THE YEAR THAT WAS: 2023 IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR

The Game Room on Dec 30, 2023; a shell, but a sound one...  

...compared to the splendid set up of in March of this year.

As is the tradition, here is a post summarizing the blogging/hobby year past. I think the two images of my game room say it all: this has been a disruptive period at Meanderer Central, to say the least, and the intermittent blogging activity is reflective of its impact on blogging.  For those who wish to really dive into the story, you can visit my very proud post of March announcing the completion of the clear out and reorganization of my hobby space. Which then I had to tear down and clear out in order to replace the skylights (which had begun leaking), Many twists and turns ensued; to make a long story short, we finally achieved closure on the project in early December of this year, and the room is now as you see it in picture #1. Mixed in with this tribulation was a rushed preparation to move house that wound up getting nixed at the last moment. These events have caused us to be in a sort of limbo, and having gone through the considerable task of clearing out and storing my entire hobby collection, I'm reluctant to unpack it and re-occupy the game room until we achieve closure on our own plans.  In the meantime, I am using the room as a project space, and do intend to run games again by making trips up to the attic to pull figures and terrain as needed. 

The disruption on the home front and the loss of my gaming space have caused much distraction, to say the least, giving the general impression of 2023 as a "lost" year, hobby wise.  However,  upon reflection, I think it was not all that bad. I  completed a major hobby project, my Joust For the Fun of It system, which I had been working on for five years. This included not only the rules and adding a content page to this blog, but putting together the knights and all the associated scenery.  I also completed another project, my Lion Rampant II references, adding a second new resource page to my blog. Although not everyone's cup of tea, I do enjoy this end of the hobby spectrum very much, but do have to remind myself to recognize these activities as valid as figures-painted and games-played  (for me, anyway). 

Looking back on the year also brought me to recognize another step forward in 2023, a return to the convention circuit and debuting my jousting game at the Mayhem convention, as well as hosting it on several occasions for our gaming club.

Looking ahead to the new year, I have started using the space again: on the table is the latest project; I'm working on a new Konnigratz Kriegspiel map in preparation for the Bloody Big Battles game I'll be running at the Mayhem 2024 convention in April.  I'll have more on this project in a future post. 

I have put my comfy chair back in  place, and am putting it to good use. Here you see the notes and scribblings for my Chocolate Box Wars (CBW) rules, which have been sidetracked for too long. I've had something of an "aha" moment in November and have been making good progress on them since. I am determined to get them done and up on this blog within this blog year.  My actual intent is to get them up by March, but for the record (and given the way that life can intervene), I think I'll just say by this time next year....

...and here is a bit of tangible evidence of work in progress beyond my scribblings and notes: several sets of print and play CBW armies.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I wanted a quick and space efficient way to playtest my system without having to unbox and pull down my miniatures. Not being happy with just symbols or colored markers, I worked up these from various and sundry sources (more details on this project will be the subject of another post). 

So, there you have it. A in brief review of 2023 and the promise of things to come in 2024.  In other words, thanks for the regulars who have continued to visit and drop a line here during this last rather down year (blogging wise); your support is very much appreciated...

...and a Happy New Year to all visitors, regular and occasional, to this space...

Excelsior!

LION RAMPANT II RESOURCES CORRECTION POSTED

 

Appropriate for December 26th here in the US, where the day after Christmas ("Boxing Day" in the Commonwealth) is associated with making way to the retailer and returning gifts for refunds and/or new ones for broken, I am posting a new set of Lion Rampant II Resources to replace the broken ones I "gifted" to the world on  19 December (mea culpa!). These new refs have also been posted on the Lion Rampant II Resource Page.   Version 4 is the current (correct) update of both the Player Reference and Unit Matrix. You'll find the version numbers in the headers-- and I changed the header colors as well for quick reference: the corrected Version 4 has gold headers, and the earlier Version 3 has dark blue. So just remember to "go for gold" in order to know which to use. As far as the difference, it is minor but significant: The Counter Charge activation number was wrong in Version 3. It should be 7+ (this is fixed in version 4 and is the only substantial change). Below are thumbnails of the corrected versions with links to downloads.  Of course, if you already have version 3, a simple pen and ink change to the countercharge numbers would also serve. 

Player Reference V4 (Click for Pdf)

Unit Matrix V4 (Click for Pdf)

Thanks to Steve Burt for catching the error and bringing it to my attention in the Dux Rampant Forum!

Excelsior!

SEASONS GREETINGS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

With all my hobby toys and whatnots still packed up and in the attic--and my hobby space still vacant--I haven't the wherewithal to produce the usual holiday update on the goings-on in Kringleland. 

Instead, I offer the Christmas Tree Hussars on parade in support of the traditional sharing of...

✨SEASONS GREETINGS✨

and 

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO REGULAR AND ACCIDENTAL VISITORS TO THIS BLOG

Please enjoy a 3.5 minute interlude with the Dresden Choir singing Silent Night (Stille Nacht) in the original German. No translation necessary to enjoy the experience. 

 

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

LION RAMPANT RESOURCES PAGE ADDED

Greetings, all.  I recently played in another excellent Lion Rampant II  (LR) game in our group (game report will probably be coming after Christmas).  This is not the first foray into these rules; our group has played LR I before and has now embraced LR II (along with other games in the Dan Mersey Osprey Rules family). This last foray inspired me to produce a set of resources similar to those I had done to support playing Pikeman's Lament (see my Pikeman's Lament Resource Page for more if interested).  And I've added a new Lion Rampant resource page to this blog where they are posted: see tab at top or follow the link: Lion Rampant Resources Page.  The resource page is mostly redundant with this post because as time goes on that will be the landing page as opposed to this post (which, like others, will disappear down the que). Meanwhile, most everything you can find there you can find on this introductory post. 

And, given that Aly and company have embarked on a Lion Rampant II Campaign at this festive time of year... I thought I'd offer this as my Christmas present to he and his fellows--and to any and all who come to this blog with an interest in Lion Rampant II: (perhaps not as useful, or welcome, as a nice pair of socks, but if printed off and stuffed in the shoes, could serve as such).

Player Reference (click for pdf)

Front

Back

The player reference is a one-page, two sided resource that should provide most of what is needed to play (at least that's what we have found). On the front, the information is broken down into color-coded sections: admin/game system (black); movement (green); combat (red); and courage/morale (purple).  Each section contains page references to the rules (should you want to look things up). On the reverse is a listing of the special abilities (again with page references).  These are not all inclusive, but are a selection of specials that are most common, that may apply to more than one unit type, and/or are not reflected in an adjustment to the values and scores on the unit profile  (things like Veteran, for instance, which has different adjustments for different units: those are instead reflected on the stat line on the unit matrix). 

Unit Matrix (click for pdf)

Front

Back

The unit matrix is intended to be used in conjunction with the player reference. As the name suggests, it provides unit-specific information needed to play. As with the player reference, it also has the special abilities listed on the back, along with page references. Given that upgrades can be "stacked," the unit matrix does not list all possible variations for the unit, but a representative range of likely unit configurations, with each line showing one upgrade. 

Click to Enlarge

The information is broken down by the major unit on the first line (all in caps and highlighted in gray), with its variants listed below (upper and lower case, no highlight). The above shows the first unit on the matrix (Elite Cav) with its variants below: Motivated, Drilled and Mounted Bow. The stat-line for each reflects the characteristics of that variant. Reading left to right, you can see the point value, the number of figures, the type (H=Horse/Mounted; F=Foot/Infantry), the unit, page where you can find the unit profile, and the rest is self explanatory. The activation number for specials (when applicable) is in brackets. Finally, in parenthesis you see abbreviations for the Fearsome and Bloodthirsty upgrades for this unit and its variants (which are other options available).  In practice, I use the unit matrix as a central reference when designing scenarios and orders of battle.

I have found when running games of PL that there are players who basically play off of the unit matrix (as opposed to unit cards), using the player reference on an "as needed" basis for other information.  As a game host, I find the opposite: I use the player reference continuously and refer to the unit matrix to facilitate unit-specific cases. Of course, your mileage may vary!

Well, that's all for now.  In the near future (as mentioned), I'll have a battle report of our recent trip into Lion Rampant II--pitting Mongol raiders against a defending force of Hungarians and Teutons.  

Excelsior!

 The world turned sideways.

Still dealing with several sundry (and boring) domestic gyrations that have sucked up much time and energy. Although these have been ongoing for the last few months, they haven't stopped me from getting hobby action in (just scattered and less regular).  Which brings up the "radio silence" here for the last month or so. I haven't given up the hobby, but have had another spot of unpleasantness that has kept me (literally) from keyboarding for more than a few minutes at a time (it's the posture, you see...). Doing the DIY-thing, I've (once again) managed to pinch a nerve in the neck, which manifested itself in chronic pain running from the source through the shoulder and all the way down the arm (nerve pain; it's the worst).  After three weeks of diligently doing the exercises learned from physical therapy from the last time, the condition has finally calmed down--and now I'm typing again! (As you can see...or read...or whatever.) It's nice to be a tall fellow, except when you start getting old and the physics involved with long necks, limbs, and backs starts coming home to roost. I guess I'll have to hire more staff to take care of things about Meanderer Estate in future (I wish). 

In the most recent hobby news 'round here, though, that I can share in short form, I have registered to run three games at the upcoming Mayhem 2024 game convention. It's been a long time since I've run multiple games at a convention, so this is a rather ambitious schedule for me, but I'm looking forward to it! 

On Friday at 8:00 PM, I'll be running Event #1, The Battle of Lutzen using my Baroque Battles system in 6mm. 

On Saturday at 8:00 AM I'll be running Event #2, Clash of Eagles, 1879: Bloody Big Battles Meets Kriegspiel  using my Kriegspiel Blocks on a Kriegspiel Map (this game will reprise the hypothetical clash between Austria and Russia, post Russo-Turkish War, only upscaled for six players). 

And on Saturday evening, at 8:00 PM, I'll be returning to the scene of the crime and hosting Event #7, Joust for the Fun of It! with my big Schleich Knights. This game debuted at the Mayhem 2023 convention in the same time slot, and I hope it will be as well received the second time around as the first. For new readers to this blog, you may find out more about this system on the Joust for the Fun of It! resource page (consider yourselves warned!). 

That's the hobby news 'round here for now.

Excelsior!

GAME DAY OCT 2023: BIG SHIPS, BIG KNIGHTS, AND THE WAR OF 1812

 

Club members gathering ahead of things getting rolling on Game Day.

Our club recently held its "Game Day" event.  For our regular gaming, we convene once per month on a Friday evening for  "Game Nights."  In addition, we normally schedule one Saturday per year for a "Game Day"--often, this is to run a special event, either a big game or some other format  that we can't do on a game night. This year, things got knocked around by circumstances, and our featured "big game" (based on an engagement from the Seminole Wars--US Cavalry vs Seminoles in Florida), got pulled at the last minute when COVID took down the host (he's fine, thankfully).  I was going to run my Joust for the Fun of It Game alongside the featured game in order to provide more seats for the game day. Rather than cancelling the event, I still put on my game, and the call went out to the membership to put on two other games (which was answered in style). In the absence of a "big game" that would run all day, we were prepared to run a mini convention, with each game being run in a morning and an afternoon session. More on that later in the post.  As it turned out, attendance was impacted by the weather, with a coastal storm swirling into the area promising wretched conditions later in the day, some scheduling complications of several club members, and the COVID hitting a few others (aside from the host of the originally scheduled game). 

Nevertheless, we still had three game masters and twelve players in the room for a 9 a.m. start on a Saturday:  although it was easy to feel a bit disappointed at the turnout given the circumstances this time around, I have to remind myself that our club still mustered 15 people to play historical miniatures on a Saturday morning--not bad, really, and not to be taken for granted.  I was quite busy setting up and then running my Joust for the Fun of It game, so didn't get too many shots of the action in progress, but here's the report...

PIRATES, THE ROYAL NAVY, AND AN EVIL GENIUS

Michael B (standing at left) ran one of his signature 28mm age of sail games using  Blue Waters, Bloody Pirates rules (I believe they are a modified version of an ages of sail set).  For those in the region, Michael will be running this same game at the upcoming Carnage Convention in Killington Vermont. 

Michael is adept at the pirate game genre, and his games always move along with good pace and period flavor, and his big ships are a sight to behold as well!

BATTLE OF LUNDY'S LANE, WAR OF 1812 

Mark N, seated at left in blue shirt (fellow bloggist of of Come on My Brave Fusiliers! fame) stepped up and ran a 28mm War of 1812 game using a variant of Mr Madison's War rules (streamlined and faster playing, I'm led to believe).  If you skip over to his blog you'll see his report as well as many images of his astonishing collections of War of 1812, American Rev, and Crimean figures (recommended). 

Not only do Mark's games stand out for his splendid research and brushwork, but also for their visual appeal, with large figure count battalions of 16-24  28mm figs.   

JOUST FOR THE FUN OF IT 

And as mentioned, I put on my Joust for the Fun of It! game.  It was a successful dry run of my transport and set up system--I learned a few things that will help when I next set this game up.  One thing I found was that I can stack my boxes and they provide the equivalent of a handy side table where I can keep those bits and pieces that come in handy when running games. 

One new bit of kit that I used in this game was this whiteboard. It was suggested that between rounds it would be good to let players know what the standings were (ie, how many points each player had as they went into each round, which would help to inform how they would manage their match). This turned out to be a great suggestion that really adds to the game experience, particularly as players enter the last round with the standings being tight.  I bought this small white board (with easel), but it didn't fit in with the rest of the theme (all chrome and metal, with a cork pinup bit on the bottom). So I added the wooden frame, covered the cork pin up board with the jousting graphics at the bottom, and produced a themed tile for each team (numbered 1-6 along with their color). I write the player's name over the number and at the end of each round I record the score under the respective tile. 

I was engaged with running the game and so didn't get any in progress shots. As it turned out, my game was the only one that ran in the afternoon (some folks couldn't stay, and a few others had some distance to drive and didn't want to be on the road as dusk approached and the weather got worse).  Both jousts were four player affairs. The morning session was a real cracker, with the players being separated by only a few points (I think the first place player had something like 38 points and the "last", fourth place, player 34. The afternoon session was also a barn burner, with the first place player at 37 points, the next two tied at 34 (the second place determined by tie breaker), and the fourth place player at a distant 22 (poor Randy had the worst run of luck I've every seen). In both the morning and afternoon sessions, the front runner was overtaken by another during the last round and wound up coming in second.  I've run a good number of jousts now, both in the club and at a convention, and the outcomes have thus far been pretty close like this. So I'll take this as an indicator that the game system provides good balance and is viable.  

All in all, it was a fine way to spend a rainy Saturday: indoors with friends playing at toy soldiers!

Excelsior!

TAKING THE JOUST ON THE ROAD

 

I'll be running my Joust for The Fun of It game in our club's upcoming Saturday Game Day later this month. I'll be putting on the big knight version, with the Schleich Knights and associated accessories.  This game presents special challenges given the over-sized figures, the way that they are posed, and the size and number of customized bits I fabricated for the game.  Being retired, I'd like to take this particular game on the road to several US conventions in the upcoming year, so I'm using this opportunity to put together a dedicated system to efficiently and safely transport, set up, and take down the game.  With conventions in the US consisting of participation games, it is not unusual for your table to be occupied in the time slots prior to and after yours. Convention organizers do allow time for setup and take down, but it can still get quite hectic to get ready, particularly if the game ahead of yours runs over, and equally so in the aftermath of your own game as you visit with players while trying to pack up and clear the table (and things never seem to fit back in the way they came out).  So in this blog post, I will share my solution to this challenge. As usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX in this post. 

I started off by getting a pack of 24" long letter sized banker's boxes. These are an elongated version of the standard banker's box.   

I then put 2" Pluck Foam sheets into the boxes (two 12" x 12" sheets fit into each)... 

...and then plucked (as the name suggests) squares of foam to create a custom space for each fig. Given the size of the figures and the length of the lances, the figures fit in puzzle like: The first box was fairly simple, but the second box turned out to be much more involved. The idea of specialized foam slots for figs is not a new idea, of course. It's quite common among fantasy/sci gamers in particular for some of their  more high end/high priced models (many of which are quite large). I managed to get all 24 of my knights into two boxes. 

I managed to configure the heralds, characters, flags, and stands in a single box.  The reviewing stand (included in the above right image) nests over the heralds. 

I put together a separate "logistics" box (above left) which contains all the non figure stuff that goes on the table (the score board, the lists, the team trays, the list signs, etc). This way, I pull things from each box in turn while setting up as opposed to having to go between boxes.  I also put together a "game master" tub (above right). This has all the stuff to actually run/play the game (the rules, reference sheets, ploy cards, tracking mats and markers, dice, pencils, clip boards, etc, etc).  

The devil is in the details, of course, with customized storage. You want to not only be able to easily tell which box is which when setting up, but the real challenge  comes when you try to put things back--particularly under a time constraint. Not only do you need to get the right figure into the right box, but also into the right spot in the "puzzle." To help with this, I came up with a one-brain-cell solution that anyone can follow: I put a picture of the contents on the box lid.

Above: the complete game system compartmented into four bankers boxes and one tub--a fairly compact and easily transported configuration for such a large layout. The figures and foam are not heavy, so those boxes are an easy lift. The game master tub has a bit of heft, but is easily managed.  Most of all, when I want to hit the road, all I have to do is load things into their pre-designated spots and go. The only thing not included are the three game mats that I use (one under each list). These are Fat Mats (Grassy Field); each comes with a handy carrying case, so they fit quite nicely into this portability scheme. 

Some may think this is all a bit "over the top." But my experience has been that this kind of work done up front allows me to focus on other things once I'm at the convention. I also generally prefer to run convention games as opposed to playing in them, so I consider time invested in systems to set up and run games as much a part of the hobby as painting figures. 

Excelsior!