Going Solo

I expect to play most of these scenarios solo. Is this because I am a misanthropic 'Billy No Mates' with poor social skills and poorer personal hygiene?

No.

Is it because I live in the middle of nowhere and have no opponents for miles around?

No.

Is it because I hate to lose and like to have everything my own way?

N...maybe.

Let me explain. Given the colossal amount of work required to get any of my toy armies into fighting shape, most of what little wargaming I have done over the last few years has been against live opponents, who provided all the kit. I enjoy it greatly. Mrs Dog may not regard what passes between wargamers over the table as 'socialising', but for me the social element is very important. I genuinely don't care about winning or losing, which irritates some, but ensures I can take as much pleasure in my opponent's 'lucky dice rolls' as in my own 'tactical brilliance'. Plus, other people have much larger and better painted collections than me!

So why solo these games? While I could make excuses about scheduling and time pressure, it is more to do with getting to play them my way. This may does involve tinkering with rules or scenario mid-game. My preference for narrative over competition may lead me to do things that make for a better story rather than a competitive advantage. By the time I have mangled Grant's carefully thought-out work through obscure, semi-historical period conversion and homebrew rules systems, all balance will probably have been lost. Few opponents are likely to have the patience for that, certainly not on fifty plus occasions.

That said, no doubt, from time to time some poor unsuspecting visitor may find themselves dragged down to the basement of Dog Towers to help me push lead and plastic around. I very much hope so. Mostly though, I will be commanding both sides, and thus able to take full credit for victory in every game whilst blaming defeat on lousy dice rolls and faulty rules systems.

Situation normal, then.

I’ll admit this post is a feeble attempt to avoid another two months going past without one.

Just because I haven’t played any games, doesn’t mean I’ve not been busy. Mostly with ‘real life’, but I did finally manage to get painting instructions sorted out for my Byzantines, and with a little help from ‘real life’ I scraped together the necessary to foot the enormous shipping bill to Sri Lanka. They should be with Fernando’s soon, and back here in September (global supply chain and Sri Lankan economic crises permitting). A few 15mm Napoleonics also managed to sneak on board, some to fill out the numbers for a couple of extra units in Sharp Practice, but mostly the naval figures I acquired for a scenario later in the book.

Pure ‘80s nostalgia: Minifigs 2nd Generation loveliness painted (badly) with Humbrol enamels 

I also determined that I already have enough painted figures to do Scenario 4 with Sharp Practice. All that’s required is some rebasing as they are currently on plain green plastic card from the 80s, which involved more ruinously expensive shipping bills to get tiny quantities of bases and dice frames from Litko and Pendraken. So next up will be a big Napoleonic skirmish, but don’t hold your breath. Summer has just about arrived here in southern Ontario and the great outdoors calls!