Moving always disrupts the ability to game even when you move back to an old neighbourhood. There are all kinds of things that become problems. One of the obvious is unpacking all of the figures, books, magazines and other resources used in gaming and storing them properly for regular use. Another is establishing or re-establishing contact with clubs or fellow gamers.

In my case, the latter problem was minor. I moved into a house that is located about one mile from our club's regular meeting place. I was back into gaming with the old sweats within weeks of my return from Cyprus. (Of note, our club has been in the habit of a summer hiatus so the first game of the season was scheduled in September, several weeks after my return.) Since I had stored many of my figures at the house of another member, I also had access to most of my collection quickly. Therefore the big chore was preparing my new residence for my resources. I was fortunate that the new house had a finished basement and there was no debate about allocating one room for gaming. The room had easy access to a bathroom (essential when hosting games) and the previous owner had built shelves into one wall upon which I stored all my reference books, magazines, rules, terrain and other sundry bits. Since most of my figures are 15mm, which are mounted on magnetic bases, I keep them in large tool boxes that can be stored under the table or shelves.

The only major problem that I encountered was the damaging of several armies during shipping. I had part of my collection packed by movers who did not handle them very well. One large box of two 25mm armies suffered serious damage and another box of 25mm figures appeared to have been packed by dumping the figures into it. It took several days to sort out what was in these boxes so that I could submit a claim. Fortunately, I must keep an inventory for overseas moves. This is updated regularly so that I always know what I have in terms of painted and unpainted inventory.

I checked with several painting services to determine the appropriate value of the painted figures. While I may have painted most of the damaged figures, it is best to use commercial rates when completing a claim. This saves time when haggling with the insurance company. Many gamers would submit an estimate that does not equate to true market value. Since I have won a few painting competitions, I am more confident that my painting standard is comparable to those of some commercial painting services. While this may seem trivial, many gamers under value their painted figures and this can be detrimental to the final settlement.

Regardless of the age of the figures or the quality of the paint job, replacement of the figures will usually be more than the original purchase price. One only has to check current price lists to appreciate how costs have risen over the last few years. For older gamers, prices have increased significantly over the decades. (One reason for the switch to smaller scales so that costs are kept down.)

If you accept a lower value, then you will not be able to easily replace damaged figures. For example, recently I decided to buy four infantry and five cavalry bags of the Old Glory 25mm Byzantine figures for which I paid $345 (Canadian). Eight years ago, I sold a painted Byzantine army for less than $200. The number of figures was about equal. I now must await the outcome of this claim before replacing my figures. Meanwhile, I shall have to content myself with the remainder of the collection and any interim purchases.

I mentioned in the last column the advantage of belonging to a club that encourages common use of figures, and lending of books and magazines. I am fortunate to have re-joined such a group. I also benefit from knowing some other gamers, who have been kind enough to lend me resources over the years. One such friend has become a bit of a regional legend. His book, game and figure collections are the subjects of much discussion. If he has an army then it is well represented by the products of most manufacturers and complemented by scholarly books, many of which are recent publications. Those that know him often stop by to check his inventory before doing a mail order for figures and/or books.

I spent a weekend with him recently. It was our first long session since my return from Cyprus. I had not seen him since several months before my journey to Cyprus two years ago. In that time, he had added to his collections, so I felt like a kid in Toys R Us. While I did not embark on a major purchasing spree after this visit, I did put together a wish list for future use. In addition, I was able to borrow several books so that I can continue research into two topics; the Later Roman army and the early Islamic conquests. By way of exchange, I recounted my experiences of travelling in Cyprus, Syria and Jordan. It may seem like an unfair exchange but then he does not do much travelling and was keen to see several hundred pictures of ancient and medieval sites.

I mention this not to boast of my good fortune, but rather to highlight a point. Too often we complain of the expenses incurred to enjoy this hobby. It could argued that it is cheaper than some (how about comparing it to the cost of buying season tickets for professional sports at several thousand dollars for hockey or baseball). Regardless, it can be out of the range of some people. Some costs can be reduced by joining a club that pools its resources. This requires that the members are responsible when in possession of other's things. No one likes gamers who can not be trusted to handle carefully books and figures.

Despite many potential pitfalls, I do encourage others to be generous with their private stock. Many a new member could be recruited if the old guards are prepared to make gaming accessible by providing some of the figures and other resources. It might be wise to investigate insurance, which seems to be more accessible for specific collections.

On a related subject, I also encourage gamers to be more forthcoming with their knowledge. Recently, a group of us have exchanged Internet bookmarks. This reduces the time spent "surfing" the net looking for interesting sites. I have added a number of bibliographies and figure companies to my list as a result. I also was introduced to some good tactical information at several gaming sites. One gamer even offered blue prints for a box to store figures.

In several of my columns, I have expressed frustration in locating information about army composition and locating information on uniforms, colours and standards. Despite reading many books and amassing many articles, it is still difficult to locate details on certain things. My friend of the large book collection has been very helpful but he lacks some of the more enlightening but obscure sources. I do not have access to a large academic library in which one could find (or at least expect to find) many of the oft quoted articles from Journal of Roman/Hellenistic/Byzantine Studies or other academic journals.

Now I know that there are a few gamers who have either read these or have access to them. It may be too Utopian to imagine a system by which gamers could exchange information as well as asking questions on various topics. Personally, I think that it would be great to be able to provide and receive information to assist in developing armies and scenarios. Ishall have to pursue this in a later column.

A footnote for the editor, please provide my e-mail address so that others can contact me direct. If one wants something, it is nice to be able to offer something in exchange. I have been collecting lots of information on my armies and tabletop tactics, which I am willing to exchange.