The Quarantined Wargamer

Let me start this short update by saying that I hope all my readers are healthy and following the guidance of their respective governments - this readership has always been international in nature - and for many of us that means quarantine, curfew or lockdown. So I decided that I would try something different in the coming weeks and alongside the normal articles I post here, I have revived my old YouTube channel to post short videos about wargaming during the quarantine. 

My videos will be intentionally short, 10 to 15 minutes maximum, and will cover the usual eclectic range of subjects that normally feature here on my blog. So I'll talk about projects I have undertaken; offer advice when I feel I have something to offer; show games I'm working on, and maybe even some book reviews. This is a very ad-hoc affair so I'm using very basic equipment and much of what I'll be doing will be with unscripted dialogue...so don't expect a top professional package! 

This little side project is as much to keep me occupied as it is to keep you entertained in these days of the enforced lock-in. Regular readers will know that in the 'before times' I was often out and about at the weekend, either visiting museums with my wife or playing games in the shed-o-war with Posties Rejects. That's all come to a rapid shuddering halt and like everyone else in the country, I'm adjusting to the new reality. I'm lucky in some respects because I have always found it easy to keep myself occupied...my hobby slash to-do list has always been longer than the available time to do it in... I short, I was built for self-isolation! 

However, it is also very clear that many people out there, including many friends in the wargaming community, will struggle with isolation over the coming weeks. Club nights have been stopped and wargames show's have been cancelled and it would be very easy for loneliness and depression to overwhelm some of us in the coming weeks. I think that our community, that has long embraced social media, is ideally placed to weather the storm, and my little videos are (I hope) part of that solution. 

Stay well folks.