So here we are.

After a busy weekend away gigging, it's time to finish the "intro" ready to start blogging proper.
My nephew found his feet and joined a local club, so the Ork mob I'd put together to provide the initial bolter fodder for his Muh-reens was redundant (Warhammer 40K just isn't my thing, though I'm tempted with a Space Hulk kinda game), and despatched to that well known online auction site.

Putting the Boyz together taught me a few things :~
1. mini's could be picked up relatively cheaply second hand and repainted etc
2. playable sized forces can be done quickly using the "block paint and shading" technique
3. my modelling skills have suffered with age with the eyesight going and a not-so-steady hand
4. I still hated "competitive" games, but LOVED narrative campaigns!

So, I was back into gaming, though the 'early days' saw a lot more random  purchases than I'd have liked as my enthusiasm lacked any clear direction. Still, those boxes of stuff might come in handy one day (or they might just go back on you-know-where to fund the active projects!).

Things have settled down a bit now, with an ongoing fantasy campaign ("The Dark Conspiracy") which includes old skool AD&D adventures alongside skirmishes and battles that have been fought with 3rd edition Warhammer rules but I'm trying out SoBH and Dragon Rampant.

A band of brave souls are attempting to survive a zombie apocalypse in a campaign that uses ATZ FFO as the core, but we have some occasional "fun nights" with Akula's Total AR:SE rules!


The "Pinxton Popular Front" campaign using the Winter of '79 rules appeals to me because I was in the Army at the time, so it gives me an excuse to collect some models of familiar vehicles that I built up a "love / hate relationship" with over the years, and it puts an interesting twist on the "Imagi-Nations" approach to historical wargaming that I enjoy.

So, with that out of the way, and having got to grips with at least the basics of actually 'driving' a blog,  the next posts will be up to date reports.

Oh, and the model railway? Well that's still a little escapism out in the garden, but won't really feature on here.

 Or will it???

The Spark

My addiction started as a schoolboy way back in the '60s when a certain book appeared, and the local toyshops were selling boxes of Airfix Waterloo figures (the word "miniatures" wasn't used much in those days)

and continued into adult life until the early '90s, when a "career change" (I became a full time gigging musician) put paid to free time for social activities.
I turned to the solitary pastime of railway modelling!

Then in 2012, my brother-in-law was concerned about the amount of time my young nephew was spending glued to the Xbox instead of any 'creative' hobbies, so, since we live in Nottinghamshire I suggested a trip to....

We visited the displays, and gaming hall where the "plan" seemed to be working - he was taking a real interest in all the shiny figures and the idea of gaming while I was struck by how much things had changed, yet was somehow so familiar!

Of course, I started getting daft ideas along the lines of 'I wonder if', so we took a break in Bugman's for a brew to try and calm down,

but since this is no ordinary cafe, there was no respite - and this guy just about summed up my situation.

Once the caffeine had kicked in, it was time to call in to the shop before we left. My nephew was treated to some goodies to get him started in his new hobby, and I made the BIG mistake of letting myself get talked into a demo game...........
thanks to modern technology, the fateful event was captured forever by SWMBO on her smartphone - the moment my addiction laid claim once more and I was back into gaming!
                                                       (but not at those prices!)

As soon as we got home (and had another brew) I went searching through my 'stuff' in the spare room and then sat with my finds for the rest of the evening in a nostalgic glow.

A spark had ignited and something was stirring............

Hi

 and welcome to my first ever attempt at creating a blog, which is really a thank-you to all the folks out there who have fueled my gaming habits with their own terrific offerings.
After a lay-off lasting well over 20 years, I thought a dice would never be rolled in anger ever again ~
Oops!

So, what's to be found here at TWA towers?

                                           Plenty of zombie apocalypse,

                                       
                                          some fantasy battles

                                          and adventures.

                                           Possibly even some "Winter of '79"

                                        
                         and there's STILL an English Civil War itch waiting to be scratched!

Hope you'll bear with me while I get to grips with creating a profile, adding content, blogroll, reading list etc, etc and come back for the first "proper" post.