Is wargaming a Risk-y hobby?

 As we get ready to head into the winter months, it is good to clarify a few hobby goals.

 

One of my updated goals is to play a bunch of the wargames that I have purchased over the years, as well as a bunch of the historical wargames that have led us to where we are in the hobby now.  I want to play Little Wars, the Jane’s Naval War game, through Donald Featherstone Wargames, Chainmail, and then into more modern type games.

 

I’ve picked up some books with the old game rules but need to find people with which to play, as well as the space for it.  We’re a mite cozy right now at home.   

 

When picking up the Halloween decorations from storage, I confirmed that I have easy access to the boxes with the Warhammer, and Warhammer 40K books.  I’m toying with the idea of playing through the editions with my son, painting up the boxed starter sets as we go.

 

I’ve picked up a lot of the Osprey Wargames series.  Because they are numbered, I am compelled to pick them all up.  I want to start playing through them as well. 

To aid that goal, I’ve picked up a few Risk games from the thrift store with the idea of taking out the figures, and painting and basing them to use for the Napoleonic and America Civil War games that Osprey has published – like Chosen Men, Absolute Emperor, The Pikeman’s Lament, as well as Rebels and Patriots, and With Hot Lead and Cold Steel.

I’ve been looking for sets with suitable figures for a few years now, but have gotten more serious about getting them and am now at the tipping point.  In addition to the set I picked up in September, and two more last week.  The last two sets that I bought were $7.99 each for almost 300 infantry, cavalry, and cannons.  Now, I already have multiple different versions of Risk games, but those are keepers, not for gutting for pieces as these were.

 

I am also keeping my eyes open for any Axis and Allies sets at a decent price – to take the tanks and ships.  In a pinch, I could always use the ships from Battleship games and fill the holes, or even just use counters.  I would love to find some cheap copies of some of the Gamemaster series – like Shogun, Conquest of the Empire, or Battlecry, or their remakes.

I’ve also been going to a lot of the Dollaramas looking for the Lightyear Hyperspeed ships.  They dropped the price from $5 to $2.50 and that is a perfect price for 1/72 or 25mm scale fighter ships.  If I can find enough, I can use them for an upscaled space game, or terrain for Stargrave.  I also picked up the dropships to use as alternate drop pods for 40K and other space games.