2012 - Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Well another year has come and gone and it's time to reflect on what I managed to get done this year and what I hope to accomplish in 2013.

It was a great year for completing projects for me...not that all of the projects that were finished were done entirely by me, but still it's nice not to have to worry about them any longer.  The projects that I now consider completed include: my 28mm Mitanni, 28mm ACW Confederates, 15mm Polish 1st Armored, 15mm Polish 10th Mechanized Brigade, and Mike's 28mm Republican Romans.  In addition, I purchased a couple of painted armies that add to my available forces:  15mm Polish 1st Parachute Brigade & 15mm Sassanid Persians.  All in all, 2012 was the best hobby year I've had in the past 5 as far as basing and painting figures goes.  I hope I can keep this momentum up in 2013!

As for games, Flames of War was probably my most played game in 2012.  I played some one-off games, but also participated in several local tournaments which I enjoyed.  I hope that the tournaments keep occuring on a regular schedule in 2013.  I also played games of Might of Arms (15mm Ancients), Clash of Empires (28mm Ancients), Napoleon's Battles (15mm Napoleonics), Command and Colors Ancients (both the boardgame as well as with 28mm figures), Black Powder (28mm ACW), Action Front (28mm ACW), SAGA (28mm Dark Ages) and Combat Commander: Pacific (great boardgame).   Wow, that's a lot of games!  I hope that I can continue to play a good variety of games on a frequent basis in the coming year.

2012 also saw the end (with one exception) of my gaming GW games.  I still enjoy Warmaster and will continue to play it, but going into 2012 Lord of the Rings had been my main GW game.  I enjoyed it a lot, but the new army books they put out and the price increases associated with Finecast and repackaging the figures, let alone the new Hobbit price increases just ended it for me.  Maybe I played it too often and just got burned out, but strangely I don't feel that way  about Flames of War, even with them constantly updating army books; I think the game and the company (GW) just ran it's course with me...I sold off all of my LOTR stuff and I'm done.

Looking ahead to 2013 I hope to complete some more projects with 28mm ACW Union being my first priority followed by 15mm Marian Romans, 28mm Andalusians & 28mm Byzantines.  I may had a couple of regiments of 28mm ACW Confederates to round out Kershaw's Brigade, but that is not a top priority.  I am in the planning stages for a 15mm Late War German infantry force and am looking forward to the Early War Eastern Front books for Flames of War.  Also, several of the locals are talking about doing Napoleonics in 28mm for Black Powder; I believe I'll be contributing to this effort.  I would also like to give Hail Caesar a try, either in 15mm or 28mm...

Lastly, I continue to search for a stand-alone project that I can do on my own...I still have some ideas, but like last year I have not committed to anything.  10mm Pike & Shotte for Eastern Europe or Thirty Years War, modifying Bolt Action for WWI or Russo-Polish War or Alternate WWI, The Great War for WWI, and 10mm Lord of the Rings for Warmaster are all on my list of possibilities at the moment...let's see what 2013 brings!