Cheer my solitude with sweet sounds.

I've been working nights for the week and have had little chance to do much of anything, domestic concerns have held sway. The Tyranny of work, study and home as been near total.

I was sent the above video the night before last and it cheered me mightily.

There has been little progress on the wargaming front, though I intend to make some inroads into my Indian project during my next few days off and get my Waterloo PBEM campaign in order.

I have yet to pick a name for my Indian kingdom and have done relatively little reading for the project beyond casting an eye over the Osprey on the battle of Assaye. I think Donald Featherstones "Colonial Warfare: India" and the always fascinating "Encyclopedia of 19th Century Warfare" by Byron Farwell will be my first ports of call. What I think I'll do is work out what sort of games I want to play, then puzzle out what sort of military establishment will allow me to play those games and then design the principality to suit.

Based on what I've read thus far, I think my hypothetical Raja will have a force made up of...

Compoos - Indian troops drilled in the European style with battalion guns.

Bargirs - Heavy cavalry with lances, mail, etc.

Silladars - Medium (?) cavalry, a sort of light cavalry under discipline.

Pinadari - Rampaging cossack types, who fulfill the traditional role of hussars without the magnificent hats.

War Elephants - The need I feel for one of these defies all reason and sense.

Sredni Vashtar Cultists - These gentry will almost certainly bear a striking resemblance to the Kali cultists from Temple of Doom.