Albion Archives - Museum of Photocopies

PINS Rule fifty-four: The End of the Game

Nowt to say here, but plenty to say over there. Until next time, that is, when we get the players out of the box for more PINS.

A photo of a Polaroid photo of a place, no longer in the game.

A photo of a book of a person, no longer in the game.

A photo of a book showing a game, no longer in play.

A photo of a book recording many games, long since played.

A photo of a Polaroid photo of another place, no longer in the game.

Dreams that could have started a game, but didn’t.

PINS – Rule Fifty-two: Resurrection

It’s a pain that you have to resurrect a game of PINS after the pieces have been put away, especially if you are using Clash of Empires pieces with their attractive cardboard counters showing Hapsburg and Prussian units. But that’s life and you are used to its irritations. You may have passed out in a creche at an afternoon jazz club – after drinking with an old Polish fellow -but you’ll get up and carry on, like you did here!

A photograph of a pen and ink drawing on very thin paper showing what to do when you need to come back from a fallen state. Remember your past glories as a nearly-man in football, or toy with your dad’s old mills bomb. It’ll be reet with PINS…

A photograph of a pen and ink drawing on very thin paper showing what to do when you need to come back from a fallen state. Remember to not wear one brown show and one black, to school . It’ll be reet with PINS…

A photograph of a pen and ink drawing on very thin paper showing what to do when you need to come back from a fallen state. Remember to line up those Prussian grenadiers and the Britains pengiun. It’ll be reet with PINS…

PINS – Rule Forty-nine: Don’t be Daft

This rule tells you what to do when you’re exasperated by your partner leading the wrong Do down the club, a double nine! they’re daft.

A photograph a screenshot from a 1970s Estonian film, taken by an iPhone pointed at a TV screen; one that is ripe for photocopying in the correct circumstances and using the correct paper (we suggest a coloured variety). These are daft because tha’ doesn’t know what’s goin on and you can make owt up.

PINS – Rule Forty-eight: Panic

You’ve missed the bus and you are stuck in Rossendale until daybreak, a good reason to panic. Not to worry, PINS details some instances of panic here, and gives you a number of solutions for such scenarios.

A photo of a line illustration for Punch from the 1906 annual. It shows a scene that imparts a sense of unease, maybe panic. What are the goggled men doing driving through London? The curator spent an awful lot of time as a young boy pondering such illustrations. They’ll make good photocopies.

A photo of a line illustration for Punch from the 1906 annual. It shows a scene that imparts a sense of unease, maybe panic. The soldier, a Scots Grey, has had his hoss swiped by a dastardly type in tweeds and a Tam O’ Shanter. What will happen? The curator spent an awful lot of time as a young boy pondering such illustrations. They’ll make good photocopies.

A photo of a line illustration for Punch from the 1906 annual. It shows a scene that imparts a sense of unease, maybe panic. What are the pigs doing on the golf course and who is the man? The curator spent an awful lot of time as a young boy pondering such illustrations. They’ll make good photocopies.

PINS – Rule Forty-seven: On Leave / RnR

PINS needs its units to get some RnR before they can carry on. Being on leave can be very surprising, mind and can get you into all sorts of scrapes. You can read about all that kind of kerfuffle here.

A heavily filtered photo of one of a set of porcelain plates depicting kittens. Part of the Kitten Classics series made in fine bone china by Royal Worcester Crown Ware, England, the plates were strictly limited to a 14 day firing period. Originally on a wall in Felling, Tyne and Wear, thence to a lincrusta wall in East Lancashire, the kittens now get their RnR in the province of Zuid Nederland. They’ll make good photocopies.

PINS – Rule Forty-six: Bunkum

Sometimes people can be plain ignorant and not understand how important it is to compile the rules for PINS. They take a lot of imagination and aren’t the sort of thing everyday folk concern themselves with. That’s why what they say is often bunkum, and you can find out about that here.

A heavily filtered photo of a mediaeval roundel bought in Beverly at the cathedral on a Day Out. Days Out are very much Not Bunkum, as long as you are not in the pub for too long, but the figure depicted in this roundel looks like they could be up for a bit of Bunkum.

PINS – Rule Forty-five: Confusion

Things can be confusing in life, let alone PINS, in which we haven’t even finished the rules yet. Nor will you, with the washing up to do and the compost to put out. It’s all go round here! You can find out about what kinds of confusion can happen if you leave PINS to one side, here.

An unfiltered photograph of a collage using photocopies of a series of photographs of the Curator, taken in Arnhem in December 2023 by his German photographer friend, Nina. Here we see the Curator sending messages using flags that remind him of a plastic Airfix figurine, of a British Tommy from the First World War waving similar flags. Just to make the WW1 connection clear, the Curator has added a Kaiser Bill moustache, in pencil, to his top lip. It’s still confusing.

PINS – Rule Forty-three: Arcs of fire

We need to work out our arcs of fire. The enemy need to be accurately hit, of course. Otherwise they’ll hit you, soft lad. Peruse these images of confusion and also check out this post, and try to avoid similar quandaries when calculating your arc of fire.

A filtered photograph of a collage using photocopies and drawings and clippings from various sources, some photocopied. It shows the Curator in a quandary. He’s trying to work out his arc of fire, because he can’t get through to those he needs to. Maybe he never will.

A filtered photograph of a collage using photocopies and drawings and clippings from various sources, some photocopied. Including a drawing of a short eared owl in flight, bringing messages. The Curator is in a quandary. He’s trying to work out his arc of fire, because he can’t get through to those he needs to. Maybe he never will.

PINS – Rule Thirty-eight: Yet More Manoeuvres

‘Where are we going?’ We don’t know because we are on manoeuvres. And will be all summer, for as long as it rains, any road. Find out more, here. Below are some images that will help you get about, wherever you are.

A photograph of a photocopy of a page from a book called Practical Wargaming from 1971, where the author, unbeknownst to himself, tries to process the trauma and pain of his service thirty years later. You can see the plastic troops photographed, photocopied then photographed again (HOO scale, Airfix) are on manoeuvres.

A photograph of a photocopy of a page from a booklet advertising the delights of Towneley Hall, Burnley, (the road past Hapton, if tha’s askin’). The dog and its owner are on manoeuvres.

A photograph of a photocopy of a page from a booklet advertising the delights of Towneley Hall, Burnley, (the road past Hapton, if tha’s askin’). This family, from 1967, are on manoeuvres down Lime Avenue. This photo, photographed, photocopied then photographed again, must have been taken on a Sunday as that’s what Lancashire did on a Sunday, back then.

PINS – Rule Thirty-four: Danger Zone, Steady Up!

Oh heck, things are getting tricky, the Danger Zone can be an uncertain place full of experienced people who don’t give a damn and maybe you’re not the sort of character who should be there. But this is PINS and PINs is a life we’ve all been through. More Danger Zones are described here. For now, draw your qwayout of trouble, it’s the only way. Don’t be soft!