Embarrassing to say that has happened to me on the lowest difficulty. I just kept rolling doubles! (I felt the "!" symbol really sold the mood to me)

Derived from the "A song of..." series Rogue stars has a great activation system. You can make 1-3 tests per character with each pass being 1 thing you can do but each failure being something an enemy can try FIRST. The more you do in a turn the harder it becomes to keep the initiative. Smart stuff.

Ok, leaving the Lard alone for a sec, the Warmaster order system and it's subsequent iterations in games like the "...Commander" series and Black powder is my favourite way to simulate larger scale command issues.

I think we all saw this coming. The phases and activation dice are just brilliant, along with almost every part of the game. This dice system is also surely a precursor to the "What a..." game systems and others that are starting to appear.

Customisable game decks. Everyone and everything you can need in a game turn plus the possibility of random events, timers and all for just the effort of creating the deck you need for your game. This along with the fire table is hugely underrated for my money.

The fire table. An almost RPG level of customisability with GM or like-minded players to suit any circumstance on the table. It seems to have reputation for being a bit "old school" for some reason. And this is why you can't trust the public.

Ok, we're entering the Lard zone. You knew it was coming. Shock. A Lard staple that eloquently recreates the difficulty of keeping it together under fire (or just in difficult circumstances) better than most. Mud and blood gets to be my representative as it's where I first encountered it.

I'm not sure this is really a single mechanic but... it's my rules! The "blips" in this that become revealed gribblies that come to eat your face keeps this game really tense and not quite like anything else I've played. Plus the types of "bug" are variable and customisable for the creative.

This one abstracts aerial advantage into either advantaged, neutral or disadvantaged. It works out as one of the best ways to play something in a 3d arena using a 2d playing area.

Here's another game that makes for excellent infantry led actions and part of what does that is the initiative system. You keep the initiative and can do what you like as much as you like as long as you do it well and the enemy don't stop you. I've never played anything that feels quite so freeform.

First Force on force's quality system. The idea is simply to do something you need 4+ or 4+ and higher than your opponent if it's opposed. The better quality your troops are the better the dice you get to use. Great toolbox of a set of rules too.

I'd use the Epic plastics and build to whatever is described in the Guard codex I used to use or possibly the Uplifting primer. Then give it all the appropriate support from it's armoured regiments, Imperial navy (atmosphere and orbit based) and titan legions. Then I'd play Quadrant 12 with them!

Had a nice evening in a cool bath watching a documentary on the Assyrian empire so naturally I was inspired to finish my almost completed slingers. Also the base was dry on my mosque so that got done too. This finishes the Beda fomm scenario building needs in O group and will be handy in ITLSU.

Sprue paddy drying so I can better hold it to glue sand on the divides and THEN we're on our way to the finish. It always turns out you need more of something but I think my 15mm Vietnam project is quite playable at this stage.

Done! Only issue is it's been so hot several models kept in my painting area have the sand on their bases starting to lift. SO THAT'S GREAT.

Worst part done. One, maybe two sessions and I'll be all caught up with my painted 15mm. I've got quite a few options in my US collection now and a good amount of local force done so I'm feeling pretty good about this. I'd like to do fully airmobile too but the M113s do look quite pretty.

Almost rebased my 15mm Vietnam for a few purposes. Next some ancient Egyptians (and possibly a 28mm Meggido project for Midgard). Then later, after the success of the West Mid-Lards day, I'm pondering doing a little WW1 day in November. This town is very proud of it's WW1 history so it'd be nice.

A weather necessitated speed paint. Still very much a WIP but coming on nicely. Knock another 5 - 10° off the temperature and I can probably finish this chap. An under discussed part of Nordic weasel games is how much they inspire "doing stuff" creatively speaking.

Friends, Romulans, countrychaps, lend me your opinions. My mate and I are working on a game and the world it'll live in so he's working on terrain. He's of the opinion chunky is the way to go. Solid and durable. I lean more towards compact. So what do you think? (Lt Sharpe is pointing out the size).

Spurred on by an idea I've had for Charlie don't surf and coupled with some Cold war commander possibilities I've completed the rebasing of my painted NVA regulars. Just about the same to do for the US and I'm good to go. Side note: IT. TOO. HOT.

Well I'm committed now. 6 "squads"(?) 2 leaders and an RPG team made from the singles. Not bad. Fix this up then it's onto the US.

Spent all the time I can learning about the bronze age from Sumer and Akkad through to approximately the rise of Greece. So naturally it follows I've ended up starting to rebase my 15mm Vietnam individuals. Having bought some 28mm Vietnam and it being to hot to paint this seems sensible.

I got a couple of fairly cheap Renedra buildings for my ACW/AWI collections but looking at it I'm 5 minutes from playing Evil dead.

See, I knew it'd turn out alright! Scenery good across 2000 miles and about the same in years (give or take).

Comfortably in the "that looks bloody awful stage of things BUT! I know how it'll end up. I hope.

I'm working on it!

Plan - as the week becomes unbearably hot I'll switch to making stuff (notably my little 28mm Vietnam thing, maybe some Naps) but while the paint still behaves as paint let's get some terrain done! A 28mm water mill my mate has designed (we have plans) and some modular "6mm" middle eastern towns.

Yeah, my far eastern stuff is already quite bulky. I clearly need more palm trees and probably some rubber plant trees. Quite fun making bits of undergrowth from topiary balls though!

What better way to round off a successful weekend than starting a new little project? Admittedly I glued the sprue paddy field together on Friday but I only bevelled the edge today.