SIX OF THE BEST: Varchilde's Vault

Some of Bryan's space marines

I felt an immediate empathy with Bryan Parke's Varchilde's Vault, not only because it's one of the few gaming blogs from a fellow Brit that I've profiled in this feature, but also because he calls himself a "hobby butterfly" and appears to share my habit of flitting from one topic to another. That said, Bryan has mighty skills in the miniatures painting department, which I'm incredibly envious of.

(1) How long have been blogging, and how’d you get into it in the first place?

I've been blogging for just over a year. I play a lot of games through a local club in South West London called The First Founding and we have a number of club members who are excellent bloggers. I decided to join the club (pun intended) as an attempt to become something of a contributor to the hobby as opposed to merely a consumer!

(2) What do you blog about, and how frequently do you post?

I blog weekly about my varied gaming and hobby antics. I'm bit of a butterfly but I primarily cover war games and RPGs with some side quests into board and card games. There's a lot of painting/modelling content as I particularly enjoy that aspect of the hobby. Oh, and some fairly mediocre photos.

(3) How does your blog stand out from all the rest?

Um, it's the only one written be me? I write about the things *I* find interesting/fun, I enjoy the writing process and I hope some of that comes across in the final posts and it piques peoples interest.

The First Founding, the Chessington-based gaming club that Bryan belongs to.

(4) What’s the best (and worst) thing about blogging?

Best thing; the interactions blogging creates with other people, both online and in the real world. Ironically there tends to be more of the latter than former; blogs aren't great for two-way communication.

Worst thing; self-imposed deadlines for posts. But it's also a good thing as it drives the thought/writing process.

(5) Do you have any self-imposed rules (or guidelines) for your blog?

Be positive. Be honest. Be funny. Be interesting. I'm genuinely grateful that people take time out of their day to read my ramblings.

(6) Name one blog everyone should be reading (other than your own).

Shed Wars. A uniquely British approach to gaming, fantastic content and an amazing Blog Roll.