In the beginning.

This blog will be primarily about wargaming, which is what my life has been primarily about.

Wargaming has actually been a central theme to my life.  When I was still five years old, way back in the 1960s, I became enthralled with some plastic WW2 Japanese soldiers owned by the older brother of a playmate.  Obsessed is probably a better word, and I whined incessently to my parents about the need to have Japanese soldiers.  In January of 1969 I came down sick, I believe it was mumps at the time.  My mother got me, as a get-well and stay occupied kind of gift, three boxes of Airfix Japanese for WW2.  Mind you, these were HO/OO scale, smaller than the big chunky figures my friend's older brother had.  In fact I remember my mom telling me that the Japanese in general were a smaller people...nice way to cover that these guys fit in with no other toy soldiers I owned, and I had a good deal.

Well, my birthday came around a month later, and much to my surprise my parents gave me several more boxes of different WW2 Airfix, and my Uncle Jerry gave me  big box full of Roco mini-tanks.  (amazing what you would give to kids back then) A copy of Featherstone's first book on wargaming followed (I was one of those precocious children who learned to read at kindergarten age) and I was on my way.  My dad was a competitive chess master, so he encouraged this behavior and I went along wholeheartedly. It was the developmental stage of a life of wargaming.

By the way....while those Airfix are long gone, I still have a Japanese army for WW2.  Its in 15mm these days, but I have and always will have a WW2 Japanese army.

Clearly to be continued.