Its that time again...

Its been a very busy month here in GHQ, but first up I must post the picture from Thursday's ECW game which Blogger refuses to enlarge...

There, let's hope it works this time around! It shows the moment I knew the game was slipping away from me as Sir Marmaduke Robinson's Horse smashed into the flank of John Hamden's Foote...









Painting this month has been a very mixed bag, beginning and ending with additions to my Empress AZW collection: Colour Parties for my Regular infantry units and the first of the 17th Lancers, probably the most difficult figures I've encountered in the range. The first base is done now I'm relieved to add...
Other additions were for the Indian Mutiny games; the ECW; 1940 Zeelowe and finally the FIW. Figures were from Redoubt, Foundry, Perry, Crusader and Warlord/BEF.

Games were great fun this month, eight in all; of which I won three, drew one and lost four! The draw was in my third venture into Flames of War with Jon, as I took Italians against Australians in the Western Desert campaigns of 1940-41. My tanks were nowhere, but my dug in infantry held their ground for a well deserved draw.  Other games were two Hail Ceasar! Late Roman encounters; two BR2G ACW games; two ECW games {featured in earlier Blogs} and a Devil's Wind Indian Mutiny game in our ongoing Byklabad Chronicles series...

I've managed two visits during the month: to WMMS and to Stafford Games. WMMS is a show I have much affection for and usually enjoy. On a splendidly sunny day Phil and I walked there and back along the canals without a care in the world. There were some good games on show and I did manage to get a few bits as well. Actually, now I take stock I've bought rather more than I meant to this month! {Ooops!} My main purchases have been the start of a project for 2013: the Seven Samurai, hopefully using a variant of Sharpe Practise. I've sourced and acquired a heap of John Jenkins Designs buildings, both from the UK and from Hong Kong, comprising a walled Samurai house, a Temple, and a farm complex of house, stable and barn. In addition I got about 75 figures from Museum Miniatures' Samurai range in 28mm and the civilians from Perry Miniatures, which seem to fit in exactly for scale, if a bit bulkier ~ a bit like me perhaps? I'll add more figures and terrain items over the rest of the year I hope, starting with some bits from Oshiru at Salute next month? I've also bought some books! Can't resist them I'm afraid, even though GHQ's shelves are groaning under the weight already: an Osprey on ECW Artillery, Sherwood's "Civil Strife in the Midlands" covering our local ECW actions and Chisholm's "Ladysmith" {I still have a strong hankering for the First and Second Boer War.}
Well, enough rambling on. I hope your wargaming month was as much fun as mine! May we all enjoy many, many more in the company of good friends ~ even when they thrash us and frustrate our best laid plans....