Happy New Year

As 2019 starts to rumble forward, I have started to look at what it is I want to accomplish hobby wise. My Number 1 project by far is the Second Battle of Kharkov. I have the first of two pint sized campaigns ironed out. I am working on terrain for it and want to get it published by the end of first quarter of this year.

But implementation of this great plan is foundering. I managed to sit for a whole 5 minutes at my painting table yesterday. Didn't even pick up a brush. But I did have some ideas on how to improve the next building that I am going to work on. So that is something.

I really want to get my 3d printer back on-line. I have managed to break it and am not sure what to do. Finding anyone who can repair it in the wilds of Georgia is a challenge. I backed another kickstarter by 3d-Print-Terrain that has some really useful pieces. 1st and foremost is the east front train and engine shed. Each of his kickstarters is 40 euro to get the full deal. This one had over 24 line items in it. In some cases that is multiple models per line item. It is well worth the price. He also takes requests during the course of the kickstarter and adds similarly themed items in as you go. A great deal (if you can get your 3d printer working).

My Christmas present to myself was a book purchase on Amazon, the Kindle Edition of Dave Grossman's On Killing. This is very interesting and it covers the psychology of killing in combat. What intrigues me is his interviews with veterans and the tendency of the average soldier to not want to kill a fellow human. That the tendency is to fire high as aggressive posturing rather than eliminating the threat. The book has really captured my interest with the historical examples and application going back as far as the early 1700s. I'm most interested in how this plays out on the table top using Sharp Practice and Chain of Command. The weapons employed can easily do the job at the distances used in the games. It is the application of those weapons by soldiers that leads to the variability of hits. So far, I think both rule sets are handling this well. Some of the statistics he quotes on the number of rounds fired to hits on the enemy seem crazy high but are well documented. Anyway, it is a fascinating read so far.

Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New year full of cheer. Take care everyone.