2013 - Looking Back; Looking Ahead

Well 2013 is now in the rear-view mirror and it's time for the obligatory year-end review of what I did gaming-wise for the year as well as what the Magic 8-ball is predicting for 2014.  I entered 2013 with increased optimism that I'd have another great year painting, like my 2012.  As you can see by the numbers to the left, that didn't happen.  Not to make excuses, but I did a significant remodel/make-over of 3 rooms in our house that stretched over close to 4 months; when I was done I just couldn't get back into the groove of painting.  I hope to change that this year.

I played over 50 games in 2013; averaging just about one a week.  I think this was a positive for me.  It cut into my painting time, but aren't we part of the wargaming hobby to play games?  So that's a success.  I played games of: Flames of War, Might of Arms (15mm Ancients), Command and Colors Ancients (both the boardgame as well as with 28mm figures), Black Powder (28mm ACW), SAGA (28mm Dark Ages), Combat Commander: Pacific & Europe (great boardgames), Hail Caesar (15mm & 28mm Ancients), Pike & Shotte (15mm), and one game of Bolt Action.   I think this shows how wide my interests are; I will continue to play these games into 2014.

I still have my Warmaster Orc army, but it didn't see the table in 2013.  As I do have space constraints this army and game is "under review" as to whether I'm going to keep it around.

Looking ahead into 2014, I still have many projects to complete.  In 15mm I have: 1) additions to my Flames of War Germans including an early war Panzer Kompanie and miscellaneous late war units (I'm just adding more so I can have options when I compose my armies); 2) an English Civil War Scottish army that I'll use for Pike & Shotte (completely unpainted); 3) a Polish army for Pike & Shotte (again, unpainted); and 4) a few additions to my 15mm Sassanid force.  My "to do list" in 28mm is much more extensive: 1) reconfiguring my 28mm armies (Vikings, Successors, Mitanni, Poles) to be used in Hail Caesar (including new sabot bases and adding figures/units if necessary); 2) completing my Byzantines and Andalusians, again for Hail Caesar (basing, horses and spears to do along with possibly adding figures and units); 3) Italian Paratroopers for Bolt Action (this is my first force I'm painting for this game); 4) Napoleonic Prussians for Black Powder (part of a group project - I have some of the figures for a full brigade but likely won't get to this until late spring at the earliest); 5) Soviets for Bolt Action (I got into the Kickstarter run by Baker Company and will be getting my force in bulk in April when it is complete.  Initial pictures I've seen have me very optimistic about this line and that company will be running a Balkans Kickstarter sometime in April, so I look forward to that.); and 6) 2 more regiments of Confederates for Black Powder (finishes up Kershaw's Brigade).

So that's quite the list...lets see if I can make more progress on it in 2014 than I did in 2013!

Oh, and I still continue to search for a stand-alone project that I can do on my own (build both sides and put on games for my friends). I have a project I'm leaning towards, but haven't fully committed to it.  When/if I commit to it, I'll post about it.