2017 Year in Review

2017 is in the books. It was great for gaming, but not for miniature games. It was rubbish for painting, mainly because I played almost no miniature games. Work was rewarding but also completely overwhelming for the last half of the year. 

My goals for 2017 were more restrained than some previous years.

1.  I'm happy with the amount of gaming I'm getting in, so more of the same is in order.
2. I'm working on filling out some of my GW armies. I want to find all of the Dwarf units that I don't have, mostly elite infantry, and get some of the hero models as well. I also want to fill out some holes in my LotR armies as those models are getting hard to come by. For 15mm I'd like to get some of the amazing White Dragon models and get them painted.
3. I may pick up a new scale. I'm intrigued with playing some battle tech type combat in 6mm. I need to find rules that give me what I want though. Not too much record keeping but keeping the feeling of mechs/heat etc that make Battletech unique. I'll look at Epic for rules but this will only happen if I can find something that gives me what I'm looking for.
4. The campaign is still a goal for this year. I need the other guys to get their 40K armies out and we need to to get some games of Chain of Command in so that we know the rules. After that playing should be pretty easy (famous last words).
5. Painting. I'm going for the same goal as last year. 300 models and 1500 points.

1. On goal 1 - I gamed even more than in 2016, so that was a success. Only three of those games were miniature games, 6mm sci-fi with home brew rules. I played a total of 127 games though. I played 44 board games, 58 role playing sessions and 22 card games - almost all Star Wars Destiny which was a surprise hit this year. In 2016 I played 107 games, so last year was a great improvement and showed a very high level of gaming.

2. This goal was mostly successful. I did get some of the elite dwarf units for Warhammer as well as finding some of the hard to find and missing units for my LotR armies. I did not buy any of the White Dragon minis, nor any other 15mm models this year.

3. This goal was successful. I did collect quite a few 6mm models and Rhys and I played three games. The rules I came up with were simple enough. This ran out of steam as work became all consuming, but I got a few more models and some terrain. We both liked this scale.

4. Failure. This is always a goal and always a failure. The problem was having space to play and getting the guys together to actually do it. I suppose those are the problems with every campaign, space and commitment.

5. Painting was mixed. I came no where near my goal, clearing just over half of it at 154 models. All but three of those were painted during last year's painting challenge. As always, when I'm not gaming I don't have the motivation to paint. This was disapointing but not surprising, painting has always been a challenge for me.

This year my goals are even more limited.

1. Continue to play lots of games. I have D&D every Thursday night. I run a Star Wars game for the kids and play in another one. My cousin just moved in next door, following his divorce, so there should be more gaming opportunities there since his ex-wife didn't approve of such things. The boys and I are planning a campaign, and we should be able to do that, since they are a captive audience.

2. Continue to paint between this challenge and the next one. My goal this year is a low of 650, so I should still have plenty of painting mojo left when it is over. I am working on finishing my basement, which is part of the reason for the low goal, but I should still be able to continue to paint, especially if the boys and I are playing our campaign.

3. We will be playing Dragon Rampant in the campaign; perhaps with some Frostrgrave or Mordheim thrown in. We may start it with the new Battle Companies rules for LotR. I am interested in Star Wars Legions, having always wanted to play miniatures battles in the Star Wars universe. I will have to see how that game looks when it comes out. I've also picked up a copy of Mech-Attack to see if they will work for the 6mm sci-fi rules Rhys and I are seeking. That's it for my predictions on game rules. I'd love to play some X-Wing and Armada, both missing from last year all together. Some straight up LotR would be nice. If I can get the basement done then these become easier to accomplish, since we can leave them up if we don't finish, unlike the dining room table.

I still love gaming, board, card, role and miniature, so the desire is there. I need to make the time, which will largely depend on work. The boys, especially Rhys, are all about gaming, so making the time needs to be a priority while they are still young and willing to spend time with me.