December 2025 and year end wrap up

In my first full year of retirement, I spend a lot of time on the hobby. Club and convention games, solo play, lots of painting. 

I hit some of my 2025 plans, missed on some others. I knew the Quar sci fi project would be the main effort especially with the new 3D resin printer. I did not expect my foray into Victorian Science Fiction. VSF dominated the second half of the year. I am using ChatGPT to flesh out the background and campaign fluff for the project. It really adds an interesting element for solo play. 

Snow brawl at the club

O Group

Afghan tribesmen for VSF

PAINTING 

165  points of Colonial/VSF

Total: 165

YTD: 1438

GAMING 

1 x VSF game

1 x 5 Parsecs From Home w/BGHD

1 x game at the club

YTD: 50

BUDGET

$11 on Quar MMF

YTD:  $3656 (Sold: $1367)  

How did I do: Plans for 2025

1) Next wave of Quar 

--- My forces are "mature"...but never done! Several games during the year with these fantastic figures. I have about a months worth of figures printed/built to be painted. More come out every week so I will build up a batch and then attack them all at once.

2) Focus on some terrain upgrades: trees, rivers, roads

---Not done...bought more MDF buildings. I need to make 2026 a terrain year.

3) Host a club game in Feb

---Done...hosted two games this year. 

4) Work on 6mm sci fi home brew rules with 3D printed figures

---Continue rules tinkering. May make this the lead 2026 project.

5) Spending <$2000, sell $500

---Spending failure...but sold much more. Retirement is expensive.

6) Attend all 3 HMGS conventions

    Cold Wars 

    Historicon

    Fall In

---Done...this dramatically increased my number of games player for the year. 

7) Complete on hand 28mm fantasy figures

    a. Plastics

    b. Metals

---Done. A few random leftovers for kitbashing. Still not 100% sure where I go with this project. 

8) Add to 28mm sci fi by getting select sprues instead of full boxes

---Not this year...maybe in 2026 as a slow addition project. 

Plans for 2026

1) VSF:  Plan phase 2 which will focus on more 3D printed additions and some terrain.

2) Attend the 3 HMGS conventions again. 

3) Keep spending <$3000. Consider selling the 15mm fantasy collection and massive 15mm fantasy unpainted stash.

4) Restart the 6mm sci fi operational level project. Focus on 3D prints. Keep working on the rules.

5) Host a club AVBCW game and a home AVBCW game.

6) Backup small project: add single sprues of 28mm sci fi figures and use my Wargames Atlantic MMF subscription to print 3D figures for kitbashing.

7) Terrain. It's time to make some improvements now that I have transitioned to almost 90% 28mm vs 15mm collections. 2026 should be the year of terrain. Reduce the painted figure count for the year, but make terrain. Consider selling the hexon terrain and moving to terrain cloths.

8) Next batch of Burrows and Badgers figures to keep up to date with the whole collection.

9) Continue Quar.

Project Update: 11 projects

6mm Sci Fi Big Battles:

---Last Painted:

---Last Gamed:

Victorian Science Fiction:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2025

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

Quar:

---Last Painted: Sep, 2025

---Last Gamed: Nov, 2025

28mm Sci Fi:

---Last Painted: Jan, 2025

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

A Very British Civil War:

---Last Painted: Oct, 2024

---Last Gamed: Jun, 2025

28mm Fantasy:

---Last Painted: Apr, 2025

---Last Gamed: May, 2025

Pulp:

---Last Painted: Jan, 2023

---Last Gamed: Feb, 2025

Burrows and Badgers:

---Last Painted: Sep, 2024

---Last Gamed: Jan, 2023

Slaughterloo:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2023

---Last Gamed: Jan, 2024

Kingdom of Katzenstein 15mm Imagi-nation:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2018

---Last Gamed: Nov, 2024

Fantasy 15mm:

---Last Painted: Jul, 2019

---Last Gamed: Jul, 2021

5 Parsecs with BGHD rules

Captain Jorren Vey and the crew of the Knight Hawk took another contract from their patron to eliminate a group of roid gangers that were causing trouble in a run down industrial park. 

With KT and Talo still in sick bay, Jorren led the other four members of the crew into the attack. Rax and Silas took positions on the hill where they could cover the center with their rifle and rate gun respectively. Jorren led Mira and the new kid, Daro, into the center. 

Five enemy soon advanced to stop them, all armed with street sweepers. They would need to get in close to have any chance against the crew, but there was plenty of cover for a quick rush. 

It is a quick battle, Mira goes down and Daro is wounded but the gangers are defeated. Mira's wound turns out to be not as bad as they feared, but she will be down for a few days. 

Run down industrial park

Moving to take up overwatch positions on the hill

Catch one enemy in the open

Jorren and Mira move in

Daro is wounded and Mira goes down

The pair on the hill keep the enemy engaged

Jorren drops one

While the wounded Daro moves around the flank and kills the last of the enemy left on the field

Battle of the North Road- a VSF battle report

The situation in the disputed zone between Teyrnas Caerellin and Al-Zafiran continues to deteriorate. Caerellian forces are escorting a column of settlers to establish a settlement near the proposed fort where the Kuna Creek flows into the Green Gorge. Expecting interference from the local Tama’Rin tribe, the escort is strong and ready for action.

Brigadier General Madoc Penrhyn leads Prince Taleisin's Light Infantry (PTLI), Arandor Native Auxiliaries, Free Crown Volunteers, Ladies Exploration Society Fencibles, Princess Morwenna’s Own Hussars.The Free Crown Volunteers, known as “The L:ibert Legion”, formed the close escort on the civilians a baggage while the Native Auxiliaries led the way in skirmish formation under Colonel Hugh Cracken. The PTLI followed just ahead of the civilians, with the Fencibles taking up the last position. The Hussars had been sent ahead to establish a safe camp for the night.


Fire soon erupted from ambushing tribesmen on the left flank. The force responded well, the Natives charging a small hill to defeat the first of the enemy in close combat but Colonel Cracken fell to an enemy dagger. The PTLI soon came under fire from a ramshackle building and a small field gun in the distance while the Volunteers skirmished along the road, screening the civilians.

Miss Eluned Pryce, noted field correspondent of the “The Caerellin Chronicle” and her photographer, Mrs. Brangwen “Branwen” Rhys-Davies, are attached to Captain- Miss Ceridwen Llewellyn’s Ladies Exploration Society Fencibles. The heroic news team captured the daring deeds of the Fencibles in text and photo fighting off the ambushers.

The firing soon became general and Brigadier Penryh ordered the troops to see the ambushers pushed out of range of the road and the damn cannon to be silenced. The Arandor Native Auxiliaries swept on to seize a second hill and overrun the gun, but suffered from enfilading fire during the daring attack. The Legion continued to skirmish in the center of the line as the Fencibles and PTLI prepared to attack the remaining enemy. Just as the attack would start, a second force of ambushers appeared on the far side of the road. Some fired on the column while two bands charged the thin Legion screen protecting the civilians and baggage.

This sneak attack could have been a disaster but the Fencibles and PTLI reacted with impressive martial discipline by about-face and firing on the enemy with great effect. The Volunteers faced off the charging enemy in hand to hand fighting under the inspired leadership of Commander Ross Poldark.


With this second attack beaten off, the remaining attackers slipped away into the hills and brush, leaving the column to take stock of losses.

Casualties:

PTLI: 4

Arandor Native Auxiliaries: 5 + Colonel Cracken killed in action

Free Crown Volunteers: 4

Ladies' Exploratory Society Fencibles: 1

Hussars (not engaged): 0

TOTAL: 15




Tribesmen and Al-Zafiran attackers: 32 plus the gun

Fencibles react to the attack at the end of the column

Volunteers skirmish and protect the civilians and baggage

PTLI and Natives react at the head of the column.

Cracken falls in the charge.

The initial ambush shock has subsided.

Fencibles clear a zeriba.

And start to close the gap in the column.

Arandor Natives charge the second hill and the enemy field gun that is firing on the PTLI with some effect. 

PTLI stand steady in the center under fire. 

The gun is taken at a cost. 

PTLI clear an area.

A dastardly ruse...a second attack from the other direction. 

Only a thin screen of the Free Crown Volunteers stands in the way.

Fencibles pull back to protect the column. 

The militia hold their own.

A confused melee in the center.

The Natives reorganize after seeing off the ambushers. 

The column is safe and can reorganize before moving into a safe camp up the road.