While I'm in a reflective mood I thought I'd pinch another idea from Warlord Paul's fine blog, The Black Hole, and have a bash at the 20 questions that he in turn pinched from another fellow Oldhammerer, James, over at Exiles Wargames Painter. Thanks also to Fran and Ray, who I gather started it all some time back!
So to kick off - Here's me and one of my little burdens of joy! Face set to the usual grimace brought about by the presence of cameras being pointed in my direction...
Q1. Favourite wargaming period and why?
I'd have to go by the Imperial Calendar and say somewhere around the mid 2400's. Yes I'm talking Warhammer Fantasy Battle! Mind you I'm quite taken with the 41st Millennium of Rogue Trader too.
In terms of Historical gaming, Napoleonic era naval gaming is quite tempting, as I can vaguely follow in my Great, great (insert correct number of greats!) Grandfather's footsteps. Captain Mansfield commanded HMS Minotaur at the Battle of the Nile and Trafalgar as well as many other engagements of the time.
World War 2 has always been of interest too and I'm slowly amassing Russian and German forces - which may just as likely turn up in a game of Dr Who as on the Eastern Front!
Q2. Next period, money no object?
Well I have just invested in the All Quiet on the Martian Front kickstarter so December will see me plunged into an alternate reality World War 1 era America.
If money (and time and space) was no object I'd love to do WW2 properly on a large scale in 28mm, with tanks, vehicles, artillery and the like.
Q3. Favourite 5 films?
Dr Strangelove
Withnail and I
Apocalypse Now
2001 Space Odyssey
Laputa, Castle in the Sky/Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Q4. Favourite 5 TV series?
Tricky as I don't really watch a lot of telly...
Dr Who (Classic series but not the 6th Doctor)
Knightmare - being shown again on Challenge!
Look Around You - Open University inspired comedy
MST3K - does that count if I watch old episodes on the interwebz?
Ulysses 31 - a newly remembered childhood favourite
Q5. Favourite book and author?
Another tricky one because I read lots! I'm a big fan of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Joseph Heller and Catch 22 would be up there too, as would Cormac McCarthy and The Road. Tolkien deserves a mention too, as does HG Wells, John Christopher, John Wyndham, Arthur C. Clarke, Malcolm Lowry...
Agh, then there's all the Fantasy stuff like Rober E Howard's Conan Novels, Fighting Fantasy - The Trolltooth Wars...
I'll stick with Conrad I think!
Q6. Greatest general? Excluding oneself!
Hmm - based on achievement I might have to say Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great. Probably Genghis as Alexander is taken.
Q7. Favourite wargames rules?
I've been very taken with Brent Spivey's (Bombshell Games) rules for Havoc and Mayhem. I'd also have to predictably mention WFB 2nd and 3rd editions and Rogue Trader.
Q8. Favourite sport and team?
Don't follow Sport really. Mind you the Olympics and Paralympics utterly captivated me and if Hockey was shown more on TV I'd probably watch that, as I used to play it at school and still have a soft spot for it.
Q9. If you had a one use only time machine, when and where would you go?
I've always liked the vision of the future in Arthur C. Clarke's novels so probably some time in when space travel is the norm. I'd love to see things like Space Elevators, Colony ships and all the other cool stuff Tomorrow's World promised us and never delivered!
Q10. Last meal on Death Row?
Depressing question! 3 week old rib of beef (rare) with the works and a good claret I think.
Q11. Fantasy relationship and why?
Hmm, can't come up with anything deep and meaningful here and I may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, so I'll go with good old Kelly Brook - purely because she likes Fighting Fantasy of course...
Q12. If your life were a movie, who would play you?
Richard E Grant - because of his brilliant performance in Withnail and I. And I like him as an actor.
Q13. Favourite comic superhero?
Never been that into Super heroes. I'd have to say Danger Mouse if that counts?
Q14. Favourite military quote?
Not a quote as such but I had a brilliant A level History teacher who really brought European history alive. In particular, I remember him constantly lampooning Lord Raglan and the fact he thought he was still fighting the French when he was allied with them in the Crimean War.
Actual quotes - Depending what mood I'm in -
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein
The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.
George Patton
Q15. Historical destination to visit?
Q16. Biggest wargaming regret?
Not being around for the big GW sell off all the old 80's Citadel goodies!
Q17. Favourite fantasy job?
Sitting in a Land Rover in a National Park somewhere - preferably the Lake District or North Yorkshire Moors - and getting paid lots for it!
Q18. Favourite 5 songs?
Changes all the time and can be quite obscure!
Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden
The Booksellers story - Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts
Roscoe - Midlake
Q.19 Favourite wargaming moment?
Finally playing Orc's Drift in its entirety over a weekend. Now I need to do it again with some died in the wool Oldhammerers!
Q20. The miserable git question, what upsets you?
Being a completely miserable git - lots of things!
I'll try and be brief...
Rudeness, mendacity, laziness, politics, selfish agendas, self aggrandisement, rudeness, ignorance, crass stupidity, inconsiderateness, etc...
Great results from the old Questionnaire, nice to meet your lovely nipper too. It's interesting to see how many of your favourite forms of entertainment revolve around perilous journeys that sees the main protagonists flirt with madness! Is there some allegory concerning your big gaming projects like Orc's Drift and the Temple of Rigg?
ReplyDeleteI figured she didn't get as much of a look in as the boy in my post about playing Heroquest so it was her turn for a little limelight!
DeleteThere does seem to be a bit of a theme emerging there doesn't there now you mention it! I reckon you might be onto something.
Casting Hirst Arts blocks is certainly and slowly driving me mad...
I'm impressed to see these questions still doing the rounds. I did it back in August 2012 :)
ReplyDeleteYup - bit late to the party!
DeleteGreat set of answers by the way. I nearly put the old Toho Godzilla movies in. The Green Wing was ace too!
Good call on taking five books too!
Fascinating window into your world and mind, and nice to put a face to a blog too. It constantly amazes me how much gaming stuff other people get done when they have wee uns to look after as well...more organisaed than me I expect.
ReplyDeleteGlad you weren't too traumatised by it!
DeleteTiming is everything - at the moment I have a nice window of around 2-3 hours each night after the kids have gone to bed, the dogs have been walked and the wife has squirrelled herself away to revise for her Midwifery exams. As long as I can avoid fannying about on the interwebz I can usually get a bit done before the eyelids give up their struggle with gravity!
Thanks for turning me on to this list! And I must say, you have excellent taste in music. :)
ReplyDeleteMost kind of you sir - I look forward to your take on the questions and what I assume must be your excellent taste in music too!
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ReplyDeleteSomehow I've been missing your posts of late. Nice to see the man behind the blog. Your picture is about a million mile away from my vague mental image of what you might look like.
DeleteCheers Mr S, always a pleasure to have you stop by - to be fair there hasn't been loads of posts recently. I should really pull my finger out and finish off a few more posts for the Martian blog - been rereading John Chrisopher's Tripods trilogy recently as well as the Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham.
DeleteI think my picture is about a million miles away from my mental image of myself as well! Dare I ask you what you previously envisaged me to be like? ;)
I know what you mean though - I find it especially so with radio DJ's. Mark Radcliffe (my fave when he was on the graveyard shift at Radio 1 back in the 90's) was nothing like I'd imagined from his voice.
Well now, you've gone and asked me the question! Well, I guess one tends to develop a kind of fuzzy image of what folks might look like depending on their style of writing, tastes etc.
DeleteYou look a hell of a lot younger than I was expecting, for a start off. I also figured you for a man with a beard, possibly quite a luxurious one. Certainly not the shaven-headed fellow in the picture who'd look right at home in the colonial marines!
You did ask! ;)
Yep - and keep me away from big red buttons that say don't press on them as well!
DeleteI think I must have some kind of inner ancient beardy fellow so you're not that far off!
Maybe I'm old beyond my years - certainly had that said of me before. Mind you that's mainly the wife telling me what a miserable old git I am when I'm yelling at the telly! I do/did read a lot back when I was an English Literature student and I think much of my writing style has been culled from my favourite writers down the centuries.
I have been known to sport a beard sometimes too - mainly in the school holidays when I can get away with not shaving. It never gets particularly luxurious though. In fact when it gets longer than my hair I figure its time to sort it out ;)
Maybe that's it, your writing style certainly indicates an older gent.
DeleteWell, as long as you keep on with the old school gold it's all the same to me old (though apparently not that old after all) bean. I wonder would a 'reveal yourself' post catch on among the gaming blog community? Do folks have the cahones?
Can certainly oblige you on that one - hopefully there's a few more years in me yet!
DeleteFellow Oldhammerer, Warlord Paul has taken the plunge - and I believe this set of questions has been doing the rounds in various wargaming circles for over a year now. It'd certainly be nice to get to know a few more bloggers better.
Think I might have a crack at that...
Delete... and most enlightening too!
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