If I think back to where it all began it was, most probably, in equal parts, the influence of my older brother, the fantasy worlds of the novels I read, and my fellow gaming friends.
From the late 80s my brother was into Games Workshop, Dungeons and Dragons, and the Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf gaming books. It was surrounded by these influences that I would listen to the albums of Def Leppard and Iron Maiden blasting out of his bedroom door whilst I would eagerly read his copies of Warlock and White Dwarf.
Whilst I enjoyed reading historical novels I mostly read fantasy books picked up from Talisman Books, the long since departed second hand bookshop in the village in which I lived. Through these books I was transported to the worlds of Middle Earth, Faerun, Midkemia and Titan and all the danger and adventure they had to offer. These worlds fuelled my imagination and enthusiasm for recreating these worlds on the tabletop.
And finally, my childhood friends with whom I would spend hours painting Warhammer armies, Necromunda gangs, and Blood Bowl teams. Whilst other teenagers were drinking cider on park benches, (at least, I assume that's what cool kids did) we were listening to classic rock whilst painting, battling across industrial hives or seeking Nuffle's glory across the playing fields of the Old World. It was escapism, it was educational, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. In my later teens, as I and my friends moved away from our parent's homes, tabletop gaming began to fade out of my life. I travelled a little, I went to university and then I joined the Royal Navy.
But that was then and this is now. After 12 years in the Royal Navy, I have returned to the world of tabletop gaming and I am enjoying it as much now as I have ever done. I hope to use this blog as a way to document the various projects and games I enjoy as I embrace the world of gaming, painting and all things nerd.
