2014 started okay but anything hobby related faded out by the end of the year. Good intentions gave way to real life and plans / enthusiasm waned.
My major plan was to add to my small amount of terrain, scenery and buildings - I certainly added a few bits but I also bought a lot more (like mdf buildings) that were put together but still remain unpainted.
On the positive side I did get to add to my growing Doctor Who and &TV / 7th Voyage collection (with the help of Robafett and Matt Slade) and got a few good games in too.
So, what did I actually get done?
1) Doctor Who - amazingly I have over 200 minis painted now, including a lot of character models, Daleks, Robomen plus a horde of Sea Devils!
2) 7TV / 7th Voyage - another batch of about 30 painted for 7TV plus 40 or so Greeks and monsters painted (by Robafett) for 7th Voyage. I also have started on about 20 skeletons ('Hydras Teeth') but stalled after the first wash. At least we played a test game 'Harpy Kill' with some of Robs figures.
3) Gladiators - intended to paint a few Gladiator and ended up with over 20. Not been used in anger yet...
4) Terrain / scenery / buildings etc - though I have a few bits and bobs done I really need to concentrate on finishing this. About 20 buildings but only another 4 completed. Did buy some nice roads from the Flames of War range and plenty of trees!
5) A Fistful of Kung Fu - picked up the rules and the full set of figures, lovely they are too! No games played due to lack of appropriate terrain but the monks did get used in a game of In Her Majesty's Name.
As far as other plans go I managed to paint some more Vikings but they are still languishing in a box with no bases. I prepped and based a few more Darkest Africa minis and added to the lead pile with a stack more for 7TV - I am addicted it seems, despite not playing a single 7TV game all year...
No zombie gaming, no fantasy and we never got to play Strange Aeons either but we did at least get a few WWII games in using the Chain of Command ruleset. Write ups over at our WWII blog A Project Too Far.
Best discovery of the year has to be In Her Majesty's Name - a set of 'steampunk' style skirmish wargames rules set in the late Victorian period, but not the one our current history remembers but the 1895 envisaged by Jules Verne, H.G Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, H Rider-Haggard and Rudyard Kipling.
We managed a few games of this and great fun it is too. Despite not having any specific miniatures for it (yet) we we easily able to dig out my Darkest Africa stuff to stand in.
1) Pulp - picked up the Pulp Alley rules and they really look great. Good narrative style play and lots of material and support online. Also bought a stack of pulp suitable miniatures, some from the Blue Moon Egypt set and some from Artizan ages ago during a Northstar sale. Just added even more to this since Northstar picked up the Pulp Figures licence. Exciting stuff!
2) Greek Myth / 7th Voyage - ideally want to actually play more of this now I have the figures painted! Got a few bits of suitable terrain and this has some of our lot interested, so should be a go. Robafett is also very into this and has a load of Sinbad types painted up.
3) More Doctor Who and 7TV - of course!
4) More IHMN - maybe even buy a few more specific figures to represent the Companies I have already written up.
5) Finish my Dark Age / Vikings - base up the last lot painted and one day get around to painting the rest of the civilians and animals I have.
6) Finish my Stargate stuff - maybe even run a game? No idea on the rules yet...
As far as new projects go, it will probably be all about Pulp Alley.
Rob and I picked up Lion Rampant, which is generating a lot of good press, so that could be a distraction. Also bought the 7th Voyage add-on, Once and Future.
No doubt Rob will run a couple of his legendary Wild West games (hopefully!)
I am still tempted with Zombies, which are a real passion of one of my wargaming buddies. I keep promising him...or maybe some Vlad's Army?
Still in the horror vein, I recently picked up the very interesting Witchfinder General rules from Dashing Dice Games. Its not really my period but having picked up some Warlord 'clubmen' and a few musketeers for running a Doctor Who game (based on 'The Visitation') I could well be tempted to add some relevant figures plus a few more beasties to go with my growing collection of werewolves.
More Crooked Dice links here as the figures would also be suitable with the 7th Voyage add-on, The Witching Hour, also purchased!
I also would like to get around to finally trying out Strange Aeons...the new edition will probably be out by the time we get around to this!
Once again, the main aim will be to try to actually PLAY more games.
Best wishes to you all.
M
