700th Post Raffle

This is my 700th post on Victoria's Boys in Red!

We've been defending the British Solar Empire for years now, and in fits and starts. But the work goes on! It goes forward! A bit of assistance in the way of articles, art, ideas, house rules, etc. would help with the next issue of The Aethergraph (now scheduled for "Sometime in July").

Anyway, in order to properly celebrate the 700th post, I am going to hold the now-traditional gaming blog raffle!

So let me know if you are interested in some sort of mystery prize direct from the UK - I am headed there tomorrow! Send your entry to my gmail account: aethergraph@gmail.com. 

I will draw a name next Tuesday. That way, if the winner is in the UK, the post will be cheap cheap cheap! If the winner is in the US, I'll post it when I return on the 11th of July.

Good luck!

70 Followers!

Just a quickie, but I checked in this morning and found that I have finally broken the 70 mark. I've been sitting at 69 followers for months now.

 

Anyway, hurray for me.

 

In other news, the Servants of Ra are almost ready to emerge from the shadows of my painting table, and a quartet of Martian Shield Gunners may just come with them.

 

Keep an eye here. The EYE OF RA!

 

 

Birthday Swag

Well, today is the start of my 39th annual orbit of the sun. For the record, that makes me 38 years old. Right about the time I am typing this, actually. So here I sit, early on Sunday, nobody else awake in the house (yet!), sipping coffee, and thinking about... all the goodies I got! To heck with the solemn remembering of past years, etc. Let's talk toys!

First up is the really awesome totally cool super neat minis storage/travel case I got form my wife and sons. It was purchased fro Dave's Baggage Train. It's aluminum, and has a whole lot of trays in it. The case itself is pretty sweet. I think I mostly prefer the plastic trays to the wood and vinyl ones, though, as the vinyl has peeled on a couple of htem. I will contact the Baggage Train to see if I can get more sent to me. Overall, very happy. This one is the 24" tall, and I am afraid I can't use it as carry-on! Yikes! May have to get a smaller case for air travel. But the trays will fit either, so that is good.

The next set of pictures is of some really beautiful terrain boards I received (gratis!) from a fellow TMPer, sculptor, Houston area gamer, and all around great fellow named Dan Martinez, aka Cacique Caribe on TMP. Dan recently surrendered his game room to his wife for her office, and no longer has room to use or even store these beautiful boards. Rather than toss them out, Dan offered them to me. As I was going to be in his neck of the woods to see my daddy for my birthday yesterday anyway, I gratefully accepted. And boy, am I glad that I did!

This last photo is a castle that Dan also gave over. It has currently been dubbed "Fortreth of the Thugar Plum Fairieth" thanks to its pink foam construction. But it shall soon receive a coating of black paint and then texturing, etc., to become a grim fortress for the Empire. Or whoever seems in need of a grim fortress at the time. Dan also gave me a hoard of littler bits, some cliffs, hills and other really cool stuff. If you want to see it all, go check out the photos on my Photobucket account (left margin somewhere).

In addition, I also received a box of the Marksmen of Miragliano from my sister, and a check from each of my parental units, plus a few other goodies. Even coconut cream pie! All that can make this birthday one of my best ever is if the US beats Canada in hockey. Guess what I am doing at 1400 local? You bet! Painting minis and watching hockey! GO USA!

Finally, I want to mention one thing. I am seriously considering changing this blog again. I'll post a short poll on the subject to see what my followers (makes me sound like a cult leader - cool!) think about it, but one friend has pointed out to me that it can be difficult to sort through all my projects and stuff when I have it spread across three blogs. So let me know what you think. A good chunk of the reason I blog is to entertain others as well as myself, and to bask in the glow of peer approval (ha!) or to shamelessly steal ideas from those foolish enough to share them with me (that's more like it). If I do it, expect to see the list of labels/tags seriously modified. Its too long as it is, and adding more would make it worse.

350!

Our little journal here has, with this notice, officially reached 350 notices. We'd like to thank all the little people, and hope you stick around for the next few hundred or so.

At this milestone, I think I should ask if it would make sense to broaden the scope of this journal to all of my gaming activities. A poll for next month, I suppose. Currently, I have three seperate blogs for different gaming interests, and I killed one about a year or so back when the Napoleonics phase died out. I could simply combine all three into one, and add in the random bits and bobs as well into one massive empire of wargame blogging.

Or I could keep going as I am, with the terrain blog (least often updated right now), the VSF blog (right here!), and the Warhammer blog (check it out - it's new and shiny and spikey with lots of skulls: http://warhemorrhage.blogspot.com) for all that.

One last thought: Sunday is my birthday. Gifts approrpriate to your station will be accepted graciously. So get to it. :)

300th Issue!

Journal Reaches 300th Article!

Yes, good friends and readers, it is time to break 0ut the champagne (only thing the Froggies have gotten right, what?) and toast the milestone achievement of 300 articles of varying sorts and quality posted into this telephonic differencing engine journal!

Stay with us for the next three hundred or so. Your humble correspondent hopes to continue to entertain and enlighten you all with tales of battle, reports of nefarious intrigues, the mysteries of Venus, and educated articles on the people, places, flora and fauna of the Solar System.

200th Post!

Okay, this is just a quick woo-hoo posting, acknowledging a milestone.

I'll post some content in a few minutes, but I wanted to pat myself on the back for a minute.

Not that there's been much to crow about as far as any good quality posting on a reliable basis lately. I'll try to do better in the next few weeks, alright?

Anyway, break out the good whiskey! Tonight, we celebrate!

Anniversary!

Gentleman,

While I know that in the last week or so the hard news coming from this journal has been rather scanty, I hope you have enjoyed the ongoing exploits of our valiant Texican friends as they explore the Veiled Planet.

We have, nevertheless, reached a very important milestone: this journal is, today, one year old.

So, Mustafa, it is again time to break out the port and cigars for a celebratory snort and smoke. Gentlemen, we convene at the billiards table in five minutes. See you there.

100 Posts!

Fenwyck, break out the port and cigars, there!

No, you imbecile! The good cigars. The ones made of Cuban seed grown in the fields of majestic Bongolesia. Rolled on the soft thighs of both of the maidens in that benighted nation.

Why? Damn you, Fenwyck! I've just made my 100th entry in the journal, that's why!

Gentlemen, I apologize for Fenwyck's poor manner. Ever so hard to find a good dogrobber these days, don't you find? I have to muddle along with him.

1,000 Visitors! Port and Cigars for All!

A milestone reached! I'm honored that some of you seem to enjoy coming to see what random musings I shall ponder on a semi-daily basis.

The reinforcements mentioned recently are coming along. One of the main difficulties is that the Major General wants the landship painted in red and white, with a St. George's Cross, while the crewmen insist that it was supposed to be painted blue.

Only time shall tell how this conundrum shall be solved.

Happy New Year!

Greetings again, faithful subscribers to this journal!

First order of business: wishing you all a joyous New Year! One of my resolutions is to Get More Projects Done. I am hopeful that i will keep that resolution, as I managed to keep (and have kept on keeping, for the record) last year's major resolution. What was it, you ask? I determined I would no longer allow crass advertising and the 'better deal' offer to negatively impact my health. I have not "supersized" any meal since 2006. Hopefully I will be able to continue that into the new year as well.

Second order of business: Another milestone in the telephonic journaling logbook has been reached! We have now had over 500 visits to this journal. Huzzah! Champagne and canapes for all! Properly cool, too, none of that warm fizz for my favored guests!

Third order of business: Some updates to the publications files will be made today. I'll probably also add a document pieced together by my friend and co-author, Jim S. (take a bow, Jim) regarding the military small arms of the Republic of Texas' history. Might also put in the next twenty years or so of the timeline, even though its not fully hashed out - but then, a work such as this is never completed, I think, merely walked away from for a time.

Tomorrow I think I shall begin posting a (hopefully) weekly tabulation of painting and terrain progress for 2008. As of now, the count stands at nil across the board.

Until later, my friends and fellow enthusiasts, I remain your faithful chronicler,

J