Happy New Year

As the Duke of Tradgardland and his court dance the night away under a full moon let me wish you and yours a Happy New Year and all the very best for 2017.

The beautiful game

Today we played for the first time what , in my opinion, is the most beautiful board game I have ever played.Not to mention really enjoyable.

It is called Tokaido. Well worth a look.

All is well- an update

On Christmas Eve the girls and I set off for Yorkshire and a week's holiday  by car. By mid morning we were involved in a car accident, not of our making, resulting in the car sustaining full frontal damage. The important thing is we were unscathed if shaken up a little . The police were excellent and very kind.To cut a long story short we were home by mid afternoon. A short trip by foot for provisions uptown left us equipped well for Christmas Day.
We had quiet if enjoyable day- Mass,presents,Uno,Scrabble,Escape from Atlantis and a lovely meal. We all enjoyed it and counted ourselves fortunate to be here together and well. My daughters had bought me a Hugh Baillie Scott coloured print and a book about living in Britain during the Napoleonic wars. It is now Boxing Day , the wind and rain howl without and I am about to finish five series of Ripper Street with some coffee with prospect of a walk and a little light shopping later. Have a good one whatever you are doing.

A square in Tradgardstadt in the Duchy of Tradagardland

Christmas Eve in Tradgardland-

The Duke wishes his loyal soldiers compliments of the season prior to entering the Cathedral of St Hermes for Midnight Mass.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS FROM ALL OF US IN THE DUCHY OF TRADGARDLAND!

The Last King - Official Trailer

Available on Amazon Prime currently,enjoy!

Maria Theresa sought

Has anyone got a spare figure of Maria Theresa that they want to sell? I believe it was a freebie at some war games show. She is on foot carrying an orb and sceptre l think.

Chosen men

Many of you will know that I am a big Patrick O'Brian fan ( his work has been compared to Jane Austen and referred to  as England's Odyssey) and have been for many,many years. I have therefore sent off for the new Perry naval  landing party figures  now they are in production. These ,along with the forthcoming "Chosen Men" Osprey rules, will hopefully be used to fight the battles from the books as well as landings in  Denmark and Norway.

First large wargame I ever saw....

As a teenager  I went  to see an exhibition of Fenton's (?) Crimean photographs in Charlotte Square Edinburgh. I forget the year. I was really looking forward to seeing photos like these-

The photos were fascinating but what really caught my attention was the wargame put on by the South East Scotland Wargames Club. There laid out in a large room was a Crimean battlefield replete with Peter Laing figures. It seemed vast to me and on closer inspection it was filled with regiment upon regiment. I recall being fascinated. Up to that point I had mainly painted Rose etc 54mm figures for display ( although growing up with Airfix etc fighting battles from an early age) here was something else - I was hooked and find myself still hooked near on forty years later. I went back again and again and watched and was filled with wonder.I can recall the excitement still. The excitement that led to carrying armies ( Mythical Earth and Airfix acw /tanks) around in my father's old Van Heusen shirt boxes to games. The rest is history as they say.

Books etc

I first read this 12 years ago,found it on the  bookshelf recently and am really enjoying it again-

Well written,filled with fascinating characters and events- if you have never read give it a go. Secondly a book sourced for me (thanks Michael) in Sweden-

By same person who did the Karoliner book.Inspiring illustrations.