The Plotting Dead: 2019 Hobby Plan Part 2

Welcome to 2019's Hobby Plan Part 2.  In previous plans I was able to say everything I wanted to say in a single paragraph per point but this time around some of my plans had more moving parts and required a bit more leg room.  In this installment I prepare for another year of post apocalyptic undead mayhem.  Mantic's The Walking Dead: All Out War has been a staple on this blog and in my hobby since late 2016 when I picked up a copy of the core set and started painting my first walkers.  Over the years my horde, cast of survivors, and an associated collection of scenery and scatter terrain have all grown;  But to what end?  As much as I have painted and modeled I haven't actually done much with it all and in 2019 maybe it's time to take some risks and go the extra mile.

Still wants for a roof but almost ready for a visit from Rick, Morgan, and Dwayne

So I made a lot of terrain.  The problem here is that I cherry picked stuff I thought looked cool and didn't address it with any concern for sequential requirements.  That means I have plenty of bits and bobs eating up space but still can't muster the hot scenery to put on a playthrough of the TWD story campaign.  It's been one of my ambitions since picking up the game.  I've only recently started organizing my collection for storage purposes and needed to take stock of what I have and determine what I need in order to present the story campaign with lots of bells and whistles.  It's a big undertaking and I think it would be an unrealistic expectation to get the whole thing done in just a year but I am committing to giving it a go.  If I can build what I need in order to advance the scenarios to the Greene family farm or if I were really fortunate the prison then I would happy with the results and pleased to self administer a high five at the end of the year.

Backlog of models to be painted.  Time to get at it.

The landscape of TWD post wave 5 looks like it could be changing.  Change is good.  The game may be moving toward more free form competitive play but that doesn't means that it's the end of the story.  Lets make up some stories!  This part of the plan came from shoting the bull in the comments on the TWD Fanatics FB group.  I enjoy telling stories and try to make content that is fun to check out but it also needs to be fun to produce.  When someone expressed an interest in more stories it was something that grabbed my attention.  The TWD universe is huge and with such a rich history there is a wealth of fodder to build scenarios around.  I'm not just talking about the canon comic book universe.  There are also rich possibilities in the both AMC shows (TWD and FtWD) as well as some interesting What if? scenarios that play on the classic Marvel trope that could make for some amazing gaming.  The very nature of TWD story mode hinges on the distinct possibility of these swerves occurring during a playthrough so it's certainly an avenue worth exploring.  This year I intend to present some scenarios on the blog that depict a plot arc from one of these alternate sources.  It could be a run from one of the shows, a variation on comic canon or the last road trip of a man and his cat.  I'm only planning on one and if this were a democracy I'd encourage you to vote in the comments but self proclaimed evil geniuses don't play like that.

Skin foundations on the Saviors.

Custom scenarios mean custom characters and why would I reduce myself to dull paperwork if it wasn't for the promise of making cool new models?  Last year I added some custom figures to my collection and had a blast doing it.  If I chose a scenario as a framework I could plan a shopping list of some characters to make along with determining the terrain/sets I would need which would make everything roll smoother.  I have a few models that are begging to wear another hat and hope some of the Here's Negan crew come available without me picking up a second copy of the game.  I have a scenario in mind but budget constraints may have me scraping for a backup.  No harm done.  Plan B could still be fairly cool anyway.

Hipster, Atlanta Cop, Cat Lady, and Goth Rocker.  First Walkers of 2019.

Thanks for checking out the outline for my 2019 TWD content plan.  With a little bit of luck, planning and diligence I think we can make this happen.  If you read Part 1 of my hobby goals posts you may notice I have strayed away from numbers in both.  I do have some goals for both of the projects but there are very few references to, "Must paint X number of things" in the New Year".  Of course I plan to paint lots of stuff.  I hope I can keep it together and devote a good portion of that output to these featured projects but I'm always willing to pick up something new if it grabs my attention.  Another broad unspoken goal is to share simple tutorials when I can.  When I find a way to do something better than I have been or some trick I found useful if I remember to document it during a build I will try to share it.  This time around I am happy to have themes driving my hobby pursuits rather than making it a game of numbers.