Full circle

 A few days ago I joined the ranks of the septuagenarians. Yes, I'm now 70 years old.

And now I've gone full circle from playing with toy soldiers aged 7, Airfix and Timpo, to playing with toy soldiers aged 70 (too many manufacturers to mention!).

But now I play in a more structed way and at a more comfortable height than on the floor.

I still recall that day in the Library when I came across Charge! or how to play wargames. It was meant to be.

Wargaming can, and for me has mostly been, be a hobby for a lifetime. From those first days and then two decades of life to coming back and gaming for 40+ years

I should be culling my games and figures but it seems I'm gaining more each year.

I got a  couple of wargaming presents from my boys. It was after a lovely meal with all three on my birthday. One good thing about more figures is the painting. I enjoy it more than when I first started out.

Wargames Foundry ECW Sergeants with a freebie Roman

You can never have to much scenic pieces

The ECW figures will be ideal for the Witchin' Hour and the scenics for any game. They can be used for ceremonial occasions in later periods. A bit like the Swiss Guard or similar ceremonial units.

They are packed away for taking with me.

Off once again to Florida to meet up with my fantasy and sci-fi material. Let's see where that takes us.

Ronin

 In my search for suitable figures for the theatre I came across these figures from Woo Foo on etsy (samurai-villagers-28mm):-

They are lovely looking figures with nice detail. 

I especially like the two men bearing loads and the woman grinding/ making pottery?

Obviously the musician and dancer with the fans are the primary focus but the other figures will add interest to any town/village setting.

To be honest. I was somewhat worried about the fact the feet are so small on some figures, the musician, dancer and woman with the parasol. We will see of robust they are over time.

Don't expect them to be painted too soon. I will likely take them to the US and paint them there when I get some time.

I don't have many figures to paint. The Austrians are nearly finished as are the cultists from crooked dice.

I won't likely see the Kickstarter figures from Crooked Dice (crooked-dice.co.uk) or Bad Squiddo (badsquiddogames.com) until I'm back in March 2026.

Let us see. I have a little under 2 weeks to complete things before flying.

Thanks for dropping by.

Ronin

It isn't often I'm shocked but I've just built a building I've had since 2017. I'm not sure why it took so long. 

With this model I thought it important to add some colour. It's an important building. A place for staging plays and perhaps music also.

I based it a little on the Noh stages I looked up. Though it is to a different configuration, over all the basic stage looks the same design.

Luckily, I kept a piece that filled the front of the stage. I used it for the backdrop. Normally these are plain wood colour with a Japanese pine tree. Because the wood colour I used was somewhat darker than typically used I painted it a green for a pasture/hills and blue for some sky.

The other buildings are from 4ground which don't seem to be available any longer.

I added all the figures I have to the scene so there are a lot of Ronin, Samurai and villagers. The village itself looks large with the new building. Yes, I know I need a temple and, and, and .......

TT Combat Kiyomori Stage 

Front without backdrop

backdrop

From the front with backdrop

All the miniatures coming to the theatre

I hope you like the scene.

This is why on leadadventureforum I'm looking for suitable figures to set the scene with musicians and performers.

This is why I don't buy a lot of items at wargames shows!

I flit from one thing to another as the fancy takes me and paint figures as they come. Having said that, I haven't quite finished the Austrians for Blücher there being about 75 left.

But I am painting the four female cultists from crooked-dice !

And I'm backing badsquiddogames and crooked-dice on Kickstarter. I'm not going all in as I don't think I need THAT many figures because I really want a miller, baker and fishmonger for Witchin' Hour and the figures for the stage above.

Thank you for dropping by to take a look

I've been busy pt2

Here are the small forces of Early war German and British for Bolt Action I painted recently.

I'm not too fond of the plastics and my painting of them is less than optimal to say the least! 

And those Wargames Atlantic figure, while adequate, are not for me. I don't think they fit well. At least, mine don't.

But it's a minor project that is likely only to get a little bigger. The only reason it's likely to get a little bigger is because I made the mistake of building three figures with PIATs! Obviously, I might need a Panzer 3, 38T and or some armoured vehicles like the Hanomag or Puma. And all because of PIATs.

That isn't the only mistake I made. On a whim whilst in the local FLGS I saw the support section boxes for both nations and bought them. Then I found that they were later war versions. What to do? Use them as early war was the only option. Similar, but different. But not that different.

And I gave each section a 2" mortar when only the platoon HQ had one.

I was fortunate that my son bought four British riflemen from Empress games, which I was going to use for A VBCW, which are added to the British. I can use the whole British force for that game also now of course. Bonus!

It seems odd to me thinking of the LMG section for the British that they don't have a number two in the WA box. No bags or boxes of bren gun magazines. Even one arm with a magazine would have worked.

British

My little mistakes

Three PIATS and two additional 2" mortars. May count as reinforced platoon if heavily engaged

German

MG34 on the left and kneeling figure with ammo box

I've been busy pt1

 Hi!

I've been busy.

I finished the third of the kristoff_designs Tudor style buildings I'm using for Witchin' Hour and other games.

To go with these I will need a butcher, baker and fishmonger. I think two of these are available from Midlam Miniatures in their villagers range. A nice touch I think to add more villagers.

To go with those I bought a covered bridge and a windmill  which are both on the board for A Touch of Evil. This is the board I'm going to be using going forward to plot the campaign. Give it structure I can see:-

I think for obvious reasons the windmill is smaller than the ground scale of the other buildings. It would be 3 or 4 times this size which would be too large.

I'm exploring having a manor made, also in the Tudor style. I've seen  a ready made one but thought I'd explore further.

And likely a courthouse, pub, and a few houses.

Now the pièce de résistance:-

Yes. I'm a mug. Another project. This time it's for next year when I get back from the US. I bought it on leadadventureforum in the Bazaar of Obscurities, which is the sale and wanted items section.

I'd been looking at the games for a long while and thought s** it!

I'm sure I have many figures suitable for it. Likely, though, I would need a few special ones. It does cover 6 genres; Amazing Tails, Crime Busters, Gangland Stories, Mystery Theatre, Thrilling Adventures and Weird Menace.

All the sections thrills you could wish for. From jungle adventures to space and beyond.

Luckily, it also included the 'Lurkers from the Deep' episode guide and cards for some Call of Cthulhu if I wish. Which I don't. Although I could use the Seraphon/Slann lizardmen and skinks instead of fishmen? No. I don't think so but they would be ok for the weird menace.

You will notice that this is part one. I finished the WW2 boxed infantry and will put that up in a few days.

I didn't want to turn the post into a War and Peace sized epic.

Thanks' for dropping by

Witchin' Hour.

Hi!

I was looking for a fantasy map to use for Witchin' Hour with a view to creating a campaign. Whilst doing so I also wondered if there were any board games which might be suitable.

I checked on eBay and the maps were more than I wanted to pay, as were the board games. But I came across this board and it seems perfect. 

The board is for a game called A Touch of Evil, and Board Game Geek website has some positive reviews and YouTube had videos of the game which have already come in useful.

Possibly I could buy the game and have all the cards with events and loads of other things but I have a mind to try that myself.

Here is the board:-

I think you will agree it has potential,

Eerie woods, abandoned keep, spooky manor, marsh, windmill, fields, crossroads, covered bridge and a few buildings in town to search etc.

I have the idea of making event/clue cards to take decisions out of my hands.  

Could I have drawn it myself? Probably. But not as well for sure.

Now for the hard part. Paper, pen and thinking.

Witchin' Hour

Stop the ritual

A game played in the garden on a lovely, sunny, English summer day.

My men were away searching the countryside when it become known to me the witches were to conduct some form of ritual nearby. I scoured the town looking for good, able bodied Christians to root out these evil doers before some plague or catastrophe should befall all roundabout.

Finding only two such men (Ah! I left my fantasy figures in the US. These unfortunate souls were left behind, luckily) I commenced a search. There were several areas that seemed worthwhile to check.

(1) A standing stone 

(2) An ancient ruin

(3) Three wooded areas and a field some distance away.

 (As before, I used dice for random movement of villagers. One for direction, one for distance).

I, being mindful that the witches would see me as the biggest threat, took one man with me to the standing stone. The other I sent to search the ruin.

At the stone I found a witch doing what I didn't have time to find out as I immediately attacked her. 

We caused each other wounds before I laid her low. I picked through her satchel and took items to examine later as time allowed.

My man found two witches in the nearby wood inflicting harm to them before killing them and receiving a wound himself.

At that time, unbeknownst to us, our companion found two witches in the ruins conducting their evil machinations. They laid him low, no doubt with foul magics.

They completed the first part of their ritual. (Each turn the witch throws a dice. The first part of the ritual needs a six, the second part a 5-6, the third a 4-5-6).

The clock is ticking!

I searched the next wood and found nothing.

My immediate companion stopped a local who turned out to be a follower of the witches (dice throw of six and they are followers who will attack the witch hunters). He made short work of him before heading toward the bridge where he hoped to meet his friend.

He approached two men at the bridge who he identified as robbers. He fell to these foul brigands.

I immediately assailed the nearer of the two and killed him but was laid low by the club of his companion.

I came to in a ditch by the bridge my possessions gone and with a head so sore I cannot think. I made my way to the place I was residing in with some difficulty.

The witches were now free to finish their ritual in peace. (They kept rolling under three each round, but with the downfall of the witch hunters needed no time limit to finish