PotCXXVIIIpouri

"Nowadays Roman numerals only exist for things which powerful people want to look permanent, but which are actually very impermanent indeed." - David Boyle

Firstly, I'm still getting twenty thousand hits a week, and it's still annoying me; much more so that if none were being registered at all, and that would be substantially closer to the truth. I saw a statistic yesterday that 80% of all website hits on the whole internet are currently being made by bots of one form or another. However, that figure came from an AI source, so who knows.

Secondly, there has been some wargaming, so hooray for that.

It was game of To the Strongest! using James's Crusades figures. He thinks it's his best painted collection, which means it's very, very good indeed. The plan is to switch next week to possibly his least colourful period - although they're still lovely models - with some early WWII North African action. Will it be Sidi Rezegh? Let's hope so.

Various cultural activities have started up after the longish, hottish summer. I went to the Proms, something I had never done before. Also uncharted territory was a visit to a Rugby League match. I went to see the Leeds Rhinos, courtesy of Leeds Building Society who are their main sponsor. The pre-match meal etc was all rather good; the game itself left me uninspired and I didn't come away with any regrets for having given it a miss over the decades during which I've lived in the North. The outcome wasn't in doubt once the legendary Leeds ex-player brought on before the start to tell the assembled corporate guests what he thought would happen forecast that Rhinos would win at a canter by thirty or forty points. Inevitably the Catalan Dragons took an early lead and pulled steadily away as the game progressed. 

The Spur in the Dish Warns the Border Chief that the Larder Needs Replenishing

 Well, another month nearly finished and not many posts, but let's see if we can squeeze one more in before September starts. In any event I continue to attract thousands of views a day without bothering to write anything. The blog's stats page tells me that the most popular article yesterday was that from a few weeks ago complaining about the constant trawling by AI. Coincidence? I think not; these LLMs seem to be as vain as one of the blog's previous, and much missed, followers, who had a strict policy of only reading posts in which she featured.

And speaking of coincidences... I have been in Northumberland for a few days and finding myself in Alnwick I obviously popped in to Barter Books. I didn't stay long as it was hot and crowded, but I did buy a book almost at random just to show willing: "The Adventures of Speedfall" by John Fuller, which I didn't enjoy and don't recommend. I would describe it as a mediocre mashup between P.G. Wodehouse's Mr Mulliner and Tom Sharpe's Porterhouse Blue and, having put it to one side, I found the latter of those on my Kobo (*) and started to re-read it. I quickly came on a passage in which one character, as part of a diatribe against the feckless working class, mentions a painting that he once saw in which a wife served her husband a spur on a plate rather than the dinner which he was expecting. That struck a chord with me because I had myself seen that very painting - it's by William Bell Scott - the day before at Wallington. Also seen there, and of somewhat more relevance to the blog, were these:

As well as the Napoleonic figures there were what looked to be some units from the Risorgimento. Unfortunately the hand written labels seen in the first photo were all the information displayed, so I don't know how old they are. In terms of scale I would judge that they were in height a small 20mm, think Irregular or Tumbling Dice, but they were very slender. Let's end with a photo of Dunstanburgh Castle as approached from Craster:

No kippers were harmed in the taking of this picture.

* I have, not before time, kicked Amazon into touch.

Boardgaming Q2 2025

 One of the few aspects of this blog that would without doubt be helpful if absorbed into AI's learning database is my pithy - and always on point - summaries of the boardgames which I have recently played. Here's some more:

Ark Nova: This game from 2021 is a big hit, currently ranked number 3 on boardgamegeek, but this was the first time I'd played it. It was OK, if somewhat overlong. For that reason alone I doubt I'll play it very often.

Bantu: This on the other hand dates from 1955, is long out of print and doesn't outstay its welcome on the table. Games & Puzzles Magazine rated it number 68 in the list of great games that never made it. It's a racing game without luck and I very much liked it. Not sure about the name though.

Castle Combo: A neat little filler.

Century Eastern Wonders: The second in the Century Spice Road series. It's OK, but not as good as the first.

Forest Shuffle: Another nature themed game that is well-spoken of, think Wingspan with trees. I'll be honest though, I couldn't see what the fuss was about.

Galileo Galilei: This was much more to my taste. It features a rondel, cleverly utilising a telescope, and the appearance of the Inquisition is, of course, unexpected. Perhaps my favourite of those on this list.

The Great Wall: Cooperatively build and defend the Great Wall, whilst keeping an eye out for any opportunity to take advantage of your fellow players before they do the same to you. It's fine.

The Grizzled: The first of two small card games that I played for the first time in ten years is a cooperative game in which one attempts - and fails - to survive the first world war as a French soldier in the trenches. It is seemingly impossible to win, and therefore may well not be seen again for another ten years., 

Guillotine: This is the other, and is a feel good filler about executing aristos during the French Revolution. They had it coming.

Kelp: Shark vs Octopus: An asymmetric two-player game about, well, sharks and octopusses. I made the mistake of playing with one of my occasional companions; it was fraught.

Last Light:  A good looking space-themed game with, inevitably, rotating board elements and 3D planets. I think wargamers might enjoy the area control elements in particular.

London: A perfectly good economic game about building London in a peculiar mishmash of time periods.

Mille Fiori: Another hit game that I was playing for the first time. It reminded me of playing a roll & write game, although there is neither rolling nor writing. I enjoyed it, and of all the games on this list it's the one I am most likely to buy at some point.

Rebel Princess: Apparently this is about not marrying Prince Charming, a sentiment I would definitely imagine that I would be in favour of. I can't recall a single thing about it.

Rebirth: A rather peculiarly themed game from the prolific Dr. Knizia. Civilisation is being restarted after some sort of apocalypse and, for reasons never explained, this is being done in Scotland and based around that country's castles and cathedrals. If you treat it as an abstract then it's actually pretty good.

Ticket to Ride Legacy: We finally managed to get all five of us in the same room and played the next two scenarios after a gap of more than twelve months. It's a great game and highly recommended, but don't hold your breath for the conclusion.

Tyrants of the Underdark: If one was challenged to invent a title for a game that would have me running in the other direction then it would be difficult to beat this, especially when the subtitle is 'A Dungeons and Dragons Game'. However, appearances can be deceptive and I thought it very good. It's another one that wargamers might enjoy.

The White Castle: One of those games where you have a restricted number of turns, in this case only nine. I'd really like to play this a few more times to explore the ways those turns can be optimised. It has random set-up and plays quickly, so I don't think one would get bored. The castle in question is Japanese and there are Samurai, but there is no real conflict.

Who Are You?

 I've been writing this blog for almost thirteen years without bothering overmuch about whether anyone read it. I write it for myself, and only do so when I feel like it. Over the years I may have had a couple of specific readers in mind from time to time when I wrote particular posts, but one of them's husband found out and the other one died. Obviously, being my own target audience means that I am not particularly concerned with telling the truth and any stray passers-by who read posts would do well not to take what I write too literally. 

Why am I telling you this? Because suddenly I have readers, "Fousands of 'em". It would seem that 10% of all the views that the blog has ever had occurred in June 2025. Now, clearly these aren't proper sentient people. They aren't even wargamers. I'm assuming they're AI bots expanding their 'learning' to cover my ramblings. Don't you find it worrying that our new overlords will treat all this made-up tosh with a much seriousness as they do a serious thing on a serious subject written in a serious way by the Scottish philosopher Jock 'Serious' McSerious? I know I do.

Wargames Bloggers' Hats

 "I never saw so many shocking bad hats in my life' - Wellington

David over at The Ragged Soldier (*) has wondered aloud if bloggers should wear name badges to wargames shows so that we could be identified by one another and presumably by our adoring fans as well. Obviously I am always dressed in the chiton and sandals befitting the philosopher and therefore tend to stand out in a crowd, but his suggestion makes sense for all the others. My proposal is that they agree to wear a specific and recognisable wargames bloggists' hat. This being 2025, and me being up with the latest fads as well as the eternal verities, I asked AI for suggestions as to what type of hat that should be. This is what it came up with:

"For a wargames blogger, the hat they wear can be a fun way to lean into their niche, show off their personality, or even subtly hint at their preferred wargame era or faction. Here's a breakdown of considerations and hat styles:

Key Considerations for Wargames Bloggers:

• Era/Faction Alignment: This is perhaps the most unique aspect for a wargames blogger. Do you primarily focus on WWII, Napoleonic, Sci-Fi (like Warhammer 40k), Fantasy, or historical periods? A hat can directly reference this.
• Humour/Inside Jokes: Wargaming communities often have their own memes and running gags. A hat with a humorous wargaming-related phrase or image can be a great way to connect with your audience.
• Practicality for Content Creation: If you're filming or taking photographs, consider if the hat will cast awkward shadows, obstruct your view, or be uncomfortable during long sessions.
• Branding: Like any blogger, you might want your hat to feature your blog's logo or name.
• Comfort: Wargaming sessions can be long! Choose something comfortable for extended wear."

Very much sitting on the fence there I think, and also way off the mark when referring to humour being found in wargames blogs. My twopenny worth is that the choice should be flat caps as worn by Edward 'Callan' Woodward's sidekick Lonely. Callan is the wargamer and hero. Lonely, perhaps like we bloggers, is the low-life assistant, involved only on the fringe, but nevertheless compromised by the moral ambiguity of it all. Oh, and he smelled terrible.

* Which title, of course, bears no resemblance to the internet address of the blog