2025 Review

 Hi!

Well it's been a bit of a year of it with all sorts of real life shenanigans taking centre stage and my hobby being very much crushed into the dirt beneath it for most of 2025 but I seem to be ending on a bit of a high so I thought I'd post my year in review and ponder on some possible challenges for the new year to get my back on track again!

Figures Painted

First up, I managed to paint 116 things ranging from 2mm up to 1:32 and everything from fantasy to Sci-Fi to Historical and Steampunk which is actually surprising considering how naff of a year it's been hobby wise.

While I got stuck in the doldrums in the middle of the year, the last month or so has seen more enthusiasm and success with painting than I've had in ages, even if I've not had much chance post about it so I'm going to take it as a bit of a win.

I've begun my Spruequest challenge and have rather enjoyed putting together the first little warband which seems to have had another figure added to it which had sat unpainted but built in a box for at least the last 12 months! I'll post a complete breakdown of the project as I get the chance as well as the thinking and process behind it but that's a post for another day!

Looking at the painted total, a fair whack of them are small scale but I'll take it as a win none the less at this point so won't complain. Sadly quite a few of the bits and bobs I've painted thus far haven't made it to the point of being photographed but hopefully I'll get chance to remedy this in the new year as I crack on.

Speaking of the new year, I have a few bits and bobs sitting that I'm keen to try painting up but I need to finish my last two Frostrgave soldiers first before I embark on getting them painted up.

Games Played

Sadly I only managed a piddly seven games from three systems this year and they were very hurried sorts of affairs that I threw together on the occasions I had a moment to spare but they're an improvement on 2024 so Huzzah for small wins!

A large part of the problem has been that our spare room has been out of action for a mancave over the year with the spare bed meaning my gaming table was unavailable for extended periods but we have a plan that should see the room emptied and turned into a more usable space in the new year which is very exciting and will hopefully allow me to keep my table up all year and play a lot more games too!

We've also reorganised our living room fairly drastically this year which has allowed me to finally get a small painting desk up and it's been really making its impact known as I can now get up and paint with a proper light first thing for an hour before work rather than while trying to sit on our sofa in the evenings too.

I've also begun working on organising my rulebooks and having a look through the dauntingly large collection of old and largely forgotten games and plan on doing something about breathing some life into them in the new year too with some possibly daft but also fun ideas!

Plans for 2026

Now I had hoped to make a go of 2025 for the year of Leviathan and various other obsessions but it turned out to be a year of not much at all so I'm not wanting to make too much of a fuss about planning ahead but will just potter on painting whatever I find interesting and trying to get back into the swing of things rather than having any great plan and then not managing to make it turn into anything!

Instead I think I'm going to try to just have a bit of fun and paint what I want and aim to beat this year's miniatures painted and games played total and will take it as a win if I do.

In the meantime, thank you to the 178 blog followers, occasional visitors and random passers by who have taken time to read my nonsense! Its lovely to hear from you and thank you for all the support and kind words over a challenging 2025!

All the best!

Richard

Arcadian Adventurers

 Hi!

We've had a busy November which has resulted in a decided lack of posts as work has been busy and we've been working on our flat to get it finally sorted out how we want it (its only taken a decade!) but on the upside, I now have a dedicated workspace in the form of a small desk with all my paints, rulebooks and art materials nearby and have spent the month painting up some anthropomorphic figures my wife kindly picked up for my birthday in October.

Arcadian Adventurers

They're from a well known Chinese website and are 3d printed and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised on how much fun I had painting them all. They stand on 25mm scale bases and simply ooze character and charm and may have changed my opinion on 3d designed and printed figures.

Mighty Eagle and Leopold

I plan on using the figures as part of my GARDENS OF ARCADY setting that I'd been footling about with earlier in the year as I love the rather whimsical nature of the sculpts and think it might be rather fun to paint up some equally strange and charming opposition for them to face off against in the endless gardens, woods and greenhouses of Arcady.

Hannibal and Pooh the Honey Knight

I must admit that before I started painting them I was rather doubtful on ever getting the whole nine done as they're totally different from my usual stuff but by using a limited palette of colours and rather a lot of washes, I found myself really enjoying the process and each seemed to spring to life as I worked on them exuding a charm that I'd really not expected from 3d prints.

Raynard and Typhon

Before I knew it, I'd completed all nine and realised I was looking forward to adding to the collection with more animal adventurers, strange denizens and quirky dangers for them to face. Unexpectedly I seem to have fallen into a mini project that will have some real possibilities for keeping me engaged throughout 2026 which is really exciting and just goes to show that taking a break, picking up something completely different and not stressing about it can really work!

Sir Hootsalot and Snappy Jack

Rules wise, I suspect I'll use Brutal Quest or a slightly modified version of Song of Blades and the games I have planned for them may not all be blood and guts battles but exploration of the world, gathering herbs and dealing with pesky Outlanders.

Bastian the Fieldmouse

I think I'll be putting together a page on the blog dedicated to Arcady too so watch this space... Until then, All the best!