Winding Down 2012

Last year I did a review so I could compare my progress on my painting and gaming output between 2011 and 2012. Blogging, keeping records and setting goals has really helped me keep my lead pile under control, so humor me while I do a little year end bookkeeping.

Pic from Dec 2011: The sum total of my painted ancients at this time last year.

Miniatures Painted: 216 foot and 16 cavalry (28mm), 120 foot (15mm), assorted animals 

Terrain Projects Completed: 8 

That's a big jump over my output from last year, but mostly because I stuck to steady progress throughout the year. With quite a few real life difficulties, painting provided a welcome break from this year's challenges.

Conventions Attended: 2 

I visited a number of the HMGS conventions in the past but my trips were quick affairs where I dropped in, took a look at a few games and picked up some figures from the vendors before heading home. They always proved to be nice day trips, but I never felt compelled to attend for multiple days or even play in any of the games. This year I decided to get involved. Wow, what a difference! Conventions are fun! I've roped one of my game buddies and our families into making multiple convention trips per year, and I finally have a third member of our group and his wife booked for our trip to Historicon this year. I think these gaming conventions are going to be a feature of our family's yearly plans for a long time to come.

Games Played: 7 

Here's the one area I'm hoping to improve on in the coming year. I like painting, but gaming is where this hobby changes from a solo pursuit to something that becomes a shared experience. I don't laugh out loud when I paint by myself, but I do so frequently when I'm rolling dice and pushing little lead men around. There's always a sense of satisfaction in finishing off a unit, or discovering a new period, but the real joy in this hobby comes from actually spending time with friends and family while you play. With our busy lives I'm really hoping to get in at least one game per month in 2013.

Goals for 2013

I've got five main periods I'm working on at the moment. I was sorely tempted to pull the trigger on even more projects during the holiday sales this year, but I made my Willpower saving throw and resisted expanding into X-Wing, Bolt Action or Dux Britanniarum.

Ancients: I've been slowly adding to my Carthaginian army for quite a while, using the Gauls as the core to play against my Caesarian Romans.  I've been reluctant to pick up their Republican opponents because I want to commit to a single manufacturer and I'm waiting to see what Victrix has lined up for their plastic Republican Romans.

Beating them to the punch has been Warlord, who have their own Late Republic Romans ready for release in the next few months. With a few units of Wargame Factory's Romans under my belt I might stick to that later period to be able to game Caesar's battles against the Gauls and the civil wars against Pompey. I've got a dream of doing a hypothetical battle of Octavian vs. Mark Antony and Cleopatra on land rather than their historical sea borne confrontation.

In any case, I've got about one and half division per side for Hail Caesar. I'd like to double this to three divisions per side to get a little closer to playing the rules as they are written.

Dark Ages: I've just started dabbling in the dark ages with SAGA. With two points of vikings painted up and four points of Normans atop the lead pile, it shouldn't be too difficult to get the two sides to 4 points each and on the table this year.

World War II in 15mm: Spurred by our games of Fireball Forward at the HGMS shows, my pal Mike and I are working on some WWII forces in 15mm. We both have the cores of our eastern front armies painted up, so progress on this will largely be focused on getting some armor and terrain ready.

Sci-Fi: I have a set of rules I've been working at periodically for years. They are a pet project, but I'd love to get my notes pulled together into a final format simply so I can stop being bothered by their  unfinished state.

Fantasy: There is a big box of Reaper Bones headed my way this March. I'd love to get them all painted up within a year of receiving them, but with my wife and I trying to sell our house this spring, that might not feasible. We also have a large scale fantasy wargame we've been thinking of playing that I was hoping we could get up and running by this summer.

A Message to Games I Won't Be Playing 

No Bolt Action, I will not be tempted by your wide range of plastics. No Perry Brothers, I'm not going to buy your ACW plastics nor your highly detailed War of the Roses line. No Fireforge, I've heard the rumors that you'd be releasing muslim opponents for your Crusaders, and while I have every intention of starting a pair of 1st Crusades armies, it won't be this year. Absolutely not, Post Apocalyptic warbands. I see you beckoning me from the Chicago Skirmish games, and I know you've got Mad Max 4 currently in production, but no. It's not going to happen. My willpower is strong. Please stop batting your eyelashes at me.  Please.