As another year draws towards a close, once again it's time to take stock of what has been a rather funny old year on the gaming front. As always things kicked off with plenty of good intent, but then my mojo simply went South for much of the year, returning for a brief spell in late Summer with a burst of activity, followed by another fallow period. Multiple reasons why which I won't bore you with!
So a bit of a more detailed view of the year as follows:
Rules Bought
Xenos Rampant
Lion Rampant 2nd Edition
I had no intention of buying any new rulesets this year, but more on that later. However any of the new 'Rampant' books by Dan Mersey et al are rather hard to pass up, so I treated myself to these two.
Wargaming Books Bought
Storming Eagles - German Airborne Forces in WWIIDestination Dunkirk - The BEF in France
The Anarchy - The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
Case Red - The second campaign in France 1940
Osprey Kos & Leros
1809 Thunder on the Danube Vols II & III
Armies of the Italian Risorgimento
BKC Korean War supplement
Osprey War of the Roses Essential Campaigns
When Titans Clash - The Soviet Union in WWII
Airifx Ancients Wargaming Guide
World Uniforms and Battles 1815-1850
Osprey Peleliu 1944
As is the norm these day, a real pot pourri of books as you can see. Some were bought for my planned France 1940 Campaign, others for general reading and some for future plans and campaigns. The only disappointing purchase was the Kos & Leros book, as whilst it contained lots of good info, it was a really hard read and there was too much detail, so that it was hard to follow the events. Sometimes less is more.
Miniatures Bought
WWII German additions
WWII Soviet additions
WWII Refugees
Sci Fi Aliens
ACW Confederate & Union Army Packs
A quiet year on the purchases front, with most stuff bought to flesh out existing forces, with the exception of the ACW ones. These are for future ImagiNations forces, but I see these seeing the light of day some years hence.
Miniatures Painted
German WWII Infantry Battalion and Support
German Early WWII Armoured Cars
ImagiNations 18thC India
A better year on the painting front I feel, with a burst of activity in the early part of the year and then another in the build up to the Cotswold Wargames Day. The latter with hindsight felt too rushed, as whilst a deadline is good, it did feel too much like work rather than hobby painting.
Terrain Made
Paddy Fields
Jungle
Despite my best intentions, only terrain for the 18thC India game at the CWD made it onto and off the workbench.
Projects
BKCII France 1940 Campaign
Leros type Campaign
East India Company 18thC Forces
German mid-19thC ImagiNations Force
A year that began with many ideas, but only one was finished, or at least to a level that I could play a game with! Sadly the others withered on the vine.
Games Played
BPII - 2
Honours of War - 4
WRG 1925 - 1950 Rules - 1
Shadow of the Eagles - 3
Wavre Campaign - 1
Abensberg to Wagram - 2
BKCII - 1
The Dragon's Lament - 1
BPII & OHW Scenario 11: Surprise Attack. |
BPII & OHW Scenario 12: An Unfortunate Oversight |
HoW & OHW Scenario 13: Escape |
WRG Rules Poland 1939 |
Shadow of the Eagles |
Landshut 1809 |
Hausen Teugn 1809 |
India 1755 |
India 1755 |
India 1755 |
France 1940 |
Forest of Dean 1685 |
Wargames Shows Attended
IPMS Avon Show
Colours
Cotswold Wargames Day
At least I managed to attend some shows this year, with the CWD being the highlight. Colours would have been better had it not been the hottest day of the year, making it a test of endurance for all involved!
End of Year Thoughts
I make notes of games played etc as the year progresses, so it's always rather interesting for me to look back and reflect upon various aspects of the hobby. It certainly has been a year for introspection and thinking about what I want from the hobby and how best I can go about achieving it. So in no particular order:
- Like many gamers, this year I've taken stock of the figures I have, the periods I want to play and the rulebooks I have. Simply put I have too much and have spread myself too thinly. As has been mentioned before, I have started to have a serious cull on the rules and figures front, which has already been very cathartic. I still have plenty to do and I'm not sure if much of it will be bought. If not a trip to the charity shop will be in order or I will simply give stuff away.
- Ruleswise I am sticking to Honours of War for my 18thC games, Black Powder II for the 19thC and BKCII for WWII. This will make it much easier to keep track of things so to speak when playing games, so I can spend time on play rather than my nose in the rulebook. They are also solo friendly, something that is very important for my games, given most are like this.
- Skirmish games, aside from the 'Rampant' stable, are going. I keep thinking I will enjoy say some WWII Bolt Action games, but in truth I will not, as I much prefer Battalion sized actions and above. The 'Rampant' games will sit nicely for quick 'petite guerre' actions that fit in with the narrative of 18th & 19th games and campaign. Also having the same engine and having playtested many of them, they are easy to pick up after some time away. Importantly they are FUN!
- Having decided to focus on core periods, I need to do the same for the relevant forces. So many got the playable stage and then I moved on to other projects, leaving them in limbo somewhat. I'm also trying to focus on one period, so for example France 1940 or Normandy 1944, to see that I need to prioritise on the painting front to add those small units I've been meaning to finish for years, such as 17pdr ATG's or some German SPG's.
- For years now I've much preferred Campaigns, to one off games, as I find them so much more enjoyable. Not only from the games point of view, but from doing the research into OOB, the terrain etc, something that can be done when painting or terrain making is simply not an option. Whether this will be a WWII one or something different such as the Camberwick Green one, I will enjoy both equally as much.
- Terrain wise I need to spend some time making a few more things, such a fields and woods, as well as BUA's. Also I need to focus on various buildings that I have that have been in storage for too long and need to get painted and onto the table. All of this will tie in with the project that I will be working on for a campaign etc. The aim is to try and maintain focus across all aspects of the hobby.
- Time is a precious commodity as we all know and is something that is oft in short supply in my role as a parent/carer. This really impacts my hobby time in multiple ways which would take too long to explain here and would probably bore most of you to death! With the aim of the clearout and focusing on core periods, I'm hobby those moments of time that I can spend on the hobby can be better spent than they have this year.
- Screen time is oft talked about as a waste that could be better spent at the painting table etc. But whilst this is very true and something I agree with, in my role as a parent/carer, it is a precious window on the wider gaming World and a way of vicariously enjoying our wonderful hobby when I don't have the time to experience it myself.
- Storage has been an on going issue for sometime, both for figures and for terrain. SWMBO has been wonderfully tolerant but it has come to the point that it needs addressing. Even with the clear out that is underway, it is remarkable how much space it all takes up. Fortunately our daughter has moved out as shw is workign in London, so I can utilise her room for a bit whilst I figure out the best way to address this issue. Figures are pretty well sorted into A4 box files, but the terrain storage needs some more thought as well as organising in a more coherent way.
- Vlogging versus Blogging. This year I have started to watch a few Youtube Vloggers, which can make a nice break during the day, around a time I try and spend watching tv on my own. Whilst interesting for the most part, I can't but help think that much of the content would have been quicker to type and post with some photos (and certainly read) compared to all the post editing etc required. Whilst I will carry on watching, for me the real enjoyment if the written (or typed) word.
- Wargames Shows wise, whilst I enjoy attending to get inspiration etc, I doubt very much that I will buy much whilst I'm there, other than used books, given my focus on core periods with figures that I already have. So whilst my individual non-purchasing will have little impact, I do wonder how many gamers attend but don't buy and obviously what impact this will have on the future for our Wargames Shows.
Looking Forward to 2024
So what plans for next year? I'm never one to make New Resolutions, but a few aims are below:
- Complete the cathartic clearout on the figures and rules front.
- Focus on campaigns which in turn will allow for the painting etc to follow suit.
- Play more games which naturally will link in with the above.
- Try and get more FtF games in with friends.
- Explore the Pacific War in more detail with the aim to possibly gaming it one day. Plans are already underway for a smallish USMC force from Pendraken.....
- Carry on Blogging!
Well I think that's it for this year's review. Time to go and do some other gaming related activity or maybe even a walk, if we can dodge the torrential downpours we've been having!
So it just remains for me to wish you all a Happy New Year!
TTFN.