January 2017

Fantastic start to the new year. I have tried to focus on getting 30-60 minutes a day dedicated to the hobby...painting, prepping figures, tinkering with rules, blogging, and of course, gaming. This has improved my motivation and output. The imagi-nation expansion is ahead of schedule.

PAINTING
48 x  15mm imagi-nation artillery figures and 12 guns: 60 points
120 x 15 mm infantry: 120 points
TOTAL: 180 points
In Progress: 16 x mounted leaders; 30 28mm Pulp figures

Next up: prep the 25 or so cavalry units

Fresh troops hit the field (except that the field seems to be covered in Orcs and Dwarves so they have to get their picture taken on the ready table.

4 field batteries, 2 howitzer batteries

GAMES
1 fantasy game

A fantasy game in progress with my Battlelore adaptation. I made my own dice using the left over wood blocks from when I made the LSNC dice. Simple pleasures.

PURCHASES and BUDGET
$0 this month: I do need some primer
Total for the year: $0
Budget: $100 under budget, Plan: <$100 per month; on target

A near run thing

With the Golden Idol's location lost to the leaders of the opposing alliances, the combatants maneuver around the countryside looking for a fight. A large band of Orcs and Goblins move to join their allies and burn a few villages in the process. The Dwarves will have none of this kind of wanton destruction and they march out to meet the greenskins.
Another battle with my Pique/Hostile Realms mash up. Next I will make my custom cards and flesh out the character/leader rules and the magic rules.

A fun game that came down to the wire. At one point, both armies were at 0 morale points and it could have gone either way. Laurels for the battle go to the Dwarven Pikemen. They swept all before them from the field.

View from the Dwarven lines; ready to keep the Orcs pinned up on the other side of the river.

Mass of Dwarven warriors and Pikemen in the center.

Orcs marching to the bridge and ford.

A few ogres are the first to fall.

The ogres and hobgoblins begin to burn the center village.

Their time would have been better spent pushing the attack in the center.

The center and Dwarven left held until close to the end...giving time for a victory on the other flank.

The Pikemen see of their first adversaries...and get ready to move right.

The Dwarven right begins in chaos...confused orders, overly aggressive berserkers, and general mayhem rule the day.

The Pikemen coming to the rescue.

The Orcs almost break out of their bridgehead.

Too late...the Pikemen hit the Orc flank.

Just as the bear Riders slam to the Orc warriors and Scorpion riders...defeating both.

Goblin wolf riders are a nuisance at best.

Things heat up in the center...the Orc allies begin to get the upper hand but can't break through.

The Pikemen steamroll the Orcs and Goblins.

While the best Orc troops reform across the river watched closely by the Bear Riders.

The Dwarven Warriors in the center and left pay a heavy price,,,the thin bearded line holds.

Trolls destroy one warband but are satisfied to just eat the dead instead of pressing the attack.

Ratmen warriors see off more Dwarves but they are seemingly endless.

The dark Dwarves are all that remain on the left.

The Dwarven guards and Pikemen have won the day!

The greenskins begin to pull back.

A near run thing in the end.

2016 Round up and 2017 plans

Time to look back at 2016 and make some plans for the new year. 
I buckled down at the end of the year to get some figures done.

The current state of the "Imperial" infantry for my Kingdom of Katzenstein project. Troops in the barracks, and others being recruited.

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I am prepping the 30 Pulp figures I recieved for Christmas today, and I will start on the 10 units above today.

2016 Painting 
J: 0
F: 162
M: 0
A: 40
M: 36
J: 31
J: 29
A: 54
S: 0
O: 0
N: 144
D: 216 
Total: 712

2016: 712
2015: 431 
2014: 1708
2013: 1990
2012: 1119
2011: 1013
2010: 1389
2009: 441

Games in 2016: 
7, once again Pulp Alley and fantasy games dominated my play at home. Little disappointed in my number of games. Need to make some major improvement on this front in 2017. I plan to start out with a fantasy game in January.

2016 Goal review
1- Finish the Pirates. Seriously this time.
---Done! This was a long slog. Found out I needed reading glasses...half way through the project.

2- Continue to tinker on my own Fantasy Rules. (based on Piquet/Field of Battle/Hostile Realms)
---Progress. Still tinkering away. I want to play one more game before working on the magic section. Next step is to produce my custom card set.

3- Conventions: None planned this year...very sad to not be attending Historicon due to work requirements.
---No conventions, but I have started occasionally gaming with a group. Rejuvenated me with special thanks to Allen for inviting me.

4- Budget: $1200 target for the year. Besides the usual books, magazines, and supplies, my only planned figure purchases may be the 6mm sci fi project.
---Big accomplishment. Came in under $1000.

5- Next major project: One of four options...A and B are in the lead.
 a. Next phase of the fantasy project (start the Demonworld figures)---plenty of figures on hand.
---Completed the first batch of Demonworld figures.
 b. 6mm Sci-fi
---Bought the first batch of figures.
 c. Add the next 12 or so units to the Kingdom of Katzenstein.
--- Painted a few "memorable" units to note life events 
d. Opposing forces for Kingdom of Katzenstein.
--- Started my opposing forces for that project...almost done the infantry


Plans for 2017:
1- Katzensetin OPFOR expansion: figures on hand, in progress 
     a. Finish infantry by end of January
     b. Leaders in Feb
     c. Artillery in March
     d. Cavalry by end of July (Historicon)
2- Pulp: two batches of about 30 figures each (one from Christmas, one batch to be bought at Historicon)
3- 6mm Sci Fi: this will be the big new project for the year ---the focus for after finishing the KoK expansion
4- 28mm Zombies: if I need a change up and find some of the plastic kits cheap
5- Attend some conventions:  NJCon, Historicon...maybe even splurge for Cold Wars or Fall In
6- Spending: <$1000 for the year plus Historicon; I have been saving my change for a few years and plan to cash in for convention spending
7- Gaming: Keep up on my solo pulp and fantasy gaming, expand my opportunities with gamers in NJ.
8- Fantasy Rules: next version with updated stats, magic, and custom card deck


My monthly plans (subject to change as always):
Jan: final 10 infantry units
Feb: leaders
Mar: artillery
Apr: Pulp figures
May - July: cavalry
Aug: Pulp figures from Historicon
Sep - Dec: start the 6mm sci fi

2018: Final Katzenstein expansion and 6mm sci fi

Project Round Up:

Katzenstein (imagi-nation): A mature project. 
Three expansions:

1- Opposing forces: in progress
2- Katzenstein colonial forces: 2018
3- Slow and steady additions: add a unit to KoK and the OPFOR every few months

Zaquetta (fantasy): A fully playable project with loads of Demonworld figures still on hand to paint. I will pick this back up as a focus after spending some time on Katzenstein. 

Pulp: My current go to game. Plan to add two groups of figures every year. Pulp Alley is a fantastic system.

WW2: A mature project. No planned additions.

Krasnovia (modern skirmish) and Ziva (sci-fi skirmish): A mature project. No planned additions.

Splintered Lands:  A mature project. Will add any new figures they produce.

Air Combat: A mature project. No planned additions.

Starmada: A mature project. No planned additions. 

Zombies: Stared with a small batch of 15mm figures. I am going to scrap that and go with 28mm at some point.

6mm Sci-fi: division+ on the table. 


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

28mm Zombies: I will start this with a few figures in the next 2 years.

---All the projects below are just some flights of fancy. I don't think I will ever do them.
A Very British Civil War: Love the though of developing my own forces and the alternate history. 
Wild West: Could be done with Pulp Alley.
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
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.