Blog Pimping and Bolt Action

Firstly to the blog pimping for Mike's 50th Birthday Bash at Trouble At T'Mill. Now Mike is having a great give away prize and is well worth looking at.

Secondly I have been looking at the Bolt Action rules to play VBCW with over the last few weeks and decided to take the plunge and get a set off Amazon for £16.00. Now I have to say this is no review of the game, I will leave that to others to do that, but I rather like the activation of troops and the general feel of the game. Now I know that they are better, more realistic rules out there but for me  who really plays lite-skirmish level games this is right on my street. Couple with the fact that a chap on the Very British Civil Forum, Pappa Midnight, has done a really useful VBCW supplement for it, Link Here, has made it all the better. Now that does not mean that I have given up of Went the Day Well or Brigadier 38 but rather another set of rules to game with.

Blog Con 13, Bavarians and SAGA

Firstly I would like to bring to your attention this event which I have to see I will be at, maybe with a VBCW game, if I can get my arse in gear. Pop over to here for more details but basically its two day event for chaps to chat who blog to meet up and play games. Top Draw, What?

Secondly, here are the last of the Bavarians that I never got around to finishing in time for Partizan. These are the last pack that I needed and it contained the SMGs chaps, which I am using for section NCOs and a flamethrower, which I am going to be using as an LMG. Again they are wonderful sculpts from Paul Hicks and Tsuba Miniatures range is great and I can see these being used for all manner of VBCW goodness. I have to admit I cant wait to the opposition are done and more is added to this range. Anyway I hope that you like them.

And I have added the shields for the painted figures that I have done and I am amazed with just how good the transfers for LBM are. They are a little bit of a paint to use at first but it is better than trying to paint the blooming shields by hand, lol. I can total recommend them. Anyway here are the figures with shields.

Blog Pimping

As most of you know I love Very British Civil War and enjoying playing the odd game or two too. There are many reasons for this but mainly it fills that gap I have in my hobby and combines my hobby of local history coupled with my imagination, allowing me to create some interesting storylines and back stories for what I model. I am lucky also into doing the illustrations for the period too and a great chap in Simon Douglas, who lets me do what I want with it.

But enough of me, lol and  time to pimp a couple of blogs. Firstly I would like to shout out for Mort's 1938 Scrapbook. Now this chap Mort is one of the people well in fact was the person, coupled with a friend of his, who actually created the idea that is Very British Civil War. He created the Somerset Freedom Fighters and even has written a book/guide on them for Solway. Not only that he creates rules, ideas and travels to games all over the shop to play VBCW. A top bloke and I think that you should check out his blog. It has all manner of pictures, conversion and tips of VBCW and RCW.

The second blog I would like to shout about is JP's Hereford 1938 blog. Now JP's blog too is about VBCW, strangely enough and it is a nice look of VBCW from one person area. Again it is a mix of photo's, battle reports and modelling tips and I think it is a very easy read. Also If that is not enough JP has also done a very handle miniatures guide for VBCW called The VBCW Minis Guide which is a great resource. Please also check his blog out too.

Also if you want to know more about VBCW you can check at Solway Crafts and Miniatures or visit The Very British Civil Forum where you can find all manner of VBCW and Interwar related discussions.

Partizan is Coming, Yippee

With Partizan coming up quickly, 2nd June in Newark, Mr Smillie of Dirty Paint Pots and myself have been working hard, okay putting things together, planning on making this game the best bloody game that we have put on. To this end we have do a poster come flyer explaining the game, the history of it and explaining that this is the fourth linked game the Attack on Leicester.

We have been thinking about the table which Mr Smillie has done as a vignette on his blog, and to make things a little more interesting than open fields, roads and houses we are adding some sheep and cattle of points of interest and have come up with the following rules to mix the game up.

I hope that do add to the fun for the players and make the table interesting and better than anything we have done before.

I have just found out that this friday my little blog is to be featured on House of Paincakes blog network in their Weekly Top X section when I will be happily discussing Very British Civil War to people. I was rather shocked to be given this honour and it shows that the world of VBCW must be making head way in America, lol, okay they like me blog.

The Duck Pond

I have finished my Duck Pond for a Vignette project on the Very British Civil Forum take some of the chaps have been doing. Some of the vignettes are amazing and hopefully all will be finished shortly.Anyway back to my little vignette, it started as a small side project, a bit of light relief from all the illustrations I have been doing lately and also to add some interest to the Partizan board. I have to say I am rather pleased with the results as I have to confess that I am not a big terrain maker. Now I have done this and I am so pleased with the water effects I am seriously thinking in making so river sections now in the future. Back to the pond, I have actually finished the thing and once I added the vegetation, grass and the ducks, of course, can't be a Duck Pond without ducks, the whole thing pulled together and I am so chuffed with it. 

I would also like to give a shout out for a fellow blogger Wargaming Girl who has reached an amazing milestone of 100K hits/views and she is giving away five prizes over five days. There are some great prizes there so pop over to Wargaming Girl and join in the fun with Tamsin

Imagine, Create and Share-- A Blogger Bonanza

In the middle of May, 2012 a new application was released.  On November 27, 2012 Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers posted about this app having had it introduced to him through Twitter.  This free service can be used online, as an iOS app or Android app.

Muzy is one of the most interesting applications for creating a blog post I have seen.  It incorporates the use of other apps.  Upon accessing the home page you have a variety of choices.



You can immediately connect to Facebook to like a particular app, sign up or sign in, or create a photobox collection.  Along the top in the upper right-hand corner other visible apps are photo collage, versus and photo pile.  Simply mouse over each to be given an explanation of what they provide.


By clicking on more users can see a display of thirty other applications which can become a part of your Muzy blog.  Some of the additional apps are PicMonkey, Word Play, Thoughts, Photo Quote, Dream Status, Video, Comic, Music Maker, Brushes, or Webcam Status.  Simply mouse over each to discover the possibilities.  These applications are heavy on images but allow for text, drawing, audio and video to be added to your blog.

Users of this application need to be at least 13 years old.  To sign up you need to choose a username, give your email address and choose a password as well as read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy unless you wish to sign up through your Facebook account.  Muzy has a very inclusive Help section which can be located at the bottom of the page.

Upon signing in you are taken to your dashboard (home page).  Immediately your choices are:

• search for other Muzy posts to like
• create a new post (new post)
• go to your blog (my muzy)
• check for messages
• enter in a keyword to search for apps, users or posts
• go to your account (Blog Settings, Invite Your Friend, Help and Sign out)
• select one of seven apps shown to start a post
• view Recent posts from you or your friends
• view posts grouped by Popular, Funny, Creative, Cute, Truth, Awesome, Want or Beautiful
• view updates under Notifications

Having recently completed a Mock Caldecott unit with fifth graders in my building plus Skyping with fifth graders in Illinois who were doing the same (Katherine Sokolowski) that became the theme for the posts on this blog.  I decided to begin using the Photobox app.  This is a great app; bringing in photos from either Facebook, upload from your computer, Google images, Muzy, webcam, or via a web address.  Each photo can be altered with a variety of filters; enhance, cross process, artsy black and white, old timey and x-ray...or no effect at all.

If you decide you want to change the layout mid-way into your Photobox it is as easy as a mouse click. Added photos can be deleted, edited and dragged from position to position.  There are nine different fonts for the box title.  A full color spectrum is offered for the border.  Four options are available for the photo corners and by checking a box you determine whether you desire shadowing.  When you click the orange Post button you can have it posted to Facebook, Twitter or neither.

Having clicked Post your creation is saved and you are taken to the app choice window again to design another post.  If at any time you wish to see your blog click on my muzy at the top of the screen.  Each post can be liked, deleted or a comment can be left.  There are 19 Muzy themes to choose from for your blog background or you can upload an image from your computer.

Each post is hyperlinked to another window which allows the user to like, repost, comment, or share a URL link for that post or click on the tiny gear located in the middle right-hand portion of the screen.  The options here are to share, edit or delete the post.  If you select share your options are to post it to Facebook or Twitter, send it via email, download it to your computer or copy the URL link.

A person could easily spend hours making posts for their blog with the available choices.  The ease of use, the integration of the apps into Muzy, is a huge plus.  I successfully tried five of the apps.

The link to my blog is embedded here.  (To enlarge each post for viewing mouse over and click.)  When you download one of your posts it turns into a .jpg file.  On the left is one of my posts that was downloaded.

I can see using Muzy to highlight units of study, books read, student projects or activities.  It would be a terrific way to compile top "..." lists.  I know some of my PLN on Twitter are creating memes; they could be posted in a Muzy.  Another of my Twitter colleagues is posting a picture of a book read every day.  Collecting those in a Muzy for her followers would be fantastic.

Muzy definitely has my vote as a great vehicle for quickly making a blog that will get people's attention visually.  Will I put it in my virtual toolbox?  Yes!

More Illustrations for the Scottish Book

Yes I am back on the trail after spending a fews off work and not really doing anything of note bar clearly out the office come art studio. I have to say that I feel much better now that I can see my sofa and carpet again, lol. Anyway enough of the domestic, firstly I would like to say that I won  a prize of "Postie Dice" from Ray at Dont Throw a One and I hopefully will be having the dice soon, so thanks very much there Ray for them and I can't wait to receive them.

Secondly as the title suggests I have start of the next illustrations for Si at Solway next book named Armies and Enemies of the Scottish republic. This chap is a socialist from the Clyde area and having strong docking and naval traditions there I went with a chap wearing his Sunday best tweed or checked jacket with a red scarf and in keeping with the naval theme and traditions there a Breton Cap. He has a Soviet made carbine and "home-made" locally manufactured webbing. I rather like the pose of him giving a fag to another chap, more on that later.

Red Clydesider, Scotland, 1938

VBCW Decals

I have busy over the last couple of days design some decals, water based transfers, for Si at Solway. He asked me to do a sheet of various factions with a aim for them to be printed and sold. Now I have had a great time doing this and this is not to say that this is what the finished sheet will look like but I bloody hope it is as they take a day and a age to do. So I thought that I would show you wonderful chaps and chapesses the fruits of my hard work.

VBCW Decals

Also there is a great Dice give away, on Fran's Blog, The Angry Lurker and Ray's blog, Don't Throw a One, both Posties Rejects. Now the draw is tomorrow, Wednesday 17th October, so pop over and write a comment if you want some customer dice, and lets face it who doesn't.

I Cant Upload any Pictures, Aaaarrrggghhhh

Well I cant upload any pictures to my blog at the moment, stupid blogger. I have tried different Chrome, IE Firefox and its the same on all and its pissing me off. Is anyone else having or had similar problems?

Check this Out

Over at Tales of a Tabletop Skirmisher Hendybagder has reached 100000 views and to celebrate he has an amazing give away so go and check it out if you want to win free stuff.

and

Also over at Don't Throw a 1 my good buddy Ray is celebrating his 250000 views and has a great give away too, he is offering to paint a unit.

So go over and check these sites out