Welcome again to the column dedicated to Napoleonic Association wargamers, yet open to all with basic mastery of this particular language. You will all be excited to know (not) that the Play By Mail campaign is now up and running, with the opening orders being processed as I write. There isn't much I can reveal yet, although it is amusing how wargamers expect to immediately re-arrange the commands given to them. The novel Prussian all-arms combat formations may be a good idea with hindsight, but unfortunately the NPCs in this game are thinking in 1815 mode. Thus by the time you read this a number of players will be fuming at the inflexibility of their subordinates!

Of note on the gaming front are hopefully four NA skirmish games to appear this year. Two are definitely sorted, being the Napoleonic fair on the 4th of February, and the Mighty Editor's First Empire Show. Hopefully the game will also be at Colours in reading and Sheffield Triples. At these two shows it is hoped to run a competition for NA members on the Sunday, with a prize of a Napoleonic Vignette (painted by yours truly) for the winner. Potential contestants should let me know ASAP. It is intended to run one big game on just the one day, so not all your time will be taken up. Remember, you have to be in the NA to take part!

For those of you missing my Monthly Moan, fear not, I've just moved it further down the column! For those of you who don't like it, rearrange the words 'titty' and 'tough' to make a new sentence.

So what is it? Wargaming Figure types, that's what. I came up with this during my review of the Wargames Foundry figures elsewhere in this esteemed journal. French NCO figures. Where are they? Is a stripe or two and a big moustache tricky? If anybody does them, let me know about it. Also smoking. Cigars and pipes were pretty big in those days, and particularly marching figures would benefit greatly from a variety of oral accessories - steady! So think about it. What reasonable poses do you crave tbr? Drop me a line and let me know, then we can collate our wants and I'll put them in print. Damn, we might even influence somebody. Finally, why does nobody's Picton figure look like Jack Hawkins?