The Loose Association of Wargamers

In no particular order,
Kickstarting the Ayton games (with Peeler), by taking a throwaway remark on the previous forum and between us sourcing the venue and getting a date. We'd have done it if it had just been me and him, but wow were we impressed. And ten years on it's still going strong.

Writing the story for "A Military Gentleman", even with the John Ray meltdown it was quite something to have been part of, and I am very proud of it.

My work on my ACW collection.

My work with my compadre Mr Waudby on Toy Soldiers, totally revived my interest in our hobby. Without them I'd walk away from wargaming tomorrow.

Getting to know you guys through the Ayton games, a truly splendid group of chaps, many of whom I am proud to call friends.

Yes, a sound round of applause to those who started Ayton all those years ago. It’s the highlight of my wargaming year. My only regret is I could only watch them from the sidelines from years 1 through 7.

garyp wrote: ↑Thu May 30, 2019 8:33 pm 1, joining this bunch of strange people. Most of my best game experiences have been in LAW games.
2, actually organising an Ayton campaign without it going totally tits up
3, having some success with my cavalry at Purps' Grantham game!

i. What Gary said.
ii. What Gary said.
iii. What Gary said, but from the flip side (and adding in Paul's Huntsmen regiment of course). It's all about the back story, and the more calamitous the better. Who wants to stand at the bar recounting past glories? Failure, particularly miserable failure, is much more fun.
iv. The Gateway and my LoA/WSS toys, because I think they are very pretty.

Being part of this lovely group of loving gamers and having lovely Ayton for so many years and that it's increased into other lovely games as well at other lovely venues all because of you lovely people.
Lovely.

Peelers been at the Vegan pies again and has been fondling his inner woman.

Without consent, he might be in need of a sausage

Standing on a chair at Ayton 1 doing a jig because I killed off LT's advance or something like that

I have a wargames figure sculpted on my likeness (available from all reputable outlets and TAG).

A 6-year-old girl was looking at a terrain board I made for the Tunbridge Show, turned to her mum and with a voice of pure shocked awe said ‘it looks real!’.

PS: There may be fake news in the previous post

Having a senior SAS officer and a senior US SF officer introduced to me because they wanted me to sign the copies of one of my Osprey books that they had both just read.

Having one of my Ospreys made part of the required reading for the undergrad year at West Point; another used for "staff rides" by the USMC; and a third used as the basis for an organised debate at the US naval college at Annapolis (this last was courtesy of an old school friend - an American - who joined the USN after leaving school and reading history at Liverpool Uni). Still working on how I can get the USAF interested in one of the others.....

Winning our club's 2018 "crap armies" FoGR competition (no Great Commanders, no Elite/Superior units), although it has to be said that this was largely due to everyone else having their big wins against the club's worst player negated when the poor chap was taken ill with a burst appendix, with only me left to play him.

And being immortalized in greenstuff, then metal, by Alan Perry:-
https://www.perry-miniatures.com/produc ... ts_id=1585

(I'm the fat kraut on the far right - rather apt really.....)

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but I won a painting prize for my Marder at Hammerhead this year