2022 Yearly Review

 Hi!

Well here we are in a new year and I wanted to take a quick look back to see how I got on and what I hope to do in the new year!

Figures Painted

Well looking at my handy chart, I managed to complete 128 miniatures this year across several scales which isn't too bad, even if quite a few were tiny trooper scale.

Possibly my favourite miniature project of the year was to get the Havok miniature starter set painted which I almost completed as I still have the Karn Battleform to paint but I've been really pleased with how the miniatures painted up and how pleasingly Rogue Trader they are in style too!

I do want to get the last of the figures painted up this year so I can repeat my achievement of the other year and an entire starter set painted up like I did with Deadloque. I'd also like to take another look at the Nexus rebels Battleform to add some doodads and decals to give him a bit more interest to the paintjob.

My tiny troops were an unexpectedly popular addition to my collection and have allowed me to play out test games of rulesets I've had kicking around for years but never had enough figures to make a go of before.

Looking forward to 2023, I think I'd like to try and make some more of them including vehicles and possibly make a tiny troop version of 2nd edition 40k or Fantasy Battle to allow me to scratch the larger battles itch without having to spend a fortune to collect the figures or indeed an eternity to actually paint them all up!

I'm also keen to keep on going with my Rogue Trader alternative Imperium project which has been bubbling away for years now and keep painting up more random figures to include in games of Planet 28.

I really enjoyed painting up the Ramshackle Games Giggles Clan that Curtis kindly sent me and I'd really like to get the rest of them done over the course of the year as the Giggles are such a characterful force and really pleasant to paint as they've such fun sculpts.

I also managed to get some more doodads sculpted up for my Rangers of Shadow Deep SD scale project in the form of some loathsome Zombies:

I'm desperate to get some more stuff sculpted up and painted so I can play past the first couple of scenarios as it looks like a fun campaign to throw my Boar Company into the action somewhere on the border but as with so many projects, I flit from one to the other without managing to complete them but possibly 2023 will see more successes!

Games Played

Looking at my chart, I played 47 games using six system but I suspect its closer to 70 if I included all the mini solo rpg sessions I played so it has actually been a really good year for gaming as I've found the definitive ruleset for my core gaming in the form of Nick Evans Planet 28 and Brutalquest. 

They are both great rule systems that focus on small warbands and require a handful of figures to play some really memorable games, most notably with Inquisitor Fishers retinue setting off on a quest to recover an ancient archeotech artefact somewhere in the Farpoint system but also Fael the barbarian having an epic adventure on Aeroth.

I've found the use of these little rulebooks incredibly inspiring as I've found myself drawing lots of characters to include in games and it has been a great way to combine my enjoyment of wargaming and drawing and sculpting to make the most of my hobby!

That's not to say that I only plan on using them as I've got a literal plethora of other gubbins that I either want to play more in the coming year or picked up during 2022 and didn't get the chance to do much with. I've got Colostle which I've really enjoyed and have already mentioned Rangers of Shadow Deep but I also picked up Five Parsecs and Five Leagues from Modiphius in October and am keen on giving them a try or at least using their campaign system to add some intrigue into my ongoing campaigns.

I've also been bitten with the solo RPG bug and have absolutely loved the simplicity and countless adventures my bodged rulebook collection and stack of Rorys Story Cubes has set me off on and foresee me playing lots more in the not too distant future as while it's not as visually pleasing to put together as my miniature skirmishes, it's been such a simple way to play lots of really enjoyable games.

Plans for 2023

While I've got tons done in the first three quarters of 2022, a new job has taken up the all the hobby time of the last three months while we went through the silly season and an absolute ton of work to get ready for it but the new year will see me able to once again get some much needed relaxation and hobby shenanigans so what do I see myself doing?

First and foremost, I suspect that I'm going to be concentrating on either 28mm or my own sculpts moving into the future. I have been humming and hahing about it for quite some time now but I think that while painting 15mm scale can be quite a cost effective way of putting together forces, it seems to lack the character that I'm aiming for in my small skirmish games (knowing me I'll promptly do an about face on this at some point in the future!). Instead I will be concentrating on a couple of settings and trying to really delve into two campaigns.

The first campaign will be following the exploits of Inquisitor Fisher. I did plan on continuing the Farpoint campaign but I got a copy of Death in the Throneroom, the mini campaign for Planet 28 2nd edition which I'm really keen to get up and running.

By combining my solo RPG with an assortment of other gubbins I plan on creating several factions and playing out the campaign over 2023. This will require me to put together four new warbands and an assortment of Dramatis Personae as well as terrain but I'm really looking forward to the challenge, especially as it will be rolled up into my Farpoint one to boot!

I'll be drawing up stuff and posting it fairly regularly as well as attempting to complete one sculpt a week to add to my collection and bring some of the characters to life which is going to be tons of work but should also be great fun too.

 

The second campaign will be on Aeroth and feature Fael and co who will be getting their own miniature representation as I start delving into adventure somewhere on the border.

This is going to be a bit of a slow burn project as I want to get the Planet 28 one up and running first but I'm really keen to get to work on fleshing out the setting and introducing new adventurers to my collection. Some of the campaign will be miniature based skirmishes while others will be purely pen and paper sessions but it will allow me to keep myself entertained during the year and hopefully provide enough variety to keep me motivated and inspired to get it all done!

I also hope to be able to get back into the swing of posting up here regularly a couple of times a week rather than my somewhat erratic posts of the last year but we shall see how I get on! 

I hope everyone has had a fantastic new year and thank you so very much for reading my jibber jabber over the years and in the meantime, All the best!

Richard