I've been Liebstered!

Thanks to Stephen at Legatus' Wargames Armies this blog was nominated for a Liebster award...ta Stephen!

The rules are that you then pass the award to some other blogs, leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.  There are also an interesting set of questions each person has to answer

My nominees for the award are....

• Shed Wars... http://shedwars.blogspot.com/

• Brummies Wargaming Blog... http://brummieswargamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/

• Armies Army... http://armiesarmy.blogspot.co.uk/

• Wargames Miscellany... http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.co.uk/

and

• Joy and Forgetfulness... http://joyandforgetfulness.blogspot.co.uk/

I think I'm meant to nominate more but I thought I'd keep it small and select!

And now for the questions.......

Why did you start blogging?

Like lots of other bloggers this was an attempt to try and organise my gaming habits and thoughts.  What I hadn't anticipated was the community of bloggers that was out there and the links you make.


If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?
In an ideal world I'd love to see the range of physical shops that used to exist when I first started getting into gaming... in reality of course those days are gone and the internet has fundamentally changed the way we explore, research and buy our next projects. 

When I first started out in Glasgow in the early 80s there were at least 2 decent shops in the city... Games Gallery in the West End and another shop in Candleriggs whose name I sadly can't remember.  It was here that I first bought copies of AD&D rulebooks and other RPGs and boardgames, fanzines and figures and, thanks to the staff in the shop, was linked up with the Glasgow & District Wargames Society which introduced me to historical gaming.  There was also an odd shop which only existed on a Saturday and lived upstairs in an anonymous office block just off George Square... it always felt as though you needed a secret password to gain entry!

When I moved to London in '86 there were a number of shops around the city... the original Dalling Rd Games Workshop, a shop up near Euston and one near Kensington [I think... that one's a bit hazy!]  I also used to live near Croydon so discovered Spirit Game before they moved up North.

I think all of these have now gone... I can see the financial reasons why and online shopping is so much easier but there is something that these shops used to provide which is harder to replace.

The number of shops now is pretty limited where I live with only Gamers Guild in Redhill and Heroes and Legends in New Malden and Croydon and of course Orcs Nest in central London.  Let's hope at least a few stay around.


What is best in life? 

Ooh... deep....

erm... family, chocolate and red wine for starters...oh, and cake, lots of cake!


Fame or fortune? 

Fortune...then I could buy more cake.


What miniatures are you most proud of having painted? 
Not sure about proud...I'm not the world's greatest painter and I'm definitely more of a gamer than a modeller but I'd say some of the more recent figures I've done for IHMN and Ronin have left me feeling quietly chuffed.

How do you deal with burn out?

I do have fits and starts at painting and. less frequently, gaming.  Right now has been one of those episodes where I haven't really been able to summon up the enthusiasm to pick up the brush, although I have done some work on some scenery on the last few days.  I've also noticed the blogging tends to dip at the same time.  The reasons for this??  Probably work and real life... very annoying!  Thanks to the good folks of Guildford Wargames Club I tend not to have too many lapses in my gaming as there's usually something interesting going on and even if I can't summon up the energy to organise a game, there's usually someone happy to host one for the evening.

How do I deal with it... I refer you back to the red wine, chocolate and cake mentioned earlier


Why is a raven like a writing desk? 

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite books!  There is no answer in the book and it's meant to be unanswerable but Carroll later said “Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!”  in a preface to a later edition... not sure that helps much!

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars.

I always enjoyed Star Trek TOS and some of the earlier films but never got into the more recent stuff [my son keeps reminding me that I often describe things as 'recent' and then realise that they happened 20 years ago!]

Funnily enough I watched A New Hope the other day and my son and I watched The Empire Strikes Back yesterday and spent half the film trying to outgeek each other with quotes and facts.  I was slightly ashamed to be able to quote the odds of navigating an asteroid field [3720:1  of course!].


If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be? 

Hmmm....

28mm... probably Copplestone or North Star
15mm...Peter Pig
6mm... Baccus


What is your favourite takeaway?
Now being Scottish makes me, I feel, ideally qualified to discuss takeaways!  Locally we have a range of Chinese and Indian takeaways and an ok Chippy but for purely nostalgic reasons it would have to be Dello's in Burnside, Glasgow.  The range of fatty goodness on sale in a Glasgow chip shop is so much more varied than down in England and no... they don't sell Deep Fried Mars Bars... the only time I've actually tried one was in Cornwall but I must admit it was very nice, even if I could feel my arteries furring up as I ate it.