Goodbye Caesar

Caesar Augustus Tiberius

Last night we found that our long lived and much loved hamster had died in his sleep. Caesar was nearly three, making him a very old gent in Hamster years. The last few months he has been less and less active and has slept more than usual, so we knew he was on the decline. None the less it was a sad moment and the house won't be the same without him. 

Caesar was a Golden Hamster, was very intelligent and had a very sociable disposition. When he was younger he would climb the walls of his cage and swing from the roof by his teeth (I kid you not). He never bit anyone, even when we tried to cut his claws, an activity he clearly didn't enjoy. He had the cutest little squeak and enjoyed being held and stroked making him an excellent pet. He was also quite partial to wargaming... I took this photo of Caesar reviewing the troops only last week. 

I'd often take Caesar over to my paint desk to show him what I was working on and he would look up at me with his big pink eyes as if to say "I'm not sure about the highlighting on these" or "wouldn't you prefer to paint Romans?".

RIP Donald Featherstone

Donald Featherstone interview on YouTube

Like many wargamers this morning I have just learned that the great Donald Featherstone has passed away (its been reported on several sites now, including Grimsby Wargaming and Wargaming Miscellany). His books have been hugely influential within our hobby, have encouraged countless wargamers and have educated and inspired a whole generation.

I guess most wargamers of a certain age will have at least one Featherstone book in their collection and I am no exception. My favourites include the Tank Battles in Miniature series and his book on Solo Wargaming, although there are probably loads more that I have never read (something I must rectify asap!). 

One of the things that comes across clearly in his Tank Battles series is his insight and knowledge of real life tank warfare (gained in the field serving with the Royal Armoured Corps in WWII) and how it can be represented on the games table. My personal favourite A wargamers guide to the Western desert Campaign 1940-42 (reviewed here) is not only a great book of wargaming rules and ideas but also a deeply interesting and engaging history book. 

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. 

The passing of a Hero

RIP Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

I wanted to write a whole piece about this man but just couldn't find the right words. I love those two pictures of him because they show Neil Armstrong as a man of humour, humility and humanity. He was an 'everyman' (if you'll excuse the male emphasis). He was both lucky to be in the right place for this mission but was also the perfect choice. Calm, steady and cool headed but not without passion or poetry.

He remains my Hero of the 20th Century not for himself but for the scientific achievement he represented; the culmination of an endeavour that while conceived in the politics of the Cold War ultimately united the world in admiration. For those of us that grew up after Apollo 11 the indelible reality is that we are now a space-faring race, and we belong amongst the stars.

"...we can divide all of history into two parts: before humans landed on the Moon, and after. It was not just an important moment, it was the moment, a defining, crystallizing slice of time that confirmed that we humans had become a space faring race." (Phil Plait, Bad Astronomy)

RIP Fish

Now I can haz all your d20

Sadly I must announce the passing of one of the members of my gaming group, the Dagenham Dungeon Delvers.

Fish was given Honorary Member status last December having been hanging around our games for years. His usual contribution was to sit behind us purring loudly and occasionally meowing until someone gave him a scratch behind the ear....much like his owner, The Evil GM.

He was a venerable cat of over 20 years old, which in human years would have made him well past retirement age. The old fellow only had one eye - after an accident in his youth - but had recently become completely blind and deaf...which only made his meows louder.


RIP old buddy. Your presence at future games will be missed.

RIP Joe Ekins

On Monday the Mail and other newspapers reported the sad death of Joe Ekins. On the 8th November* August 1944 Joe was the gunner in a Sherman Firefly advancing towards St Aignan de Cramesnil. His troop of tanks were parked in an orchard when a platoon of Tiger Tanks passed about 800yards in front of them, the spearhead of a German counter-attack. In a little over 12 minutes Joe had knocked out three of the four Tigers, including one commanded by the German tank ace, SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer (Captain) Michael Wittmann.

You can hear Joe in a Veteran Podcast describing his encounter with Wittmann on the Tank Museum website.

I never had the pleasure to meet Joe but in all the TV interviews he gave he always seems to be an especially self effacing and humble man. Another hero has gone and we are left just a little bit poorer for his passing.

*[Apologies folks, a typo got through the net! Wittmann was killed on 8 August 1944 while taking part in a counterattack ordered by Kurt Meyer of the 12th SS Panzer Division, to retake the tactically important high ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil.]

Farewell to the Crystal Singer

I was saddened to read on the Blog Grognardia of the death of writer Anne McCaffrey. Her passing at the age of 85 was reported in the New York Times and other respected newspapers.

Anne McCaffrey started writing in the 1950's but it was her Dragonrider of Pern series of books (of which she wrote over 20) that she will probably be best known to gamers. The series is set on the feudal world of Pern whose greatest threat is a deadly spore that rains down from space regularly to kill humans and lay waste to land. The only solution to the Threadfalls are the Dragon's whose fiery breath destroys the spore. Over centuries these creatures have been bread and paired with the Dragonriders who become the Paladins of this detailed and entrancing world mythology. As a Teenager I read several of her earlier Pern books which were a mix of sci-fi and fantasy that was refreshing when juxtaposed against my other reading fare of the time in the form of Howard and Lovecraft.

One book stood out though and it wasn't one set in the Perm Mythology. The Crystal Singer tells the story of Killashandra Ree and her struggle to become a crystal singer on the fictional planet Ballybran. Having trained her whole life to become a vocal soloist her hopes are dashed when a slight imperfection in her voice is found. With her future plans in tatters she learns about the Crystal Singers who use vocally tuned lasers to mine the Crystals essential for interstellar travel and communication. Singers are changed by their exposure to the crystals, and those that survive the change develop a symbiotic relationship that gives them new powers and extended life. Killashandra is determined to become the best Crystal Singer but first she has adapt to her changed state and master the many and varied dangers of her new profession.

I've always enjoyed reading science fiction and this book like the best sci-fi challenged my preconceptions about the future as well as creating a detailed and engaging setting. I remember it best however as a game that I played at a roleplaying convention. The Con was held in Brentwood and I and my friends travelled there by train to take part. This would have been about 1983 or thereabouts. Most of the RPG's being played inside were commercially available games such as D&D but there were also some home-grown games being tested by local game enthusiasts. We joined just such a game set in the world of the Crystal Singers and played a group of new recruits setting out on our first mining missions. The games action revolved around the hazards of the environment and the betrayals and treacheries of our fellow singers. For a group of gamers who had only played D&D it was a refreshing and interesting introduction to a wider world of RPG's and it certainly broadened our horizons.

RIP Professor Richard Holmes

I've just learned that Professor Richard Holmes passed away on the 30th April at the young age of just 65. In my view he was one of the best military historian's of recent times, not just for his undoubted scholarly work but also the fact he was so very good at communicating his enthusiasm to an audience either on TV or in person.

He enlisted in the Territorial Army in 1964, rising to the rank of Brigadier with the 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment. Between 1969 and 1985, he lecturered at the Department of War Studies, Sandhurst.  He later took command of the 2nd Battalion, The Wessex Regiment rising to the rank of  Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1988 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen in 1991 and in 1995, he became Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University. From 1997 until his retirement in 2000, Holmes was Director Reserve Forces and Cadets. In 1998 he was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Professor Holmes was also closely associated with Project Hougoumont the heritage restoration scheme to save and preserve Hougoumont Farm on the site of the 1815 Battlefield of Waterloo in Belgium.


He was most well known for his Books and associated TV series such as Wellington: The Iron Duke (2002) Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front (2004) and Sahib: The British Soldier in India 1750-1914 (2005) to name but a few.

I was very privileged to meet Professor Holmes about 6 years ago during his lecture tour to promote his then new book, In the Footsteps of Churchill (Published in 2005). The 90 minute lecture he delivered was conducted without notes yet was fluid, informative and presented with humor and great enthusiasm. Afterwards I got my copy of his book signed, shook his hand and exchanged a few words. Despite the brief meeting he came across as completely unassuming, genuinely friendly and pleased to meet fellow history enthusiasts.

RIP Elizabeth Sladen

I've just read the very sad news that actress Elizabeth Sladen had died at the young age of just 63. A BBC spokesman issued this statement: "It is with much sadness that we can announce Elisabeth Sladen, the much-loved actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away this morning." Apparently she had been battling cancer for some time now and finally lost her fight.

Sladen first appeared in her signature role Sarah Jane Smith  in the BBC television sci-fi series Doctor Who between 1973 and 1976, opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. She went on to reprise her role in the revived series acting opposite David Tennant.


There are several tributes to her but I felt this one by artist John Kovalic best summed up how I feel about this sad news.

WWII Claims more lives

The BBC have reported the death of three bomb disposal experts yesterday in Germany. They were working on an Allied bomb dropped on the University Town of Goettingen during WWII. Such finds are common both in the UK & Germany where raids by both sides resulted in hundreds of thousands of unexploded bombs. Many were found and disposed of at the time but some have inevitably gone undetected.

This bomb was a 500kg (1100lb) Bomb and was found by construction workers at only 6ft depth. The area was being cleared of residents and the team were preparing for what should have been a routine disposal operation. Reports suggest that at 9:45pm yesterday a 'muffled explosion' was heard. This sounds like the fuse exploded rather than the main weapon. In addition to the three killed it is reported that six others were also injured.

This story was also reported in the Express newspaper and they include a picture of the bomb itself (This may be stock photo because I can't find it replicated on any other news sites). The main story is also reported in the German newspaper Blid.

This is obviously very sad news and a reminder to us all that the wars of our fathers and grandfathers are closer than we realise and still able to take life.

RIP Frank Frazetta

The Los Angeles Times announced today that Frank Frazetta has died at the age of 82. Frazetta was a prolific artist who started out working on comics like The Shining Knight and Ghost Rider. However it is his later work on the Conan paperbacks of the 60's that made him famous amongst fans of the fantasy genre and later still amongst players of games like D&D.

Frazetta once claimed that he never read any of the Conan stories, yet somehow he perfectly captured the essence of the rugged barbarian from the north. His covers have become synonymous with Robert Howard's greatest character and the two will forever be inextricably linked in the minds of many readers.

RiP GenCon UK

I've just read that the UK GenCon franchise has been official dropped. There's a discussion about it on the UK Roleplayers Forum. I don't know any more at the moment but if I hear anything I'll let you know.

(Source: http://www.ukroleplayers.com/)

This is a sad day for roleplaying in the UK.

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Additional news......

The website Altern8 posted an article about Gen Con UK last month. Late Last year the blog The Kingdoms also speculated that Gen Con UK might be dead. Last week RPG.Net also reported the announcement and there is an interesting thread on the subject. Noticeably the forum page for Gen Con UK on the Gen Con LLC Community website has been closed.

RiP S+F+D

Just came across this picture and it made me chuckle. This is one of those images that has a whole backstory built into it. The more detail you see the more story you discover.

I always knew Velma was the tough one.

A Tribute to my Nan

This morning I received the news that my Nan, Frances Cottle (nee' Boniface) had passed away. She had been ill for a long time and frankly the fact that she survived as long as she did is a testament to her strength and resilience.

Frances was Born in 1918 into the new world that was Britain in the interwar years. She grew up in Woolwich and lived there until the Blitz destroyed her family home. She worked in the Woolwich Arsenal where she met my Grandfather, Bill Cottle. Nan once recalled that on her first date she was taken to the cinema where she had to pay for the tickets! Bill & Frances were married three months later in August 1942.

They moved to Manor Park in West Ham where they stayed until about 1958 when they got a house in Dagenham. Nan lived there right up to the end, although she has spent the majority of this year in and out of hospital. Back in June she was well enough for me to take her back to Woolwich for a look at where she grew up. Much has changed in the area and what the Germans didn't Blitz, post war development finished. However enough buildings remained for her to know she was home and put a smile on her face. In particular St Margaret's, the church where her and Bill married.

Frances leaves behind her four children, Valarie, Shirley, Joyce & David and a large family that will miss her and remember her.

Rest in peace Nan.

Death of a General

A few years ago I got deep into the history of the American Civil War and it still holds a fascination for me today. Of all the great men involved two figures stood head and shoulders above the rest. One was the Union General (and later President) Ulysses S. Grant and the other was the Confederate General Robert.E.Lee. Today is the anniversary of the death of Lee in 1870 after suffering a stroke two weeks earlier.
Much has been written about both men but I believe the following excerpt from one of Lee's letters to his Sister in April 1860 sums up the man perfectly.

"With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defence of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword....."

Lee was offered command of the Union Army in 1861 by Lincoln himself but his conscience would not let him take up the post against his fellow Virginians. This was an extraordinary act of an extraordinary man and I always felt it was a tragedy that he found himself on the 'wrong' side of the war.

RIP - Dave Arneson

David Lance Arneson (born October 1, 1947 in Minnesota, USA) died April 7, 2009. Dave was the co-creater of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) along with with Gary Gygax who passed away last year. Dave and Gary arguably created an industry when they adapted their Chainmail rules and designed the first roleplaying game in 1974.

In 1984 Arneson was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design's Hall of Fame and in 1999 was named by Pyramid magazine as one of "The Millennium's Most Influential Persons... at least in the realm of adventure gaming".