RAWR!!! I'm a Lion mauling 2018!

With last year out of the way it's time to look forward and make a plan for 2018.  Since this article is more about making plans than having them I decided to accompany the text with photos of unfinished models and projects relating to this year's goals.  It's a mixed bag with a few items close to done and the majority with a very long way to go.  It doesn't make for the prettiest eye candy, but seems appropriate here.

Latest addition to the Saxon war machine.

I've intended to try some historicals for a while now.  I blame Bernard Cornwell.  I read the Sharpe's series and while they were rousing tales of adventure they weren't enough to tempt me into Napoleonics.  Flash forward through most of his writing and my favorites are The Winter King and Uhtred stories.  Both sold me on building a Saxon historical army even if I didn't know any historical rules, or had any intention of playing them.  Times change.  My interest coincides with a new version of SAGA due for release.  I intend to build the army and get some friends building armies of their own.  My part in this is building a suitable army and terrain worth fighting for.   At the end of the day if SAGA seems a bit much I already have a copy of the very excellent Blood Eagle and will be able to use any painted models I muster for it whether or not I get into SAGA.  The grand design for this gaming wish is to play games of Blood Eagle with very small forces along with larger games represented by SAGA.  Building a narrative with actions from both games to draw on might be fun.

The last refugees from the waves 1 and 2 along with the Behind Bars crew.

The Walking Dead project kept me busy all through 2017.  The gradual release schedule of the waves almost allowed me to keep up perfectly while still allowing me to skirt off and do other projects as well as making a fair collection of terrain to go along with the painted figures.  This year I plan to continue painting and collecting figures but will also try to introduce the game to other people as well.  I'd hope to introduce the game to friends and do a a story based solo adventure and put it up on the blog.  In addition to painting more of these figures I hope to continue adding more terrain pieces and some custom miniatures.

Please let me make this garbage I have been stowing for so long into something nice this year.

My first proper go at terrain building went pretty well so I plan to follow it up with something more substantial.  Those little TWD maps are feeling pretty cramped so maybe I'll have a go at some 2x2 modules.  I like the modules because they are small enough to travel well and would allow some versatility in setups that larger boards might not allow.  The plan is for a minimum of four 2x2 panels to give me a single variable 4x4 gaming surface.  This first group will likely be quite generic.  If I exceed my goal I can always create some more interesting 2x2 tiles that can be swapped in with the first group of 4.  The other possibility I've been spitballing in a cloth terrain mat.  From a storage and portability standpoint one of these would be awesome.  I've seen some beautifully textured ones that look very convincing when elevations are added beneath the surface.  Thankfully no resources have been committed to either option so I can continue to roll them around a bit before firmly committing to one or the other.

Tip of a red iceberg.

I'm not sure which game system I am painting them for but I want to build a late WW2 Soviet force.  I've own a copy of Rules of Engagement for years and thought a lot of the rule set but I realize Bolt Action might be easier to sell if I wanted other people to play with.  In addition to large games I want to try my hand at making a WW2 skirmish game but I'm not sure I want that to go on record as a goal for the year.  Maybe just stick with painting the Soviet army for now.

The Christmas toys are the fuel for this year's hobby projects.

I realized that I should break my blogging commitment into more manageable lots.  There were more than a few months when I did nothing with it at all.  The bulk of my posts came from three months.  This time around I am going to try posting at least two entries on the blog each month.  If I can stick to it 2018 will be the busiest year for the blog.  If I manage more in a month that would be fine but by fulfilling this minimal commitment I would end up with no less than 24 entries.  With this posted I'm already done for the month of January if I want to be.

Statistics prove the numbers, though pitiful were better than ever!

 I'm not going to try to outpaint my efforts from 2017 deliberately.  Counting it as I went would likely wreck everything.  I plan to keep at it and shoot for a comparable effort but like the past year I hope I don't have the numbers until I make the count for the last article of 2018.