Friday, November 4, 2011

Three Strikes!

Some days it just doesn't pay to get up. I went downstairs this morning and the basement was flooded (again). It seems the recent rains we had were just too much for the sump pump to handle, and the durned motor burned out. This is the third time this year for Raubenstadt to be inundated. Maybe I should change it's name to Bangladesh! So Monday a new and more powerful submersible pump will be installed, and the drying out process can start (again). Sigh.

I was saddened to learn that Battlegames Magazine is apparently going under and issue #26 was the last one. It was the best since The Mid-West Wargamer's Association Newsletter, edited by the sainted Hal Thinglum (forever blessed be his name) closed up shop. I will miss it. Double sigh.

Well there I was...all set to order a whole bunch of Hat Industrie's SYW Prussians from the Michigan Toy Soldier Company, when I noticed that they were in 1/32nd scale and not 1/72nd! Arrrrgh! I understand that the 1/72nd will be released in their E22 batch, but that's probably sometime in the Spring of next year. Triple Sigh.

Mom always said, "Good things come to those who wait." So I am determined that by the time Hat releases the 1/72nd SYW Prussians...I will have a DRY basement...and Mr. Hyde may determine that Battlegames might continue as a Quarterly or in some form on the Internet!

2 comments:

tradgardmastare said...

I too am vexed re Battlegames.I am sorry to hear of your flooding too.
Crazy thought ut what about branching out into 54mm imaginations- go on I know you are tempted...
best wishes
Alan

Martin said...

Hi Alan,

Yeah...It starts out innocently enough. "I'll just get one box of this new scale. I'll paint 'em up just to see what they look like with the ol' Mark I Eyeball.", says the wargamer to himself. Then, once he has them in his grubby mitts, the evil thought sprouts, "Gosh! They look AWESOME! I wonder how a complete unit would look?" (I'm currently using Grant's The Wargame organization, so a big unit would really be a BIG unit.)

It's generally at this point that the whole process gets out of control. The wargamer rapidly goes through the phases of:

"These guys need some opposition", so another infantry regiment is recruited.

"Maybe an artillery piece for each side."

"Gee! Some cavalry hovering around the flanks would be cool! Hummm...can't have cavalry for just one side! That wouldn't be fair."

"The battleline is looking a little short. I think another regiment each will fix that! Hey! And I can paint them in different uniform colors! Neato!"

"Ya know some Light Infantry to form a skirmish line would be just the thing!"

"I NEED a General to command these stout-hearted fellows, and what's a General without a Staff and some Gallopers?"

Before you know it, the wargamer has outgrown his pitiful indoor space, and is eyeing the low lying lump in the backyard as a stand in for the ridge at Waterloo. Uncle Toby Lives!

All The Best,

Martin

P.S. How's your subscription to the "Journal Of The Early Americas" going?