In 2020 I finally decided to subscribe to Lone Warrior, the journal of the Solo Wargamers Association, and I have found the articles in the magazine both interesting and wonderfully varied. The articles are mostly, if not all, written by their members and they convey a real enjoyment of wargaming. While there are regular contributors to the magazine, there is always a gentle encouragement to readers to have a go at writing an article. So guess what? I decided to have a go at writing an article and it appears in Lone Warrior number 214.
After a bit of thought I decided to write about a fictitious commando raid and the steps I took from set up, creating the defender's order rules, and game report. There were some eleven steps in all which expanded upon the approach I had taken with a St. Nazaire solo wargame played a year or so ago. Where the defenders operated to a defined set of simple order rules (details of the St. Nazaire raid game are here).
It was an interesting process writing the article. There was a lot more planning and structure required compared with my approach to blogging. My blog posts are diary like with mostly point in time ideas that get written about and sometimes contradicted or changed in later posts. This has raised the question as to whether I should spend a bit more time thinking through and structuring my blog posts before hitting the keyboard and the publish button.
Will I be doing another article? Yes, possibly later in the year as I have another topic which is very solo wargaming related but still needs some more thought and planning first.
Anyway, below are a couple of pictures of the game which did not get included in the article...
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| German reserves arriving across a bridge as there are explosions in the darkness |
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| Will reserves arrive in time? |
Congratulations on your article, Peter! I enjoy your style of diary blogging. That way, we are treated to the evolution of your ideas and get a glimpse of the thought process.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon. The advantage to a diary style blog is it works well for writing regular posts.
DeleteWell done on getting it published Peter:). I like the 'diary' approach of yours and other Blogs, as it reflects a moment in time, which I think Blogging captures perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Agree, blogs do lend themselves to a diary approach.
DeleteI agree with Jonathan. I like the evolutionary nature of blogs. Magazine articles are usually the final, polished, result of years of work so it’s nice to see how things develop over time with trial and error. Makes it more human.
ReplyDeleteIdeas can certainly develop with blogs often helped by comments. Thanks
DeleteJust about everything I had to say has already been said above.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first published article.
When looking through old magazines from 30, 40+ yrs ago, and coming across an article by an author I don't recognize, I sometimes wonder who the author was and what he did etc and if there are more articles. I like to think I could be one of those in the future.
Thank you, it was a most enjoyable activity writing the article. It is interesting looking at old magazines and you do wonder if the contributors are still happily wargaming away somewhere.
DeleteGood show. Magazine / Journal editors must always be scratching around for enough articles to plan for the next three issues or so and your presentation is both practiced and interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I think having a backlog of articles is every editor's dream.
DeleteWas St. Nazaire really a year ago? I suppose the year was eminently forgettable in so many ways. I like your writing style, the fact that the ideas are work in progress is much more interesting and encourages debate and suggestions.
ReplyDeleteYes, the St. Nazaire project started in October 2019 and the game was played January 2020. In someways it seems more like two years ago. I think like many wargamers my hobby (and blogging) is always going to be a work in progress, and comments often help provide clarity or improve the outcome.
DeleteCan't think of a better man for the job! ;) I can't wait to see it, and here's to hoping it ends up being a string of articles.
ReplyDeleteV/R,
Jack
Thank you kindly. I will definitely be attempting one more article.
DeleteIt has been a long time since I wrote any articles for wargames magazines; the fact that I no longer subscribe to any doubtless contributes to that. Good show for you writing and publishing one!
ReplyDeleteThank you. In the last year I have subscribed to two magazines, both are online versions. I must be getting more free time to read them as I get older.
DeleteIt was a good one, Peter. Mags like Lone Warrior need input from members, and your piece was spot on. (I rejoined SWA a year or two back, after a 30 year absence. I'm so glad I did, as there is such ingenuity around, and LW sometimes highlights some very clever thinking for solo players).
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the next one.
Thank you kindly. I only joined last year and have enjoyed the reading the issues so far and the ideas within.
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