Welcome!

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. Where to start? I guess with some introductions.

My name is Mike, and for gaming and hobbies, I used the moniker "Steel Thunder" for many years now.

This Blog will be an attempt to capture all of my games and hobbies into one setting. Currently i'm involved in Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Blood Bowl, and starting to get back into the resurgance of Battletech.

A Little about me: I'm a single father, work full time as a firefighter and EMT. I've been involved in gaming in some form or another for over 25 years. I found games as a healthy break from the stresses of everyday reality and also as a format for me to explore my creative side, be it in writing stories, building models, painting, or actually playing the games themeselves.

I started with simple RPGs, my first introduction being into Dungeons and Dragons at the age of 11. We had a "playground leader" at the local park who rallied up about 6-8 of us youngsters into the game. He was a great game master too. His brother had written for Dragon Magazine and he knew his stuff. That was the same time the movie Krull came out. We were all hooked.

Now, some 25+ years later, being a single father and working a swing shift, the time to put into a weekly RPG is pretty much not a possibility any more. In recent years, after becoming a father, a good friend of mine turned me onto table top wargaming. I got my start with Warhammer Fantasy Battles, and started accumulating a lot of Dwarfs.

Eventually I was introduced to Blood Bowl (Best game GW ever made!), and Warhammer 40k. I also play in a weekly RPG using the new GURPS rules in a fantasy setting, done online with friends scattered all over the USA on Sunday evenings.

In recent years, I met up with a great group of people from the Adventurer's Guild in Harrisburg, PA. They run a terrific game store, truly a haven for gamers. From there I got inovlved in a rather serious group of Blood Bowl players that run 2-3 leagues a year and host quite a few tournaments. I've also been paying competetively in Warhammer 40k (Mainly with my orks), and have played in several tournaments in Harrisburg.

Last year, my local friends introduced me to a growing group here in Reading PA, and Berks county: The Berks Warhammer 40K group. Starting with just 4 people, the club is up to around 30 players and growing. We are now hosting tournaments in the local area and growing interest in the locale.

Well, as time permits and I figure how this all works, I will post pictures and links and such on this blog.

As for me, here is a list of games I do play or have played, or have interest getting into:

Current games interest:
* Warhammer 40K (Goff Orks, Cadian Imperial Guard & Space Marines: Lamenters & Salamanders)
* Blood Bowl (5 teams: Dwarf, Chaos Dwarf, Human, Orc, and Chaos Pact)
*Warhammer Fantasy Battles (Dwarfs, and beginnings of Brettonians and Orcs & Goblins)
* Flames of War (WWII mini game) (USA and start of Germany)
* GURPS RPG
* Battletech

Games I used to play (and may again some day)
* Dungeons and Dragons (Forgotten Realms Setting)
* Star Wars RPG (West End Games)
* Rolemaster RPG (Most detailed system out there, I still like it a lot)
* Magic the Gathering CCG (selling off my old collection with help of the Adventurer's Guild)
* Paranoia (Silly and Fun!)
* Talisman board game (GW)
* Axis & Allies (and Fortess America)
* Star Frontiers (I know, dating myself now)
* Marvel Heroes (sold all that off 15 years ago)

Well, that's all I have for now. I will learn how to link my other friends on here and such as I go along with this.