Somewhat of a paraphrase in the title of the post and a bit different to my usual 'Of Mice And Men', one I'd not come across before to be honest, but rather apt I thought! With plenty of time to think things over during the Xmas break, which is always good, and with the house clear and SWMBO back to work, my vague thoughts and aims that could be said to be plans, can be found below, in no particular order.
The Lead Mountain Reduction
I did manage to have the first stab at seeing what I wanted to keep and what would in all likelihood never see the light of day and so could be put into the to be disposed of pile, which was very cathartic and certainly freed up quite a bit of space within the games room. Roughly speaking I'm keeping the following:
- WWII British, Germans, Italians, US Paras, British Paras, Russians, USMC & Japanese.
- Mid-19thC European ImagiNations Forces.
- 18thC ImagiNations Forces.
- Commission Figurines Red & Blue Forces.
- Generic Early-Mid Medieval Forces.
These pretty much cover my main gaming periods and ones that I really enjoy playing, so naturally I want to focus on these first and foremost. This is not to say it was easy to 'discard' other planned forces and projects, such as WWII Poles and French, but even though I love their AFVs and camo schemes and was tempted to keep a small force, they just needed to go. A hard but necessary decision I think, famous last words!
Aside from freeing up space, it also has allowed me to have greater focus on these core periods, starting with trying to tie up all those lose ends for my WWII British, Germans and Italians. Being able to have everything in one place and a drawer for each, has made it so much easier to see what I have and to figure out a painting schedule. Being able to see the positive effects of this sort out has been great.
Books
Having to have to have a bit of a tidy up before the family descended for Xmas, meant I really had to take a long and hard look at all the books I have, especially the ones in the 'to read' pile, which has grown somewhat in the past year. The aim for this year therefore is to be much more selective in what I buy and so far it has worked, with myself even resisting some incredible bargains in the Naval & Military Press sale, trying to focus on books I need rather than those I might want. Time will tell on this of course, but having made the conscious decision, it does feel somewhat liberating if I'm honest.
Rules
Having had some core rules for many years now (BKCII, BPII, HoW, HCII, The Rampant series), I can't see myself being tempted by anything new and flashy, given that 'Midgard' that I bought around Xmas 2024 has not even been read! Some rules will be offloaded to friends, some sold and anything that cannot be shifted will go to the charity shops or for recycling. Long over due for sure and as mentioned many times this past year or so, it makes it so much easier when planning and playing games. Less is more.
Campaigns and Games
This will be very much a continuation of recent years, with the focus being on some narrative campaigns, around 3-5 games long, alongside those off one-off ones and scenarios from the OHW book. Ideas currently are too:
- Finish the French-Canadian Normandy campaign.
- Greece 1940-1941 is calling me in some shape or form.
- An island invasion a la Leros has been on the cards for years, so it would be nice to get this played. Malta is also an idea, once I've read the book I bought last year.
- Sicily & Italy is very much a focus for me at present, with some ideas floating in the background, with a narrative campaign and a fictional 'D-Day Dodgers' force fighting from 1943 onwards.
- Another 'Winerschnitzel Kreig' campaign would be good, once I'm tired of WWII and need a break, plus it will push me towards finishing som emore units, which would of course be a good thing.
Terrain
I have nothing major planned on this front, other than trying to finish of the many BUAs I have in progress, as well as adding and upgrading some of my fields and woods. These will fit in as and when time and motivation allow.
Painting Studio
Currently all of my painting and terrain making etc is mainly done on the kitchen table, which is naturally not always available. This stop-start approach is obviously not ideal, so it occured to me during the pre-Xmas tidy up in the games room, to simply set up my painting station there for most of the year, only moving it out during the Summer when it simply gets too hot in there. this will hopefully increase my painting output, as I can simply walk in, sit down and paint, whenever the Muse is upon me, without all the hassle that is currently involved. I'm looking forward to seeing how this works and if it makes any difference or not. Fingers crossed!
Social Media & Blogs
As touched upon in my previous post, I'm trying to cut down on the former and keep on with the latter, but without the pressure I was putting myself under to produce something on a fairly regular basis. So far this has worked and I've seen an increase in my reading, rather than sitting in front of a screen, which is exactly what I wanted! Alongside this I'm hoping to see a positive impact upon my painting and gaming too. So far, so good.
Well, I think that pretty much covers most things. As always, thanks for reading and any comments greatly appreciated!
All the remains is to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
TTFN.
