Pot90pouri

Firstly, commiserations to Jonathan Freitag over at Palouse Wargaming Journal, who, in case you hadn't heard, has broken his leg. Get well soon old chap, and I trust you will find a productive way to use the time.

Last night was day 2 of Sidi Rezegh Day 2. You may have formed the impression that I didn't like either the scenario or the the rules, and you would be correct in doing so. I'm not going to say any more about the set up of the game, except to remind you that it involves the Germans charging onto the table, the British moving towards them and then eventually someone winning. I am however going to be rude about the rules. Now, clearly James really likes them, and he is a person of high standing within the wargaming fraternity, whereas I am just some chap who dabbles in toy soldiers in such intervals as a heavy schedule of cultural activities and wanton women allows. Nevertheless, I don't like Blitzkreig Commander.

In no particular order:

• I don't like the way the benefits of being in cover increase in an exponential manner while the benefits of better quality or greater quantity are linear.
• I don't like the lack of a target priority rule, which inevitably results in ganging up on the opposition's strongest unit.
• I don't like the key role played by command radius, a spurious concept at the best of times and one that seems out of place in the period. In practice it is a significantly greater handicap to attackers than it is to defenders and makes it difficult to co-ordinate close assaults with artillery support. There is a small tweak in the rules to somewhat ameliorate this issue, but James has taken it back out of his house rules; wrongly, in my opinion.
• I don't like the activation mechanism. It is crude and offers the player no real choices; one simply keeps rolling until one fails. I would compare it unfavourably with, for example, the process used in To the Strongest!, which achieves a similar objective, but relies on the player making some real decisions. 

So, to recap, I don't like it.

Laser cutting continues, and I am pleased to say that I think I am beginning to get the hang of the various programmes and machinery involved. Which makes it all the more surprising that my first attempt at a corner for the wall didn't fit together and had to be thrown away. In happier news I have produced another attempt at a warband base, which is shown above squaring off against a couple of Roman units. 

This is it compared to the base I have previously been using; much better I think.

Pot48pouri

Well I've had a busy couple of days, involving lots of boardgames and nearly going to Bishop Auckland. I watched the launch, not because of the British astronaut - I am proud to say that I have no patriotic feelings whatsoever about anything at all - but because I am that age. Among my earliest memories are sitting on a classroom floor listening to a transistor radio (the detail is important because one of the teachers would have brought their own personal, portable - though still hefty - radio into school) as one of the Gemini flights was launched. I would happily watch any rocket lift off, any time, anywhere.

I also went to the theatre and saw Steel Magnolias. I've never seen the film, but was charmed by the play, which was both funny and sad. As an aside the actress playing Shelby had the longest legs I think I've ever seen. I say that with some trepidation because naturally this blog operates according to the conventions of the officers mess, and regards the ladies as off limits for conversation. But it may be that standards are slipping because my previous post has got a remarkable number of viewers (that's remarkable for this blog, still pathetic by anyone else's standards of course). I suspect that rather than new people being tempted in this is caused by regulars returning for a second ogle. Shame on you all.

I have also been to see the very talented Chantel McGregor. McGregor, a local lass and a woman in whom Robert Crumb would find much to admire, is an alumna of Leeds College of Music - an institution that has featured in these pages before - where she had a very distinguished academic record. She now plays guitar in a power trio who seem to think that Grand Funk Railroad circa 1969 is the aspirational route map to follow; which will get no argument from me. Their songs are basically just a vehicle for her to solo; which she does rather well, always assuming you like that sort of thing - which I certainly do. In addition she gets bonus marks for employing a bass player who looks exactly like the bass player in this sort of band should look. Check it out:

And here, as I mentioned them, is some Grand Funk Railroad from when they were good:

Pursuit check

"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I have some sort of post-viral fatigue thing going on for a while now. It's all been a bit up and down, but I am now feeling a little stronger every day, possibly because the British summer has decided to get its arse into gear. In any event, if I am no longer to be tired then I need to work out where else I fit in.

In the meantime here is a Robert Crumb cartoon.

Presumably no explanation is necessary.