ACW Equals Fences

~ anthony ~ 1 Comment
the 5 stages of construction for a snake rail fence

Inspired by John and his post on making 28mm snake fences and knowing that any foray into ACW would require at least a few lengths of battlefield impediments* if not for the simple purposes agricultural bordering and that they look good, then because many rulesets also give certain bonuses when defending said barriers.

After sourcing the mini paddle pop sticks and appropriately sized matchsticks: thank you Art-friend, Spotlight and SWMBO who accompanied me on said shopping adventure. It was simple matter to whittle and scar some of the sticks that would be used as rails, while opting for a base every second section for rigidity and to give some base weight.

A word on the whittling and scaring, this seemed to blunt blades at an alarming rate, and while a blunt blade would still scar the rails it was at a cost that every 4-5 rails it severed it in two and you I to start over with a growing pile of broken sticks. Some of these on the broken pile could serve as spaces and posts but for simple expediency and efficiency a new blade every 200 or so matchsticks was the “goldilocks” zone for the task.

* At best estimate and to cover most options, even my very small table will require at least 20 feet of fencing in various configurations and options (think: snake, post and rail, picket and even stone). So the goal will be to double that estimate which will allow for future table expansions, breakages, and the fact that the chances of being able to match a scratch built style and colour a few years for now will be nigh impossible.

So the first part of this project will be the building.

Reading: Welker, David A., The Cornfield, Antietam’s bloody turning point. (2020) ISBN: 978-1-61200-832-5

Just Finished: Vermilya, Daniel J., That field of blood. The Battle of Antietam. (2018) ISBN: 978-1-61121-375-1

Molly’s Burger

~ anthony ~ 1 Comment
Molly’s Burger, Molly Malones. 6/10. SGD $18.00

The priciest burger I have reviewed so far, The Molly’s Burger from Molly Malone’s Irish Pub. Molly’s is located at the end (or the start) of Circular Rd just behind the Boat Quay area of Singapore. The pub itself is a bit of an institution in Singapore and the street outside is the location of the annual St. Patricks Day parade.

Normally I would not order the burger in Molly’s, but as part of my “search” I decided to give it a go. It’s a pretty standard build: bun, lettuce, tomato, patty, tomato relish, cheese, bun. You can pay extra SGD $2.00 for bacon, but since that is not part of the standard cheeseburger for this experiment it was ignored.

Let’s be honest, it looks great, the melted cheese, the juicy and yet charred patty, they artfully posed bun lid sat askew to show both the red tomato and the green lettuce. The pint of the black stuff just in the frame, and the thick cut chips already lightly salted. It looks great on the plate, less so when you re-arrange that artfully posed lid, and you are wearing the burger 3 bites later.

Thought: Maybe the secret is to not move the lid and eschew the top bun for the first few bites and instead use it to catch the contents and stop them sliding out the back. But applying melted cheese to the roof of my mouth is an almost certain recipe for a blister and the inevitable flap of skin that comes with such…think eating too hot pizza.

In general, the patty was juicy, cooked to a very light pink in the middle, the ingredients are top notch, and it looks great. However the bun is too small to hold the contents so you end up wearing it, though it does get points for being lightly toasted and therefore holding together. (the bun not the burger) While I enjoyed the taste of the burger having to wash my hands before I could pick up my beer again is a point deduction. Added to which the burger is one of the priciest I’ve reviewed, so far, and at SGD $18.00 and a non happy hour Guinness at SGD $16.50, the whole experience is not cheap.

As I stated further up, I would not normally order the burger in Molly’s, and given that I have lost count of the nights I have spent here indulging in Guinness and Irish Whiskey, I think it’s fair to say it’s a great pub and always a great Craic. Just not a place for burgers, stick to Beef and Guinness Pie, a Bacon and Egg Butty or the Irish Fry Up.

Rating 6/10 for flavour, and $$$$$ for price.*

* Cost Ratings are for burger and 2 beers. The first $ represents $20 or less, and each extra $ for every $10 extra. (in SGD)

I have a Gaming Table

~ anthony ~ 8 Comments

While I have a space to model, paint, and ruminate on projects I’d love to have the time to indulge in, I have since moving been without a table to actually game on. For over two years, I have done lots of collecting, but not much gaming, and while restrictions here will probably limit said gaming to the solo variety at the very least I now have a small table with which to deploy the troops.

Measuring only 3.5′ x 4′, so hardly gigantic, or even close to what I would really like to have, it never the less fits within the space I have, allows for all round traversing and the bar for liquid libation is only an arm length’s away.

I use Geo-Hex for my terrain tiles and these sit on a Deep-Cut Studios Waterworld Game Mat I got the mousepad version, as the weight of it smooths out an irregularities in the gap between the two boards that make up my base, and its rubber backing helps the terrain stay in place. Though I do think I will need to “frame” the Geo-Hex just to stop, or at least minimise and ground movement. I also have some brackets to 3D print to screw to the underside of the table tops to ensure they stay fixed onto the two bookcases that serve as legs. And maybe some form of valance to hide the storage boxes underneath.

I also have to make sure that I remember it’s for gaming, not for storing things upon. So in reality, I still have a few thing to do, but even getting this far feels great. It will feel even better when there are troops deployed.

Speaking of said deployment: given that this week just gone marked the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, I figure “the cornfield” will be my first “action” to play out on this new space…though first I do need to actually build a cornfield.

Oh, and I did not decorate the grid painted wall, the apartment I am renting came with that particular decoration.