Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Having your own toy soldiers.

Brigadier (then Lt.Col) Young's book on the Arab Legion.
I am sure it is gloriously unpartisan.

An addendum to my piece on having figures painted for one, Brigadier Peter Young, a man whose wargaming credentials are impeccable, did not paint his own figures. In fact, the current Brigadier (the Grant, rather than the Young) makes reference in The Wargame Companion to painting some regiments for his predecessor.

Of course, he did take having his own toy soldiers a little far in that he did have his own Legion
at one point as well as raising a corps of re-enactors, but these are forgiveable indecretions.

Brigadier Peter Young DSO, MC (bar) did it, therefore it must be alright!

4 comments:

  1. You could also argue though that he was a raving cheat.... errrmmm, "modifier of positions".. so does it still make it all right?? :o))

    On the question of figures - I only play with those I've painted myself... I find it's the only way I can "bond" with them... if I haven't painted them, then they're not mine... strange I know, but then I can't play with plastic figures either..... aren't we gamers just a mass of contradictions and phobia's.. :o))

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  2. "This is a game like real war, played against time, and played under circumstances of considerable excitement, and it is remarkable how elastic the measurements of quite honest and honourable men can become." HG Wells, Little Wars, 1913

    It's one of the many reasons I prefer to use hexes.

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  3. ...and in an inverse kind of way, that's (one of) the very reasons I prefer not to use hexes... if I can't trust my opponent, do I really want to play him?? :o)

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  4. Its quite true as Steve says, that you do 'bond' with figures you've painted yourself. I've found it becomes a bit obsessive ('quelle horreur - surely not!' I hear you exclaim) in that you um... actually don't want to part with them but will happily trade those painted by someone else. All part of the rich tapestry of the symptoms of addiction to our quaint hobby. Sorry - shouldn't have used the term 'symptom' in front of someone so recently recovered from the dreaded lurgy!

    Glad to see you back and posting such interesting stuff again.

    Cheers,
    Doc
    http://docsartofwar.blogspot.com/

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