A quick thanks to everyone who pops in here from time to time and reads some of this stuff.
As 2024 crosses into 2025, a good level of both boardgaming and figure gaming from last year, should continue into 2025, though with some evolution.
Main themes of 2024
Painting figures was a dominant activity over 2024 and in truth, has been at the cost of some gaming, but I know that if the discipline of regular painting is lost, then long periods of not painting at all will likely follow. For 2025, I am going to set a pace of trying to paint daily, which in reality will be 4 - 5 days a week, but at each session, just typically work on laying down two to three colours or do 40 minutes, whichever is the longer. I have been doing this over the last three months and found it a practical way to remain steadily productive. Just staring at the unpainted stash is not going to get anywhere!
The latter part of the year had me working on my 1066 board games that are to be re-printed. I see the early part of 2025 needing some effort to get this project over the line and then post publication, I will need to visit a couple of boardgames forums on a daily basis, looking out for any gamer questions cropping up.
2024 felt a little odd in terms of the dreaded spend and consumerism. The change in direction of some of the collection, both boardgames and figures, did cost quite a bit as new stuff was bought, but this was significantly offset by a goodly amount of selling. I expect some of that to happen in 2025, but on a much smaller scale, with selling perhaps outstripping buying, not necessarily in monetary terms, as I tend to price low to make sure things shift, but rather in clearing out in general, making space and streamlining.
This will likely leave me with a slightly smaller subject range, but with the advantage that each of those subjects becomes more rewarding and familiar as I spend more time with them.
The past year has seen the culmination of a drive that started some five years ago in shifting to series based boardgames and a much reduced collection of figure rules. But I know there is still a bit of scope to tighten that even more in 2025.
I have managed to get the size of boardgame collection down to the smallest that I can ever recall, but what I am left with is the stuff that I really want to spend time with.
Whether that reduction in subject / game diversity impacts upon the interest and value of this site is something that both you and I shall have to decide for ourselves.
2024 also saw a similar slimming down with the terrain collection, which has always been a spaced hogger. A heavy culling, left a smaller collection of what might be thought of as the essentials and of course some of this has involved terrain switching to a smaller scale.
Most of this smaller stuff fits nicely into plastic document boxes that are 1” or 2’ deep, so stacking on shelves has become very efficient and much more controlled.
In the summer the 28mm ACW collection was sold off, as was the large 1/72 (20mm) WWII collection. The intention has been to replace both in a smaller scale, but while that happens, those periods feel very absent from the gaming table.
What to be played in 2025
I expect the year to generally have a solid foundation of old favourites, but that line-up will be refreshed by changes within the collection and a determination to get some unplayed stuff to the table.
The 2024 Christmas Newsletter, has a page that listed games that despite good intentions, have not made the table. The list actually helpfully highlights in one place, where some extra gaming energy can be spent this year by breaking into those games. Several of these games are nostalgia games, reprints of oldies but goodies, so they have already earned a place in the timetable. Perhaps I should think of it as a bucket list of games to play.
The Epic ACW have started coming off the painting sticks in usable numbers and so can fill the void left by the 28mm ACW. Likewise the 10mm / 12mm WWII should start to see company level games reach the table later in the year.
A main theme that I want see done is the battle of Trebbia from the Punic Wars. The deluxe SPQR reprint from GMT has an excellent boardgame scenario from the Great Battles of History series. In addition, I have the Epic Hannibal set from Warlord Games. it is unpainted and will likely remain so through 2025, but I have already put the Trebbia order of battle on temporary bases and so will get that to the table in their unpainted state, as much to settle on what rules to use (likely Hail Caesar) than anything else.
My New Year game is on the table now. It is the Airborne module from the Old School Tactical system, a boardgame playing two linked scenarios dealing with the 1944 para drop at Sainte-Mére-Èglise. Scenario 1 has the transports flying over the board, throwing out sticks of paratroopers, that end up scattered on and around the town. They need to reorganise and press on to attack the town. In the linked second scenario, everything that survived scenario 1 stays on the board. The Americans ‘might’ get some stragglers arriving as reinforcements, but their task is to survive the waves of German counter-attacks arriving in the part II scenario - very enjoyable so far.
Media footprint
The Christmas Newsletter was a fairly big chunk of work and particularly in late November / December, it ate into a lot of spare time. I like the final result, but it has been a lesson or at least a reminder about getting drawn in to spending too much time at the screen at the cost of other things including game related activity, especially figure painting productivity and as such, the experience of doing the Newsletter has put the brakes on me wanting to restart the Battlefields & Warrior blog any time soon, due to the obvious ‘time sink’ nature of it all.
Posting at my Commanders webspace, is proving enough for me for now and is perhaps where I should draw my ‘screen time’ line. In 2025, I will build up the various pages and categories shown in the menu list and then depending on how functional or useful that is, at the end of the year, a decision will be needed as to whether I want to take out another subscription of hosting fees to continue with the site.
I may still use the B&W blog for specific things such as running the Midway campaign that I am considering and perhaps supporting my ACW and Napoleonic rule sets from there with updates, AAR's and design notes and the likes - who knows!
Shows
Staple shows for me typically fall within a radius of 160 miles. I expect to make four in 2025. I might try and give a bit more thought about doing something different at each one. In my minds eye, I will make purchases at a local one and perhaps try to put a demo game on. At another I might get a table to sell and there is another that is very game orientated, so I might just immerse myself in someones game - so perhaps a bit more of a targeted approach.
Changes going into 2025
A likely change to my gaming surrounds some increasing difficulties that I am having with back and consequently leg pain. My longer / bigger boardgames and all figure games are played on a temporary table at which I stand - hence the aggravation to back pain etc.
I like the immersive nature of bigger games, but not the time that they take to get played, so for 2025 I will attempt to pursue the ‘immersive’, but favour the more playable.
This will mean keeping some games set up for two to three days, but just doing a series of short sessions over those days. The number of different games that I therefore get to the table will likely reduce.
Also, to get that sort of ‘big story’ thing of the bigger games, running a campaign of smaller games or at least doing a series of linked games should become a thing.
Secondly, tweaking the collection to have some good playable shorter games is a must and I have some ideas in mind for that. Likewise designing figure scenarios that come in at around 6 or 7 turns would help, which also plays into my favour of liking to build the smaller ‘Pocket Armies’.
I have a few sets of the Epic (small 15’s) sets from Warlord Games and I think they will increasingly feature in the playing lists. Since everything I do has a theme of ‘wargaming in small spaces’, the Epic games may be something that interests those who only game in a domestic setting, with the space limitations that typically come with that.
The Epic might also allow for some smaller games at my dining table .... i.e. no standing!
However ….
Regardless of plans, ideas and potential posts, the main point is, this is a hobby, it is meant for relaxation and pleasure, so whatever the year gives, I will be grateful.
Best Wishes for the New Year and I hope your new project or game plan gets off to a flying start. Norm.
