Lockdown Wargaming

When we first entered lockdown I never guessed we would be talking months , and I did not realise what a big part of my life wargaming was, the preparation ,painting etc obviously but the social side of it as well ,having suffered from depression previously I might have been in a bit of a dilemma if it had not been for a smallish group of fellow gamers from Sheffield War games Society who took the challenge by the teeth .With great enthusiasm 3  of the guys Tim,Martin and John have put on games each week via skype ,with miniatures laid out ,being moved to our orders and die rolls conducted by the organiser with great success .The games have taken us from the bloody sands of a gladiators arena to the war torn landscapes of Russia ,Greece ,North Africa and France during WW2 and the American Civl War amongst others , with if my memory serves me a minimum of 5 players and a huge game with 8 players fighting an Austro Prussian battle .I am quite proud of being part of this without taking any of the credit for the organisation of these wonderful games. So with my ventures into solo gaming and the massive amount of painting Ive got done ,the lockdown has shown that wargamers can prevail ,I know other groups have done the odd skype type game but to have a different ,entertaining game each week from matrix to miniature games from Ancient Rome to the Falklands is I believe an achievement to be proud of ,Thanks guys for letting me be a part of wargaming history ,which hopefully will enspire others well done.

Dont Cry for me -another skype matrix game

Tuesday and Wednesday night was skype gaming with some of the guys from Sheffield Wargames Society .This time Tim Gow put on his Dont Cry for me ,Falklands Game ,brilliant fun with almost an historical (hysterical) outcome .I bumbled through as Pinochet some how managing to stay in one piece and complete my objective. Pictures and a explanation of what went on is covered very well in Tims Blog    http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com so I will direct you there .

A selfie taken during the game 

ACW Matrix game

Another skype matrix game was played over the last 2 nights ,this time set in the later days of the ACW ,Sheffield Wargames Society showing that a pandemic cannot prevent the use of good toys ,silly hats and rediculous arguments .Great fun and I managed to do quite well this time hitting all  of my goals a number of times.A big thanks to Tim for organising it and looking forward to the next one,A write up on the game will be here  http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com ,in 2 or 3 parts I believe ,well worth a look .

Stalingrad -by Skype

Being wargame recluses at the moment ,Tim came up with the idea of playing amatrix game by skype  and it worked wonderfully ,really good fun .Shows theres always a way to get together without endangering each other . Full report on Tims blog here  https://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com

a trip to the peninsular

Tim Gow put on a excellent Matrix game  at Sheffield Wargames Society last night ,7 players taking the parts of famous or infamous characters from Napoleons excursion into Spain .Really good fun with us all having our own victory conditions whilst trying to capture ,keep and recapture Madrid ,an objective eventually won by the Spanish Iregulars ,with probably Wellington coming off worst .Myself I did ok as Murat my victory condition was staying a live with my reputation and hat collection intact ,which I did the small fact that I left Madrid in a hurry stopped me winning . Matrix games may not be for everyone but I advise everyone to try it once  , a bit like Marmite .

The Emperor keeps track of the seasons

while his stunt double inspires the troops 

My Victory conditions

The fabled city of Madrid

No that is not photoshopped its real and John was wearing it

some very strange incidents in perverts gulch ?

a great fun matrix game at sheffield wargames society last night ,set in the very wild wild west .The game run by Tim Gow using his fantastic collection of toys involved a strange cowboy in a pink shirt , 2 bands of sneaky indians (one of them very sneaky) stage coach hi jackers , bank robbers and avery violent preacher with a even more violent wife , all great fun with some witty arguments ,guest appearances by burt lancaster ,jeff chandler and charles bronson and much more ....by the way noidea what the town was actually called but the name perverts gulch was coined after the antics of the guy in the pink shirt became public ...