We have winners!

Ladies and gentlebeings, we have winners, and I'm happy to say that each winner was able to receive his or her first choice from among the prizes.

The winners are:

· MARS: Finn Morgan

· Lost World: Michael Morales

· Old Blighty: myincubliss

If these goodly readers will comment below and tell me how to best get in touch with them, I can begin making shipping arrangements.

And, of course, the big winner was me, because I got to share with you the joy I feel in sharing this hobby and this blog with you. You are all wonderful people, and some of you have become my dear friends over the years.

Additionally, I was floored by the generosity of Andrew Taylor at Antediluvian Miniatures. When I was messaging with him on Facebook about the great quality of the minis I'd ordered for the Lost World prize, he volunteered to add in the Megalosaurus and the Iguanadon models for the winner. Thank you again, Andrew.

I don't know about you, but I hope that says something about the reputation of this blog (and its writer.) It feels, to me, that it really acknowledges that we've reached the next level and can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best gaming blogs out there. "Dispatches from the Rim" is a niche publication for sure, covering steampunk skirmish wargaming, the occasional zombie infestation, and whatever else bright and shiny attracts my attention, but now I feel our quality can compare favorably with the blogs out there that inspire me ... like Vampifan's World of the Unded, like Hendybadger's Tales of a Tabletop Skirmisher, and even ones that came along after I started, like Gordon's "I have wrought my simple plan." I am so proud to be among their company.

The contest brought in new readers and, while we didn't break the 100 mark for public followers, we got darn close. 97! Woo hoo!

I also got to find out more about the international reach of the blog. Most of my readers are in the U.S. and U.K., with a strong contingent in New Zealand and a pocket in Poland, but it was really nice to here more from Europe, with new readers in France, Belgium and Sweden.

Thank you all for enjoying this ride with me, for the many compliments about the blog's content, for the birthday wishes and for granting me your time and attention in this oh-so-busy world when you could be doing other things.

OK, that's it for now. Back to the boards, everyone, and I'll see you across the table soon.