Focus, Focus, FOCUS!

Are you like me? Do you have a difficult time staying within one, two, or twenty historical periods you want to game? Ever read a book or see a movie and think "I could game that!"? Then, my fellow focusless gamer, read on.

I love military history. My interests are as widely varied as the various wars that this planet has seen. I have dabbled in ancients (DBA), been addicted to Napoleonics (can anyone say Empire?), played Seven Years War and the American equivalent, the French and Indian War. The American Revolution fascinates me. The War of 1812 is one of those wars I want to game more, both land and sea (or lake). The Federal period (Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne) holds a special place as I grew up less than fifteen minutes from the site of Fort Hamilton. The American Civil War is probably my number one interest, although I haven't pushed lead blue and gray soldiers for far too long. I've looked at colonials (even painted a few), think World War I is cool, was hot and heavy in World War Two micro-armor (and a little in 15mm). Vietnam has always driven my salivating mind processes into overtime (I had 30-50 paperbacks on the Nam back in the 80s). Moderns were also a micro-armor project for me, and now in 15mm (curse you, Ambush Alley!). Then of course there are the books and rules to go along with any project. Mix in other periods and one can see that I am doomed!

With the recent (and very sad) passing of Major Richard Winters, 101st Airborne, I pulled out my DVD set of Band of Brothers and watched the last disk, the one in which the veterans of Easy Company were the "stars." That got me thinking (again) about doing some paratroop actions, maybe in 15 or 20mm. Why do I do this to myself? I have plenty of books about Easy Company, having collected most of the memoirs available. Rules could be a simple skirmish type, but I do not have European terrain. Would that stop me? A bit, the condo only has so much room, and the better half might have something to say about more toys!

And, to make things worse, I have been toying with expanding my Ambush Alley project again! I have yet to purchase any figures for Lebanon (1982 style), but Quick Reaction Force has a sale going on right now, and buying some Cold War 15mm Germans would be neat. Create some sort of fictional country (Africa, Asia), having different factions (government troops, rebels, commies, Cubans or some other Eastern Bloc influence...see, the possibilities go on and on), and using Ambush Alley to game it out...cool! But then I remembered, I have some of those hard to get 20mm Germans from Liberation Miniatures already, the cool ones with feldmutze headgear and G3 rifles. Sweet! Could buy some hooches from Monolith Designs or Britannia Miniatures, add in some other Liberation Miniature types (Cubans, African troops, South Africans, 1980s U.S.), and BAM, another crazy project.

And there lies the dilemma. I have gaming things to work on now. I also have hikes and backpacking trips to plan and go on. I have some things around the condo to do. I rarely actually game anymore, all my gaming buddies have lives and we do not see each other like we did even ten years ago. Should I keep buying more toys, ones that I will rarely use? Those 20mm Germans are still there, in their bags, waiting to be painted, waiting for terrain to be put in, waiting for bad guys to kill. I have purchased and sold more figures and rules than I can remember. And, I still have THIS project to work on, the project that drives this blog's bus!

I should sell everything and stick to reading and hiking and working on the condo...but then reading more books simply pulls me right back into the gaming windmills I must charge towards. If only I could win the lottery, then I would have all my figures painted and a huge game room to use them in! If only I could FOCUS!