Early this year I posted a run-down on armies and navies finished off during the course of 2025. Although I have added a few little items since - e.g. the Settee Empire (Turcowaz) got a small ironclad gun ship, and the chubby merchant fleet got an extra vessel about a week ago - really my forces are pretty much complete as they now stand, with no further additions required. Rather, I find myself with a few loose ends - orphaned figures in trivial numbers I'm not sure what to do with.
That would, one might suppose, offer more time for (a) war gaming and (b) the writing up thereof. That isn't happening... and I don't know why. OK, it's the blahs. Sort of. I have such a backlog of postings to post; the second chapter of Waterloo 2.0 is in draft (and that has taken a good 6 weeks to get started, even); the first two land battles of the Little Great War have been fought and pictured: and I haven't yet put together a proper war narrative for the Little Great War...
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| Little Great War: Battle of Azaen, 11 June, 1884 |
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| Little Great War: Battle of Azmezidon, 15 June 1884 |
What happened to my version of the Battle of Aspern-Essling?! That was played out last August! This really is reprehensible.
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| Aspern-Essling, Morning, 21 May 1809 |
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| Aspern-Essling, about midday, 22 May |
This morning I was glancing through an old Wargames Illustrated magazine and lit on an article about the 30YW Battle of Breitenfeld. I had clean forgotten that I played out a 'Breitenfeld' on my hex table back in December. Had I posted it? Nope. No idea where the notes went, but methinks the Waterloo campaign narrative will have to wait upon a brief write-up of the 30YW action. This will be less a battle narrative than a write-up of the army organisation, adaptations of the Portable P&S rule set, and the limitations of my small table (or of overlarge armies!).
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| Midway through the 'Battle of Breitenfeld'. I don't recall what was the final result! |
I wonder if it is because I have so many projects pretty much completed in terms of established armies. Could it be that I have reached a 'Buridan's Ass' impasse, unable at any given time satisfactorily to decide which project to focus on? Un embarras de richesses it is. Perhaps certain global events are distracting me - I certainly have been following the major conflicts with a great deal of interest, trying to pierce the fog of mal-information this country is receiving and passing off as 'News'. That has had some effect upon my war gaming, and has more than once led to my wondering why I war game at all, or even whether I ought.
Time methinks to wake up, and level off the backlog mountain...
Your embarrassment of riches shows you have managed to get a lot of gaming done, which is great - I have the opposite embarrassment! Loads of ideas but nothing to show for them.
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack -
DeleteYou are being kinder than I think I deserve. Withal, methinks part of my malaise might well be a deficiency in the ideas department - or perhaps the will to realise the ideas that do come to mind.
Meanwhile I find I have a LOT of Breitenfeld pictures...!
Cheers,
Ion
I think we all have periods when we are distracted by other things. There is certainly a lot going on.
ReplyDeleteMartin -
DeleteThere sure is - and interesting times seem to be descending upon the UK as well! I have an uneasy feeling that the times globally are likely to become a deal more exciting and full of incident in the next few months - at a time when competent statesmanship is at a premium. Or maybe it is because ...
Cheers,
Ion
Cheers,
Ion
That you have played and enjoyed the experience is merit enough. That you still wish to share this is a kindness to us readers.
ReplyDeleteReading your posts, as well as others is a useful distraction from the chaos of every day affairs.
Thank you.
WEK 3
DeleteThe kindness I am meeting here is going a long way to recovering my 'umpty-whatsit'. My first priority will be to catch up on reportage (I have begun the Breitenfeld narrative; but I think I will 'redo' Aspern-Essling), and get the Little Great War back on track.
Thank you!
Ion
It seems to me as if you have accomplished quite a bit on the gaming front. While I really enjoy your battle and campaign reports, it does require alot of effort to produce them. Trying to push to hard turns it into work, which makes it not as much fun. Take your time, I'm looking forward to reading the updates when you complete them. 😁
ReplyDeleteMark -
DeleteThank you for your response. I do feel some obligation towards my readership - or at least an obligation towards this blog if I am to retain a readership! And the battles and reports can be a lot of fun. Maybe I have been experiencing a 'writer's block'. Maybe I take too many pictures. I don't know.
But if readers like my narratives, then I ought to create more of them.
Cheers,
Ion
It just means you have more posts in the cupboard....☺
ReplyDeleteNeil
Neil -
DeleteThat is true, but backlogs have a way of growing into mountains, as any and every war gamer can attest. I AM pleased that my plastic has been eliminated but for some odd finishings off here and there. I think the last task was to paint up (properly) a whole Union brigade of Airfix figures (the horrible 'stabbing down' chappies, but, as they are figures, they merit a place on the table). 4 regiments comprising sabre-wielding officer, flag bearer, bugler and 24 soldiers: total 108 figures.
I don't know why I didn't post anything about them. I can't remember when I did them - late last year or maybe early this...
Tsk, tsk...
Cheers,
Ion
It’s good to see the blog updates, Ion, BUT, as others have mentioned, please don’t feel under any pressure from us mere readers! YOU have kept US entertained, so we should feel blessed and lucky to have such great reports to read.
ReplyDeleteAs a non-blogger, I can only comment that I love reading your reports…while my own contribution is nil. 🫢
Would a sweep-up report in the style of ‘here’s a few things I’ve been doing in the background’ help to clear the proverbial decks a bit, and help to reduce the perceived burden of the ‘report-mountain’?
Martin S -
DeleteIn a way, this posting was one of those 'sweep-up' reports, and I have posted others such in the past. That is a way of keeping the thing ticking over, I guess. I might do something more of the sort more frequently, maybe.
Thank you for your encouragement. I think that my whinge and whine - just doing something - might have gone towards getting this thing back on track. The Breitenfeld posting is taking a while to complete, and I think I'll publish it in two parts.
And then get on to finishing the Waterloo narrative. Woo: a plan.
All 'go' at the Mouse Factory, eh?
Cheers,
Ion