About me

This blog is mainly about my hobbies.

I’ve been wargaming since my teens, though, like many middle-aged wargamers, I had a long gap in the hobby while family and work pressures interceded for many years.

For those who don’t know, ‘wargaming’ involves two or more players moving armies of model soldiers across a large table decorated with miniature terrain. Rules set out how far various units can move each turn, and dice are used to assess shooting casualties and morale. These dice throws are modified by factors such as distance from target, closeness of generals, protected or open flanks, and so on. Obviously, this is a gross simplification of wargames rules, but gives you the general idea.

I’m easily dazzled by shiny things, so for me the look of the wargame is everything. Scenery, figures, even the rules book – the better they look, the happier I am. So I’m first and foremost an aesthetic gamer.

And I make no apologies for my unabashed bias towards gaming the fascinating horse-and-musket era in full glorious 28mm, whether the stately and mannered formations of the 18th Century, the panache and panoply of  the  Napoleonic  period, or the rough and ready bush-fighting of the colonial New Zealand Wars.

My other hobby in recent years has been family history.  With my family originating in the Netherlands, this has proved a challenging but very interesting project.  It also links with my wargaming hobby, as several of my ancestors were in the military.

Enjoy!

Roly (aka ‘Arteis’)

Portraying a ‘Front Rank’ miniature at the 2005 Waterloo reenactment?!