January 2015

Lack of motivation hits me again. I changed positions at work on short notice and my professional education requirements have me scrambling to find my painting mojo.

The Pirate project is underway...but I just can't seem to get rolling. I will persevere but may shift my target from 6 months to completion to making this a year long task.

I have been distracted by a foray into Pulp gaming with Pulp Alley rules. I have used 15mm sci-fi figures for the first two games, but I have the 9 x 28mm figures below primed (with gesso for the first time).

PAINTING
24 x 15mm figures: 24 points
6 x 15mm pigs: 6 points
TOTAL: 30 points

GAMES
2 x Pulp games

PURCHASES and BUDGET
9 Figures
$215 spent on figures, rules, supplies; $65 over budget

Government troops (Governor's Guard)...and some pigs

1st of the pulp figures

Base camp attack...my son is reading Five Years to Freedom

Second Pulp Alley Game

The Junior General had a fiend spend the night. He has played miniatures games with us before and asked for another...I broke out the 15mm sci-fi figures for my second game with Pulp Alley rules.

Each of our gangs (6 figures each) had to capture two plot points and then get to the drop ship. JG and his friend started out in a fire fight before trying to team up and stop me...too late!

The rules are lots of fun...using the fortune/challenge cards bring many unexpected events into play. I have broken down and purchased some 28mm pulp figures...only 3 weeks into the new year and I have a new project in the mix.

Mission to steal the drop ship

Obi-Wan takes on Junior General's leader

My mercenary aliens grab the booster rocket

JG and his friend exchanged fire...ignoring the plot point objectives

JG's friend lost four guys trying to get the engine parts from the scrap heap

A clean win for Obi-Wan and his crew

Pulp Alley

Just when I thought I would only focus on the Pirate Project...along comes some more great AARs on the various forums using Pulp Alley rules. Of course I bought the PDFs and tried out a game using my 15mm sci-fi figures I had already set up for a trial battle with Brink of Battle rules (I have an addiction).

http://pulpalley.com/

http://pulpalley.com/index.php

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.phpPHPSESSID=fc6535f45b286689b7cf8f2e3ab6e78f&board=5.0

Loads of fun! The game came down to the wire in the last turn and my "league" lost 4 points to 2 (I played solo but had designed "my" force with more care.

I need to re-read the rules as I know I made several mistakes. I used the simple "smash and grab" scenario but I can see the great potential with these rules.

My force consisted of Red Nate (leader), Eli the Ape (sidekick), Belle (ally), Jacob (ally), Clive (ally) and Tong (ally). My leader had the commander trait so I got extra "slots" to fill out the league. I played them as a down on their luck space trader crew...real original, I know!

The opposition was a local gangster and his hired guards. He was more of a thinking man with lower physical skills, and the goons were all generally combat types.

The mission was to secure the four mechanics (minor plot points) at a workshop outside the town and to get the crates of critical (major plot point) space ship parts.

An overview...my force comes on from the left in three pairs. The gangster's force from the right spread evenly.

After Tong exchanged gunfire with an enemy to no success as they raced towards one of the startled mechanics, Nate stepped up and gunned him down with a blaze of fire.

On the other side of the shop, another mechanic freely goes with the gangster's man.

Eli tries to convince the female mechanic to come with him and gets a bottle smashed on his head. I played this point wrong in the rules...he should not have been injured when he failed...but it makes for a better story this way!

In the main shop, a thug secures the crates and prepares for a getaway.

One of the goons strays too close to the fuel tank and gets knocked out by a falling ladder (failed a peril).

Clive puts his marksman skills to work and drops a thug escorting a mechanic through the bushes...saves one point in the game.

Nate trades fire with the enemy...he drops the gangster to make the plot point contested...but the gangster gets the last move and picks it up (for 3 points) after trading peril cards with Nate.

Six turns went by quickly. Nate and his crew earned a "gear" and a "contacts" bonus for holding 2 plot points. Eli took a wound and Belle got knocked out by falling debris in the garage.

This whole adventure could open up a Pandora's box project...I will try to resist for a while so I get the pirates painted (they can also be used with the Pulp Alley rules). I have painted 6 pigs and started on 24 Government Soldiers for the Pirate Project.

2014 Round up and plans for the year ahead

I have passed the 6 year mark in the hobby since I started painting my imagi-nation figures while deployed in Iraq.

Plans for 2015:
1- PIRATES! I have about 400 pirates, sailors, crewmen, and civilians and 4 ships. Get these done before Historicon. All primed and ready to go.

2- Texture the bases on the imagination figures...need to get off my butt and get this done. I figure this is about 12 hours of work.

3- Attend Historicon. I especially want to get in another zombie game with my son, and a pulp game with the Pulp Alley rules. I don't think I will be able to attend Cold Wars this year (and Historicon 2016 is in doubt) due to switching positions at work and professional education requirements.

4- Cut spending by at least 20%.

5- Make small additions to existing projects as the fancy bites. Some sci-fi skirmish figures might be in order. I usually get a taste for something at the conventions...so we will wait and see.

6- Fantasy Rules. Although I keep searching just because I like reading rule books, the Piquet/Pulse of Battle/Hostile Realms rules meet my needs. I am going to pull the elements together into a single document and finish stating up all the fantasy units. Also make a custom card deck.

7- Consider the next project...6mm sci-fi set at a company per base is the leading candidate....28mm Pulp has also caught my eye. So many options to choose from!

8- Manage the lead mountain. The pirates are all primed and ready, the Phase II Demonworld fantasy figures are stashed for the future, and a very small batch of 6mm sci-fi figures are in the ready drawer. The fantasy figures are part of a long range plan...for everything else, my goal is to paint any new figures within a year.


Review of Plans for 2014:

1- Lots of figures still on hand for the fantasy project...will keep this at the priority for the year
---Humans
---Elves
---Dwarves
---Then buy next batch. Focusing on one manufacturer at a time.
o Done! Finished all the figures I planned to get done plus some other purchases. I still have a huge box (99 packs) of Demonworld figures I bought for cheap...but they will be part of the next phase of the fantasy project.

2- Texture the bases on the imagi-nation figures
o Not done...procrastinated again...moved to 2015.

3- Update the blog with links and followed blogs
o Done, updated things over the Thanksgiving weekend.

4- Small additions to existing projects...keeping each to about a week's work and finishing them as they are bought. Expect about a months worth of painting.
o Done...added some sci fi figures and zombies...plus a few aircraft. Helps to mix things up a little bit.

5- Attend Historicon and Cold Wars
o Attended both conventions with my son. Plan on attending both next year as well.

6- Spend less than in 2013...need major work on this goal.
o Cut spending by 15%. The conventions are the biggest expenses and I include the hotel/food/travel costs in my hobby total. The Demonworld figure purchase was also a big chunk of the spending...but well worth it for about 65% off retail...and I will be able to sell some of the excess.

7- Start Pirates project
o Pushed to 2015. Two e-bay purchases of fantasy figures pushed these a few months.

2014 Painting
J: 96
F: 266
M: 133
A: 117
M: 113
J: 230
J: 49
A: 118
S: 196
O: 131
N:  123
D: 136

2014: 1708
2013: 1990
2012: 1119
2011: 1013
2010: 1389
2009: 441


CURRENT PROJECT REVIEW
Zaquetta (fantasy): Phase 1 is done... 150+ units! I have a big batch of Demonworld figures on hand and there are so many nice ranges on the market. This will be the lifetime project...I can always return to add units. I plan to purchase and paint all the selected figures from one company at a time to keep building up my armies.

Zombies: (slow burn project) Started with a small batch of zombies and survivors...plus I can use many of the modern/sci-fi armed figures and civilians. This is a backburner project designed for playing with my son. We had a great game of Mein Zombie at Historicon and plan to sign up in the future at each convention.

WW2: A mature project. Will pick up an occasional British or German unit or vehicle.

Air Combat: A mature project: This was an unplanned addition in 2013 after my son and I played some games of Check Your 6 at Cold Wars. Have a small collection of US and Japanese planes. Bought two hex mats for the table and added a few planes this year. No planned additions right now but I do like float planes!

Katzenstein (imagi-nation): A mature project. Added a little this year and have a few more units I would like to build. Need to texture all bases and make a decision on selling my OPFOR. Could have a long range addition to add some generic enemy units.

Krasnovia (modern skirmish) and Ziva (sci-fi): A mature project. This has morphed and merged with the Ziva project. Basically it is one big individually mounted 15mm skirmish project with any sized force from squad to company. I have had a renewed interest in small skirmishes since getting the Five Parsecs from Home rules.

Splintered Lands:  A mature project. My favorite miniatures. I am reading all of the Redwall books. Will add any new figures they produce.

Starmada: A mature project. Sold off the ships I bought already painted. No planned additions.

Terrain: added the last of the boccage. Have a big set of trees coming from a kickstarter that is now 2 years overdue. Next additions will come with future projects...possible 6mm sci-fi.


FUTURE (Possible) PROJECTS

Not that I need any more projects, but these are some ideas I have for the future. (in general order of current interest)

Pirates: Hitting the table in 2015.

MicroArmor or 6mm sci-fi: Interested in 6mm for larger games...could be sci-fi or WW2. Sci-fi is leading right now.  The Look Sarge, No Charts rules got me interested, but I also like the Strike Legion rules.

Pulp: A new interest...have never played, but reading the Pulp Alley forums has me interested.

A Very British Civil War: Love the though of developing my own forces and the alternate history. Would be a 28mm project that comes with it's own terrain headaches.

Wild West: Still a possibility, but only after the Pirates get done.

Civil War: Considering 6mm.

Napoleonics: Considering 6mm.

Gladiators: would go 28mm with a custom built arena if I take the plunge.

Slaughterloo/Flintloque: love the figures, but not my preferred scale.

Spencer Smith Imagi-nation: I still think about starting another imagi-nation (larger scale).

Model Casting: Considering trying out my hand with casting my own figures from molds.