Vacation

Well, my winter vacation has begun. I am technically off work for the next two weeks.

Lowered expectations

I'd like to lounge around, like Napoleon above. I hoped to do some gaming every day. I even toyed with reviving the Twelve Games of Christmas. Increasingly, however, it looks like I'll have little gaming time. I just have too many chores to do around the house - take the car in, paint a fence, clear out my father-in-law's apartment, and even do some work work! As a result, I don't expect as much gaming. :(

A new interest

Over the past few weeks I've developed a new historical interest - the Slavs. This arose due to preparations for LARP. In February, I will again attend Mythic Adventures. I went last March and it was a bit of a disaster. This time, I'm making a few changes, including a change in character. Based on my traveling companion's preference, I'll be making a character based on medieval Eastern European culture.

My grandmother was born in Slovakia (when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was still a thing!) so I want to base my character on medieval Slovaks. There is not much information online, at least not in English. However, I am looking to Great Moravia as inspiration.

I found a Slovak series on Prime video. Called The Slavs (aka Slavonia), it seems to be telling the story of Samo's Empire of the 7th century.

Anyway, all this has given me a hankering for some medieval Slavic battles, perhaps against the Avars. I just have haven't got around to setting anything up.

Napoleon?

In my last post, I mentioned that Ridley Scott's Napoleon piqued my interest in the period. I started a campaign and have done nothing with it since. I'd like to get in another game during the break.

What about RPG?

I last played a session with Ser Killian in October. He is now ready to try Axeholm again, but again I haven't had the time or energy. I hope to get a session in over vacation.

Adrift

Wargame Doldrums
It has nearly a month since my last post and I find myself in the same position, wargaming wise. I am in a serious slump and don't envision getting out of it soon. I have not had any motivation to paint or play. Please be patient; I find that these things work themselves out if I don't try to force it.

LARP Adventures
One of the main reasons behind my wargame slump is that I have been very active on the LARP front. My frustration with Amtgard hit a peak in late August, as evidenced by this post. After that, I decided I wanted something better so I started jotting down ideas for a LARP that would address my issues with Amtgard. I then had a sudden inspiration. For years I've been wanting to do a Christian LARP so I decided to write the rules for one. Thus was born Paladins' Quest LARP.

Since then I have been writing the rules. I had a revelation for a new class-based system. Essentially the rules Christianize the standard D&D classes (renamed Callings). For example, we have cantor instead of bard and hermit instead of druid. Each class has a small set of abilities (Gifts). This makes the Callings much easier to learn and remember than Amtgard classes.

I am still writing. Work has been very busy, causing interference. When I do have spare time I devote it to Paladins' Quest, which keeps me away from wargaming.

If you have an interest in Paladins' Quest, please join our Facebook group (see below)

Help Wanted
I need help to fully realize my vision for Paladins' Quest. My idea is to write the rules and then post them online as free-to-use, open-source rules. To that end, I want to make a website that will host the rules and supplementary information about the LARP. I really need help with web design and creating graphics for the site. If you can or know anyone who can volunteer to help, please refer them to the PQ Facebook page (below).

Paladins' Quest Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2464074170338291/

The Summer Lull

Given that it's been 3 weeks since my last post, I'd have to say that the summer lull is in full swing. I started painting my latest 3mm project but that has stalled.

I have been busy, however. Two things in particular have been commanding my attention.

LARP
A few months ago I mentioned that I was preparing for a new LARP. The concept was to take my regular Amtgard group through an immersive adventure. I even wrote new rules to streamline the game. People had fun but most were not interested in a repeat. By and large they prefer being stick jocks whereas I wanted something more flurby.

But not all is lost. A few people, including my wife, were interested in a real roleplaying LARP. We decided to reboot the campaign with a smaller group. Essentially it's like playing D&D but with acting out our actions rather than just describing them. I had to spend some time preparing the new backstory and developing quests. Last weekend we had our last adventure, which I describe on my LARP blog.

The group was quite pleased with the adventure and we can't wait for the next one (got to spend some time prepping for it). In the interim, we are looking to up our game. For example, we've been using Amtgard swords, which are essentially pool noodles on a stick. I purchased some weapons for my wife's character.

They are actually foam replicas. The cat is not a weapon.

Cross
I have also been spending a lot of free time working on a volunteer project for Cross International.

A friend works there. She asked me for Excel help (after 30 years or so of using Excel I'm pretty good at it). Well, that project has turned out to be more extensive than expected.

As a result of the above 2 projects, I have not had any time for wargaming. Hopefully the long July 4th weekend (I have that Thursday and Friday off) will give me a chance to play a game.

No Time to Play

Once again, I'm going through a wargaming lull. There are a couple major reasons for this:

Stuck in the Den
I usually do my solo wargaming on weekend mornings, while my wife is asleep. I'll set up the game, make some breakfast, and play out the scenario on the coffee table in the living room.

Over the last few months (note that my last miniatures game was in April), my weekend morning routine has been disrupted. We rescued another cat, Buster. Unfortunately, he turned out to be FIV+ so we've been keeping him separated from the other cats. He is locked up in the den and gets lonely in there. Thus, I've been spending my weekend mornings in the den with him. The problem is that the den does not have a viable space for setting up a game.

I could change my gaming schedule but I prefer to reserve my evenings for time with my wife. On weekends we play board games and during the week we watch TV and go for walks.

Another option is virtual games that I can play on the computer. I was very gung ho about this early in the year but my enthusiasm has waned.

Distractions
There have been a number of distractions that have kept me away from miniatures games:

LARPing - lately, when I have had the opportunity to escape the den, my efforts have been focused on preparations for my LARP group. I mentioned a quest that I ran last month. I will now be running monthly quests. They won't be as elaborate as the one in June but they will tie me up somewhat.

Video Games - Recently I downloaded and have been playing Witcher 3, a fabulous fantasy RPG with amazing graphics. 

 

And I got sucked into the Pokemon GO craze.

I HATE walking but my wife loves to walk. In order to motivate myself to walk with her, I downloaded the game. Now I'm dragging her out of the house for walks!

My Dad - last weekend my father ended up in the hospital with a urinary tract infection. He was real bad, nearly catatonic. He is in the hospital but he is so weak that they put him in rehab. I've been spending time with him over the past week and will continue to do so.

Con te partirò

Or more accurately, "Time to Say Goodbye."

This is a sentiment I have been pondering for a little while. As one can easily notice, my wargaming and blogging have declined dramatically in recent months (although I have been playing a lot of board games with my wife). I've been feeling pressure to post although I really don't have much to write about. Thus, I've been toying with the idea of shutting down the entire operation.

Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed. I just need to remind myself that I have been using this blog as a wargaming diary so that in the future I can go back and see what projects I've worked on, etc. Because lulls are part of my wargaming experience the absence of posts is, in essence, documentation of my gaming goings-on (or not-goings-on). I may not post much in the coming weeks, but this blog is not going anywhere.

Now, for the first time in what seems like weeks, I have a free Saturday morning. I think I'll do a little gaming.