2015, a year in review...

… and new targets for 2016

Once again, I seem to be somewhat behind the curve with the start of the new academic term and my involvement in the hobby juggernaut that is the 'VI Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge' slowing publication of this yearly review.  I appreciate that there has been a veritable glut of these of late, but I do enjoy a review of the year and I promise that I will keep this brief. 

Hobby wise, 2015 was a difficult year, here at '28mm Victorian Warfare'; the day job threw up all manner of new and demanding distractions leaving me exhausted and causing all concerned a great deal of anxiety. There is little to do in times like these, but remain professional and work one's way through the difficulties even if they appear to occur on a daily basis.  During this time the blog rarely ran more than a weekly 'Paint Table Saturday' update as proof of life and the 'Saintly Mrs. Awdry' needs special mention as her continued love and support saw me through this particularly problematic chapter. There was to be light at the end of the tunnel and I was pleased to see an upturn in posting towards the end of the year perhaps brought about by the hugely enjoyable theme months of 'Zomtober' and 'Dinovember'.

Another hobby frustration has been Blogger's recent memory loss.  Several of my favourite blogs have vanished or appear intermittently on my blog roll, meaning that I often miss much of their content. I can't seem to find an answer to this phenomenon and certainly don't want to delete the several hundred blogs I follow and start again.  All I can do is ask that you give me a gentle nudge if you feel that I have been absent far any length of time.

The lure of the crowd funding platform that is Kickstarter, saw me pledge repeatedly and far too frequently throughout the year, backing hugely popular games like Zombicide, Rum & Bones and Conan. There were also some more modest, but nonetheless creative, endeavours backed such as Westphalia's Wasteland Warriors, Studio Miniatures Medieval Mayhem and Integrated Wargames Buildings to name but a few. This probably needs to be looked at before it becomes a bonafide addiction, but I do get quite a buzz out of the process and enjoy being part of something from the start.

An unexpected hobby avenue was to be the 'Batman Miniatures Game'. Completely absorbed by the related posts of Messrs Templar & Feb, I succumbed and started collecting and creating my own Penguin Crew that culminated in a couple of games here at 'Awdry Towers'. Although the gentlemen concerned have moved on to newer and shinier distractions, I still have a hankering to explore the world of Batman a little further and, having received a copy of the rule book as a Christmas present, I hope to lure the Joker and the Caped Crusader into a game or two in 2016.

So on to the review of last year's targets:

1 Play more games! Target Met! - Just as last year my gaming exploits were predominately board games, although 2015 did see some Batman Miniatures Game, Zombicide, Space Cadets - Away Missions, Rum & Bones, Zombicide - Black Plague action.

2 Maintain a credible level of posts throughout the course of the year. I do not want to be prescriptive on this but will certainly look to maintain the interest in '28mm Victorian Warfare' by looking to post between 5 – 10 posts per month (a minimum of 60 posts for the year).   Target met! 71 posts made in 2015 and although considerably down on previous years, I think this level of posting reflects a much more realistic and manageable target.

3 Attend at least one convention/exhibition/expo this year. Target met! Salute 2015. Sadly we were unable to attend Euro Militaire, but Salute remains one of my hobby highlights of the year. I thoroughly enjoy a brief time out of the shopping scrum to shake a few hands and tell a few tales. 

4 I would like to try to curb the additional expenditure on miniatures this year, or at least try to bring it into line with output. A simple tally score will suffice, hopefully something that will 'shame' me into being a little more restraint when it comes to all things hobby related. Target Met! Painted 178 - 101 Bought = +77 in credit! Half the fun of the hobby is adding to the ever growing lead pile, but I am pleased that I am starting to address the balance a little more favourably.  Although not as much painted as in previous years, I was pleased with the level of consistency that I am currently achieving. 

According to my tally counter the numbers are as follows*:

Painted/constructed: 178

Bought: 101

Balance: +77

Detailed breakdown:

Foot: 83

Mounted: 7

Artillery: 2

Vehicles: 3

Buildings/Terrain pieces: 43

Livestock: 38

*All miniatures are 28mm scale unless otherwise stated

So what has 2016 in store for '28mm Victorian Warfare'? Well simply put, more of the same. Over the last five years or so, I have come to accept the futility of writing over prescriptive lists. I like lists, but just seem incapable of sticking to them, preferring instead to simply write new lists! There have been moments when I have questioned just what it is that I want to pursue hobby wise, but I'm not sure that I want to have that conversation with myself just at the moment. I would like to see more Batman games played and also to take the zombies from the board game to the tabletop proper, so to speak. There is of course the 'Witchfinder General' project that continues to rumble on and I am interested in investigating 'Pulp' rules, particularly those related to dinosaur hunting expeditions, but already I feel that I have highlighted more than I know that I will realistically be able to achieve.

Once again, my interest in Victorian Warfare seems to be woefully overlooked and I am acutely aware that this needs to be redressed. Rest assured, gently reader, that there are no plans to rename the blog and that this will always remain a period that I will continue to return to.  So time to reset that 'Tally Counter' and present, in a roughly chronological order of creation, my efforts from 2015!