Living Dangerously at Albion Books

Over the weekend I went to Hastings for a short break with the wife and my youngest daughter. We tend to turn these sort of trips into a bit of book hunting exercise and this was no exception. One place I always try to visit when I am in Hastings is Albion Books as they have a lot of military books and magazines for sale. But be warned; a visit to this store is not for the faint of heart! The inside of this knowledge emporium is a Heath and Safety nightmare. And as that happens to be my job at the charity I work for, it does take some mental preparation (and checking of my Will) before I venture through the doors. Death by book avalanche is a very real possibility inside this shop! To the brave go the rewards however and if you are prepared to spend a long time browsing there is probably something for every wargamer in its tumbled and disorganised interior.   

I was too timid to take a picture of the inside (I didn't want to offend the owner) but I found a great photo on Google Maps. Unfortunately I can't download it so go look the shop up and view some of the photo's. Piles of books fill most of the isles and if you can get across the scree slopes of paperbacks and around the hardcover hillocks without starting a chain reaction, you may well find some great purchases. And reasonably priced too. I always enjoy looking through the magazine piles and individual issues can usually be bought for just 50p. My best purchase of the day however was a hardback Zulu Conquered: The March of the Red Soldiers by Ron Lock. I've been looking for this for a while and I bought a new copy here for less than half the cover price. 

We almost didn't get to Hastings as my car ended up being towed home for the second time in a week. Unlike last weekends saga, which cost me a tire and ended my trip to SELWG, this time the repair bill is in the upper half a grand! Fortunately my eldest daughter loaned me her car for a couple of days and we eventually arrived in Hastings, late but in once piece, early on Saturday morning instead of Friday as planned. The first thing we did on arrival was head for the bookshops and we both found plenty to console ourselves after the unpromising start to our weekend away. Hopefully the car will be fixed in a couple of days and I can get back to the important business of planning our next book expedition. 

Successes and Failures

The build up to Christmas in the Hadley Household is progressing well this year and for a change we are ahead of schedule and actually feeling rather relaxed in the final weeks before the holiday. Of course what I'm not telling the Mistress of the House is that I'm making an effort to be organised so I have plenty of time to get my Painting Challenge off to a good start. To that end I have been buying the last few items of supplies, and a few more models, before the December 20th kick off. I have even been able to combine Christmas activities with painting prep and though I may fool myself into thinking the wife doesn't see my ulterior motive, she probably does and is letting me get away with it non-the-less. 

So over the weekend I took the family to Rochester to visit the Christmas market. It was a great event and definitely something we will do again next year...especially as I was able to nip round to Rochester Games and pick up some model supplies. I came away with several bags of basing materials, some much needed paint and a couple of figures for the challenge Bonus Rounds. I was also able to pop into the excellent Baggins Book Bazzar and pick up an old Airfix Guide that was missing from my collection. All in all a very successful day out.  

Unfortunately I can't be as upbeat about everything this week because yet again Royal Mail have proven themselves utterly rubbish at delivering parcels. Maybe a little controversial but non the less true. As a wargamer I do a lot of shopping online and I have made a lot of purchases in the run-up to the Painting Challenge which starts in a couple of weeks time. And as a family we have increasingly done most of our Christmas shopping online as well. This year we have bought almost all our presents online and to the credit of retailers we haven't had any problems with the goods delivered or the service received. Nearly all the parcels we have arrived via a range of courier firms and without exception all have been delivered on time and in good condition. We get on well with our neighbours and between us we often take in parcels for each other and so we have had in excess of 20 deliveries that have proceeded without a hitch. 

Four parcels however were sent via Royal Mails parcel service and every delivery has been shoddy at best. One parcel was thrown over the garden fence; One was left behind the bin in our front yard; one was returned to the dept for us to collect, despite the fact I was home when the delivery supposedly took place; and the third was also returned to the depot but no card was left to tell us and I only found out when I went to collect the other parcel. Royal Mail have reached such a level of ineptitude that I actually factor in the delivery method when making purchases and I am willing to pay more for a proper courier instead of Royal Mail if the choice is available.

Ok, rant over. I'd better crack on and get some more Zulu's undercoated! 

Waiting for the Postman

Childishly excited this morning. I've just placed a new order for some more Leven Miniatures 6mm buildings. I've bought myself a town, albeit a scrappy looking pile of bricks and adobe somewhere in North Africa. These resin buildings are always a pleasure to handle with good detail and zero blemishes to the resin surfaces they paint up nicely...and they are very reasonably priced! Here's some I painted before...

This time I have bought a load more dwellings and market traders buildings. Put with my existing collection I'll have a reasonable sized town, or enough models to represent a couple of villages. Needless to say I'll post pictures once I have them in my eager hands and I have painted them (which won't take long). 

Picking the Bones Clean

Well I've paid my last respects to Model Zone and it was a very depressing affair. That's not to say I didn't leave my local shop without a bag of bargains but it was sad to see half the shelves empty of stock like that. More importantly I felt really bad for the staff in the store. I've been in their position myself many years ago and its not an enviable one. I had a quick chat with them while I was paying for my stuff and wished them well but that's little comfort when they are faced with unemployment. 

I really should have gone to the store last week because there wasn't much left that I wanted (most of the Vallejo paint had gone) but I didn't want to leave empty handed. So I joined the other vultures circling Model Zones corpse and picked up a few items as a last huzzah to yet another high street victim of the ongoing 'recession that isn't officially a recession but bloody well feels like it'.

RIP Model zone

I bought a 1:72 Airfix Cromwell Tank to paint up as a display model and some Tamiya spray paint to base coat it with when its assembled. I'll see if I can get the Young Padawan to join in and build it with me. I also bought her one of the Revell mini kits mainly because she seemed to like building aircraft and because I think the Fokker DR I is an interesting and evocative plane. If she continues to show an interest I'll see if I can pick her up something a little more challenging at the next show I attend.

I was never a big spender at Model Zone but I did go there regularly to stock up on sundry items like flock, glue and paints. Personally I always thought the stuff it sold was a bit overpriced and certainly couldn't compete with other retailers or the Internet. But it did carry a reasonable variety of items in its stores and was my main 'local' source for modelling paint and materials outside of trade shows. Its other main selling point as a brick and mortar store was that it wasn't Games Workshop. With the departure of MZ I guess I'll just have to stock up when I go to shows in future. 

Recommend Book Shop

I've got to spread a little kudos about this great little bookshop in Tunbridge Wells. It's an eclectic mix, part games, part gifts, part second hand book store and with an old fashioned sweetshop inside as well. There are several aisles of bookshelves covering a wide range of subjects but significantly they also have a rather large section (five large book cases containing perhaps about 75 feet of shelving in total) dedicated to military and historical books, many at very reasonable prices and most in excellent condition. I never come away empty handed when I stop here and if you pass through Tonbridge Wells it is well worth a visit. 

Pantiles Books Crafts & Games has a wide range of low price, second hand, military books.

My latest acquisition from here was a pictorial review of Panzers in the Desert by Bruce Quarrie. This is a slim volume (just 94 pages) but is full of rare Black and White photo`s of German AFV`s in North Africa, collected from the Bundesarchive. Many of the photo's were taken by German war correspondents serving with Rommel's famous Afrika Korps but there are also examples taken by soldiers themselves. Some of the pictures are clearly 'reconstructed' scenes but many appear to be actual scenes and of course the equipment and men featured are genuine.


The book includes a brief history of the units that made up the Afirika Korps and the photo's show troops both 'in action' & at rest and include images of armour, artillery, soft skin vehicles & infantry. The photo's therefore provide a unique insight into this theatre of the war. I bought this book primarily as a visual archive and reference work and now that I have had a good look through it I am sure it will be very useful indeed for my North Africa Project.

Another Friday Rant

A recent post that has stirred up a lot of interest was my article last week on poor customer service and lack of communication. I had a lot of feedback asking me to name and shame the retailer involved but I'm afraid that after a week of thinking about this issue I have decided not to name them. Its far too easy to throw accusations around the Internet these days and I decided that I didn't want to jump on that particular bandwagon just yet. The fact is that no one single retailer has hacked me off to the point where I'd feel justified damaging their reputation online. So rather than ranting about a specific retailer I decided I'd list a few general examples of problems I have encountered over the last few months. You know, just to get it off my chest...

Processing Delays
Some retailers are lightening fast. Amazon are a prime example. I have bought some products and had them delivered the next day even though I had selected the Standard delivery option. Clearly not all retailers have the economic power and resources of Amazon but I have received similar fast service from small retailers and even from online businesses based around a single High Street shop. One recent order was a sad exception.

Firstly it took a whole week for the seller to even begin processing my order. I realise that this sounds very impatient (boo-hoo!), but as already stated many other online retailers I have dealt with dispatch orders within 2-3 days if not quicker. Having said that I assume this is a small outfit, possibly a one-person operation, so I can understand some degree of delay. But then having begun processing my order it them took a further 18 days before my parcel was eventually posted. During the whole of this time I never received any communication explaining the delay and no reply to my emails regarding the delay in my order.

Unexpected Charges

Another issue I have encountered is unexpected or unexplained charges that appear after an order has been placed. I've had this happen several times, usually from overseas retailers, and each time we haven't been talking small change. One particular example added a Shipping charge at the point of order but then emailed a week later to say there would be an additional charge that was greater than the cost of the items being ordered!

Its always worth checking the website of an online retailer you have never used before because they should state if additional charges apply. This isn't always the case and on at least two occasions I felt I was being ripped off and cancelled the order immediately. But on other occasions I have accepted that it was my own fault for not checking the shipping rates at point of sale. The lesson I have learnt (the hard way) is that it is incumbent on the buyer to check the total charges for their order before proceeding with that order.

Poor Packaging
Having paid for your goods the least you would expect of the retailer/supplier is that they send your goods in suitable packaging so that it has a reasonable chance of arriving in good condition. I've had books delivered in regular envelops (not even a padded bag) with bent spines and damaged corners. I've had orders arrive in re-used packing that barely covered the items inside. On one occasion I even received an un-boxed resin figure in a padded bag which arrived in several very small pieces.

One recent example was the delivery of my Mat-o-War. Bare in mind this order was for a 6'x4' gaming mat so you'd expect a 4' long roll to be delivered, possibly in a tube or at the very least rolled tightly so that it would resist bending in transit. Instead the mat was very loosely rolled lengthwise so what I received was a squashed, creased and floppy 6ft long package in an ill fitting plastic wrapper. Some of the creases are so bad I think they will need to be ironed out, although thankfully it doesn't look as if there has been any permanent damage to the mat.

Wrong or missing items
Twice in the last six months I have ordered miniatures from online manufacturer/retailers and either received the wrong items or found items missing. Neither order was particularly large or complex so I find it hard understand how completely the wrong figures could have been posted. On one occasion I ordered two items and only one turned up. When emailed the supplier said the missing item was out of stock and I would get my delivery when they were resupplied. If there had been a note to that effect in my first parcel I would have been quite happy but as I had to chase for an explanation I cancelled the second item (I then found it cheaper and in stock with another retailer!).

Taking your Business Elsewhere is Easy

When there are so many alternative suppliers to choose from online I can easily take my disposable income elsewhere. For many of the companies involved in the above examples, next time I probably will go somewhere else. The loss of one repeat customer might not bring down a business but if others feel the same as me then these companies are shooting themselves in the foot, which is very dangerous in the current economic climate.

Maybe these orders were an exception to the norm for these retailers. It is possible I was just unlucky and they were having an 'off day', but as my money, time and patience is of limited capacity, I won't be returning to find out.

---

OK. I fell better now for getting that out of my system. I promise to be less grumpy in future. 

Friday Rant - Poor Customer Service

Like many gamers I purchase a lot of the paints, accessories and miniatures I want online. I personally feel that 'my' hobby has benefited from the growth of Internet shopping because I can search and find products that I might never have found at a show or in a FLGS. Maybe the product I want is very rare, or maybe its only available outside the UK. No matter where it is, how rare or obscure it might be, I can find it with the right browser search terms and a little patience. But it seems to me that some online retailers still have a lot to learn about customer service.

I should make it clear that I still think there is an important place in the high street for real game shops and that I still visit them and buy from traders at shows. Indeed I made a quick estimate of my hobby spending last year and three quarters of it was conducted face to face with traders rather than across the World Wide Web. The great benefit of direct purchases like this is the 'relationship' you have with the trader. I'm not suggesting they are my personal buddies or that we are on first name terms, but dealing with a human being rather than a web page is obviously a more interactive experience. I can get a feeling for what sort of business they run, how they deal with customers and whether they are 'my sort of people' (i.e. gamers themselves). Its hard to achieve that online, although it has to be said that many of the companies I buy from via the Internet I have previously bought from at shows and shops.

However sometimes I do deviate from online traders that I know personally. Sometimes the service and experience is excellent but recently I seem to have encountered online retailers that fall far below my expectations for good customer service. And when I talk about customer service I'm largely talking about good communication skills.

For me communication is everything because its part of building the 'relationship' between customer and supplier that the Internet doesn't normally provide. OK something has gone wrong, but this should be seen as an opportunity not a disaster. Its an opportunity to speak directly to the customer and reassure them that you care about their order and their loyalty as a consumer. For example my very first purchase from Skytrex was online and as it turned out there were issues that resulted in a delay in delivery. It eventually took close to four weeks from my miniatures to arrive, but I was OK with that because I received several emails notifying me of the problem and asking me how I would like to proceed. My needs as a customer were put first meaning I felt valued and I have happily placed several more orders with them since.

I have also encountered radically different experiences with other online retailers. Long period of utter silence; unanswered requests for information; inexplicable delays in delivery; 'customer account' pages that never get updated. I won't name names because they might just have been having a bad day, or there might have been perfectly reasonable issues I didn't know about. But as I'll never know what those issues were (because they weren't communicated to me) they have already lost my faith in them and I'll spend my money elsewhere.

I think that word faith is actually quite important here. When I buy in a shop or at a show I have the product in my grasp and all I have to do is hand over the cash. But with online purchases we relinquish our credit card details for products that we haven't even seen yet. We trust they have the stock they claim. We hope they will delivery promptly as promised. We assume that our order will be accurately met. In short we show faith that the retailer will live up to their half of the bargain. And when they don't (or when things go wrong and they don't reassure us with good communications) we feel all the more let down and disappointed as a result.

Which Wargaming Mat?

It's not often I call directly on the readership of BLMA for help but this is one of those few occasions. It must be abundantly clear by now I recently started working on a 6mm WWII North African Desert project. I'm making good progress with the painting (I love this scale!) but one thing I'm missing at this stage is a suitable wargaming surface. I don't have a dedicated wargames table but instead make use of the dinning table with a grass wargames mat thrown over it. Now of course I'm looking around for a Desert themed wargaming mat...but finding one is proving harder than I thought.

Here are some of the ones I'm looking at but if anyone can point me towards an alternative that would be great. Incidentally I want a 6'x4' mat and would rather buy a mat as I don't really have the facilities (or the skill) to make one.

Woodland Scenics Readygrass Desert - This has a vinyl backing with a painted sandy covering on the top. It is thin, flexible and light but judging from the sample I bought it sheds its covering easily. I don't want to invest in a mat only for it to be as bald as me after just a few games. 

TerrainMat Desert - A strong vinyl backing and supposedly tough surface covering, this range comes in a wide variety of surface options. The Desert range comes in three colours. The downside is it seems very expensive and some reviewers have expressed doubts about its durability.

Javis - Thus far I have only been able to find the 24"x48" mat online and I'm not sure it comes in larger sizes. Also the 'rocks' appear too big for my 6mm figures and look likely to shed from the mat.

Mat-O-War - Billed as indestructible and coming in a range of colours including desert beige this looks like a good option. Despite being heralded for a return to stock by Antenocitis Workshop back in September they haven't materialised. 

So does anyone have any feedback about these option, or can you suggest a suitable alternative. Money is a factor obviously but I'm not averse to paying out for a good quality mat that will last a few years. Right now I'd just like to have a proper choice and I can worry about the cost later! 

Bad Customer Service & Late Deliveries

Poor Customer Service comes in many forms not just rude or obstructive sales staff. In this age of  Internet Shopping its things like late deliveries, lack of communications, mistakes in orders, unhelpful websites, and poor stock control that are probably the most common examples of Bad Customer Service that are encountered by most shoppers. And I've encountered them all in the last few months.

Regular readers will know that I have entered into a new scale recently, complimenting my 15mm WWII collection with 6mm figures and vehicles. My acquisition of a large collection of models from a fellow member of Posties Rejects has boosted my output of painted figures and without it I would probably still be sitting here twiddling my thumbs. Why? Because clearly not all retailers work to the same standards, especially where customer service is concerned.

Since I first decided to go the 6mm route in mid October, I have placed three different orders and so far none of them have fulfilled my expectations. Half the items I ordered from one retailer were out of stock, despite being shown as in-stock when I placed the order. I eventually received half my order (and a refund for the missing stuff) nearly five weeks after purchasing them. A second order with a different retailer is still outstanding over four weeks after placing it. Despite emailing them I have had no communications confirming an ETA for the delivery or explaining the delay. And a third order - this time placed direct from a manufacturer - is also overdue and now in its fifth week.

Maybe I have been a bit spoiled with the more mainstream (?) 15mm market where I could easily expect to place an order on the Monday and have my goods within the week. I have also grown accustomed to purchasing items that are listed as in-stock and those items actually being in-stock and then delivered as anticipated. So far neither situation seems to apply when buying 6mm figures and vehicles and I'm rather disappointed. This of course raises the question, is this a common experience for other micro scale wargamer's out there, or am I just unlucky?

Salute 2012 - Salute Loot!

I went to Salute with a very specific list of 'wants' and left with everything I was looking for. This year I was shopping right up to the end of the show and a bit beyond it. My last purchase of the day took place about 10 minutes after the show had officially closed. I had been unsuccessfully looking for a Flames of War US Parachute Mortar Platoon and found it quite by chance in a bargain box on the very last stall I went to!

~ German Panzergrenadier HQ from Marquee Miniatures*
~ German Panzergrenadier Platoon from Marquee Miniatures*
~ US Parachute Mortar Platoon*
~ FoW Objective Marker - US Command Tent from Battlefront
~ FoW Objective Marker - Fuel Dump from Wayland Games
~ FoW Barbed Wire Obstacles from Wayland Games
~ FoW Artillery Template*
~ Zvezda Stuka, free from Marquee Miniatures
~ T-Shirt from Help for Heroes
~ 3x Packs of Medium Gravel from Antenociti's Workshop*
~ Greenstuff (Lots of it!)
~ 3x Testors Dullcoat Spray from Antenociti's Workshop*
~ Painted Building (Destroyed Terrace) by Fieldworks.*
~ Painted Building (Destroyed House) by Fieldworks.*
~ Summer Tufts Short and Long from Antenociti's Workshop
~ Salute Torch/Laser Pen
~ 28mm Bromhead - Black Scorpion Miniatures*
~ 28mm Wayland and his Forge, free from Wayland Games.

All the items listed with a * at the end were on my pre-show shopping list, the rest were 'impulse buys'. I think you'll agree that was a successful shopping trip! It looked like all the retailers present were doing brisk trade, with plenty of money changing hands. The show also 'felt' busier than the last few years which I hope is a sign that the event is continuing to grow and that the industry is thriving, even in these tough economic times. I'd be interested to see any figures that might come out to support this view.

All in all Salute 2012 was a roaring success from my perspective. I had a great time, bought everything I wanted, met up with lots of interesting people and saw some truly amazing demo games. Not bad for a one day show.

Jolly Good Service

The Flames of War 3rd Edition Rulebook in Hardback was released on the 10th March and I was hoping to pick up a copy at the Skirmish show on the Sunday. I knew that my FLGS would be in attendance and that they usually bring plenty of stock to these events. Unfortunately they hadn't had their copies in so I decided to visit the shop a week later after their next delivery. But when I called in they still hadn't had the delivery and couldn't confirm when they would get it. They were apologetic but frankly didn't seem all that worried, perhaps because they still had several copies of the 2nd edition rules on sale!

This is the point my willpower broke down and I hit the Internet instead. I found several retailers selling copies online but in the end opted for one I have used several times before, Empire Game Store. Although they are based in Kings Lynn (over 100 miles from where I live) they are fast becoming my FLGS.

I placed my order about midday yesterday and less than 24hrs later I have the rulebooks in my hands. Now that's amazing service in anyone's book, and I didn't even have to pay for delivery! So this is a big shout out to Matt at Empire Games to say cheers and thanks for the truly amazing service!

Bargain!

I'm currently working on a German Anti-Aircraft platoon for my Flames of War forces. However I'm already thinking ahead to the next project for which I need to buy the models. The US boxed set Armored Rifle Platoon (UBX01) has a RRP in the UK of £48. But like everyone else in the civilised world I'm short of cash and need a cheaper option. Various web based retailers do a 10% discount bringing the price down to £43.20. One retailer at Salute earlier in the year was even doing a 20% discount but I just picked this set up for the measly sum of £25.80 plus £4 postage. That's just short of a 38% discount!

The set is listed as being new and unopened so this isn't a second hand kit. The seller also has an excellent feedback rating so (as far as it's possible to judge these things) I can be confident in his reputability. Within minutes of winning the bid and paying by Credit Card I had an email telling me the item was packaged and ready for dispatch the next morning. With luck I should get this through the post before the week is out. If all goes to plan, I can see myself using eBay a LOT more in future when hunting for models. This isn't the first time I've bought from eBay but this has to be the most unequivocal bargain of all my purchases from that site.

Clacton Hobby Store

Today's post is one of an occasional series on Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS). Clacton Art Craft & Model Centre definitely deserves its place in this series and is a store I try and visit whenever I have occasion to go to Clacton. This is a family run business run by Carol Paterson since its establishment in 1982. It is situated in the heart of the town's shopping district, right opposite a very convenient car park.

The store serves both the art and hobby communities in this very well stocked shop. The inside is what I call delightfully crowded and characterful. After I left the store I scribbled a few words in my notebook including the phrase "Aladdin's Cave". When I got home and looked up the shops website I was pleasantly amused to see those same words. Stepping inside this shop really does feel like your entering a magical world. There are so many products on display that I could easily loose myself in places like this for hours.

Aside from a wide range of 'craft' products for Card-making, stencilling, calligraphy etc. there is also a wide range of Game/Hobby products for the wargamer or miniatures painter. There is a well stock selection of fine watercolour and acrylics brushes by makes like Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney. They also stock an impressive range of acrylic and oil base paints suitable for the artist or miniatures painter alike, including a full range of Humbrol and Citadel Paints.

Hornby products are well represented in this shop as are a wide selection of building materials that will be familiar to the model railway or wargames enthusiast alike. Also available are a selection of Airfix and Revell plastic kits.

The store also stocks a selection of Games Workshop miniatures for the Lord of the Rings games and for 40K. In addition they also stock the pre painted D&D and Star Wars Miniatures. Last but not least they have a selection of CCG's including Magic the Gathering, World of Warcraft and Dark Millennium.

This is really is a fun and interesting shop to visit and they have taken obvious care to stock as wide a selection of products as possible without loosing quality or sacrificing product knowledge. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and I have never felt uncomfortable taking my time to browse their wares before making a purchase. If you have an excuse to visit Clacton then I recommend a slight detour (some might call it a side-quest) to visit this store.

The Empire Expands

I read an interesting article yesterday on John's Toy Soldiers the blog of John Lambshead (great blog by the way, well worth a visit). John reports that Games Workshop seem to be doing quite well at the moment despite the tough time retailers are having generally across the board. They have just revised their projected profits for the 12 months to May 30th upwards from £9 Million to £14 Million resulting in an increase in their share price of 30%!

There are various reasons for this success but key to it seems to be the new one-man-stores. A recent article on the FT website suggests that this has enabled GW to open stores in smaller towns. Another factor highlighted by the website Sharecast suggests that part of the companies success comes from its licencing of titles to games developers. John also highlighted an article by the Times which suggested that factory efficiencies meant that plastic miniatures now had a larger profit margin which was also contributing to the success of the company.

Its interesting to note that often variable performance of Games Workshop over the years is hotly debated on various Internet forums. The most vocal contributors still look on GW as some sort of Evil Empire that has been around too long and is bad for the hobby in general. Clearly this old dog isn't dead yet and can still learn some new tricks. Whether they are good for the industry in the long run, only time will tell.

Your Friendly Local Gaming Store

I'm a big fan of Internet shopping but there are times when you need the hands on experience that only a real shop can provide. The problem is that most high streets are full of the same old shops following the same old formula and that leaves little space for independent games retailers. Those that do exist definitely need our support, especially in these tight economic times.

I have noticed that many Gamer Bloggers have taken time to promote their Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS) and decided it was time I did the same. So this is the first of a semi regular slot to promote stores that I have discovered and enjoyed in the course of my travels. I always make it a personal goal to visit local games stores when I'm on holiday and I'm always seeking out new stores close to where I live in Dagenham. Unfortunately I've had to define 'close' as anywhere within an hours travel of my home.

Many shops have come and gone over the years but Orcs Nest in London has remained in business and independent since its establishment in 1987. I think Games Workshop made an play for them back in the 90's when they were gobbling up lots of independent stores. Fortunately they failed and the Nest has gone from strength to strength ever since. Orcs Nest also carries a very wide range of Roleplaying games, boardgames and CCG's. They also sell a full range of collectible miniatures, a wide selection of Reaper miniatures and their own range of models launched a few years ago. In addition that have pretty much every accessory you might ever want or can think of. I make a trip into London at least twice a year specifically to visit the Nest but also take advantage of any trip into London on business to drop in and get a fix.

You can find more great FLGS's at the Matthew Gray's Game Store Database or there's a Gamer and Store Finder on the Steve Jackson website. Wizards of the Coast (makers of D&D) also have a Store Finder on their site, as do Games Workshop.

Dungeon Floor Tiles

Dungeon Tiles, Adventure Tiles, Floorplans, E-tiles... call them what you will, I love them. I first used them in the early 80's when Games Workshop collaborated with TSR to produce boxed sets of card Dungeon Floor Plans. Since then I have amassed a huge collection of electronic tile sets that I can print and adapt as needed in my D&D campaigns. Many tiles can be downloaded for free from the Internet, while others are available to purchase as PDF files. Either way they are an easy way to enhance any roleplaying game that uses miniatures.

Here are a few sources on the Internet that I have found useful.

• Skeleton Key Games sell a superb range of e-Adventure Tiles.
• RPG Now sell all the Skeleton Key Games tile sets and sets by other companies as PDF downloads.
• Crooked Staff Productions have a small collection of Dungeon Tiles available on the EN World site. These include basic dungeon sections, sewers and dungeon debris items.
• The Dungeoneering.Net website has a nice selection of tiles for download.
• Greywolfs Warhammer Quest Page also has a small selection of good quality Game Tiles available for download.
• The Ye Olde Inn website has a nice selection of tiles for HeroQuest that can be pressed into service for D&D games.

This is a very small sample of the sites I have found and used to collect Dungeon Floorplans and Adventure Tiles. Now, when I design a campaign encounter, its an easy job to either find or cut-and-paste tiles to fit my needs. I still use the dry-wipe mats on occasion (for random encounters) but where possible I try to use Floor Tiles to enhance the look of preplanned encounters. After all, why bother painting a great model for a particular scene and then not present it in the best setting possible?In addition to published Dungeon Floorplans I have even resorted to blowing up maps from the likes of Dragon or Dungeon magazine. This is the Castle of Overlook which I adaped as a side encounter in my recent campaign. I scanned the map from Dungeon magazine then 'cut' it into sections. I then blew up the sections so each square was 1 inch and then stuck it all together. Hey presto, a castle floorplan.

I usually keep a stock of printed plans ready so whether I need to make a dungeon, a tavern or the deck of a ship, I can do so with the minimum of time and effort. And I think that little extra effort goes a long way to making an exciting encounter a memorable one as well.

Owlbear

Once again I have dug into the vault to find a model that I painted many years ago. This is a Reaper Miniatures Owlbear sculpted by Jason Wiebe. that I bought from Orcs Nest. The Owlbear is a magical beast in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. These fierce creatures attack on sight and always fight to the death - usually their own when they encounter a group of adventurers.

This was a model painted specifically as a game piece and when I painted it (probably five or six years ago) I was quite happy with the end result. But looking back I can see lots of ways to improve the model. Using a wash would have helped bring the model together for instance. Also I usually finish with a Matt varnish on my display models, but in this case I used a gloss varnish for toughness. I also experimented with a sculpted rather than dressed base. This was fine for a model expected to have a lot of handling but isn't as good to look at.