Plans, Projects and materials ... oh my!

 I find myself in this sort of limbo right now, due to income producing prospects now in a holding pattern, the ever-present volunteer fire department callouts that pull away at unexpected times (and the need to be ready for them - whenever) and the looming housing change potential are all causing me to put hobby productive elements on hold.  While I could possibly pick away as some simple ones, the needs for most are either too long for the open time I see or I am still assembling some of the parts needed.

I have been assembling some ECW or Wars of the Roses materials for some time.  I have a copy of Kingmaker from Avalon Hill, designed in part by Steve Jackson, that is forming a sort of basis of these game sets (in that they take place across all of the UK).  Bits of my materials I have assembled include a leather piece big enough to mark out all of the British Isles & Ireland, parts of Scotland & possibly the coast of France, leaving a WWII option for Sealion or Overlord.

sets of white and red roses along with
shiny paper and gemstones for making some
of the game markers

I have a set of troops from the Warmaster series that are ready to bring the Wars of the Roses into action, the potential also exists for using the many card units (I have them in five colors now).  Ultimately I could also use the lion markers I have with Blue and Orange colors in order to set up for English Civil War on the large leather map.

there's plenty of raw materials

cubes of lead, with skulls or grave markers
that have all been cast
including a part-finished gabion from the
many bits of green stuff used in the past

other markers planned include built up areas
a crown, the rose 'chessman' a carrick ship
shields and the 'wax seals' of the hand or fleur-de-lis
there's also a Scotts Lion, Plantaganet shield and
crossed 'keys' seals that we got from the Tower of London

still incomplete are the 'border horse'
units that I have planned for the ECW forces

It is these border horse units that I think I may put time into completing over the next little while.  Mainly because they will be not complicated, just some lances to cut and only one pose on a horse, done up by the dozen.  This will make it certain that I do not leave things unpainted if the 'move now' situation comes about and I must change to getting two houses moved.

I have some more magnets and special metal discs coming on order, along with plastic 'meeple' pawns in many colors - that ought to work well in the campaign mode I have envisioned for the ECW or Wars of the Roses campaign mapping or "Kingmaker" game set-up.

wooden blocks and colored discs

mirrored squares and many colors of shiny paper

 A selection of materials to support more use of the 'operational level' card-blocks that have been so useful in setting up operational level games (see 1861 Bull Run operational game) , now we may be able to mark out the morale level, command status, manpower levels and more with use of the blocks and colored discs.   Possibly in combination with poker chips or dice as well ...

other projects found included the F&IW
and the Brigade Games "This Very Ground"
rules and minis

there have been parts assembling here for
at least a decade - with loads of RAFM stuff
that came from Jeff & combined with my
own older RAFM finds at Trumpeter swap meets

The F&IW still will have to stay on hold, while I have the Quebec board game which could do well in setting up various parts of the pivotal "Plains of Abraham" campaign.

speaking of Jeff, there were still some
Pulp minis of his combined with my
Cthulu stuff ... totally on hold.

Napoleonic forces expansions, late 7YW stuff
also in a holding pattern for now

eight more French Napoleonic SHAKO
battalions, these may be 'on deck' once
the ECW border horse are finished
as they also can be done in smaller
groups such that in 2-3 days they get
finished in a hurry if needed

loads of colored glass beads

plenty more wooden sabot for the 15mm
ACW and other projects

the cyanoacrilate glue 'tubes'
I have been saving these with other small items
that they might be combined into a mad-scientist
laboratory or other such high-tech looking
things for pulp or sci-fi games

a Napoleonic Officer
meant for artillery, yet could do
as a Saxon commander
(the aim for the 8 formations mentioned above)

There's more in the storage unit right now - that will be brought out and put into action or moved on once we get moved - though when or if that is happening any time soon is unknown.

Everything was planned to have a place in the project stream, the best part about casting your own minis is that if the plan gets 86'd then all you need to do is make the minis back into ingots.

As for game play in the near future, I am optimistic that either the 7YW set or Alpian Wars set from Bluebear Jeff will see the tabletop this fall or early winter. 

Also, so long as the move gets put off into later, I expect to be able to host more table action from the garage table here.

Ultimately I will do at least one more game here before any move ... once I know what the timing will be.