{"id":2993,"date":"2020-04-25T21:34:13","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T04:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/?page_id=2993"},"modified":"2021-09-21T16:37:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T23:37:30","slug":"a-wargamers-guide-to-sheltering-at-home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/?page_id=2993","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Wargamers&#8221; guide to: Sheltering at Home!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3000\" style=\"width: 280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/maninpot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3000\" class=\"wp-image-3000\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/maninpot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/maninpot.jpg 229w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/maninpot-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some guy on the internet said &#8220;staying warm and drinking prevents you catching the Corona Virus&#8221; so this has gotta work right?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sometimes one looks at the world and it appears to be spinning out of control, the future is uncertain, we worry, we agonize, and lose faith, but those of us who love and study history tend to remain much calmer, we realize that whats going on at the moment is not really that different than what has gone on in the past. Most current events have a parallel somewhere in history and people in those times made it through as we will this time. Probably the biggest difference in the incidents of the past, wars, revolutions, pestilence, plagues, etc, and now is the now in your face, over blown, and frequently wrong coverage by the media, often creating a bigger problem.<\/p>\n<p>The world is currently going through one of these periods with the Corona virus and it is impacting society in many negative ways we all are painfully aware of. Our daily lives, our routines are tossed aside and that can be very tough on us mentally and physically. In times like this we tend to dwell on the \u201cnegatives\u201d. What I want to spend time on is the positives that are coming out of this, and things we can do to maintain a healthy\/positive attitude! First, the current situation is wake-up call to everyone and especially governments around the world as to how unprepared we really are for these types of emergencies (as were people in the past) and that hopefully we can be better prepared in the future.<\/p>\n<p>I think I\u2019ve done a fair job of being prepared;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I have plenty of food<\/li>\n<li>toilet paper<\/li>\n<li>gasoline<\/li>\n<li>plenty of Historical weapons to protect it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I am also fortunate to be working for a company that has shut down for at least a few months and have me working from home (for now). There is the first \u201cpositive\u201d, working at home means I have no commute to and from work, that\u2019s and extra three hours a day, 15 hours in a week, it\u2019s like getting an extra day or more off a week when you think about it. How many of us have wished \u201cif I only had a few more hours\u201d? Well now most of us do! I can now settle down to a somewhat isolated existence until this thing starts to shake itself out and we learn how to deal with it. One of the most important things we all need to develop and have until then is a positive attitude! We can do that by finding things to do that calm us down, occupy our time, and give us a sense of accomplishment. To start planning and working towards that brighter future. In this article I\u2019m going to look at these goals from a wargamer\/miniaturist standpoint. For this I have been preparing for years!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plenty of paint<\/li>\n<li>Plenty of brushes<\/li>\n<li>Plenty of glue<\/li>\n<li>A pile of unpainted figures that dwarfs the population of many small countries!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While contemplating the huge block of time I was about to inherit and how many miniature related tasks I was going to be able to accomplish my loving wife plopped a rather large list of thoughtfully prepared \u201choney do\u2019s\u201d on the desk. Oh well there will still be time for an assault on \u201clead mountain\u201d!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2997\" style=\"width: 1801px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2997\" class=\"wp-image-2997 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1791\" height=\"1235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1.jpg 1791w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-150x103.jpg 150w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-1536x1059.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Lead-Mountain-1-435x300.jpg 435w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1791px) 100vw, 1791px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Part of my &#8220;Lead Mountain&#8221; now before you scoff at this and think \u201chmmph, my lead mountain is much bigger\u201d this is only about 20% of my hoard! Some of those boxes are filled with bags of 15mm, you do the math\u2026.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>More time for painting will be at the top of most wargamers list when it comes to having time on their hands but we are going to look at quite a few more aspects of wargaming in our effort to stay healthy by being busy, creative, and productive!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Where to start? Organization!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most wargamers suffer from \u201cbiting off more than one can chew\u201d or not being able to finish what we have started. We tend to buy more miniatures than we can paint and start more projects than we finish.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2998\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Supplies2-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2998\" class=\"wp-image-2998\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Supplies2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"435\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yes, paints for me is like lipstick or shoes for my wife&#8230;never to many or to much! and these are only the spares!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I actually started several weeks before, sensing that this situation might happen by cleaning out my storage cabinets, reorganizing my miniatures into projects \u201cI will do, I might do, and I\u2019ll never do\u201d. Almost all of us collect miniatures or start projects with good intentions of finishing them at some point, or maybe it was just \u201cooh shiny! I want those\u201d. We then find that our interest change, groups change direction in their gaming pursuits, and boom another layer to the \u201clead mountain\u201d. I remove the layer called \u201cI\u2019ll never do\u201d every once and awhile with a &#8220;sale&#8221; and while it may hurt a bit it does help to fund the purchase of new \u201cshiny things\u201d that once again I may or may never get too! I also took stock of my essential supplies, glue, primer, paint, as well as basing material and found I was in pretty good shape. To be honest I live out in what was the country, now really just past the edge of the suburbs, and I have always kept a stockpile of these essentials because of the distance to any hobby shops. I felt I was in pretty good shape!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Pick a direction!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I started to think about what figures to start on, that got me thinking about playing, what direction is the local group going in? That\u2019s what usually dictates most folks painting. I thought I might just pop down to the \u201cclub\u201d, for me the &#8220;Dogs of War&#8221; in Southern California on Saturday since at the time the situation was \u201cno gatherings of more than 50 people and maintain social distancing\u201d, I felt that there would only be 5 maybe 7 of us. I thought about how that would work, 5 or more of us in two rooms and trying to stay 6 feet away from each other, one member said \u201cour table meets the requirements for social distancing\u201d but our table is 4\u2019x10\u2019 so unless only two of us played from the long ends it certainly didn\u2019t meet the requirements. What about walking around the rooms, passing each other, we all touch the same items in the rooms, are we all wearing gloves, masks, constantly using wipes and sanitizers?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3002\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3002\" class=\"wp-image-3002 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang.jpg 800w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang-150x87.jpg 150w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang-768x444.jpg 768w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/gang-500x289.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3002\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Getting together with the gang and game sessions may not be possible for a while! Be creative in ways to stay in touch!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Honestly, wouldn\u2019t I be in potential contact with others in just traveling there and back? Was it really a necessary activity and was I not putting others at risk as well as myself to play a game? I thought about it and realized that my desire to get together with friends was not so much about the game as it was about need for the comfort of friends, the sharing of news, ideas, outlooks, the socialization we as human beings have come to both need and cherish.\u00a0\u00a0 I was having that debate all day as I worked in the yard \u201cto go or not to go?\u201d when the news worsened here in California, Los Angeles county and in fact the entire state went on \u201cSafer at Home\u201d footing to slow the spread of Corvid19! \u201cSafer at Home\u201d is a softer way of saying \u201clock down\u201d or \u201cShelter in Place\u201d and actually better describes the rules and intent of the order. Wow, I guess getting together is out now and for the immediate future, but what about socialization? Without it miniatures wargaming would not exist! This got me thinking about ways to give both myself and others a healthy dose of \u201csocialization\u201d, mental attitude has always been a big part of both preventing and recovering from illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>Make a list of possible Directions to go in, I\u2019ll call them \u201cTasks\u201d. So, in picking a Direction or \u201dtask\u201d many of will naturally pick \u201cpainting time\u201d as a first direction\/task but take a moment to look at the different things you do with your hobby time as a whole, the different aspects of your hobby, and you might find other things that NEVER get to the top of the to do list. Allocating some time to these can be a pleasant change to your regular routine. Some of my choices were;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Painting<\/li>\n<li>Building<\/li>\n<li>Buying more cool stuff on the internet!<\/li>\n<li>Becoming a better painter-explore new techniques<\/li>\n<li>Getting rid of projects, I won\u2019t do<\/li>\n<li>Creating more storage space<\/li>\n<li>Working on my \u201cWargaming Website\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Writing about Gaming<\/li>\n<li>Writing about painting<\/li>\n<li>Finishing paint projects, sitting on the shelf<\/li>\n<li>Completing builds, half done on the shelf<\/li>\n<li>Taking photos of completed minis and projects<\/li>\n<li>Organizing the \u201cWagaming section\u201d of rules, research, and pictures on my PC<\/li>\n<li>Reading rules I\u2019ve purchased<\/li>\n<li>Getting better at the rules I play<\/li>\n<li>Doing research for future projects<\/li>\n<li>Look at ways to improve my rate of completion for projects<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now your list and mine may and can be different, that\u2019s fine, the key is to make the list, just write things down as they come into your head you can organize it in some type of order later. Now later the order is up to you but it should make sense to you and be appealing to you. My list has the things I NEED to do at the top, followed by the things I LIKE to do next, and at the bottom are things that I SHOULD do. The way I use the list is I pick something from either the \u201cI NEED to do\u201d or the \u201c I SHOULD do\u201d list first work on them for a while, and then reward myself with a similar amount of time devoted to \u201cthings I LIKE to do\u201d This simple procedure helps keep me motivated, sort of a \u201ccarrot on a stick\u201d approach to your \u201cwargaming to do list\u201d. Break these sessions into doable amounts of time with clear session goals if possible, avoid burnout! If a particular task is tough, tiring, or boring, then limit the time on it, balance it with frequent switches to a task you like more. This will help to get the tasks done in manageable bite sized sessions. Limit the tasks you start on 2-4 is more than enough, try to complete one or two before moving on and opening another task. This will give you another \u201creward\u201d the sense of accomplishment!<\/p>\n<p>Now I took my list that was done in no particular order and organized it using the NEED\/LIKE\/SHOULD my list ended up like this.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NEED to do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting rid of projects, I won\u2019t do<\/li>\n<li>Creating more storage space<\/li>\n<li>Finishing paint projects, sitting on the shelf<\/li>\n<li>Taking photos of completed minis and projects<\/li>\n<li>Clean Work bench\/table<\/li>\n<li>Organizing the \u201cWagaming section\u201d of stored bit and pieces on my PC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>LIKE to Do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Painting<\/li>\n<li>Building<\/li>\n<li>Buying more stuff on the internet!<\/li>\n<li>Writing about painting<\/li>\n<li>Reading rules I\u2019ve purchased<\/li>\n<li>Getting better at the rules I play<\/li>\n<li>Writing about Gaming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>SHOULD do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Becoming a better painter-explore new techniques<\/li>\n<li>Working on my \u201cWargaming Website\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Completing builds, half done on the shelf<\/li>\n<li>Doing research for future projects<\/li>\n<li>Look at ways to improve my rate of completion for projects<\/li>\n<li>Staying \u201cmore\u201d in contact with gaming friends<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can see that from my quickly done not terribly long list I have a fairly equal number of things in each category, also remember its fine to put items on the list not connected to \u201cwargaming\u201d, although those will probably go into the \u201cneed to do\u201d or \u201cShould do\u201d section! (some of my wife\u2019s \u201cHoney do\u201d list is in the \u201cNEED to do\u201d section!)<\/p>\n<p>After making my list I decided to start off with something I \u201cLIKE TO DO\u201d and that\u2019s paint! Always easiest to start with something that gives you a bit of a reward right off! While I was immersed in painting, I usually do some thinking and I used it to think about what would be the next item on the list. Well my next item would be off the \u201cNEED TO DO\u201d list,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Getting rid of projects, I won\u2019t do<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And the good news was that I had already started that so putting in some time would be easy, I sold somethings to friends and off a few internet sites generating cash to further a few ongoing projects, win, win, reward! Since I sold much more than I purchased this also helped with another \u201cNEED TO DO\u201d task;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Creating more storage space<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ok two \u201cNeed to do\u201d task worked on, time for another \u201cLIKE TO DO\u201d task, my first thought was to paint again, but I decided to;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Writing about Gaming<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s when I decided write this article and let others know they are not alone, that many of us feel the frustration, isolation, and sometimes the helplessness when faced with these situations. I wanted to write about what I was doing to deal with it and some of the things we can do as gamers to \u201cweather the Storm\u201d so to speak.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3001\" style=\"width: 1436px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3001\" class=\"wp-image-3001 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1426\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber.jpg 1426w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber-300x116.jpg 300w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber-1024x395.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber-150x58.jpg 150w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber-768x296.jpg 768w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/napylimber-500x193.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1426px) 100vw, 1426px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3001\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Paint a few of those \u201ceye candy\u201d units that one never wants to devote time too! Limbers don\u2019t fight but they sure look good!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>We have already seen some of the wide range of tasks one can get involved in, some of them are easy to implement, cleaning, organizing, painting, etcetera, but what about some of the other things, research, socializing, showing off your mini\u2019s, getting feedback? Well this is where I bring up what many in Wargaming used to think of as the enemy\u2026the \u201cInternet\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For years wargamers accused the internet of helping to destroy our brand of wargaming, by \u201cour brand\u201d I mean that back in the day (say before 1990) there were no alternatives for wargamers except to meet up with our little dollies lay down a sheet, some tape roads, and have at it. It was physical, it was in your face gaming! Then computer games popped up and many people left the hobby or never got into the physical aspect of wargaming because there was now an arguably easier way to get some of that same satisfaction and competition found in physical wargaming. Many folks bemoaned the rise of internet sales as leading to the demise of \u201cBrick and Mortar\u201d stores, well it did! However, there is always a silver lining, good stores got better, better able to make a profit by reaching more customers, offering more products, easier shopping. Bad stores closed (not the internet\u2019s fault, it just hastened their end!) and that was sometimes sad just for the fact as it was often a place where one got their start as gamers. I was once in the camp of \u201cComputers are killing our hobby\u201d but It was not very long before I saw that the computer was really helping to expand and revolutionize the hobby. The internet has helped to increase by leaps and bounds the miniatures, rules, and sharing of our wonderful hobby like never before. The internet is our friend, and it&#8217;s going to help us through this current situation!<\/p>\n<p>The actual playing of a game is really a small percentage of the time most people devote to the hobby. Much of a gamers time is really spent on the other aspects of gaming and for that the computer is the most powerful tool on the planet!<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look back at the \u201cList of Task\u201d above and see which ones the internet can help us with. I\u2019m going to pick some of the items on that list that I think the internet can help me with, right off I find that of the 19 task on the first list 13 of them can be done wholly or partly with the help of the internet, and many times better!<\/p>\n<p><strong>NEED to do<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Organizing the \u201cWagaming section\u201d of stored bits and pieces on my PC<\/li>\n<li>Getting rid of projects, I won\u2019t do<\/li>\n<li>Taking photos of completed minis and projects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>LIKE to Do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Buying more stuff on the internet!<\/li>\n<li>Writing about painting<\/li>\n<li>Reading rules I\u2019ve purchased<\/li>\n<li>Getting better at the rules I play<\/li>\n<li>Writing about Gaming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>SHOULD do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Becoming a better painter-explore new techniques<\/li>\n<li>Working on my \u201cWargaming Website\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Doing research for future projects<\/li>\n<li>Look at ways to improve my rate of completion for projects<\/li>\n<li>Staying \u201cmore\u201d in contact with gaming friends<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Let\u2019s look at some of the \u201cTask\u201d and how the internet can help!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting rid of projects, I won\u2019t do;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before the internet it was tuff, sell to friends, at a convention, or to a local shop. Now I have many outlets with world wide distribution, Ebay, Bartertown, The Miniatures Page (TMP), the Lead Adventure Page, to name just a few. I can list things at my leisure and \u201cshelter at home\u201d! I\u2019ve over the years sold and purchased items from California to South Africa!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SwedishCavSwordsman1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2340\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SwedishCavSwordsman1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"586\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Taking photos of completed minis and projects;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For years I took pictures of games and miniatures to share with friends, but after the initial \u201clook see\u201d at the next game they went into a box and never saw the light of day! Dragging them out for the relatives to see at Christmas never went over big! \u00a0Now with the internet there are many ways to post and share your game, and miniatures pictures with the world! My website gets hits from interested people all over the world as well as my friends looking to see past battles or what\u2019s happening lately.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buying more stuff on the internet<\/strong>;<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m astounded by the proliferation of manufacturers and mini\u2019s available nowadays! This is because the internet has allowed companies and people no matter how small to show and sell their wares with a minimum investment. It used to be that you had to travel to a shop, hope they had the figures, rules, or supplies you were interested in, frankly it was hit and miss! After all, carrying all or even most of the different lines, periods, rules, paints, and modeling materials was beyond the ability of most shops! The internet has changed all that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reading the rules I play &amp; Getting better at the rules I play;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>How many times have you read the rule book \u201ccover to cover\u201d? Many people just read the basic things they need to start playing and then hunt and peck for rules as situations demand. Take the time to read your rules cover to cover. This will pay enormous dividends later, in speed of plat, where a particular rules section is, and just a better understanding of the rules and gameplay helping you to more often be the \u201cwinner\u201d!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2996\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2996\" class=\"wp-image-2996 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-1024x641.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-768x481.jpg 768w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-1536x962.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-2048x1282.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Books-479x300.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author takes some time to relax and catch up on some Rules, Reading, and Research.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Reading rules and playing the game can often times be confusing or unclear. In times past you just had to talk them out among your group or perhaps send a S.A.S.E. to the publisher or writer with your question, what? Oh, sorry for you younger folks, that\u2019s Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, and in a few weeks, you might get a reply and clarification\u2026 Nowadays there are websites, Forums, Facebook groups, and other forms of social media that can answer those questions in almost real time! Yes, more than once while playing Col. Bill Greys AOE Napoleonic rules we have asked and gotten answers to questions <em>before<\/em> the game ended!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Organizing the \u201cWagaming section\u201d of stored bits and pieces on my PC;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What a marvelous tool the PC is for storing and organizing all that info that wargamers accumulate over the years! It used to be lots of shelves and boxes with no easy \u201csearch\u201d box or folders to make finding the info practical!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Becoming a better painter-explore new techniques;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well if you haven\u2019t checked out all the websites and forums on painting, building, and modeling techniques you must be living under a rock in the woods! Before the process of getting better took many years of effort, seeking out other painter, talking, trying to imagine the process they were describing. Now you can go out and find articles and \u201chow too\u2019s\u201d on almost any wargaming subject you may care to think about. Just the other night I was painting some figures with old rusty armor and I wanted to see what others were doing, a quick line in the \u201cGoogle\u201d search box brought half a dozen videos, two pages of articles, tons of pictures!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2995\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2995\" class=\"wp-image-2995 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-150x98.jpg 150w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-1536x1005.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-2048x1340.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Galactic-Patrol-WGI-article-458x300.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2995\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sometimes just stepping away from your current period and painting something different just for fun can be a much-needed change of pace! Pushing your skills!<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Writing about Gaming;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well this article came from my thoughts on our hobby and the current situation, without a PC and a writing program I doubt I would have done this. Most of us like talking, discussing, and just kibitzing about our hobby, the computer and internet is a way to record and share with others our thought and accomplishments. My website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.HistoricalHobbies.com\">www.HistoricalHobbies.com<\/a> is a living record of my journey in the hobby.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Staying \u201cmore\u201d in contact with gaming friends;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is one of the most important things to do especially in times like this where the support, comradeship, and interaction with others is so important to both our physical and mental well-being. It\u2019s also one that many of us struggle with. I have a list of friends I call but that can be very time consuming when you want to talk to twenty people from the group, basically having the same conversation again and again. Using the internet to make these interactions easier, timelier, and get everyone participating is just a \u201cno brainer\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Email, forums, Facebook, Twitter, are all good. I was on the internet long before most and remember the first couple of wargaming sights out there, at first text only, then a few pictures, nowadays there are thousands devoted to wargaming with miniatures, the Lead Adventure Forum is one of the best with tons of pictures how too\u2019s, discussions, idea\u2019s, and a ton of helpful people there to kibitz with! The Miniatures Page is much the same. Voice communication programs like Skype, Discord, and TeamSpeak allow you to all have conversations and even share pictures and videos as a group!<\/p>\n<p>The internet was born out of social interaction and sharing, at first files and codes, but soon text and pictures, look at it now. It is our most powerful tool to maintain and share our Hobby, keep it and ourselves strong and moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this article will help you or a friend look at the positives, enjoy!<\/p>\n<p>Bill Witthans<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes one looks at the world and it appears to be spinning out of control, the future is uncertain, we worry, we agonize, and lose faith, but those of us who love and study history tend to remain much calmer, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/?page_id=2993\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2993","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4iixi-Mh","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2993"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3623,"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2993\/revisions\/3623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historicalhobbies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}