What do you do when you find yourself three pages short of completing an issue and you've already said everything you could possibly think of in the editorial and mentioned every new product you have in the "What's New In Hal's Mailbox" column? Well, you do what I'm setting off to do; ramble on some more for three pages! The only topic I can think of to write about are a flurry of my personal thoughts on the hobby. Let's see how it goes! Maybe they will bring some thoughts to your mind. Life Without Wargaming - What "hobby activity" would I pursued had I not found out about wargaming? APBA baseball is probably the most likely answer as prior to wargaming, I was as obsessed about it as I have been about wargaming. Would it have lasted a lifetime? I doubt it; maybe model railroading to some degree but I don't think it would have satisfied my love for history. Reading? Um.... wargaming has expanded my interest in so many historical periods. I don't think I'd have even found out about many of them had it not been for wargaming. Difficult question! Most Honest Person in the Hobby - Have encountered many honest individuals but George Johnson, formerly of GAJO and now of TABLETOP TOWNS, has to qualify hands-down for his extreme degree of trust in dealings with his customers. Most Creative Person in the Hobby - Pretty much hands-down again; Howard Whitehouse, whose mind works in mysterious ways(!). Has an ability to view the "world" differently than we do. Best Hobby Writer - I'd have to consider Sam Mustafa for this area; extremely sound in a mechanical sense as to his knowledge of the English language and how to use the written word to best express what he wants to say. Great organizer, inquisitive, perceptive, and exhibits an ability to see straight to the core of a situation. Most Interesting Hobby Writer - And the winner is.... Howard Whitehouse (again!) - his rules sets would drive Sam Mustafa crazy; however, I never tire of his writing approach - a fascinating running narrative during which, I am sure, Howard is experiencing "free associations" (to the point of near-seizures) which somehow all fit together to provide highly interesting reading material. "The" Gentleman of the Hobby - Far above the rest of us stands Donald Featherstone whose love of the hobby and "us" is always readily apparent in the manner in which he conducts himself. An entertainer who loves to perform for people and is sooo good at it! Always comfortable with "us" and you know that's not always easy! Has for the last fifteen or twenty years finally received the respect and recognition he has deserved. Nicest Man in the Hobby - A repeat winner - Donald Featherstone - you won't find a nicer person around. Can talk to any of "us" and ask more questions about ourselves than we can ask him. Is also interested in our answers! Best Series of Articles in a Wargaming Publication - Peter Gilder's series on his Sudan Project in the old WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED magazine. He got me so excited about the period that I built Sudan armies in 25mm and now in 15mm.  Wargaming Magazine With the most Effect on the Hobby - Duncan MacFarlane's WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED magazine whose color pictures of figures and terrain has greatly increased the quality of our games. Not to be downplayed are the advertisements WI contains - they made us aware of every manufacturer in the hobby. Wargames Writer Producing the Longest "Run-On" Sentences - a unanimous winner - Charles Grant whose sentences could go on endlessly, at least to the end of the paragraph - I loved his writings! My goal in life is to achieve this ability! Best "Review" Section in a Wargaming Publication - Has to be Dick Bryant's THE COURIER with pictures and in-depth review by "experienced" wargamers. Toby Barrett's measurement system is a real plus! Best "Overall" Professionally Produced Wargames Rules - I would have to say Rich Hasenauer's Fire & Fury rules set and the two accompanying volumes of Great Eastern and Western Battles. Well done rules presented in a highly visually appealing fashion which resulted in a major increase in ACW wargaming. Wargame Rules with the Most Variants - Might be a tie here with Rich Hasenauer's Fire & Fury and Larry Brom's The Sword and the Flame. An indication that we really liked what both of these rules authors gave us. Wargaming Period Most Fortunate that it doesn't have to stand on its Own - Ancients! With the heavy emphasis placed upon "Army Points" and "competition gaming", they would attract few newcomers and many who joined the ranks would leave within a few years. Most Successful Historical Figures Manufacturer - Hands-down, Russ Dunaway's OLD GLORY Corporation who gave us quality and variety at inexpensive prices. "The" Showman of the Hobby - So many of these categories are easy - "Duke" Seifried who combines a love for the hobby, fantastic painting and modeling abilities, an entertainer's confident outgoing personality, endless energy, and a love and gift for performing for "us". I wouldn't buy a used car from "Duke" but I'd give him the shirt off my back. Most Influential Meeting in a Basement - The birth of HMGS in Wally Simon's basement (I was there fixing his furnace). Best Move we ever made in the Hobby - Moving from complicated rules sets to more "playable" efforts. Should Get Far More Credit than He Currently Does - Easy choice! Russ Dunaway of OLD GLORY; I guess we have a tendency to resent "success" - I can't explain this situation in any other way. Responsible for holding down figure prices across the hobby! Thank you, Russell! Best Wargamer's Dog - My Caliver King Charles Spaniel, Sammy, who loves everyone and everything. Even likes the ducks who populate our block. Idolizes me! Most Improper Usage of the Semicolon in the Wargames Press - That would be me; I love the semi-colon; it's acceptance should be expanded; Sam Mustafa would be a better writer if he used them more frequently; someday I'm going to gather the nerve to end a sentence with one; Most Consistent Wargames Figure Manufacturer - Essex 15mm lines - any of them from what I've seen; they must have only one sculptor! Country Most Recognizing of the Talents of Their Sculptors - England; I've always wondered why we, as a hobby, don't know the names of the individuals who sculpt our works of art! The UK has been doing this, probably because of The Foundry's efforts starting with the Perry twins. We should do it here in the US. These guys are great and deserve more credit for their wonderful work! Most Enjoyable Set of Published Rules Sets - A slight edge to Larry Brom and his The Sword and the Flame over Rich Hasenauer's Fire & Fury. Brought historical wargaming back to it's roots - having a good time playing with toy soldiers - made playability a hobby term. Should Have Been Better Received by Wargamers - Barry Edward's PLAYABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAMES which is attractively presented, simple, and written with a love for the Peninsular War period. Another candidate is Larry Brom's CHASSEPORT AND NEEDLEGUN Franco-Prussian War rules; put this set in a glossy format, add more of Larry's charm and love for the hobby, and it's a big winner. Best Wargaming Figure Scale to Reasonably Recreate Large Battles - The very unpopular 10mm size; depends on your age. 6mm is too small for us greyheads though the best to accomplish this goal if we take out the word "reasonably", 28mm too large to allow for recreating history's large battles; 10mm offers the small size but still gives us the "feeling" of a toy soldier (although Peter Berry's work with BACCUS 6mm is changing my opinion). Rules Set Encouraging the Most Figures Sales - Larry Brom's The Sword and the Flame (again!); boy, did we buy the figures. So many that we couldn't play the game anymore! Most "Picked On" Historical Period by Other Wargamers - Easy - Ancients! We can get very self-righteous when viewing them. Most Influential Group in the Hobby - HMGS and it's regional chapters; only because they have made historical conventions a reality. I can easily live without the "politics". The people involved who are more interested in making the hobby better than increasing their egos/sense of power deserve our sincere thanks! My Most Enjoyable Hobby Activity - Used to be painting; boy, was that satisfying and rewarding! Now it's planning wargaming projects. People I Admire the Most - Our spouses who tolerate much more than they should from our involvement in this hobby. I hope we learn as we get older! Greatest "Threats" and "Opportunities" to Our Hobby - Simple, the computer. Will eventually "kill" the wargaming press (terms of "paper") when the computer generation is the dominant force within the hobby and may well eliminate the need for toy soldiers. On the other hand, offers the opportunity for unlimited information and instant communication between wargamers. "The" Most Fortunate Fellow in Wargaming - That would be me! You support MWAN with articles/subscriptions/advertising; you read my dribble about my endless project planning without actually getting around to playing with my toys; and, you provide me with the best friends I've made in my life. Back to MWAN # 123 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com