Playing Favourites

Following in the stead of two very fine bloggers, Big Lee and Admiral Drax, I am minded to join in with the fun!

Wargames Period - Probably Napoleonics. There's nowt so fine as a beautiful, extravagantly-tailored uniform. After that would follow quite closely the ACW. I think I'm probably a good choice for a real-life ACW general: y'see, I tend to do dreadfully and I have always liked the Union (nothing moral about it in childhood - I simply liked John Wayne in blue!).

Scale - I find myself a bit torn here. I started with 1/72 plastics. I moved onward to GW's 25/28mm stuff. In the last decade or so I have acquired sizeable 15mm and 6mm forces, which I want to like. I do find the 6mm stuff a bit small for me at my advanced age (31 as of this moment), but I love the 1:2500 (or is it 2400?) Star Trek stuff. the 25/28mm stuff is really nicest for skirmishing and so on, but I am more of a fan of smaller bits and bobs for larger games.

Rules - Shako, incontestably. I drift back to uni, when I used to game against two or three good mates, and one of us would invariably get hammered by the others. They were excellent games.

Boardgame - Imperial Governor is my poison of choice. It was languishing in a cupboard in Greece when I found it. Having drawn it forth, I withdrew with it to England, then sallied off to uni in Wales, whereat I played it with a trio (usually) of good men. It was an interminable game, and I don't think we managed to finish it more than once or twice in several years' time. I would like to be able to say that nobody who played it when I was at uni has died, and happily I can do that. One chap nearly went blind, but that wasn't related to the game. Another fella was a wee bit Irish, but he had that affliction afore the game. Actually, so did I, but I was less Irish. Bloody good game, and I must get everyone back together again for a rematch which we all will lose!

Figure manufacturer - Copplestone has been my favourite fella for years. Those 28mm skirmish lads have just been grand. Musketeer Miniatures have a lovely selection of slender Great War era minis that deserve a solid second place.

Metal/Hard Plastic - I have been a plastic lover (oo-er?) since at least 2000, because the blamed stuff can be glued together with poly cement, while metal requires superglue, which clings tight on my fingertips. Villainy!

Club - I suppose the one to nominate here is my old uni club, Lampeter (which is now St. David's College, University of Wales or somesuch). I have meant for three weeks now to go to the GW one in Macclesfield or to the Macclesfield one which meets in the local 'Spoons, but there hasn't been a good opportunity.

Opponent - Christian, who is, aside from Dad, just about the only fella I have fought in the last many, many years. I think in about '08 I had a game with mark, but it's been Mr C whenever he has been back from abroad in the far-off wilds of Korea. I accidentally gave myself a huge advantage once, playing him at 40K, and he still made a creditable showing. I tend to roll terrible dice, so you can decide whether I was unlucky or he fortunate!

Film - Zulu is probably the leader here, followed by A Bridge Too Far.

Book - Featherstone's Complete Wargaming has long been my wargaming Bible. Even to this day I will go back to it and consider this piece of advice or that suggestion. More important than these modern things, it is the first book I ever owned on the subject, and the first that provided me some wargaming rules (for the ACW, which I dimly recall playing).

Art - I am terrible when it comes to art. I'd like to say that guy who does those gorgeous ACW pictures or the fella who does those beautiful Napoleonic pictures, but you will get what most entrances me, and that's nowt from wargames at all. Pick any picture you like of Audrey Hepburn.

The Interweb - This is tricky, but the place which has given the most to me lately is indubitably Front Line Gamer.