Liebster Award

I'm very flattered to have been nominated for a Liebster award by the spectacularly named Inward-curving Isentropic Endoscope of Doctor Cornelius.

To quote the good Dr. Cornelius:

"The Liebster is a bit of Internet fun in the form of a Bloghop, where you can share links to blogs you have discovered and enjoyed. Having new readers suddenly discover your blog through the recommendation of one of your readers is always very encouraging for a blogger, especially if you are new to blogging, or your blog doesn't see a lot of traffic. The recognition of one's peers in the bloggerverse does tend to bring a sense of acceptance and accomplishment."

The Liebster is getting a bit of a reputation as a sort of blog-based chain letter, so the owners of the blogs below should feel free to be excused from the requirements to nominate 11 other blogs, of under 200 followers, and link back to the nominating blog. Instead, just consider this as a mark of appreciation for an interesting and entertaining blog.

So, here are my 11 blogs. I'm not sure if they all have less than 200 followers, since they don't all have counters, but we'll assume they do. 

1. Winter of '79 - An alternative history blog about a British civil war in 1969. Well researched and the battle reports are gripping, especially using the period screenshots of TV from the day.

2. Matakishi's Tea House - The ultimate terrain builder. It was Matakishi's site that alerted me to the versatility of cork sheets for building terrain. I've now constructed an entire 28mm 3d dungeon layout from cork, and am considering building a bunch of Stalingrad style ruins in 15mm for WW2 and scifi.

3. Mini Metal Mayhem It was Paul's posts at MMM that first suggested to me that I could re-use old matchbox vehicles for 15mm Scifi. Always informative and entertaining.

4. The Scattergun Gamer - As the name suggests, and eclectic mix of topics, but always a good read.

5. Dampf's Modelling Page - I played Flintloque years ago, and it's good to see it's still alive. I also really enjou the small terrain projects.

6. Wargaming Girl - Tamsin's painting ethic and productivity put me to shame and her blog is really a great source of inspiration.

7. Dwartist's Painting Blog - Plenty of eye candy from an exceptional painter. I find this blog to be a great source of inspiration.

8. Gruntz 15mm - Gruntz is my go-to set of rules for my ever expanding 15mm Scifi collection. Robin is a skilled painter as well, and his video tutorials are great.

9. John Bear Ross - Pixel pusher par excellence, JBR has designed some of my favourite miniatures for various companies.  

10. Daddy's Little Men - another active and eclectic blog. The painting and modelling skills, plus the excellent batreps are always entertaining.

11. Model Dads Blog - lots to see here with a WW2 slant.

In addition to the blog links, there are a series of questions to answer as well:

Why did you start blogging?
I'm not sure, really. I started the blog with a few posts, and then it went on hiatus for a while. I have been really encouraged by my wife, Jen, who I occasionally refer to on the blog as AGG (Amazing Geek Girlfriend).

If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?
I'd make GW more open and inclusive. Considering the foothold they have in the high street, they would be such a wonderful resource for bringing new players into the hobby.

What is best in life? Fame or fortune? 
Fortune. I'm a bit of an introvert.

What miniatures are you most proud of having painted? 
I'm really please that my painting is improving as time goes on. I now mostly paint for speed, but occasionally I'll pick a piece and go to town on it. My NVL 15mm scifi troops are some I'm quite proud of, as are the speed painted 15mm WW2 US rifle platoon. You can see both of them elsewhere on the blog.

How do you deal with burn out? 
Switch to something different. I collect and game in several scales and genera, so if I'm fed up with 15mm WW2 I can try painting some 6mm Moderns, of 28mm Dark Ages or 10mm Fantasy or Fleet Scale Scifi and so on. Or just put the paint brush away and go read or write something, watch a film or TV show, play a computer game (give a year of your life to Civ 5), or shoot some arrows. Diversity.

Why is a raven like a writing desk? 
They both have inky quills is my favourite response.

Star Wars or Star Trek? 
Oh, Star Wars every time.

If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be? 
That's a toughie. I love GZG scifi figures, but they only do scifi. I'd have to go for someone who had a wide range of figures available, so maybe Artizan or Wargames Foundry.

What is your favourite takeaway? 

For a high-street walk-in it's Subway. I used to love Pizza, but It disagrees with me now. If I'm getting it delivered, it'd be a good curry.