About

This a blog devoted to gaming. The main games I’m playing are Hordes of the Things (HOTT) and De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA). These are figure wargames that are played with figures, usually metal ones, on a board, usually a cloth, set with movable terrain. HOTT grew out of DBA and they both have the virtues of being quick to play and not needing many figures. I have maximized this by using 15mm figures, which are cheaper, easier to paint and require less room for a game and for storage.

Another virtue of these rules is the ease with which one can add a strategic element by creating a campaign involving multiple players and allowing battles for strategic objectives. I’m planning a couple, but already the preparation of the Hesperia campaign has become an end in itself as I work on background information for the campaign world that goes far beyond what is required for a campaign.

I also play some games using the Song of Blades and Heroes system. These are skirmish rules using the combat m echanism of DBA and an elegantly simple system of figure advantages.

I also play a number of boardgames. In particular I’ve played Settlers of Catan on a weekly basis in the Department of Classics and Ancient History with a group of friends for nearly five years. I may offer unbiased reportage on the games as a service to the group.

Other boardgames I have, but get less chance to play are Fury of Dracula (both editions), Britannia, Medieval and few others in the style of Settlers (so called German boardgames).