Ten years of Legatus' Wargames Armies!

My newly painted Macedonian Generals featured in my first anniversary post in 2007

Much to my amazement, this blog is ten years old today.  It wasn't my first blog, that was my neglected Spartans one.  I enjoyed painting Spartans but I could never face painting Persians.  I actually have 23 wargames blogs and most I don't update very often but I do like to keep, on the whole, my different interests separate.  The blog looks rather different from its original incarnation, not least because I have had to gradually increase the font size as my eyesight has deteriorated!  The original intention of my Spartan and Byzantine blogs (both of which predate this one) was to help me organise my thoughts as regards building armies (which failed on both counts).  It never occurred to me that anyone would actually read anything I wrote!

I set this one up when I bought some Perry French and was starting to think seriously about Napoleonics (again); something I now really have given up on (I hope).  Since then the blog has had 642 posts (so more than one post a week, on average), 480,000 page views and, amazingly, more than 3000 comments.  Just in the last few days I reached 200 followers (followers are not something I actively seek, which is why I don't link to posts on The Miniatures Page) which does, to a certain extent, make me think a bit more about what I am going to post.  I get about 8,000 views per month (which is about the same as what one of my other incarnation's blogs gets in a day) but I'm not chasing numbers either.  Frankly, I am amazed that anyone reads my ramblings at all!

Working out why some posts are more popular is hard to fathom.  Looking at my twenty most popular posts there seems little pattern to it:

1 Something for the weekend by Angus McBride September 2012 - 6961 views

Less to puzzle on here, as I featured some slightly racy pictures by the famous military artist, which he did for Mayfair magazine in 1975 (before he started working for Osprey).

2. My first figure of 2014 and glug!  January 2014 - 5092 views

Irene Adler by Westwind

I cannot understand why a post featuring an Empire of the Dead figure, floods at my parents in law's house and expensive bathroom fittings should have attracted more than 5,000 views but it has.  Maybe it was the picture of Rachel Riley in a short skirt or Russian web crawler bots or, indeed, Russian millionaires looking for expensive loos.

3 Cyclops! February 2012 - 5636 views.

A proper painting piece this, on my Reaper cyclops.  No women in this one at all!  The Harryhausen effect?

5 Playing favourites - my 300th post January 2012 - 4432 views

Talking about what I like and don't like as regards wargaming.  One of a meme going around at the time.

6 Games Workshop Hobbit figures - they cost what? November 2012 - 3679 views

Written in Dubai, while trying not to be distracted by my friend B, but genuinely staggered by Games Worskshop's pricing policy for these.  Pretty much stopped me buying all the LotR figures released, which I had done up until then.

7 Circles and Space - my 500th post June 2014 - 3498 views

A really rambling effort this. on the nature of the universe and metal washers but boosted, perhaps, by fans of James Burke.

8 On the workbench  June 2010 - 3306 views

Sienna Guillory in another inauthentic Bronze Age costume

No idea why this one scores so highly as  its mostly about Trojans but does feature some pictures of actresses in it.

9 Tales of two tragic ships October 2009 - 2992 views

 Not about wargaming but an unusual excursion into things naval (I hate naval wargaming for some reason - I really ought to love it given my interest in ships) based on a trip to the US where I discovered some relics of the USS Maine and the USS Arizona.

10 Wars of the Roses May 2009 - 2849 views

Some reenactment pictures and thoughts about my army for the period.  The first proper wargames post on the list.

11 Games Workshop rebranding and Perry news October 2014 - 2586 views

My daughter spots the new Warhammer brand in Games Workshop Edinburgh and bravely investigates.

12 English Civil War game using 1644 rules February 2008 2488 views

A bit about an ECW wargame.

13 Warlord Games plastic Romans April 2008 - 2328 views

One of my regular rants about incompatible 28mm figures.

14 James May's Toy Fair November 2009 -1996 views

My son and I chat to James May.

15 The Battle of Bunker Hill June 2012 1995 views

Some historic sites on a visit to Boston.

16 Something for the weekend December 2008 2378 views

The discovery of a seventies article about wargaming in Penthouse magazine, of all places.  Alright, this one does have pictures of girls in it.

17 Ruled out November 2005 - 1955 views

My musings, following the loss of my metal ruler, on how things end up in alternative universes.

18 Artizan cowgirl Eliza Stone December 2007 1797 views

I paint Artizan's not Sharon Stone figure and spend far too much time researching it, considering I don't play wild west games at all.

19 Repainting, plastics, Sibelius and the Thirty Years War  January 2011 1755 views

To repaint or not and my ongoing but unrequited interest in the Thirty Years War.

20 Armémuseum and Historiska Museet, Stockholm September 2007 - 1544 views

I go to Stockholm to talk about infrastructure, misbehave with a Swedish friend and find a lovely model Viking village.

Interestingly, I have had more page views from the US than the UK with Russia, Germany, France, Canada, Spain, Australia, Ukraine and Italy rounding out the top ten.  The Russian and Ukrainian ones must be the bots!  Actually, the Ukraine is the only one of those countries I haven't been to.

Of course, what really comes to mind when I think about all these blog posts is how many figures I could have painted in the time I have devoted to typing rubbish!  The fact is that I feel like painting less and less and can only do so when the Old Bat isn't about as she will then find me a tedious job to do, just to spoil my fun.

I'd like to thank all the people who read and comment on my posts and all the useful hints and tips people have offered me as a result.  It was through this blog that I linked up with Eric the Shed which has transformed me from a figure painter into a (sort of) proper wargamer over the last couple of years. 

Liebster Blog Award

Well, Lee has very kindly nominated me for a Liebster Award (or rather he has nominated my blog).  They key thing for me is that it gives me a chance to highlight other blogs out there I follow.

Harry the Cat is most amused

The rules are that you then have to copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it you. Pass the award to your top 11 blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog. Sit back and bask in the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you have made someones day! 

Anywhere here are my 11.  As everyone else has said don't be offended if I haven't nominated you (it doesn't mean I don't enjoy your blog!) and don't feel that you have to carry the process on either.  There is enough stress in life without having it imposed upon you by others!

1 Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist.  An interesting mixture of interests from the Far East (well East Anglia).

2 Land of the Lead  Excellent painting and an engagingly eclectic collection of periods painted.

3 One Man and his Brushes A man who has been known to use Humbrol Enamels!

4 The Royalist Roundhead  This blog contains some excellent interviews with some key players in the hobby.

5 Waterloo to Mons  Matt is back with a vengeance now on the second incarnation of this blog.

6 Solo Wargaming in the UK  Lots of varied interests here and a real sense of enthusiasm for the hobby.

7 Steampunk Miniatures Review  Hugely useful for those of us interested in VSF.

8 A Wargaming Gallimaufry  Wargames, board games and lots of photos on the blog of one of my few regular (well once a year) opponents.

9 Savage Lands  This is a new blog so how can I give it an award?  Because it's all about building striking scenery; the ability to do which always fills me with envy.

10 The British Army at Waterloo  The sort of project that demonstrates how Britain came to rule the world and more focus than the Hubble telescope.

11 Carry on up the Dale  Big games with lots of tricornes.  Jealous.

This years version of the awards carries with it the usual somewhat random associated questions which recipients must answer.

Why did you start blogging?

The idea was that by having a blog it would get me to focus on one army and I would stop jumping around from period to period and actually get an army painted. My first blog was actually my Spartans one, which I started in November 2005.  The fact that I now have over 20 wargaming blogs, most of which haven't had an entry for years, shows what a complete failure this policy has been.

I do not feel pressured to put up posts for any of them and just post when I feel like it, which is usually when I don't feel like painting.  So I tend to post less in the summer when the light is better.

What really keeps me energised is seeing what other people are posting on their blogs and it is particularly nice to have met some of my fellow bloggers in real life.  

 If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?

All 28mm figures!

Do you know, I do have one thing, although it is not achievable, so is rather akin to

desiring world peace.  I wish all figures were made to a strict and consistent scale!  I hate figures which are supposed to all be 28mm and then aren't compatible with each other - even more so when they are from the same manufacturer (Warlord Games Romans spring to mind)

What is best in life? 

I remember vividly the answer given by my particular friend S, from Vancouver (actually she has told me recently that she isn't from Vancouver, of course, (hardly anyone who lives there is) she was born in Kingston, Ontario - the site of the Royal Navy Lake Ontario fleet in the War of 1812) to a similar question during a reception at a conference we both attended in Banff.  S and I were standing around in the ballroom of the Banff Springs Hotel drinking (quite a lot of) Moosehead beer when we got into one of those slightly awkward conversations with a very senior insurance executive who had obviously been told to circulate amongst the younger people at the conference.  "What do you like most in life?" he asked S as his opening small talk.  "F*cking and shoes" was her concise answer.

My own answer will, inevitably, be rather longer and was actually given to me by my father. "The only important things in life are women, wine, food, books, music and art.  Which are all basically the same thing!"  I  could not express my life's drivers any better, although I would add model soldiers, of course, but perhaps they qualify as art, being sculpture.  

Fame or fortune? 

Fortune of course! The fun is to be rich and anonymous!


What miniatures are you most proud of having painted? 

My cavegirls came out OK

Oh dear.  I'm not really proud of any.  I always start a new figure with high hopes and it always ends up looking fairly awful.  Oddly (or perhaps not), my attempts at painting female figures have sometimes been a bit more successful.

How do you deal with burn out?

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and a DVD featuring under-dressed ladies usually perks me up.   I am currently enjoying this sophisticated examination of feminine and religious identity in an ecclesiastical institution.


Why is a raven like a writing desk? 

"I haven't the slightest idea."   I've actually been in Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's old rooms at Christ Church! 

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Lesley Parrish in the ne plus ultra of women's Star Trek costumes (and Thiess's favourite) from Who Mourns for Adonais?

This is really like being asked to choose between Kelly Brook and Scarlett Johansson (although I would probably opt for Johansson on the basis that I met her, briefly).  I loved Star Trek when I was a boy and many of those episodes were instrumental in giving me an appreciation of the fairer sex, especially in William Theiss's extravagant costumes.  Theiss famously said that "the degree to which a costume is considered sexy is directly proportional to how accident-prone it appears to be".  A very perceptive comment indeed.

I remember seeing my first excerpt from Star Wars on  Tomorrow's World just before it was released in Britain.  It was the first science fiction film that looked like I imagined the action in the EE Smith space operas I had devoured when I was younger.  However, I can't get over the fact that Star Wars is really a children's film whereas Star Trek often tried to deal with rather more meaningful issues (at least at an American TV network (i.e. fourteen year old) level).  I wouldn't go as far as to wear the badge I saw being worn by an American government official which said "Everything in life I've learned, I've learned from Star Trek" but despite over-stretching the franchise it gets the nod for occasionally trying to make the world a better place.   I do have a Klingon Empire lapel pin and I have made a construction kit of both the USS Enterprise and a Klingon battlecuiser, sadly.

If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be? 

Tricky though they are to paint, compared with some sculptors work, it would have to be Perry Miniatures.  Not least because their range is now so vast it would keep me busy for ever!

What is your favourite takeaway?

Battered sausage (I hate fish) and chips, with HP sauce and pickled onions from Corries Cabin in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

One final apology to those awaiting their prize draw prizes I haven't had single minute for several weeks (no painting either) and then lost internet at home for quite a few days so couldn't get people's addresses off my system (a mechanical digger and fibreoptic cable do not mix) but hope to send your Salute figures on Saturday

Salute Figure Draw - the winner!

Or rather winners, as I decided to have three winners to also celebrate my reaching 150 followers.  Charlotte put all the numbers into a box and drew out three.  Fortunately, the three winners all wanted different figures.  The Force was, indeed, with us.  The first out the box was number 14, Celtic Curmudgeon, who wins the 2014 Salute figure of Colin Maud.  Charlotte is here with her astrophysics birthday cake which has chocolate stars, Mars Bar and Galaxy chocolate, flying saucers and the Sun made out of marshmallow.  Strange!

Second out the box was number 24, Mark J, who gets the 2006 Arthur and Mordred figures.  

Finally, it's number 29, Naiconn Log who wanted the 2013 Jason and the Argonauts figure.  

Congratulations to the winners and for those unlucky this time I will have another competition in the future!

Salute Figure draw today and happy Star Wars Day!

We'll be making the blog 250,000 views prize draw today.  In order for it to be completely fair, my daughter, Charlotte (whose birthday - Star Wars Day - it is today), is going to make the draw in Edinburgh using the  numbers listed below (if I asked her to write all the names down we would still be waiting in June).

How much does Charlotte love Star Wars?  Taken at the 2009 Star Wars Musical event at the O2 where she was grabbed to pose for the press with R2D2

The draw will take place this evening after her pole dancing class!  She is very excited because this week she has just heard she has been chosen to perform at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony this summer.  Not pole dancing, I should add.  They'll probably dress her up as a wild haggis or something.  She's not allowed to tell us what she will be doing!

These are the people I have down who have entered the draw, with their chosen figure. Let me know if there are any alterations.

1 Edwin King 2006
2 TamsinP 2007
3 Justin Penwith 2006
4 Fez-man 2010
5 Andrew Saunders 2007
6 Ubique Matt 2013
7 Rodger 2014
8 john de terre neuve 2006
9 Simon Miller 2006
10 Mad Tin Hatter 2014
11 Francis Lee 2007
12 Mike Lewis 2010
13 Wargame News and Terrain Blog 2012
14 CelticCurmudgeon 2014
15 DAVE DOCHERTY 2014.
16 Lee Hadley 2014
17 LittleArmies 2006
18 Brownk 2013
19 Dannoc 2014
20 Spyros Pachos 2012
21 Robert Audin 2007
22 Michael Mills 2006
23 Carlo Pagano 2014
24 Mark J (Anonymous) 2006
25 Cedric 2014
26 Michael Awdry 2012
27 Michael Peterson 2007
28 David 2006
29 Naiconn Log 2013
30 Ray Rousell War & Conquest
31 Pat G 2014
32 Panzer Kaput 2010

Good luck everyone!  I'll get it off in the post to you as soon as I have the winner's address (although it won't be going from the Sir Chris Hoy golden Olympic post box in Edinburgh!)

The Legatus' Quarter of a Million views win a Salute figure competion!

Well, I have been thinking of what to offer as a prize for my 250,000 views of the blog competition.  Some people paint a figure as a prize but I can't imagine anyone would want one of my blotchy efforts, especially when many people who follow this blog can really paint.  

Anyway, given the proximity to Salute, I have decided to offer one of the official Salute figures as an (unpainted) prize.  These sit around in their little bags for years afterwards and I never paint them so it's  much better to send one to someone who really wants one (perhaps because they couldn't get to Salute).  Oh and because many of you will have most of these figures, as another option I am including the War and Conquest rules free figure which is a representation of the figure on the cover of the rule book.

I will offer the winner (I'm not doing second and third prizes because I don't expect many entries) their choice of the figures I have available.

So, lets look at the potential prizes.  All the pictures are illustrative only, my figures are still bagged and unpainted.

Salute 2006  Arthur and Mordred sculpted by Mark Copplestone

Salute 2007  Glorfindel and Lord of the Nazgul from Mithril Miniatures Lord of the Rings range.

Salute 2010 a Black Scorpion girl and Robot figure sculpted by Adam Clarke

Salute 2012 A Mayan chief sculpted by Jacques-Alexandre Gillois of Miniature Studio.

Salute 2013 A plastic Jason (of the Argonauts) figure from Renedra sculpted by Steve May.

Salute 2014  D-Day Colin Maud figure based on the film The Longest Day by Michael Perry.

War and Conquest figure.

All you have to do is post a message to this blog entry and say which figure you would like if you win.  The names will go into a hat on and will be drawn by my glamorous assistant.  Actually, I don't have a glamorous assistant.  Charlotte will have gone back to Edinburgh by then so you will have to make do with the Old Bat.

The draw will be made on May 4th, Star Wars Day (and Charlotte's birthday), which will just give me time to post it before I disappear to South America.  Oh, and it doesn't matter where you live.  I will send it anywhere in the world.

Tell your friends, but you have to be a follower of the blog!  There will be another prize when I hit 150 followers!

My top ten posts of all time...

Steve the Wargamer has just posted about his all time total page views for his various posts, as he wonders why some score so many more than others.  It is an interesting topic so I thought I would do the same in my, inevitably, more long winded way.  He is also more techie than me so can do a nice neat table, which I cannot!

A quick analysis shows that not confining myself to wargames alone makes for a larger view rate (especially if the post includes pictures of girls), which is not surprising really.  Girls attract many more viewers than model soldiers.  My most viewed post (of Linda Lusardi) in my other incarnation's blog has had 305,797 views.  That's getting on for twice what this entire blog has clocked up since April 2006!

1 Cyclops 27 Feb 2012, 4127 views, 2 comments

I had thought Angus McBride was first but in fact it is my entry on the Cyclops.  Harryhausen power has probably boosted this outside the wargames (have you noticed how Windows doesn't recognise the word wargame as a correct spelling?) community.

2 Something for the weekend...by Angus McBride 1 Sep 2012, 2879 views, 0 comments

This also attracted a fair number of non-wargaming visitors, I suspect.  Can't think why.

3 On the Workbench 6 June 2010, 2781 views, 0 comments

All about Trojans this one but I can't claim it as a sole wargames post because it has a couple of pictures of young ladies in it (incarnations of Helen of Troy) which may have skewed the hit rate.

4 Tales of two tragic ships 12 Oct 2009, 2637 views, 1 comment

This is a history post rather than a wargames one so it doesn't count either.

5 The First Schleswig War 1848-1850  2 February 2009 2329 views, 4 comments

This is more about uniform books than wargaming but is close.

6 Games Worshop Hobbit Figures They cost what? 24 Nov 2012, 2293 views, 10 comments

This is really the only pure wargaming post in my top ten and its a rant.  Who would have thought it?

7 Wars of the Roses 26 May 2009, 2206 views, 1 comment

Pictures I took at a re-enactment at a very hot Loseley Park in 2009.

8 Airfix Westland Whirlwind Stages 1 & 2 6 April 2010 2107 views, 3 comments

I am embarrassed by this one as I couldn't stand not having proper paints so never finished the model and, even worse, threw it away in disgust.

9 Citadel Realm of Battle Gameboard 2088 views, 3 comments

You won't be surprised to hear that although I bought one of these soon afterwards I still have only painted one tile out of six.

10 Cheryl Cole does Warhammer 40,000 2072 views, 1 comment

Ah, the formerly lovely Cheryl,  So cheery and friendly when she lived around the corner from me but now a despoiled husk of her former self who looks more like a Yakuza than a sex object (she was never really a singer).  Tragedy!

So even more time wasted writing a useless post when I should be undercoating my galley mast.  Maybe I'll go and do that now so at least I have achieved something today (although I have had a distracting box of something delivered today.  Clue: It smells like rotting fish).  

Stylish Blogger Award

This is a rather strange but, nevertheless, welcome piece of recognition from another blogger.  Someone else nominate's your blog (in this case Steve for which huge thanks) and the rules require that, in order to accept it you:

1) Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.

2) Share 7 things about yourself.

3) Award 10-15 blogs you feel deserve the award.

4) Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

So eventually, every one you know should have awarded it to each other.  Splendid!

This does not, however, detract from the fact that someone bothered to link to you at all.  So many blogs stop after a few months and, initially, I wrote mine solely for myself.  I was slightly surprised when I found out that other people actually looked at it and, in fact, this fact has meant that the reason I started my first blog (which was to force me to paint regularly) has indeed come to pass!  So, now to fulfill my requirements.

1) Steve thanked above but another thank you is deserved.

2) Seven things about myself.  This is tricky!

1.  I always wanted to be a paleontologist when I was small.  To the tedious extent that when I saw the trailer for One Million Years BC (1966) at the cinema, when I was six, I was appalled that they had depicted dinosaurs and humans as living at the same time. 

2.  I had my first glass of wine at the age of two and ahalf and protested loudly, in a restaurant in France, when I wasn't allowed another.

3.  I own three German First World War pickelhauben.

4.  I have visited over sixty countries.

5.  I am really, really scared of flying (or, rather crashing) hence number 4 gives me problems.

6.  I really don't enjoy driving, can't parallel park, can't reverse into a parking space in a car park and have never owned a car.  Fortunately, I have always had women to drive me around, although I do drive if absolutely necessary!

7.  Two of my ex-girlfriends have been on the cover of Vogue.

3) My nominated blogs are (and I don't think it matters if they have been nominated before):

1. Grimsby Wargaming not least because he is also a Chicago Bears fan!

2. Flintlock and Tomahawk is full of useful source material for the day I eventually do manage a skirmish wargame set in North American forests.

3. BigRedBatCave  His focus on Ancients, and Romans in particular, is awesome.

4. Tarleton's Quarter another chap with more focus than Greenwich Observatory.  I am convinced he is actually really a small Asian figure painting factory.

5. Waterloo to Mons is an inspired theme for a wargaming blog and also features Matt's very desirable Schleswig War figures.

6. Wars of Louis Quartorze offers an amazingly eclectic but still somehow comprehensive coverage of this period.

7. Solo Wargaming in the UK is also engagingly eclectic.

Well, I know that's only seven but on the same day my Darkest Africa blog also got a nomination so I can add my extra ones over there and reveal seven more things about myself!

Blog Hit Parade: March

General Gordon Brown prepares to see off anarchists trying to break into the Bank of England (if only...)

Sudan Armies passed the 50,000 views mark this month and stays at number one. I really need to do some more stuff for it! Cavegirls dropped a place but there is a lot of new barely-clad stuff in process at the moment! The big climber was the Lord of the Rings blog indicating a lot of interest in the new War of the Ring rules. The Zulu War and the Great War blogs saw big increases too. (Last month's rankings in brackets).

1 (1) 19th Century Sudan Armies 9,983 (50,283)
2 (3) Legatus' Wargames Armies 3,464 (23,505)
3 (2) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 1,595 ( 99,888)
4 (4) Spartan WAB 1,200( 12,123)
5 (12) Lord of the Rings 1,283 (3,986)
6 (9) The Great War 1,020(3,190)
7 (10) Great Northern War 991 (5,172)
8 (8) Return to Darkest Africa 857 (8,007)
9 (14) Zulu War 843(2080)
10 (5) Dark Ages WAB 834 (4,9804)
11 (13) 1st-4th Century Roman WAB 532 (4,203)
12 (7 )Punic War WAB 379 (4,579)
13 (6) Byzantine WAB 279 (3,228)
14 (15) Swashbucklers 163 (737)
15 (11) Pulp Warriors 54 (48,905)

Blog Hit Parade: January

The first monthly total of the year shows the Sudan blog picking up a lot of hits -around 200 a day at present. Another big climber is the Great War blog but I have actually been doing a lot of stuff for that. The Spartan one has picked up a lot this month too. At least I have a couple more Spartans under way.

Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis is approaching the magic 100,000 visits mark!

1 19th Century Sudan Armies 8,403 (40,300)
2 Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 5,129 (98,293)
3 Legatus' Wargames Armies 3,464 (23,505)
4 Spartan WAB 2,268 (10,923)
5 Dark Ages WAB 1,043 (4,146)
6 Byzantine WAB 877 (2,949)
7 Punic War WAB 852 (4,200)
8 Return to Darkest Africa 731 (7,150)
9 The Great War 673 (2170)
10 Great Northern War 441 (4,181)
11 Pulp Warriors 423 (48,851)
12 Lord of the Rings 397 (2,703)
13 1st-4th Century Roman WAB 370 (3671)
14 Zulu War 214(1,238)
15 Swashbucklers 113 (574)

Blog Hit Parade: Year End

Here are the year end totals for my blogs this year. Cavegirls got nearly twice the visits of Pulp Warriors with the Sudan blog leading the "proper" wargaming blogs. I am frankly amazed by the number of visits these blogs get and really need to be better at getting content into them. There is a seventeenth on Quatre Bras out there but I haven't really done anything on it yet. Never mind, Napoleonics are next on the painting table when I have finished the part-painted Anglo-Saxons, Celts and Early Saxons on the workbench, hopefully in the next few days.

1 Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 93,164
2 Pulp Warriors 48,428
3 19th Century Sudan Armies 31,897
4 Legatus' Wargames Armies 20,041
5 Spartan WAB 8,655
6 Return to Darkest Africa 6,419
7 Great Northern War 3,740
8 Punic War WAB 3,348
9 1st-4th Century Roman WAB 3,301
10 Dark Ages WAB 3,103
11 Lord of the Rings 2,306
12 Byzantine WAB 2,072
13 The Great War 1557 (since May 2008)
14 Zulu War 1024 (since September 2008)
15 Swashbucklers 461

Blog Hit Parade: November

Just time to update the blog hit parade from sunny Anaheim before I have to go off to dinner. The Sudan blog continues to grow in poularity with nearly 4,500 visits last month. This blog has overtaken Cavegirls (but I have some great new stuff to put on over Christmas).

1(1)19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 4,494 (32,805)
2(3) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,583 (21,418)
3(2)Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 919 (96,819)
4(6) Return to Darkest Africa 601 (6,166)
5(4)Spartan WAB 512 (9,984)
6(7)Dark Ages WAB 344 (3,612)
7(9 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 381 (2,983)
8(8)Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 293 (1,862)
9(8)Wargaming the Great Northern War 284 ( 3,577)
10(12 The Great War 267 (1,230)
11(13)Wargaming the Zulu War 232 (672)
12(11)Punic War WAB 209 (3,820)
13(14) Byzantine WAB 164 (2,735)
14(15) Swashbucklers 80 (481)
15(15) Pulp Warriors 18(48,799)

Blog Hit Parade: October

An interesting month. Pulp Warriors plunges from 4th to last place. Obviously the Blogger "objectionable content" warning is putting people off. The cavegirls hits have plunged too. I obviously need to put some more naked ladies onto both sites as it doesn't matter now!

1 (2) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,851 (28,311)
2 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 1,639 (95,900)
3 (3) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,580 (19,835)
4 (5) Spartan WAB 823 (9,472 8,649)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 751 (5,565)
7 (8) Dark Ages WAB 414 (3,269)
8 (7) Wargaming the Great Northern War 339 ( 3,293)
9 (10) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 308 (2,602)
10 (9) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 289 (1,569)
11 (12) Punic War WAB 285 (3,611)
12 (11) The Great War 267 (998)
13 (13)Wargaming the Zulu War 240 (409)
14 (14) Byzantine WAB 200 (2,571)
15 (15) Swashbucklers 65 (401)
16 (4) Pulp Warriors 57 (48,781)

Blog Hit Parade: September

Cavegirls continues to be number one even though Google now rate it as an "objectionable" blog, which it certainly should be! Biggest climber is the Great Northern Wars blog which just shows that posting stuff on it does raise the hit rate!

The new Zulu Wars blog has picked up a respectable 169 views in less than a month.

1 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 8,104 (94,261)
2 (2) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,357 (25,460)
3 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,699 (18,255 16,556)
4 (3) Pulp Warriors 863 (48,724)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 620 (8,649)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 614 (4,814)
7 (9) Wargaming the Great Northern War 397 (2,954)
8 (7) Dark Ages WAB 385 (2,855)
9 (10) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 285 (1,280)
10 (8) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 276 (2,294)
11 (12) The Great War 226 (731)
12 (11) Punic War WAB 221 (3,326)
13 (0)Wargaming the Zulu War 169 (169)
14 (13) Byzantine WAB 129 (2,371)
15 (14) Swashbucklers 54 (336)

Blog Hit Parade: August

I expected August to be down a little because of the holidays and that is true of every site except the Dark Ages one which is this month's highest climber. The numbers are down on Sudan a bit but it has overtaken Pulp. At least I managed an entry on the Sudan site last month!

It is interesting to note that the monthly totals are largely the same; often only about 10% different month to month. Also number of postings does not seem to effect the totals. The question is, therefore, do I do more postings for the low scoring sites (and hence paint more figures) or do I respond to ones where the views are increasing. On the former method I should be working on Swashbucklers and on the latter, Dark Ages. I quite fancy doing some Dark Ages figures again, though, for reasons I will put on my Dark Ages blog in the next few days.


1 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 9,288 (86,157)
2 (3) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,362 (23,103)
3 (2) Pulp Warriors 2,089 (47,861)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,439 (16,556)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 545 (8,029)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 538 (4,200)
7 (9) Dark Ages WAB 320 (2,470)
8 (7) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 286 (2,018)
9 (8) Wargaming the Great Northern War 266 (2,557)
10 (11) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 228 (995)
11 (12) Punic War WAB 194 ( 3,105)
12 (13) The Great War 150 (505)
13 (13) Byzantine WAB 145 (2,242)
14 (14) Swashbucklers 34 (282)

Blog Hit parade July

Cavegirls is still getting the most hits but Pulp Warriors has moved up a place pushing Sudan down to number three again, but Sudan did get 1500 more views than last month.

In fact, each site's totals are up this month; odd because I recorded the figures a bit late last month so they should have been down. Biggest climber, up three places, is the Great War site. I hope to finish a Sudan character this weekend and put up a blog entry on him. Also hope to finish my GNW ensign too. Sadly nothing else is close to being finished so it will be another very thin month.

1 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 11,841 (76,869)
2 (3) Pulp Warriors 3,317 (45,772)
3 (2) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,827 (20,741)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,784 (15,117)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 712 (7,483)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 500 (3,662)
7 (9) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 379 (1,732)
8 (8) Wargaming the Great Northern War 305 (2,291)
9 (10) Dark Ages WAB 278 (2,150)
10 (13) The Great War 257 (355)
11 (11) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 239 (767)
12 (7) Punic War WAB 226 ( 2,911)
13 (12) Byzantine WAB 151 (2,097)
14 (14) Swashbucklers 46 (248)

Blog Hit Parade: June

This is where people are looking at Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis from. Scary!

Well, a massive, massive score for Cavegirls this month: over 23,000 views and it is back up into the number one spot. Pulp Warriors plunges to third and there are a few more ups and downs too. I really need to put more content onto all of them this month!


1 (2) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 23,543 (65,028)
2 (3) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 1,747 (17,914)
3 (1) Pulp Warriors 1,738 (42,455)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,496 (13,333)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 630 (6,771)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 462 (3,162)
7 (7) Punic War WAB 227 ( 2,685)
8 (9) Wargaming the Great Northern War 246 (1,986)
9 (8) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 207 (1,353)
10 (11) Dark Ages WAB 173 (1,872)
11 (12) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 165 (528)
12 (10) Byzantine WAB 113 (1,946)
13 (13) The Great War 104 ( 147)
14 (14) Swashbucklers 25 (202)

Blog Hit parade: June 2008

Not many changes in the blog hit parade this month. I have added my new Great War blog. 3rd and 4th Century Roman and GNW have swapped places. This blog, Legatus' Armies, has gained nearly 1,000 hits this month. Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis has gained about 800.

1 (1) Pulp Warriors 11,409 (40,717)
2 (2) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 6,493 (41,485)
3 (3) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,222 (16,167)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 2,896 (11,837)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 798 (6,141)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 529 (2,700)
7 (7) Punic War WAB 449 (2,458)
8 (9) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 288 (1,146)
9 (8) Wargaming the Great Northern War 269 (1,740)
10 (11) Byzantine WAB 190 (1,833)
11 (10) Dark Ages WAB 122 (1,699)
12 (12) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 68 (363)
13 (-) The Great War 43 (43)
14 (13) Swashbucklers 30 (177)

Blog Hit Parade: April

Last month I was writing the Blog Hit Parade in Warsaw airport and today I am doing it in Byzantium! Yes, I am in Istanbul having lots of meetings with banks and not seeing any of the sights. Grr!

1 (1) Pulp Warriors 13,566 (29,308)
2 (2) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 5,663 (34,992)
3 (3) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,171 (13,945)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,932 (8,941)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 777 (5,343)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 538 (2,126)
7 (7) Punic War WAB 417 (2,009)
8 (8) Wargaming the Great Northern War 283 (1,471)
9 (9) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 261 (858)
10 (11) Byzantine WAB 232 (1,643)
11 (10) Dark Ages WAB 157 (1,577)
12 (12) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 85 (295)
13 (13) Swashbucklers 32 (147)

The top 9 all stayed the same but Byzantines and Dark Ages swapped positions. Pulp Warriors' share continues to rise with 3,211 more hits than last month.

Blog Hit Parade: March 2008

I'm stuck in Warsaw Airport with a five and a half hour delay on my flight so the only thing to do is update the blog!

This month has seen the following monthly total followed by (total to date):

1 (2) Pulp Warriors 10,355 (15,742)
2 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 6,605 (29,329)
3 (3) 19th Century Sudan Wargames Armies 2,114 (11,774)
4 (4) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,477 (7,009)
5 (5) Spartan WAB 768 (4,566)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 464 (1,588)
7 (7) Punic War WAB 308 (1,592)
8 (8) Wargaming the Great Northern War 292 (1,188)
9 (11) 3rd and 4th Century Roman WAB 237 (597)
10 (9) Dark Ages WAB 195 (1,420)
11 (10) Byzantine WAB 187 (1,411)
12 (12) Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth 81 (210)
13 (13) Swashbucklers 28 (115)

Everything stayed pretty much the same ranking wise except the 3rd and 4th Century Roman site which moved up two places. The big jumper was Pulp Warriors which overtook Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis to take the number one slot for the first time. Over 10,000 hits in a month. I'd better put the next episode of my Pulp Babes showdown up!

Blog Hit Parade: February 2008

In February Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis continued to pull in over 250 hits a day on average but the biggest climber this month was Pulp Warriors up from 10th to 2nd with nearly 5,000 hits. I'm not quite sure why there was this big jump but I'd better get some more content on this month!

1 (1) Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis 7,868 Down 2,629 (22,724)
2 (10) Pulp Warriors 4,826 Up 4,669 (5,387)
3 (2) 19th Century Sudan Armies 2,367 Down 119 (9,660)
4 (3) Legatus' Wargames Armies 1,536 Up 50 (5,532)
5 (4) Spartan WAB 1,100 Up 273 (3,798)
6 (6) Return to Darkest Africa 448 Up 160 (1,124)
7 (9) Punic War WAB 377 Up 75 (1,284)
8 (5) Great Northern War 354 Down 17 (896)
9 (7) Dark Ages WAB 217 Up 81 (1,225)
10 (8) Byzantine WAB 204 Down 15 (1,224)
11 (11) 3rd Century Roman WAB 149 Up 80 (360)
12 (12) Lord of the Rings 69 Up 10 (129)
13 (13) Swashbucklers 15 Down 5 (87) (102)