Something has been on my mind a good deal of late

 I seem to have been thinking rather a lot about our hobby over the course of this rather constrained period brought to us by all the Coronavirus malarkey. Whilst I’ve not been able to play any face-to-face games here in GHQ I have followed many a friend’s game via their blogs and Facebook pages. What I have been able to do is to review my collections of figures for the various periods which we have dabbled in here in GHQ and in my hobby in its wider context over the last 50 years or so. It’s an uncomfortable fact, but in the nature of life they have a likely future beyond my own, so some sort of planned rationalisation might seem the way ahead. The trouble is I don’t really want to part with anything, even though some collections are almost never deployed in games!

One of my main problems is a combination of a number of factors: plentiful hobby time to fill, a catholic interest in historical wargaming periods, a joy of painting new figures, the lure of the shiny and new, and the financial independence to indulge my whims. In short, like many of my readers I’d guess, I’m a hopeless case, a Wargamer! Hence the choice of illustration on the left. I need never buy another figure if I’m honest, but the fact is I’m never still in a hobby sense, restlessly indulging in the latest interest, Pendawar 1800 - 1806 in this case. And even though I’m plodding on with painting the figures I’ve acquired for this latest project I still find my mind turning to additions I might make to the two armies as we go along. Phil teases me, at least I take it that way, that I have megalomaniac tendencies, at least in hobby terms, and collections just grow out of hand. I really do need to address this fault in my make up. As St Augustine as a young man was said to have prayed about the temptations of the flesh, “Lord, give me continence, but not yet...”

One of my biggest collections would come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well, it’s my ACW collection. The current iteration, my third for the period, is almost exclusively comprised of Dixon Miniatures, a bit of a Marmite choice amongst fellow enthusiasts I’d have to say. I started in 15mm using mostly Minifigs, sold those on and graduated to 25mm Minifigs, always building both sides for gaming. They were sold on when I discovered the wonderful range from Dixon Miniatures ~ characterful, wonderfully detailed and animated, and a joy to paint. So large has the collection grown that much never gets out on the tabletop to see any action in GHQ. Even so, I know there are three unpainted regiments lurking in the Lead Pimple of Shame under my desk, not to mention the two regiments Phil has been painting for me! In the light of these factors I’ve decided a small cull may be in order, so keep an eye out for units seeking a new home later in the year.

Meanwhile here in GHQ thoughts turn to a return to face-to-face gaming, starting on Monday with a first outing for the two Punic Wars armies I painted over the first two Lockdown periods. I'll hope to post an AAR later in the week for any interested visitors to the blog. In the meantime, Game Ye Joyously! Really!!