The Seattle area had some great gaming success stories in 2003. One was the continued popularity of Wednesday night gaming at Fire and Sword Hobbies near Northgate. DBA nights fill the table space with 12 element armies hammering one another until closing time. It is not unusual for attendees to fight three different opponents in one evening.

There is lots of expertise, and spare armies, to support a newbie. DBA armies are for sale downstairs to get started. On non-DBA Wednesdays there are DBM nights to support the growing interest in this DBx variant. Both groups are supported by a Yahoo group that keeps everyone in touch, reports scores, the latest travails of the Early Saxons, and the quest for respectability by new armies.

Speaking of ancients, I have become a recent convert to DBA and DBM. DBA is a fun way to get together with some of my friends- except my friends who hate it. I played DBM for the first time in December and enjoyed it. My Carthaginian army behaved more or less like a Carthaginian army. I'm in the middle of painting an Early Ostrogothic army to use in the Harborstorm tournament. I'l doubtless be slaughtered like the inexperienced twit that I am. I went through my rule sets and found I have more ancients rules than any other, about a dozen. I'm still looking for the perfect rules set.

I recently went through all of my unpainted lead. The quantities are too depressing to recount. I know you have just as many or more. Given the old gamer adage, "If you paint all your figures, you die," I'm going to live to one hundred and twenty. This means I won't actually be able to see long enough to paint up all my minis. I have promised myself no new projects. At least not until I finish some of my present stash.

That's my New Year's resolution. It's January 2 nd and I've stuck to it so far.

Another reason not to order is the weakness of the dollar against the Pound and Euro. No bargains from the manufacturers these days, especially since postage rates ranges from 20 to 50 percent of the cost. Thanks, Mr. President.

Foundry is a company that always gets smacked around on The Miniatures Page, and justifiably so. They are expensive. They remove their lines from availability. At 18 bucks for eight figures they were ridiculously costly. Now they are shrinking their blisters to just six figures for eighteen dollars.

Of the four shops I visit that carry Foundry figures, all are closing out their stock. Three bucks per foot figure, while a mounted Old Glory miniature costs two dollars and seventy cents. I don't get it, but this business model must be working. Or maybe Brian Ansell simply has lead poisoning.