WWII Skirmish

I've finally decided to jump into World War II miniatures. Today I ordered a set of rules (Arc of Fire) and the Skirmish Campaigns book 'Russia '41 - Drive on Minsk. Each Skirmish Campaigns book has ten or so scenarios based on a series of battles from World War II. This one covers Germany's initial entry into Russian territory. I figure I can acquire enough miniatures for each scenario as I go along and not be too overwhelmed by the scope of the war. The sample scenario I downloaded features a handful of tanks, some infantry, and a couple of self-propelled guns on the Russian side and similar numbers on the German side.

I'm not sure what I will do as far as opponents. Idaho seems to be a wasteland when it comes to nerdy hobbies. It's unfortunate that I don't live in the South or near one of the larger cities in Washington or Oregon, where it seems that historical wargamers are plentiful. I suppose I can play them solo until I find an opponent. I remember playing big solo games of Avalon Hill's Squad Leader which usually ended when I accidentally bumped the mapboards and sent all the counters flying. I've been shopping on eBay for a good copy of Squad Leader, but so far I haven't seen one in my price range. I somehow ended up with an extra box of Clanrats I don't really need, so I may sell it on eBay to help with the purchase of the game. I also want to get a copy of Victory in the Pacific, which I played solo a few times. My sister and I once played a full Victory in the Pacific game in the loft of our garden shed as well, probably my only wargaming experience with another person. I was quite young when I had those games and I didn't understand all of the rules, but I still had a lot of fun planning my moves and rolling the dice.

I haven't been very diligent about getting my Night Runners finished up. I am just not inspired by them. I think I was more excited about putting them together than I am about painting them, because they all have unique weapon and armor configurations. I just can't get excited about the painting process.