Almost snow

Dragging myself from my pit a little later than intended this morning (but it's still morning), I see that sometime during the hours of darkness (or maybe early hours of daylight; what do I know?) it has attempted to snow here in Whetstone.

The result is a speckling of snow of adjacent roofs and pools of cold water everywhere. Such is the best we have had to date inside the M25 area.

Something to eat, now, I think. Then I must spend a large chunk of today writing.

Almost snow

Dragging myself from my pit a little later than intended this morning (but it's still morning), I see that sometime during the hours of darkness (or maybe early hours of daylight; what do I know?) it has attempted to snow here in Whetstone.

The result is a speckling of snow of adjacent roofs and pools of cold water everywhere. Such is the best we have had to date inside the M25 area.

Something to eat, now, I think. Then I must spend a large chunk of today writing.

En Garde

Much to my surprise I received a copy of the fourth edition of En Garde in the post this morning.

En Garde, for those who don't know, is a fairly simple, but oddly enjoyable role-playing game set in France at the time of the Three Musketeers. It adapts well to postal play, and lends itself to campaigns that can get surprisingly complex once a few house rules have been added.

The game was originally published in the USA by GDW in 1975, with a second edition in 1977. I have a copy of that somewhere, showing the signs of great, if not recent, use. The UK rights were licensed by Small Furry Creatures Press in the late 1980s, and a revamped third edition isued for the UK market, featuring a clearer layout and more illustrations.

Small Furry Creatures Press published an eponymous games review magazine in the 1980s and 1990s, which developed into Games, Games, Games magazine for which I provided some illustrations over the years. While Small Furry Creatures Press has sadly ceased to exist, the irrepressible Pevans, one of the erstwhile partner/editors has acquired the rights to En Garde and published the revised fourth edition of the game. The vast majority of the artwork (including the cover)is by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, but one of the heaps of cartoony illustrations I drew all those years ago, a small silhouette of four King's Musketeers (or possibly Cardinal's Guards - they each have a cross on their tunics) touching rapiers in classic pose, has made the new edition. It's a tiny illo, but it is a claim to fame of sorts, and provides me both with a publishing credit and a courtesy copy of the game!

Anyone interested in the game can find details here. If you are interested in PBMs generally - or even board-gaming in a wider context, you could do worse than take a look at Pevans' website (linked above)for reviews and contact with the Swiggers games club.

Sharpen your sword… Sharpen your wit… Take care not to insult a small man with a large nose…
Good luck, my friend and may your Swash never Buckle!

En Garde

Much to my surprise I received a copy of the fourth edition of En Garde in the post this morning.

En Garde, for those who don't know, is a fairly simple, but oddly enjoyable role-playing game set in France at the time of the Three Musketeers. It adapts well to postal play, and lends itself to campaigns that can get surprisingly complex once a few house rules have been added.

The game was originally published in the USA by GDW in 1975, with a second edition in 1977. I have a copy of that somewhere, showing the signs of great, if not recent, use. The UK rights were licensed by Small Furry Creatures Press in the late 1980s, and a revamped third edition isued for the UK market, featuring a clearer layout and more illustrations.

Small Furry Creatures Press published an eponymous games review magazine in the 1980s and 1990s, which developed into Games, Games, Games magazine for which I provided some illustrations over the years. While Small Furry Creatures Press has sadly ceased to exist, the irrepressible Pevans, one of the erstwhile partner/editors has acquired the rights to En Garde and published the revised fourth edition of the game. The vast majority of the artwork (including the cover)is by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, but one of the heaps of cartoony illustrations I drew all those years ago, a small silhouette of four King's Musketeers (or possibly Cardinal's Guards - they each have a cross on their tunics) touching rapiers in classic pose, has made the new edition. It's a tiny illo, but it is a claim to fame of sorts, and provides me both with a publishing credit and a courtesy copy of the game!

Anyone interested in the game can find details here. If you are interested in PBMs generally - or even board-gaming in a wider context, you could do worse than take a look at Pevans' website (linked above)for reviews and contact with the Swiggers games club.

Sharpen your sword… Sharpen your wit… Take care not to insult a small man with a large nose…
Good luck, my friend and may your Swash never Buckle!