I thought I might write something relevant for a change. Bad form to be sure but here goes. What to do if you stumble on this page and find any interest in the subject at hand? Heed the advice offered under Figures and consider using some base counters sans troops to start with. The Junior General site offers some printable figures that can readily be used. Some are specifically created for use with the rules set De Bellis Antiquitatis which is available as a PDF at the link under the Ground Rules.

If you want more rules, consider browsing the Wargame Vault site listed on the front menu which offers many sets of free rules or consider browsing E-bay for an old set making sure you do not spend too much as sellers often believe that a set of rules is far more valuable than it is.

For figures, take a look at the Plastic Soldier Review site and consider using some unpainted plastic figures in the area you are interested in. Plastic Soldier Review also offers some interesting observations on the figures, shows what the figures look like, rates them and shows how many of each pose is provided in the box. A good starting choice might be the HAT Industrie sets 8095 French line infantry and 8186 Peninsular War British. But let your own enthusiasm be your guide.

If you are interested in getting some metal miniatures, again consider something like DBA since it requires relatively few figures for a game or try out some skirmish level game or consider some naval and science fiction games where there are relatively few pieces needed in play.

All these are suggestions. Another is simply to find a board game from one of the many companies around and try it out. A boxed board game contains everything needed for play.

One warning: some miniatures are expensive and starting an army that is going to require an outlay of several hundred dollars is a big leap especially if you plan on painting the figures yourself. A decent set of paints and brushes is costly as are figures so starting something where a single vehicle or figure could cost $50 should give you pause. Keep in mind that any set of rules can be played with nothing more than some homemade cardboard counters so try it out before the whole thing becomes a major investment.

And that is enough preachiness to start off the New Year. The baby is doing well and anything that is not fine now will soon be better.