Return to Blogging

Yours truly running a game an Nashcon 2025

What have been doing the past 12 years? Why return to blogging now?

I mostly stopped blogging because of the friction of posting, compared to the ease of posting on Instagram. However, I've stopped posting there, too. And I keep finding myself going back to my blog, to reference past projects, remind myself of what I've done, etc... So, I'm taking a stab at blogging again. No guarantees I'll keep at it.

As to what I've been doing:

2013-2019

Number One Son repairing one of two
flats we got on the way to Historicon 2017

Pretty much the same ol', same 'ol. Went to Historicon with Number One Son almost every year, notably missing 2019 for a milestone birthday of my wife.

Historicon is always the highlight of my hobby year, and I'm very thankful I have been able to go as often as I have! Most of these years, it was held in Fredericksburg, VA, which is still my favorite location for it. 2018 ended back at the Lancaster Host, which I have many fond memories of, but I never want to actually go back to.

The timeline is a little hazy now, but around the end of this period, a few staples of our historical gaming group left, two moving out of town.

2020-2021

The COVID times. Everybody locked down, I changed jobs and started working remotely full time, and life changed quite a bit. I actually fell completely out of the hobby for some period of time. I got really into music, guitar and bass, and I think that just sort of took over, especially since I wasn't interested in spending hours with a group of people with a highly infectious disease everywhere.

Notably, our historical gaming group never recovered. COVID effectively killed it, too.

2022-now

My buddy Mik and I performing

At some point in 2022, I started wanting to get back into serious miniature gaming. However, my primary source of regular miniature gaming, the historical gaming group, was gone. I figured it was just up to me to build something from the ground up. So, I started East TN Miniature Wargaming (ETMW), billed as "a central, public resource for historical, fantasy, and science fiction miniature wargaming throughout East Tennessee" in an effort to flush miniature wargamers out from the bush.

I started an ETMW Discord, which has been much more successful than I would have suspected, with over 200 members and a lot of active conversation going on.

It's not hobby-related, but around this time my buddy Mik and I started in the adult band program at School of Rock. We had a blast, and I highly recommend it! We played two shows to the public, including at a Hard Rock Cafe. The people there may not have money to see us, but they paid money and saw us, so I'm putting Professional Musician on my resume. In the end, though, it just became a bit too much on top of everything else going on, especially a high-stress job, so I stopped.

In 2024, in an effort to "be the change you wish to see in the world," I started running ETMW games days at Iron Wyvern, in Loudon, TN three times a year. Each has had at least four major games and a few other smaller games and demos. Typically, we have gotten around 25-30 people, but perhaps as low as 20, and as high as 35. There's no registration and we play in a public space, so tracking attendance is not an exact science. But, we have had GMs and attendees in from Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, and Asheville, so I much be doing something right! At least two regular gaming groups have formed through ETMW, and I consider it much more of a success than I expected!

Folks have fun at my game at Nashcon

I would say that in my hobby in the past, I have never been the guy driving things and running games. I did run a few games, but I was typically much more along for the ride. So, in 2025, I resolved to do more to support miniature wargaming in general, beyond ETMW. So I went to Siege of Augusta (HMGS MS) and ran Blood Red Skies and I Ain't Been Shot, Mum, the first time I've run a game in a public convention in probably twenty years. And it went great! I ran two games of Blood Red Skies at Rocky Top Gaming Convention here in town, and just got back from Nashcon (HMGS MS), where I ran two games of Blood Red Skies.

I doubt I can travel to three conventions every year, but I certainly enjoyed it this year!

There are a few other things-- participating in a legit Knoxville Blood Bowl League, finishing in the top four two years out of three, but never taking the prize; participating in a Bolt Action v3 escalation league started in the ETMW Discord and finally finishing the 101st I started for Bolt Action v1, running a BLKOUT campaign, and few other smaller projects that aren't really part of this story.

And, I think that brings us up to the present!