Wargaming: Is It A Hobby Or An Obsession?

Background

I used to run small wargames business here in the UK. I ceased trading in April 2021, and began, what I hoped would be, a serene and relaxing retirement playing toy soldiers.

Naturally, it didn't turn out that way. Moving house didn't help. Now that's over, and I've finished the bulk of the decorating required, things have improved. I've now got more time for painting toy soldiers and wargaming.

Retirement goals

My wargaming dream is to play in half a dozen Art de la Guerre competitions a year and make inroads into my small stock of unpainted miniatures. That's it for my hobby: nothing more ambitious.

ADLG: King In The North (York, 19 - 20 Oct 2024)

Introduction
After months of preparation, I set out for my third KITN competition on a decent October day. At one point I didn't think I'd make it this year, but I did thanks to some good friends. The trip across the Pennines went well and we found our B&B easily enough.

Unlike previous years, where we stayed in Haxby, we stayed very close to the centre of York on the Haxby road. The location was ideal for my wife and her friend. I had a 15 minute drive to the venue each day, but came to hate the number of traffic calming measures. So many on such a short road.

Basing Recipes

Preparation

Base edges: I always paint the edges of my bases before applying any groundwork as it gives a far neater finish. I usually use the first colour given in the recipe, although for my North American, temperate scheme I quite like black edges.

Groundwork:This comprises two layers of sand and PVA (white or wood glue). The first layer is fine sand; mainly to texture around and across the figure bases. The second is a layer of coarse sand to hide the figure bases. This basic groundwork doesn't need to be painted, just highlighted (see Temperate #2).