My first attempts at creating abandoned stores an discarded personal equipment to be strewn along the Warrenton Pike in my Running from Bull Run game at Steel Lard.

Some places for players attending Steel Lard (11th October at Patriot Games in Sheffield) have become available. If you’re interested in attending please let me know.

Inspired by the terrific terrain at Ebor Lard, I’ve been straight on to First Corps to order some ACW scatter for “Running From Bull Run” at Steel Lard next month.

When the company’s trumpeter interrupts your game of chess it’s probably time to fight the Russians. Sharp Practice Deployment Point for the 1812 campaign.

Our first game of Gangs of Rome is now written up at the Land of Counterpane blog: thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...

Ancient Roman manhole covers play a part in the first two Marcus Didius Falco books and I’ve been thinking of how to use them in Gangs of Rome. A bit of Googling gave me three designs which I was able to design with Tinkercad and 3D print.

Thought I’d share some pictures from my trip to Arbeia, the Roman fort at South Shields. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/08/no-f...

Write up of this weekend’s assault on Hachigata castle now available on The Land of Counterpane blog. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/08/hach...

Our Siege of Hachigata 1568 campaign (using The Pikeman’s Lament) came to a climax today. The Takeda failed to take the place but Takeda Mochinaga and Honda Gozaemon return to Takeda territory with much enhanced reputations.

A few early Cold War jets added to my 1/300th collection: thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/08/some...

At a factory in Lincoln,1916. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-vi...

I think the Hovels Japanese gateway works reasonably well as Roman.

“Scarper, it’s the filth!” Vigiles Urbani for Gangs of Rome - Wargames Atlantic with Warlord heads.

Just spent an hour combing the workshop floor for this bit of Airfix Mk1 Tank kit!

My photo report on Joy of Six is up on The Land of Counterpane. It’s not complete as I was too busy running Operation Vijay to make sure I photographed every game. Apologies if I missed yours. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/07/joy-...

Great fun at Joy of Six today. It was great to chat with so many who showed interest in the Operation Vijay game.

I’ve built a Fairey Seafox; my first Matchbox aircraft kit in many a decade! thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/07/seaf...

I’ve now posted the AAR for my Mutanchiang game. August 1945 in Manchuria, 6mm scale, TacWWII rules. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-...

Near Mutanchiang, August 1945, a Japanese kamikaze airstrike somehow misidentifies a retreating friendly artillery battery as Soviet armour and destroys it.

The village of Ssutaoling. These are some of the oldest models in my 6mm scale terrain collection. Sculpted about 30 years ago from some king of modelling clay and based on thin wooden board.

Terrain set up for a solo TacWWII game this weekend. “The Approach to Mutanchiang” adapted from Bob Mackenzie’s Command Decision scenario.

City of Doncaster Archives were having an open day today and the KOYLI section was getting rid of some books that aren’t directly related to the Regiment. I picked up this classic in exchange for a donation.

I’ve created a Sharp Practice scenario generator for our planned Livonia 1812 campaign. #SpreadTheLard #SharpPractice thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/05/shar...

Picked up an addition to my small collection of classic wargaming books at an antique shop in Whitley Bay.

Finished my dice tower!

Thought I’d have a go at building a dice tower. Painting starts today.

Well done Sarissa Precision; last night’s order of something-I-can’t-name-as-it’s-a-birthday-present arrived this afternoon.

A question for Lardy Day (or similar events) organisers. How do you allow for the possibility of one of your game-runners being unable to make at the last minute? It’s happened to me three times in two years. #SpreadTheLard

My report on the Saturday of Crisis Point weekend is up on my blog. Sunday to follow. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/04/cris...

Union troops deploy neatly at Port Gibson. With a blizzard of unfavourable random events, officers stopping incoming Minié bullets, and poor movement dice rolls just around the corner, this was about as good as it was going to get.

It’s not easy photographing an air strike when your MiG 27 is perfectly camouflaged!

An Andreivian-Armenian light mortar team defends a village in the Northen Hills against Russian forces.

Oh the joys of organising a game weekend! Late last night the runner of one of our two games contacted me to say that he couldn’t make it due to a family emergency. Thankfully a couple of players have stepped up to put on an ad hoc game!

The Sheffield “We’re Not Going to Salute” Society will be gathering in Dungworth tomorrow. Here’s one of our two tables.

Planning my table layout for Crisis Point, the coming weekend’s big wargaming event (Salute? What’s that?) in gloriously sunny Dungworth.

Andreivian government special forces have recaptured the radar station at Küçük! andreivian-tales.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-...

The table for this afternoon’s “reminding myself how to play Arc of Fire” game.

The radar station at Küçük, currently in Andreivian Turk hands but soon to be attacked by government special forces.

Picked up a book on Napoleon’s 1812 campaign in Russia at my local Oxfam shop today. I’ve never seen a notice like this on a dust jacket before.

Interesting developments in Sheffield. To the left is the old market site, now an archaeological dig on the remains of Sheffield castle. Centre is the newly “deculverted” River Sheaf, and to the right is the former SYPTE building, where I worked for many years.

@tacticalpainter.bsky.social not quite the Hurtgenforst (actually White Lea Moor near Sheffield this afternoon) but it has a similar vibe.

Terrain set-up test for next month’s game at Crisis Point in Sheffield. The old fort in the foreground has more than repaid the time spent making it out of cardboard and foamcore.

Andreivian-Armenian ambulance detachment. Cheap plastic Jeep by Atlantic, figures by Orion.

I’ve created some commanders for my Andreivian Armenian forces. If you’ve got interesting figures, why not give them some interesting game effects? andreivian-tales.blogspot.com/2025/03/some...

Building some Andreivian road signs for next month’s game at Crisis Point.

A Japanese Type 61 medium tank upgraded from a cheap toy by 16yo me 45 years ago.

Some additions to the collection for games in the nation of Andreivia. andreivian-tales.blogspot.com/2025/03/some...

Did anyone capture the Mexican Officer Background Tables I posted on the Sharp Practice forum before the Great Server Crash? #spreadthelard

I’ve added some background tables for Napoleonic Prussian officers to the Sharp Practice resources on my blog. thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/03/napo... #spreadthelard

Lunar troops prepare to face the nomad onslaught.