pile. Git. The plan is that we will build a site, probably using Wordpress, between now and June and release it during/post Broadside. Ho-hum.

Model Kits...
We have recently purchased a collection of completed models following the death of family member of a friend of the club. Some of it is very usual but it also has a pile of 20mm planes, including half a dozen Lancaster bombers, and some vehicles...including some larger scale stuff we can use as terrain for larger figure scale games like Normandy Firefight. There are several large boxes of the stuff taking up room I do not have in my hallway but I hope to have them out by the next club meeting....I am not allowed to bring them home again :S

Email gaming...
I'm in the process of creating a 'Play by Email' game for club members. It is all coming together quite nicely and I am currently working on the combat mechanisms. The maps are something I keep returning to, I have a main map of sorts, built using the Games Workshop Mighty Empires plastic terrain tile set. I now plan to expand upon this and draw up each of the hexagonal tiles within its own hexagonal grid. Each will be emailed out as part of a huge information pack to each member taking part. I know what you are thinking...I know, I know... if you are so busy (too busy to even blog apparently!) what are you doing messing around with this? Fair question. This is my 'Toilet Project'. I started having Toilet Projects whilst working on my 40,000 word Masters Research Thesis, something I could use to distract myself from the normal stuff without eating into the time that work needed....and I do this whilst on the loo, hence the whole 'Toilet Project' thing. This does mean that progress can be a little random of course but I am rarely disturbed and ideas can really get a good airing...in a manner of speaking. I will keep you posted on progress (of the game!!) and how I intend to deal with the various mechanics such a project needs. It will be based, loosely, upon the AWI and I will be allowing the players as much of a free reign as they want; they can also try and do anythng they want...as long as they do not get miffed if that want goes horribly wrong, as strange and luck pushing wants often do.....

Download page!
This blog now has multiple pages!!! Something forced on me by the whole website saga, so every cloud does have some silver in it somewhere. The latest page is for free downloads open to anybody and will be added to over time. At the moment it only has the new Worminator rule but keep an eye on it...I have plans!
If there is anything that you have that you would like to share....or if there is something you would like me to try and make available then let me know!

The next Club Meeting...
I have booked a game of Operation Squad with Mark for the next club night. I will give my Italian Paras an outing against Mark's newly finished British Paras...which will no doubt look stunning. This should be a good game, I have no idea how Mark's squad is made up, what the weapon mix etc will be. My lot have a neat little mortar that can be quite effective...or be bloody useless of course, but this needs careful positioning. I am really looking forward to this game, I haven't really played a game myself for ages, usually end up refereeing, so win lose or draw I am determined to enjoy my game! Op' Squad is a great game for a club night and it really makes you think about what you want to do; it's not just a dice rolling competition! I will post a report after the meeting!!!!!!