WSS: The Baby Has a Name, and Other Stuff

 Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions for the name of my new (replacement) WSS rules. There was a good variety, ranging from the whimsically amusing to the deeply philosophical. I eventually chose one which initially I had doubts about, because, I had thought, it might be a bit obvious. 

Well, I warmed to it. For a start, it was the most popular suggestion, by far (so it's not all my fault), it is not excessively weird, it refers to the early war period which I am targeting, and I am confident it passes the Hairdresser's Telephone Test.

I'd better explain. It is possible to give something a name which seems magnificently cute and trendy at the beginning, but the novelty wears off quickly and fatally. You will be able to think of your own examples; it can apply to the names of businesses, bands, even babies (I wonder how it feels to be called Moon Unit when you are 55 years old?). My own personal favourite was a hairdresser in (I think) Dumfries, called Curl Up and Dye. Clever, eh? Catchy too. The problem came after a couple of years, when the new receptionist was too embarrassed to answer the phone with the name of the establishment, because it had become Seriously Not Funny. This is the Hairdresser's Telephone Test.

 Enough of this avoiding the moment - the rules will be called "Corporal John" - it took me a while, but I'm comfortable with the choice. Thanks to everyone who got involved.

 

Still on the subject of the WSS, the new rules will require hardly any tactical manoeuvre, therefore I can safely add a magnetic surface to my sabots, so that the soldiers may be securely displayed in line. The other (non-magnetic) side of my sabots will still be available if required.

My friend Clive Smithers, the philosopher's wargamer, reckoned that the beauty of the sabot is that you can drop your soldiers in complete units, rather than fiddling about doing it one figure at a time. I have to say this is less true with magnetic sabots.

I seem to have used up most of my sabot jokes when I painted the first side of these fellows, not so long ago, really, so I can save myself the effort now. They are the same sabots, and the technique is unchanged. I have slapped a first coat of paint on them, leaving an unpainted bit that I was holding. The second coat, which will go on after I have allowed 5 hours for drying, will be applied during the phase which is technically described as "t'other end, and touch-up". With luck, a third pass will not be needed. Here are a couple of pictures after the first coat - you will note the black ferro-sheet patches, cut to size by the lovely Paula at Magnetic Displays, peeking out of the paint. 

In passing, I must explain that the sabots are laid out to dry on pieces of firewood kindling which my wife brought back from Portsoy on the Moray Firth a couple of weeks ago. No particular point to be made - I just felt the need to explain. When the sabots are firm and dry and ready to go, and the kindling is safely back in the log box, I probably have no more reasons to delay, so a game will be required.

A game of Corporal John, in fact.