Monday 2 January 2012

The Four Pillars of (Wargaming) Wisdom



"So then Lawrence, why is Zorba wearing fancy dress?"

A couple of comments I have read (one as a response to one of my posts and the other as the subject of a post on another blog) have given me much food for thought about my gaming and enjoyment of our hobby. The first was courtesy of Tim Gow and featured on his blog megablitzandmore whilst the second was comment around my Happy New Year post from Conrad Kinch - author of the blog joyandforgetfulness.

Tim made mention of how 'Blogging' is now an integral part of the enjoyment of his hobby and I must confess that I had never thought about it in that way. Sometimes the most blindingly obvious things can somehow creep under the radar and of course, Tim is absolutely right - and in my case as well. I have often said to SWMBO that my hobby is in fact a bargain as it is three hobbies for the price of one - reading, modelling and gaming being three pillars the war games whole if you like. The use of a blog is really a fourth aspect to add to the other three and so I would like to thank Tim for reminding me of this most obvious of truths! The blog is for me a valuable tool for collecting opinions, exchanging ideas and, to be honest, showing off the toys as and when I am able to - and long may it continue!

The second part concerns the New Year resolution that Mr Kinch wanted to make for me concerning getting more games in. Alas this is very true and I have been truly abysmal in this regard over the course of last year. I spent a lot of time testing rules and managed to get the odd game in at the club but that is about it. With this in mind then, I have decided that this year I will take part in at least one game a month - be it a solo game or something at the club - I really have no excuse not to and so I will not attempt to offer up any!

Now that the new man cave is up and running I shall be able to get more games in for sure and I have a lot of ideas and plans for this over the next few months.

My humble thanks to both Tim and Conrad for the observations - the points have been duly noted and the appropriate remedial action is in hand!

8 comments:

Paul O'G said...

We found that a commitment to a Viking game every month with others really helped us stay focused, and then sharing the pics and Battle Reports on the Blog generated another level of enjoyment from sharing with others - and of course the positive feedback inspired us to do more.

GrumbleJones said...

A very astute observation. So many wargamers have had to enjoy their hobby by themselves. I only recently discovered the vast number of wargaming blogs and find myself enjoying the gaming activities of strangers all over the net. Blogs such as yours are a source of enjoyment, inspiration and just a way to feel connected to the hobby. So many thanks for your blog and all the others out there. It really enriches the experience.

David Crook said...

Hi Paul,

You are absolutely right - having a game plan (literally!)certainly helps to focus the mind and maintains the enthusiasm. Posting the same on a blog also helps - especially as I find that the resultant feedback usually helps to reinforce the desire to carry on with whatever is currently the flavour of the month!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Grumblejones,

Many thanks for the kind words - they are much appreciated. I get enormous satisfaction from writing my blog posts and reading those of others as they usually serve to inspire my own efforts - often in directions I had not considered!

For me a blog is as much a piece of my wargaming kit as anything else is and so long may that continue!

All the best,

DC

Tim Gow said...

Wisdom? Me? Shurely shome mishtake.

David Crook said...

Hi Tim,

It is not - and don't call me Shurely....;-)

All the best,

DC

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Like your logic :)

David Crook said...

Hi Geordie,

Hopefully I can keep to it!

All the best,

DC