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Friday 18 September 2009

One year on and 250 blog entries later …

As I sat down to write today’s blog entry I realised that it is exactly a year since I started. During that time I have made two hundred and forty nine blog entries – this is the two hundredth and fiftieth – and my blog seems to be reasonably popular with readers as it is currently averaging over one hundred ‘hits’ per day.

Has it turned out the way I expected?

Not quite.

In my first blog I wrote that:
I intend to share my thoughts on wargaming (and other related matters that crop up) with a wider audience ... probably much to the relief of my wife and wargaming colleagues. So watch this space ... and come prepared to be bored!
I had not realised how much writing down my thoughts about wargaming would spur me on to actually ‘do something’ rather than just ‘think about doing something’. Having written it down I felt obliged to do it. It has – as a result – been a great spur to my wargaming.

Secondly, I had not realised how much the comments from the people who read my blog would encourage me to ‘get things done’. It is very difficult to not finish a set of wargames rules that you have said that you are writing when there are people out there who want to read and try them!

Thirdly, I had not realised how big the blogging community was and that I would end up looking at what other wargaming bloggers were writing at least once per day – and how much I would find it so interesting!

One year on and I find that my wargaming projects over the past year have included:
  • The ‘Nostalgia’ Project (and the related but as yet still hazy imagi-nation of Opeland)
  • The creation of a back-history and maps for the imagi-nation of Laurania
  • The development of a generic set of late 19th/early 20th century rules that use a battlefield that is gridded into squares – WHEN EMPIRES CLASH!
  • Writing a set of operational-level rules for the Eastern Front, and explaining how I went about designing them to meet my specific requirements
  • Buying TABLE TOP BATTLES – and my development of them for other historical periods – all of which contributed so much to the previous two projects
  • Helping Richard Brooks to develop SOLFERINO IN TWENTY (later THIRTY) MINUTES
  • Developing an existing set of World War II wargames rules into RED FLAGS AND IRON CROSSES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED; without my blog these have remained just an idea and not a reality (and would not, therefore, have been included in the reprint of Donald Featherstone’s WARGAMING AIRBORNE OPERATIONS)
  • Writing (and blogging about writing) REDCOATS AND NATIVES – TARRED AND FEATHERSTONED, which did much to resurrect my somewhat moribund interest in colonial wargaming
That is quite a lot to have done in twelve months, even though I say it myself!

So where to next?

I don't know ... but I am looking forward to finding out!

7 comments:

  1. Well I've enjoyed many of your posts this past year . . . and I suspect that I will continue to do so in the future.

    Congratulations on reaching this anniversary, Bob.


    -- Jeff

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  2. Many congratulations on the 250 Bob! I think I have to agree with you wholeheartedly that having a blog is a great way to actually get projects off the ground rather than existing in the ether. Certainly my Balkan and Black Sea fleets would probably have taken a lot longer to see the light of day left to my own devices. Feedback from others in the blogging community provides much inspiration and encouragement (not to mention ideas!) and long may it be so! From your list you certainly seem to have covered an awful lot of ground for which I for one am extremely appreciative! Here's to the next 250!!

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  3. Jeff and Ogrefencer,

    It is the encouragement of people like you two that has made me get things done ... and long may this continue!

    My next 'project' is to revisit WHEN EMPIRES CLASH! I have had numerous suggestions for minor improvements and clarifications, as well as requests for a few more Army Lists. I hope to start tomorrow but ... my wife's inkjet printer is on the blink and may need to be replaced, so I may have to spend my day either fixing the old one or buying a new one.

    May I continue to live in interesting times!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Happy Birthday, and fully agree with you about the "cattle prod" effect having a blog has!

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  5. Steve,

    Many thanks for you comments; as ever they are very welcome!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  6. Yes I'm hooked on reading daily all on my blog list, it has encouraged me back into the hobby in the past 2 years, and blogging helps me get projects going, assists wargame firms bank balances (to the detriment of my own!)has encouraged me to explore many more conflicts and periods in history....but will I ever concentrate and finish something and have a game?? goodness knows but its fun so thanks for providing some regular thought provoking articles

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  7. Fraxinus,

    Reading blogs can be quite compulsive, can't it!

    As for concentrating on one project at a time ... if my experience is anything to go by, you never will!

    Thanks for your comments; reading them - and those of other regular visitors - helps to keep me going.

    Now it is back to redrafting WHEN EMPIRES CLASH!

    All the best,

    Bob

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