Length Matters

What is the perfect length for a wargame? The answer to that question will likely depend on who's answering, what games they play, who they play with and where they play. But can there be a consensus on the perfect game length?

The Rich Reject !!!

When I was at Broadside on Sunday I heard possibly the funniest description of me ever. Ray called me "the Rich Reject"!!! I laughed out loud and then Fran chimed in and confirmed that was how I was described. I'm both highly amused and flabbergasted because I am anything but rich and certainly don't spend as much on my hobby as some of the other members of the group (naming no names!). 

This got me thinking about conversations I have had over the last couple of years with lots of traders and gamers about the state of the industry. I always seem to get a bit of a mixed impression from conversations I have at shows with some traders saying business is steady and others predicting the end of the industry as we know it. This was the same last weekend at Broadside with some traders clearly taking a lot of money on the day and others less so. 

My general impression from talking to gamers is that hobby expenditure is being squeezed but on the whole is remaining steady. Which leads to the point of this post - a pair of totally unscientific Polls! 

• Thinking about your hobby expenditure over the last 12 months would you say you have spent More or Less than the previous 12 months? 
• And looking towards the next 12 months do you see your hobby budget Shrinking, Remaining the Same or Increasing? 

My hobby budget has remained about the same over the last couple of years but I expect things to get a lot tighter over the next year or two. As a family we have lost a significant portion of our income due to changes in the last couple of budgets (Thanks Dave & Nick!) and unless we can offset that with other income all areas of household expenditure - including money for hobbies - will have to be cut back. I don't feel like the "rich reject" and I expect to feel even less rich in the coming year. So what about you?

Tweeting Annoying or Twitterlicious?

Well I'm back from my holiday and I can happily report I am utterly exhausted and looking forward to going back to work for a good rest! I got to visit the Tank Museum twice while I was away (lucky me!) as well as the excellent Keep museum in Dorchester and the Fleet Air Arm Museum. The success of these visits can be measured in the 1000+ pictures I took between these three museums. Needless to say this is going to take a while to work through and label. I'll be posting my new pictures over the next couple of weeks as I work through them.

BigLee at Bovington Tank Museum

In the meantime I wanted to gauge reader reaction regarding my use of the Twitter feed to report on my activities while away. Did you find it useful, interesting, relevant, pointless or just annoying? More importantly should I keep it as a feature of this blog. Is it worth using this on future occasions when I'm on holiday or traveling? So should I remove it altogether. Keep it in its current form and location at the top of the blog or keep it and move it to the sidebar where it's less distracting?

I've put a Poll on this subject on the right but will only have it active for a week as I want to gauge opinion while last weeks tweets are still fresh in the mind. As always thanks for your feedback and comments.

April Poll - Table size

Here's a question for all you wargamers out there. What size is your games table of choice? I'm not asking what you like to play on if you had the space or if you had the money etc. What size table do you most often use to wargame on? I suppose a supplementary question would be "where is that table?" because I expect larger tables might be available at clubs or wargame venues and conventions. But for now lets just focus on the size table you most often use right now, either in your own home or at a friends house or at a club.

I had a quick scan of various forums and come up with a shortlist of 'standard' sizes although of course there is no such thing as standard any more. Last year for example I saw a skirmish level wargame being played on a circular table! And many gamers (myself included) have to make do with dining tables that were not designed with standard wargame sizes in mind. I'm thinking of building a 6x4 cover for my dining table for instance, but other wargamers would consider this way too small. Posties Rejects (the group I occasionally game with in Gravesend) play on a massive table, something like 8x14 (Fran, correct me if I'm wrong).

What are your thoughts on this, whats your table size? And if given free reign, and unlimited space, what table size would represent Nirvana for you?

March Poll - Finding BLMA

Time for another poll and this time I'm asking the question, How did you first 'discover' BigLee's Miniature Adventures? Even if you're not a follower and this is your first visit I'd be interested to know how you landed on my blog. In effect I'm asking you the readers to help me identify the best way to promote and grow this blog in the future.

This weeks I've spoken to several other bloggers about the benefits of the 'online community' and the interconnectivity of our sites. I suspect that many of the sites followers first stumbled on BLMA through a link on another sites blogroll. This is why I keep a blogroll in the sidebar of this page, as I think its a great way to build connections and meet new gamers.

Another tool I use regularly are hobby forum sites like The Miniatures Page or the Lead Adventure Forum or even the Flames of War Forum. I'm definitely a lurker of these sites most of the time (not enough hours in the day to write on every site regularly) but now and again I post comments or 'advertise' my site via a blog update announcement. Its easy to overdo this route so I keep such posts to a minimum and target selected forums depending on the nature of the announcement. This approach certainly generates a lot of traffic on my blog and its quite likely this is the source of first contact for many of this sites readers.

Of course the main way people find most sites is via search engines like Google or Ask. This is where high traffic utility posts come in useful. These have lots of keywords and links in them and are the worm on the end of the hook drawing new readers to the site. Hopefully these new readers don't recoil in horror when they land on BLMA and maybe they stay a while and look around before moving on. I use Statcounter to record site hits but it also records visit duration statistics. When I first started BLMA up to 75% of new visitors only lingered on the site for less than 30 seconds. That percentage has dropped to 40-45% meaning when random visitors drop in they are finding something of interest to keep them around longer.

Another important source of site hits - and hopefully new followers - are social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Digg or Delicious. I've been using these myself for years now and found several interesting sites through this route. This pathway has been made easier by the fact that most sites (my own included) provide fast and easy links to bookmarking sites and to social network sites like facebook.

They may be other ways that readers arrive here, and I'd be interested to learn what these are. As always your comments and discussion are very much appreciated and of course I'll post the final results in the comments section below after the poll closes.

January Poll : Lead, Resin or Plastic?

This months Poll is as response to my recent self realisation that a large portion of my 'Lead Mountain' is actually not lead. I tend to buy miniatures from a practical or aesthetic point of view and what it is made of comes way down my list of purchasing criteria. Having said that I definitely prefer to paint metal miniatures. I like the weight of a metal miniature in my hand, the surface seems easier to clean and I think metal takes paint much better than plastic or resin. I may be wrong about all this of course, it could just be that having grown up with lead mini's I'm just a little bit biased towards them.

I have found that resin models are more likely to be coated with residues of mold parting agents, silicon or wax based products when bought. I wash all my miniatures in warm water with a small amount of washing up liquid before painting but especially so with Resin or Plastic mini's. Some resin pieces however are extremely smooth with a glass like surface which doesn't take water based (brush on) primer very well. I usually spray prime these instead. I've never experienced this problem with metal miniatures once they are washed.

Similar problems can also exist with plastic miniatures and one suggestion I have read about is to coat the min in watered down PVA glue then prime. The Glue gives the paint something to key onto the surface. I've not tried this myself but in theory it would work.

So do you have a preference? If you were faced with three identical miniatures, one in Lead, another in Plastic and the last in Resin, which would you choose to paint? The Poll will run till the end of the month but as always I'd like to hear about your preferences or experiences so feel free to leave comments below.

December Poll - Wish Lists

With just two shopping weeks left before Christmas I thought I'd pose a seasonal question for my readers. Do you provide your loved ones with a Wish List to 'help' them pick the right present for you? Lets face it, our hobby can be a little bit intractable to the uninitiated and the chances of receiving something you want or need can be pitifully small. Or maybe the whole idea of making a list just seems a little too presumptuous and maybe even a little bit rude.

I tend to make up a list of items I need/want towards the end of the year. This helps me prioritise what I actually need and also gives me a chance to shop around for the best price. I then show the list to my wife a few weeks before Christmas in the sure and certain knowledge that most of my family (like everyone else at this time of year) hasn't got a clue what to buy me and will ask her "what does Lee want for Christmas". It's a cunning - albeit unsubtle - plan.

The other benefit of a list is that I use it as a shopping list for the January Sales. I tend to be put on an enforced purchasing embargo in the run-up to Christmas "...just in case someone has bought it for you". Anything I need, but now can't buy, goes on the list and if I don't get it as a present I treat myself to it in the sales. Its a bit of a win-win situation, which is rare these days. The only problem is that like most gamers my wish list is often very long indeed.

Another tactic, agreed with Mrs BigLee is that we buy our own presents and swap them over to be wrapped. OK there's no surprise on Christmas morning but this way we get exactly what we wanted at the price we wanted. No ill fitting sweaters or packs of socks for me! So what's your approach to the 'festive season'? Do you make a list or not, or maybe you buy it so they can wrap it. I'd be interested to know what you do so please vote in the poll (on the right at the top of the side banner) and leave your comments here.

Poll: Are you a closet gamer?

It's time for another "getting to know you" poll. With the readership and Followers of this blog increasing I thought I'd pose another question that will not only help me understand who you are but is also a subject I have a keen interest in. The poll can be found on the Right of this column and comments or discussion can be left below.

For many years I kept my 'gamer' persona strictly private and out of the public domain. Back in those heady days when I thought I might have a glittering career before me I decided coming out about my hobby might prove damaging to my job opportunities. Now I'm older, tireder, considerably more cynical and don't give a huff what my colleges think of my hobbies. To steal (and mangle) a well used slogan "I'm a gamer, and I'm Proud". So my question to my readers is simply this: Do you keep your Roleplaying/Wargaming/Painting interests a secret from your work colleges?

If, like me, you have a blog or other social site about your hobby then the cat is well and truly out of the bag, but many gamers I know keep their hobby interests segregated from their work life. I guess if your a high ranking Civil Servant, a High Court Judge or CEO of a big multinational, letting on about your 'little metal men' probably won't do your image much good in the shallow culture we live today. But for the majority of average people do our hobby interests really have that much of an impact on career opportunities?

I took a conscious decision not to hide my hobbies from view when I started getting involved in online forums and game network sites. I knew that the Internet would 'blow my cover' and I took some time to really think about the impact this might have on my career. In the end I concluded the answer to that questions was "next to none" and decided to stop hiding my hobby like an embarrassingly illness. That's not to say I publicise my interests. I don't turn up to meetings and say "My name is Lee Hadley and I paint toy soldiers..." and I don't have an "I brake for Kobolds" bumper sticker on my car. But now and again the subject comes up and I no longer hide my interests. Has it damaged my reputation? I don't think so. I've had promotions and pay rises since I 'came out' and most people I talk to seem to be genuinely interested in my hobby. I've even discovered a few closet gamers in the company, although I'd never reveal this fact unless they felt comfortable about it.

The silly thing is our hobby isn't something to be embarrassed about. Thanks to my hobby I have a keen interest in History and Art and have developed skills in Photography, Computing, Painting and Writing. Put like that our hobby is a bona fide asset on any CV.

Poll Results - New Posting Schedule

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my desire to step back from the daily posting schedule I have maintained through the first 16 months of this blog. Its been challenging and very enjoyable but I have slowly come to the realisation that I needed to ease the pace somewhat. Work commitments have made it difficult to work on the blog during the day and consequently blogging has taken over from gaming or painting in the evenings. Quite the opposite of the raison d'être for creating the blog in the first instance.

The accompanying poll (results below) has helped convince me I'm not about to commit the blogging equivalent of Harakiri if I stop daily posts. Three quarters of the poll respondents - and the vast majority of commenter's as well - support, or at least don't object, to a downscaling of the posting schedule. My favored option would be to split the difference between the options presented and aim for four posts a week with more if time or news allow. I'll continue the weekly feature Big Picture which seems to be popular and has a comfortable slot at the weekend. Regular posts will follow the pattern I set while on Holiday (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) with additional posts if I have more time and stuff to write about.

Thanks for all the feedback while I considered this change and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my ramblings and musings.

Post Frequency

I've just read two excellent articles about blog posting frequency. The first is called What is the Ideal Post Frequency for a Blog? and the second was How Often Should a Blogger Post? Both articles touch on a subject that I have been ruminating on for some time now and I've decided to gather some feedback from you, my readers. You'll notice that a new Poll has just been put up to the right of this column and I'd be interested in your honest opinion. But first let me explain some of my own thoughts on this issue.

I've been struggling to keep up with my self imposed daily posting schedule for several months now. This is partly because work pressures have meant I have less time during the day to write. The knock-on effect of this is that I'm writing more in the evening... when I should be painting or gaming instead. Something has got to give, because I just can't conjure more hours in the day. I have to stress that I have no intention of abandoning the blog - I love it too much - but the prospect of cutting back my posting frequency does have its attractions.

As both the articles mentioned earlier have stated, a lower frequency of posts can mean better quality writing. I have to admit to occasionally throwing in a quickly knocked together 'filler post' in moments of last minute desperation. Personally I don't think that's fair to you and I would much rather write better articles less frequently. I do try to keep several items "in hand" against such moments, but when the schedule demands daily posts its easy to eat through these very quickly.

Interestingly I reviewed all the gaming blogs I subscribe to (nearly 70 at the last count) and found that the vast majority don't update on a daily basis. About 25% post up to once per day but the remaining 75% post about once every two days or less. Over half only updated more than three times a week, and that included some very popular blogs indeed.

You've probably already guessed that I'm trying to justify to myself reducing the number of posts per week. I think the real issue for me is does my current daily schedule impact on my ability to paint miniatures and write games... and the answer is a resounding yes. But before I make any major changes I'd like to know what you think. I'm about to go on holiday so the schedule will slip a little for a short while but I won't make any permanent changes until I have some feedback from you, the readers. Please take a moment to register your opinion and as always feel free to leave your comments below.

Poll Position

The first Poll of 2010 has now closed and its possible to look at the results. Sixty Eight People responded to the question what sort of games do you play? and the answers are both surprising and what is to be expected.

Reassuringly 57% of respondents play Roleplaying Games which isn't surprising given my own bias in the posts I write about D&D and Roleplaying in general. However I was surprised to see that 80% of respondents are Wargamers. Maybe this shouldn't be such a surprise given that I regularly contribute to the The Miniatures Page forum which is itself a largely wargame dominated site. I have had several requests for more Flames of War related posts and I'll try to increase the number of posts I write on this over the coming months.

Perhaps more of a surprise is the fact that 58% of respondents are also computer gamers. I would have thought that a miniatures centric blog such as mine wouldn't appeal to techies but maybe there's more overlap between 'traditional' gamers and computer games than I gave credit for. Maybe one of the factors influencing this percentage is the seemingly ubiquitous nature of 'computer' games at the moment. Many homes have a games system of one kind or another and with the advent of game 'Apps' for the likes of the iPhone and its many derivatives more people have access to this form of entertainment than ever before.

Also interesting was the figure of 55% of respondents that also play boardgames. Again this isn't a miniatures oriented genre but like RPG's and Wargames it is a social activity and therefore has some overlap with these other games. I suspect that many 'gamers of a certain age' remember those heady days when companies like Games Workshop produced boardgames alongside their miniatures and wargames.

Overall these four categories accounted for nearly 95% of the votes cast so clearly there is considerable overlap in interests for readers that took part in the poll. In some ways this reflects the sort of varied material I myself write about. I play RPG's, wargames & boardgames and, on occasion, computer games, so its not surprising that readers of this blog do as well.

This and That

If you haven't done so already please register your vote on my Poll "What games do you Play?". One year on from the start of this blog I now have a healthy and growing readership. But I'm always striving to improve and I'm determined not to sit on my laurels. For that I need feedback from you, the readers. I'll write up an analysis of the results once all the votes are in.

---

Just in case you think I've given up painting (it has been a while since I last showed off anything new) here's a picture of something I'm working on. In fact I have started four models and all are in various stages of completion. I actually had a productive weekend painting and two models are nearly finished. It'll be a few days before I post any pictures as they still lack varnish and the bases need to be dressed. This usually takes a couple of days to complete properly so I hope to have some pictures by or over the weekend.

---

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I started work on a couple of M10 GMC Tank Destroyers for Flames of War. I reported on this blog that I was missing a part (the turret counterweight) but had contacted the parts replacement service number and was awaiting a response. Well that was 11th November and I still haven't had my part. I have however had three empty promises to send it and my model remains incomplete and un-started. The problem seems to be with the local (i.e. UK) supplier rather than with Battlefront but that's little consolation. I'm starting the process again - this time with a strongly worded email attached - and have my fingers crossed for a swift resolution. I'll keep you posted.

Getting to Know You

I haven't run a Poll in a while - the last was in July 09 - but since then the readership of this blog has increased tremendously. So I think its high time I tried to get some idea of what you, the readers, like to play. Are you into Roleplaying Games, Wargames or Computer Games? Or are you a Boardgamer or a player of Collectible Card games? Maybe your interests cover several categories or something entirely different and not listed here. Whatever they are I'd love to know.

Respondents can select more than one category and 'Other' includes anything that doesn't fall into the main categories, or if you don't play at all.

This Poll takes a very broad brush approach and is aimed at getting a general idea what categories of games are most popular amongst this Blogs readership. Depending on the level of participation I may run related Polls later in the year that focus on specific categories. Of course I'll post the results with a bit of analysis when the Poll closes in two weeks.

Where do you Game? Poll Results

The July Poll has now closed and the results are in. Here's a breakdown of how you voted and I find it quite revealing and maybe even a little surprising.

I have been to several conventions this year and in conversation with attendees and clubs I would have been forgiven for thinking that most people were part of (and therefore gamed exclusively) at clubs. Draw your own conclusions from this admittedly limited set of data but I do find it reassuring that home grown games are still going strong.

Last day to vote

The current site Poll closes today so you have only a few hours to get your vote in.

Where do you Game?
-At a friends house
-In my own home
-At a Club
-Conventions
-Anytime, Anywhere

New Poll - Where do you Game?

It's been a while since the last Poll closed and I never got round to starting a new one. So here's a new question for you.... Where do you game? Whether your a roleplayer, wargamer or a player of CCG's or Boardgames you need a venue to play at (assuming you don't play alone that is).
My own group, the Dagenham Dungeon Delvers, tend to meet mostly at my house. I have the space to fit all seven of us around a table for our ongoing D&D games. If the weather is good we may play at a friends house and sit in the garden annoying the wildlife with our exclamations of "Its a crit!" or "Huzzah!". But what about you? Wargames probably need more space than roleplaying games which need more space than CCG's or boardgames. Does the type of game you play determine where you play?

February Poll Results

The February Poll "How often do you paint?" has now closed and these are the results:

Every Day 3 (23%)
At Least Twice a Week 2 (15%)
At Least Once a Week 1 (7%)
At least Once a Month 1 (7%)
Less than once a Month 4 (30%)
Never 2 (15%)

For the record I sit down to paint four or five times a week but often this is just 15-20 minute sessions. However I do have longer sessions (in excess of an hour) at least twice a week.

I was interested to see that 45% of respondents paint less than once a month or even never.

Anyway I'll be setting up a new poll later today so keep an eye out for it.

Poll Results - January 09

The January Poll - How many Miniatures did you paint last month? - has closed prematurely (because I messed with the HTML... Doh!). Twelve respondents voted (out of 1000+ visitors) plus myself makes lucky thirteen. However the following results are still quite informative.

Less than 1 = 1
Between 1-2 = 2
Between 3-5 = 4
More than 5 = 6

For the record, I painted 4 mini's in December. I have already exceeded that amount in January so I guess this blog is achieving the desired effect on me after all!

There is now a New Poll for February:

How often do you paint?
Every day
At least twice a week
Once a week
At least once a Month
Less than once a month
Never

Please take part in this less than scientific 'geeksocial' experiment to understand my readers and of course I'll discuss the results at the end of February when the Poll closes.