Fourteen Years of Marching Through History

Fourteen years ago, in September 2012, I started the Palouse Wargaming Journal (PWJ) as a place to record my wargaming activities and perhaps connect with a few like-minded wargamers.  At the time, I had no clear sense of where the project might lead nor how long this venture might last.  I certainly did not imagine that, fourteen years later, the blog would have accumulated 1,915 posts, 62,241 comments, and 341 followers.

Those numbers are more than statistics.  Much more.  Together, they represent fourteen years of games played, figures painted, rules examined, and ideas exchanged with readers and fellow wargamers.  The Palouse Wargaming Journal began as my hobby notebook, but it has gradually become something more.  The PWJ records my ongoing wargaming activities preserved one post at a time.  Occasionally, a little bit of Real Life is tossed in for good measure.

The blog is also a record of the uneven nature of the hobby.  Some periods have been filled with games and painting projects, while others have been slowed by competing demands, technical problems, or the simple difficulty of finding time to arrange a game.  Projects have been started, set aside, rediscovered, and occasionally (but rarely!) completed.  Armies have marched onto the tabletop, disappeared back into their storage boxes, and returned years later under entirely different rules.  Sometimes even with different basing schemes.  The blog preserves all of those stages, including the false starts and frustrations that rarely appear in a photo or a summarized battle account.

The past year has been a period of both activity and reflection.  I have continued to report games, share painted figures, and describe the projects occupying my painting desk.  At the same time, I found myself thinking more often about the wider purpose of wargaming blogs.  What makes such a blog worthwhile?  Does blogging still have a future in an age dominated by social media, video, and artificial intelligence? Why do wargamers devote so much effort to recording the painting, researching, designing, and playing of games?

My continuing interest in analyzing the results of WSS' The Great Wargaming Survey offers one way to explore these questions.  The survey provides useful information about the people who participate in the hobby, the periods and rules they prefer, and the reasons they continue to wargame.  Yet these data also raise questions that statistics alone cannot answer.  Numbers may reveal patterns, but they do not always explain the personal experiences behind them.  Two people may report playing the same rules or historical period while finding entirely different rewards in the experience.

That tug-of-war between information and experience has become increasingly important as the internet continues to change.  I repeatedly find myself asking whether blogs still matter.  The question has been particularly difficult to ignore during a year marked by ongoing frustrations with Blogger’s infrastructure.  Those technical problems are compounded by the growing influence of social media, which offers rapid publication and immediate feedback, and by video, which has become an increasingly popular way of presentation.  Artificial intelligence adds another layer to the changing landscape by summarizing information and answering questions without necessarily directing readers to the original source.

Can blogging offer something different to these newer forms of communication?

I believe it can, although perhaps not by trying to compete with them on their own terms.  The Palouse Wargaming Journal is not simply a collection of answers about rules, armies, or battles that can be extracted and summarized by an AI agent.  For me, it is a personal record of a hobby in progress.  It shows the figures and units as they emerge from the painting desk, the battlefields as they are arranged, the games as they develop, and the decisions that influence their outcomes.

That personal element is important because wargaming is not only about information.  It is also about interpretation.  A battle report may explain who won, but it can also describe how the game unfolded, which decisions mattered, what went wrong, and what made the contest memorable.  Similarly, a painting post may show a finished unit, but it can also reveal the choices made during the process and the way attention moves from one project to another, from one army to another, and from one historical period to the next.

As I wrote in Has AI Killed the Blogger Star?, those details cannot easily be reduced to a generic summary.  These details belong to a particular hobby journey and to the individual experiences of the people involved.  A blog can preserve those experiences in a way that is more personal and more durable than a brief social-media post.

In that sense, the blog remains both an archive and a conversation.  Each post records a small part of the hobby, but it also invites readers to respond, contribute their own experiences, and even disagree with my conclusions or decisions.  The comments, correspondence, and remote games that have grown from the blog are as important as the posts themselves.  They demonstrate that wargaming is not merely a solitary activity carried out among shelves of miniatures.  Wargaming is also a means of building connections across distance and sharing enthusiasm with people who may never otherwise meet.

When I began blogging fourteen years ago, I did not know whether anyone would read the Palouse Wargaming Journal, much less whether it would still exist fourteen years later.  The wargaming blogosphere has changed considerably since 2012.  Many blogs have disappeared, social media has altered how hobbyists share their work, and AI-assisted search is beginning to reshape how people find information online.  Yet the fundamental appeal of the hobby remains unchanged.

There is still satisfaction in painting a unit, studying a campaign, laying out a battlefield, rolling the dice, and discovering what happens when history is placed in the hands of players. There is also value in recording that experience.  Not of value because every game is historically significant or every painted figure is a masterpiece, but because each one forms part of my continuing journey.

Blogging remains my preferred way of sharing that journey.  It provides the time and space to explain not only what happened, but also why it mattered to me.  The Palouse Wargaming Journal continues not only because the hobby remains rewarding, but also because sharing my thoughts and experiences with others makes the hobby better.

Thank you to everyone who has visited the PWJ, left a comment, joined a remote game, offered encouragement, or simply followed along quietly.  Your interest has helped sustain the blog through fourteen years of painting, gaming, research, reflection, and occasional technical frustration.

For now, marching through history in miniature continues.

Iron & Honor: The Art of Knighthood

The medieval knight in armor is one of the most popular figures in the collective imagination. This exhibition brings these legendary figures to life through an exceptional selection of objects from the collection of European weaponry and armor from the Stibbert Museum in Florence, Italy. From battlefields to royal courts, explore the various aspects of the knights’ life including their code of honor, their equipment, their role in military actions and their role in the societies of the Middle Ages. This exhibition provides a rare opportunity for Spokane to get a closer look at the masterpieces of complete suits of armor, helmets, swords, and shields that highlight the incredible craftsmanship of the era’s artisans.

Exhibition organized by Contemporanea Progetti, Italy in collaboration with the Museo Stibbert, Florence, Italy.

As mentioned briefly in the previous post, Nancy and I visited the Spokane Museum of Art and Culture to take in their exhibit on medieval armor from the Stibbert Museum in Florence entitled, Iron & Honor: The Art of Knighthood.

Following is a brief photo tour of some of the items on exhibit from the Stibbert Museum.  Note the intricate engravings and craftsmanship on the armor and especially the helmets.  Besides suits of armor for mounted knights, the exhibit included two examples of pikemen's armor.  Most of the armor originated in Italy and Germany.

Chris asked in the previous post's comments if seeing this exhibit makes me want to get the Italian Wars collection back out onto the gaming table.  The answer is “Yes”, this does stir emotions of developing a scenario and bringing the Italian Wars collection back to the gaming table.  When will I actually jump into action?  Who knows?  I have a number of battles I want to bring to the table first.

A Few More Moors

As outside temperatures begin to cool, activity at the painting desk is heating up again following my usual mid-summer lull.  Cooler weather means that I return from cycling less fatigued and more ready to concentrate.  The change in weather is only part of the reason for the renewed attention.  With fewer games played in August, just five by my count or an average of one per week, there has been more time and energy to devote to painting.  Recently, I have actually looked forward to meaningful painting sessions.  Although the monthly game totals are a little below par, the break from scenario design and development, as well as game preparation and play, has allowed for a modest rejuvenation at the painting desk.  Several units are now moving through the production line, including some unit types that have never appeared on the blog before.

Next out of the gates are two units for the 28mm Reconquista project.  This time, a twelve-figure body of Arab spearmen is joined by a four-figure stand of Arab crossbowmen.  These Muslims unite with the body of spearmen mustered out back in August (see Back to the Painting Desk).  Figures are from Black Tree Design.  The cupboard is getting quite bare of BTD figures for this period with the exception of miscellaneous command and enough cavalry for several bodies of horsemen.  Nice figures that paint up well.  Too bad I have abandoned acquiring more.

The guns remain silent at Salem Church.  Hopefully, the table will see some action before the game with the Rejects in two weeks.  If no group game can be arranged before then, I may at least play through a few solo turns to see how the rules and scenario work together before they are stress-tested by a bunch of Rejects.

On the art-and-armor front, the Spokane Museum of Art and Culture is hosting an exhibit from the Stibbert Museum in Florence, Italy.  Nancy and I visited the exhibit a few weeks ago and found a fascinating selection of arms and armor.  OK, maybe I found the exhibit more of interest, but she enjoyed it too.  Reenactors were also on hand to demonstrate and explain the craftsmanship and practical functions of these remarkable pieces of art and warfare.

Edit 03 SEP: Besides long delays between posting and appearing in blogroll (this post experienced an 8-hour delay), now attempts at replying to comments are currently failing.  Well, not exactly failing but when submitting a comment, the reply seems stuck in "Publishing" indefinitely.  Do you experience the same?  I have tried different browsers, same result.  Searching Blogger Community Notes, this is a known issue.  Let's hope Google gets this issue worked through satisfactorily soon.  Hold those thoughts until commenting resumes.  Please be patient and try again later.  

Never Hurts To Ask!

I have a weakness for operational wargames of the hex-and-counter type.  While WWII miniatures games do not often get a showing out on my gaming table, my favorite boardgames tend to cluster within the WWII operational genre focusing on a single campaign.  With this apparent vulnerability, I am regularly on the lookout for some of my favorite series.  One such series is Clash of Arms' Winter Storm.  The third volume in this series is the 1989 game, Edelweiss, which provides a study of the third phase of Case Blue in the June 1942 offensive into the Caucasus.

Now, I already have a copy of Edelweiss.  Still, when an unpunched copy popped up on eBay last year with a very low opening bid, my interest was piqued.  Why such a low opening bid?  Well, the game has some damage listed of the slight mildew variety.  The photos illustrated the mildew on one of the counter sheets, but the other counter sheets looked unblemished.  Figuring I could, at least, use most of the parts from the game, I committed to the opening bid.  Besides, there was a chance that I could mitigate the damage to that one counter sheet.  When the auction ended with no other bids, my opening bid turned out to be the winner.

Damaged counter sheet

When the game arrived, sure enough, there was damage to the German counter sheet.  There was no musty smell, though.  That was a good sign.  I tried treating the mildew, but my efforts proved unsuccessful.  Not all of the counters showed damage so this could still provide a player's copy as a spare.  I boxed it up and set in on the shelf.

New, shrinkwrapped counter sheet

On a whim and something of a Hail Mary attempt, I sent an email to Clash of Arms last month stating my situation and wondered if there was any chance that a spare German counter sheet was tucked away somewhere in the warehouse.  Next day, I received an email from the company saying that it was my lucky day as there was, indeed, an extra counter sheet in the warehouse.  The new counter sheet could be on its way for $8 plus nominal shipping.  Hooray!  That was my lucky day!  Although the game is more than 35 years old, it never hurts to ask.

What about last week's scheduled run out of the Salem Church scenario as an introduction to both remote gaming and the rules?  Well, I was forced to cancel Monday's session as I was involved in a minor car crash that afternoon.  I escaped unscathed but the car is somewhat banged up.  We rescheduled our session for Friday evening.  Guess what?  We never managed to play a single turn or even turn the cameras toward the table.  We spent the entire two-and-a-half hours discussing the potential for a new, joint miniatures project.  I know, some are probably laughing at the thought of me tackling yet another project.  Don't I have too many as it is?  Yes, but the sales pitch was convincing.  Could I squeeze in one more?  Almost certainly.  We will see where this goes.

Kiwix and Zimit!

 

Kiwix and Zimit?  What the heck are those?  Well, I have discovered these to be very useful tools first brought to my attention by Martin at The Waving Flag blog back in December 2025.

What are they, really?

Kiwix is the application used to read web content offline while Zimit is a tool used to create offline archives of websites for Kiwix to read.  Together, they provide a package for preserving and accessing useful online information without a need for having a live internet connection.  I use these tools as a way to archive the Palouse Wargaming Journal.

Zimit
Zimit is an automated website scraper and archiving tool.  Given a starting URL, it uses a browser-based crawler to visit pages, capture their HTML, stylesheets, scripts, images, fonts, and other resources, and follow additional links according to specified exploration rules.

After crawling, Zimit converts the captured material into a single ZIM file archive.  That archive can then be opened in Kiwix and browsed offline in a way that attempts to preserve the structure and appearance of the original site.  The process does more than simply save a page.  It preserves the links embedded within the "seed" URL to drill down into the structure of the actual website.  For me, Zimit is especially useful for creating a snapshot of reference sites.  I am likely not alone to discover a useful reference site only later to find that the website and all of its content have vanished.  

Kiwix
Kiwix is free, open-source software for browsing downloaded collections of websites offline.  This is especially associated with offline versions of Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikibooks, Project Gutenberg, TED content, medical references, educational materials, and other resources.  The Kiwix reader opens content packaged in ZIM files created by Zimit.  These archives can then be searched and browsed locally.

How They Work Together

Briefly, Zimit is the archiver or publisher, the ZIM file is the offline package, and Kiwix is the reader.

The basic workflow is:

1. Choose a website.
2. Use Zimit to crawl and package it into a ZIM file.
3. Transfer or download the ZIM file.
4. Open it in Kiwix.
5. Browse the archived content without requiring internet access.

For example, the website illustrating the history of Sardinian/Piedmontese uniforms often cannot be displayed in my desktop browser.  The website can be displayed on tablet or phone but Windows refuses.  To prevent the loss of such an interesting and valuable resource, I created a ZIM file from Zimit to build an offline archive.  Then using Kiwix, that archive can be opened anytime and anywhere.  All of the tabs and hyperlinks work and there is no difference from browsing through the website with an internet connection.  Now, this website will always be available!

Reading ZIM file in Kiwix

I recommend it!

Maybe I will Zimit Kronoskaf's Project Seven Years War just for safe keeping?

3rd Dragoon Regiment

Even with work continuing to bring a new ACW battle to the table, the painting desk remains active.  I plan to play the first couple of turns later this evening as a trial.  With help from the recent batch of painted 10mm Confederate infantry, August looks to be a good month on the "Painted" side of the ledger.  Painting seasonality begins to kick in (see Painting Seasonality)!  A variety of units is working its way through the painting queue in a variety of sizes.

First out of the gate sees a return to the 18mm WAS/SYW project with the addition of a British dragoon regiment. These twelve figures muster out as squadrons 1 and 2 of Dragoon Regiment #3.  Figures are Eureka Miniatures.

While the British and Hanoverian armies have been slowly growing in size over time, they have yet to see battle.  Perhaps I ought to consider bringing these untested armies out for a battle in the fall?  Which battle would be an interesting baptism of fire?  I need to give this topic some thought.  Suggestions welcome!

Up next on the gaming is the 1863 Battle of Salem Church.  As seen in the game photo above, the armies are deployed and ready for a fight.  From this angle, the Rebels look vastly outnumbered, but most are hiding in the trees!  The photo below shows that the Confederates are only slightly outnumbered and they hold the good ground.

Armies at Salem Church

On deck this evening is a test for a new player to both rules and remote gaming.  Hopefully, we can run through a few turns to provide a cursory grounding in both.

Rebasing and a Parade

In a few recent posts, I have dropped a hint or two that I planned to rebase my growing Wars of the Roses collection. True, and the work is completed.

Why consider rebasing a relatively new collection in the first place?  That is a good question.  When I first dived into the project, my mind and sensibilities were set on building armies for a set of rules that were in playtests a few years ago.  I figured that I would follow that lead.  Each archer and melee line was based on three bases.  Since I primarily play on a hex grid for remote games, each three-base unit spanned two, four-inch hexes.  Now, this was fine, but I prefer moving fewer stands to more.  Perhaps my initial sensibilities were not so sensible?  I also thought that having one stand in each hex might simplify a few features of the rules that I am developing myself.  The "before" basing is illustrated in the photo below.  

Old basing scheme

This basing scheme did the job, but I wanted something different.  As mentioned, above, I wanted fewer bases and a single stand fitting into a four-inch hex.  Since these are all Perry plastics, I wanted the bases to have a little more heft and certainty when picking stands up and moving them around the gaming table.

That brings me to the current iteration of my basing scheme. 

Now each BMU consists of two stands, each element of which fits into the four-inch hex.  A supported unit is still identified by having two units in the same two hexes.  Having two stands fitting in two hexes opens up some possibilities for play and facing that were not so easily accomplished with three bases spanning those same two hexes.  The photos below show the new basing scheme. 

New basing scheme with each BMU in its own hex pair.

New basing scheme with two BMUs in support.

How was the weight issue addressed?  Adding some weight and heft to each base was accomplished by affixing a heavy-duty magnetic piece onto the bottom of each base.  Magnetic base bottoms are from Litko Aerosystems.

Magnetic bases stuck to the bottom of each base.

Both of these changes make a big difference in both the heft of each stand and the ease of movement.  For me, moving two, heavier stands per BMU is much easier (and more satisfying) than moving three smaller, lighter weight stands.

So, where does the WotR collection stand today?  Well, a brief parade will help assess my progress.  By the way, one more Battle is in work and soon to join the armies, here, on display.

As a reminder, the Great Wargaming Survey, 2026 Edition closes on 31 August.  If you have yet to complete this year's survey, please consider doing so.  Details can be found at Palouse Wargaming Journal: If it is August...

Next time, more painted figures marching out from the painting desk.