winterbadger: (coloured dice)
2011-09-06 01:26 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

An interesting concept I had not encountered before (as least labelled as such): Newsgames. Games that are "an application of journalism in videogame form", games that "simulate how things work by constructing interactive models. Newsgames can persuade, inform, and titillate; make information interactive; recreate a historical event; put news content into a puzzle; teach journalism; and build a community."
winterbadger: (pint in the hand)
2009-06-05 05:47 pm
Entry tags:

good Friday (so far)

Packed up my 20mm SCW guys and mailed them off to a nice fellow in California in exchange for a nice bundle on PayPal. Ka-ching!

DC whupped up on NJ last night (2-0--it's as 'whup' as we get right now until some of the older more broken players retire and the younger ones get more experience...)

Playing ASL tomorrow, having dinner and a movie with friends, and taping the USMNT game against Honduras to watch Sunday morning.

Sunday probably consists of aforementioned WCQ, maybe a trip to the farmers' market, another attempt to clean the flat, and a test of Polemos ECW.

Hopefully Monday I will get another game of Battlefront with Basileus Frankos if he has recovered from his minor surgery.

Finished a game of The Burning Blue with [livejournal.com profile] vikingcat, about to start another (Guilford Courthouse) with him.
winterbadger: (cat yin-yang)
2009-05-04 12:28 pm

quiet weekend

Summary: WWII wargame Saturday with Bryan and Eric, DC United beats FC Dallas in the evening. Sunday a trip to the farmers' market, dinner with neighbours, and the island of Mull on TV. Read more... )
winterbadger: (astonishment)
2008-11-24 12:25 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

Five posts in two days! I'm burning up the wires here! :-)

Just to catch up on a few things. Read more... )
winterbadger: (greenman)
2008-09-14 10:57 am
Entry tags:

(no subject)

I found this site originally by following links related to model terrain construction, but the entire site is so fascinating, I thought I would share the link.

Nikolas Lloyd's website: a source of information on gaming, modeling, archeology, kung-fu, film, photography, and many other things!
winterbadger: (coloured dice)
2008-02-28 03:57 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

Peter, a new immersive game to try. Others might like it too--sounds pretty crazy. Props to [livejournal.com profile] janewilliams20 for the notice.
winterbadger: (coloured dice)
2007-11-14 08:00 am
Entry tags:
winterbadger: (british brigade)
2007-11-10 07:52 pm
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wargame playtesting

Not playtesting as in rules development, but testing out a published set of rules to see if we like them. In this case, Might and Reason, a set of wargame rules for refighting 18th century battles.Read more... )
winterbadger: (Default)
2007-11-02 02:57 pm
Entry tags:

in other news...

[livejournal.com profile] soccer_fox and I are not refereeing this weekend, as there were not enough slots for all the officials wanting games! Good for CCSL, and it gives us some free time. Read more... )
winterbadger: (french HYW army)
2007-10-31 10:46 am
Entry tags:

(no subject)

The truly excellent Fanaticus website, devoted to the miniatures game De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA), has a feature called "eye candy", showcasing various gamer's armies and scenery. Two recent entrants are very handsome work, a Chinese pavilion with koi pond and a Polish gamer's early Polish army and its camp. (Each army has a small piece of scenery to represent its camp, which many players make as specialised and distinctively appropriate to its army as possible.)

DBA is a neat little game: short rules (twelve pages, including examples), small armies (each consists of about twelve elements, or no more than 40-50 figures), quick to play (players familiar with the rules generally play a match in an hour or less). It has an international following and lots of support on the Web. It's a good deal of fun, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try miniature wargaming but leery of spending a lot of money to start out with. One can even play with elements made from cardboard (a couple of players have made miniature armies you can download and print out). The only drawback is that the rules are a bit...oddly...written (the author has an idiosyncratic style of misusing the English language). But a group of experienced players has put together a good guide that helps one learn the rules and explicates some of the odder bits of verbiage.
winterbadger: (astonishment)
2007-10-23 06:58 pm
Entry tags:

our cars are so smart!

Well, they passed their emissions tests. Neta says that's the only test she imagines she'll be passing today (she had exams, which she says she failed--knowing her, that means she got an A- or a B+ instead of an A+).

Of course, mine passed because I spent $300 on getting a fuel sensor replaced and a semi-major maintenance. But that meant I got to lounge about home most of the day, since there's a decent shop only a mile and a half from the house (I just walked home and cycle dover to collect the car when they were done). I did some sorting of my DBA armies and checked to see what units I'm going to need to rebase/add/etc. for the newer editions of the army lists. And I sorted the Germans I got recently for Flames of War into foam transport trays that will protect them a little more securely than the ones they came in.

I did *not* get tot the post office and mail Pony and the Historian the goodies I've been meaning to; sorry guys, just a bit longer.

Busby loved having someone here, though. He got lots and lots and lots of petting.
winterbadger: (jonas minis)
2007-10-19 03:12 pm
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the awful truth

Neta, sweetheart, I figured that sooner or later you would need to know the truth about wargamers. Even that video only hinted at it.

This tells the whole, dark story, just the way it is...
winterbadger: (British colonial infantry)
2007-10-15 02:23 pm
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damn you, Don!

One of my friends pointed me to this line of handsome 28mm troops for the fantasy world of Tekumel that Eureka Miniatures has started bringing out.

NO! No, I will not start playing HOTT just so as to have an excuse to buy these pretty boys and girls...
winterbadger: (bike)
2007-10-11 08:22 am

weather, biking, and photos

Finally, FINALLY, it has gotten cooler! Today the temperature is a livable, enjoyable 55*F, with a high of 66*F expected.

To celebrate, I went cycling after I took Neta to the Metro. I didn't go all that far, only two and a half miles, but it was a lovely change to be able to move around outdoors without being miserable. Good thing, too, as I really need to get more exercise. I'm more like a blimp every day.

I also gave up trying to get Java to work on Firefox and DLed a free FTP program. Photos of my sailing trip are here, and photos of our trip to New England in the summer are here. Ignore the odd reference to necklaces; the photos got tagged based on a folder I accidentally loaded them into. There are also additions to the "odd signs" collection and to the "best pictures" (though I think the ones I added today are all Neta's!)

Slept well, but I'm still very sleepy. Peter and Bryan were over last night, and we introduced Neta to role-playing games! :-) It was very laid back, and we enjoyed it enough that I think we will do it again.

OK, shower, breakfast, work...
winterbadger: (coloured dice)
2007-08-30 02:54 pm
Entry tags:

and more on gaming...

I'm reminded that next weekend (the 8th and 9th) is the second running of the local multimedia gaming convention TriaDCon. Unless I have commitments I've forgotten, I'm going to try to get to it for at least one day.

[livejournal.com profile] gr_c17, help me to remember to mention this to [livejournal.com profile] john_arundel when he comes back from vacation, especially the following event:Read more... )