USA v. Italy Rugby Match

   Well, I just got home from the match, and it was a disappointment only in the final score. Yes, the Eagles lost, 10-30 against Italy, but...

• Italy is higher ranked, about 5 spots in the IRB rankings
• We played a large part of the game down two players
• A record crowd of 17,214 were on hand
• I got to spend time with the wife and boys

   All in all, a great night. Bit hot, though, so when they come back, let's shoot for a fall game, please? And with a record crowd - even with the Astros playing right before hand only a few blocks away - I am hopeful that we will draw more matches to Houston in the future.

Real Estate in Interwar Britain

   I was poking about a bit, looking for vendors of 28mm scale buildings suitable for A Very British Civil War game. I thought that the following links might prove helpful to others doing the same.

• Outpost Wargames (go to "Ranges", then "Building Frontages")
• PMC on eBay
• Warbases
• Mutton Chop Miniatures (phone box and post box)
• Oshiro Model Terrain (Victorian - useful for VSF, too, I imagine)

   All are based out of the UK. Postage might be an issue.

  As long as I am at it, if you are looking for miniatures to play, The Very British Civil War Miniatures Guide is an excellent starting point.

Ray Bradbury... RIP

1920-2012

Thanks for all the stories.

Skype Help Needed

   So my buddy Jim has moved 600 miles to the frozen north of Texas (okay, so not so frozen this time of year.) My sons want to continue to game with their godfather (yup, just like the movie). I want to continue to game with my best friend. But a ten plus hour commute just isn't frequently going to be in the cards.

  Tell me about Skype. Will it do what I think it will do for us? I have a large flatscreen that can be used as a monitor on the wall in the game room (helpful when playing ZULU as background while painting, etc.). I have two laptops with integrated webcams and a third computer that could be moved to attach to the TV if needed. I have an older digital camera that shoots video and I think can be setup as a live web camera. We also have three smart phones (one iPhone and two Droids - we are a mixed family, you see...). Almost fitting the Droids should be involved, since we play Star Wars RPG.

   So, can we do this for free via Skype? I would prefer if we could all have our faces individually on his screen, and maybe an additional camera on the field of play. Do I need to get another webcam? Help the techno-challenged gamer!

End of May Review

   In short, May was a horrible month for painting. Too many guests, too much work, etc., etc. The excuses abound. But the fact is I only sat down at the table for about three hours in the entire month. Here's the official tally:

• MG Platoon Goal: 15mm Indian Machinegun Platoon for FOW. Primed only.
• Great Cannon Crew Goal: Finish these two buggers. Untouched
• Free Taffy Goal: Finish these ten sods, too. 90% complete. A few touchups and basing.
• 6mm French Walker Goal: Epic GW Eldar War walkers, x4. (new!) Still in packing
• 6mm British Walker Goal: Epic GW Imperial Guard Sentinels, x5 (new!) Still in packing
• 6mm Rocket Goal: Epic GW Pulsa Rokkits, x2 (new!) Still in packing

  In addition, I started work on a 25mm scout aeronef from Ironclad Miniatures. You can find out more about that on Victoria's Boys in Red. Finally, I did work on a random piece, just sitting there looking for some work to be done. It was a GW Epic Squat Overlord airship. Well, I suppose it still is one, just with some fresh paint and a new purpose: to serve l'Empereur. Yes, a French airship for 6mm VSF. It is actually quite small, but heavily armed for its size, with six field guns, a few Mitrailleuse, and an assortment of bombs.

6mm French Armoured Zeppelin