August round up

 Last weekend I went for a little walk out on Dartmoor with my old man. A good day for a walk.

We had a good time around Brat Tor and picked up a quality pasty from the Lydford Farm shop - a recommended place for good food and coffee. 

This weekend saw a quick trip back to the moor - well more accurately Moreton Hampstead to visit an exhibition of art inspired by the moor. 

Some lovely pieces - I did like the troll witch (top left). DK was there on Wednesday or Thursday during the day and I think it was quieter than on Saturday, when I went. 

The works by Alan Lee of Lord of the Rings, both illustrated books and the movies were obviously a big draw, and explain the extra people at the weekend. Glad I went. 

On the getting back on the modelling/making/painting side of things I did a little painting tutorial for my nephew who has started his journey in games, with a number of named Space Marines …I have suggested that he starts using washes to gain some depth. I did a Greek Hoplite to demonstrate. 

TL - neat(ish) base colours. TR - chose you wash. BL - apply the wash. BR - add a few highlights with the base colours. I will probably add another highlight later. 

I also got off my backside and assembled a Drakon and rider. I have tired to get the legs to match with those of the Ral Partha high elves - BR picture with green stuff chain mail skirt. 

The actual Drakon model has gone together nicely - I think I will need to do a bit more work on chain mail but happy so far. This might get the painting mojo back … it might start me playing a few games. 

Autumn is nearly upon us …

Morts

Brecon Beacons - a quick getaway

 Nearly 2 weeks ago (I am getting a bit slack - probably due to non gaming related activities) the beeper half and my good self headed across the board to Wales to visit the Brecon Beacons National park.

A we had a very good time - except for the walk up Pen y Fan which as you can see from the pictures was a tad damp. This was in the middle of a UK heatwave… it has taken a week for the walking boot to dry out from the walk going down are legs to fill them up …

After going back to the accommodation to change and dry off a bit we headed off to Brecon town itself. A nice little place. Also home to the museum of 24th Foot - South Wales Borderers, of Zulu War fame. 

The flag over Rorke’s Drift and the VC of some of the outpost’s defenders and victims of Isandlwana. Some really interesting history there. Below a couple of pictures of an impressive diorama in the Zulu war room. 

A fascinating museum - which had also opened up their educational rooms that day to have a look around.  They had a lot of home front information there and about 5 hand written notebooks by a Brecon boy from the start of the war until sometime in 1942 - which the curator believed ended as he was called up. 

A copy of the page on the channel dash by Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen (this stood out as I remember reading an account of this as a teenager myself) - the lad was not impressed with the navy’s performance - the quick scan of the notebooks indicated possibly some different interpretations of the events happening in the war at the time compared to a lot of the big picture history I have read - really interesting and to think these were just handed to the curator in the street in a box file or shoe box and could have easily gone to the tip. 

The following day we headed out on another walk. This time Henrhyd (or Batman) waterfall. 

A nice walk - the falls didn’t have as much water as usual, due to the dry conditions we have been having recently (as clearly shown in the BL where there was not water in that little fall). 

A good couple of days away - only spoiled by the torturous journey back home. Planning to go back and try to get up Pen y Fan and see a view …

Morts

Brass - Birmingham played

So last week Steedo invited, DK, Snake-eyes and my good self over for a game. He had chosen to play Brass Birmingham - which I hadn’t played, but the others had (Snake-eyes only once). I watched a play through video, so had some handle of the rules. Now I’ll be honest I am slightly scared by the Industrial Revolution, having studied (in the loosest sense of the word) Social and Economic History 1700 to 1900 for my O levels, the textbook for which had one paragraph on the Napoleonic Wars (stating that income tax was introduced as a temporary measure to paid for fighting the Frenchies) … needless to say my lazy and uninterested self did not get the grade that I should have (also not helped by my poor spelling etc, so amply demonstrated in this blog). So to be honest the thought of a game based on it has not been that appealing.

The rules are fairly simple but the strategy is complex - when do you take a loan to build things … but it reduces your income. Then what to build - mills, ironworks, potteries or manufacturing … all with their pros and cons … and must not forget the breweries (which are essential for the railway phase). These all have to be connected up by your network - canals in the first phase of the game and railways in the second (final) phase. The scoring happens at the end of each phase and is mainly done via your network to any factory. Off course this is where the trade offs occur and the blocking off towns. 

At the end of the canal phase I was 2nd, behind Steedo, but ahead of DK and Snake-eyes. The final scoring gave the victory to Steedo , who was chased hard by DK (who had lost - forget to pick up cards …), myself in 3rd, with Snake-eyes in 4th. In retrospect my strategy for building an impressive network to score points was let down by not building the right type of industry in the rail phase - more mills next time (manufacturing, doesn’t score many points on the network …note for next time) and breweries. 

So an interesting game, with nice production which I would play again (knowing are organisation a couple of years … so I will have forgotten how to play and what the strategy is …). 

In other gaming related news I pick up my own copy of fantastic battles - so plan to sort of the collection soon. 

Morts