Well, 2021, what can we say about it? A friend called it "the year in which nothing happened, again."
I've been busy hobby-wise, holding back waves of depression and anxiety with paint brush and dice. And shopping. Bought more books and miniatures this year than ever before I think. But otherwise it was very much the same, except more focused on the Napoleonic Wars than last year, 2020 seemed to have been more diverse.
But, I knocked a bunch of stuff off the leadpile, some of which had been maturing for years, having sat in boxes for over a decade or even 15 years.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7yWNLl6FK02m8ELabkV-ceas2cUC12PGGoDMhAuaGx67LYQ8aJW-7JDE5Piws8n0w6cyFVCvsIR5iBTal3nIe6h-PbiKwXyikBYUkoLzbG1XoAjjws-WH1O45wsCSuc_x5n03MeH41KAi/) |
15mm |
I painted something for every period except 15mm Seven Years War, Samurai and Colonials this year I think.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixzLo4V1ASUVo4OowpGFCdoBUw2M1lPECVdXye80TpGHswi20mfjAiGwH7kmifacXhuUublZzSuL8BduW7UB0b_OSHTG8QcYrk0g58Wjn-MSdmd9s1Yzsyj1eaU_UYlDA0d_PiwepqE8O/) |
15mm with repurpose plastic toy |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWZGEg0HWW_H2dsZK9ZigrbAadQqaXejO93Gpme0405iZpTjTUPpaLeaB71jl85U3Fj0IU3ligT2TKfpM-SEDXjv82HVdZFDqhdB8SLKHH5l8Ki8RnCMv1edjB4CI717S0NcyLmAyBrdH/) |
15mm Forged in Battle for O Group |
3D printed figures have been a new thing this year too. Cars for the gangsters, Orcs for Mordor, and a 15mm AFV.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_Gqur4QcEhoqk7AoNiTRSIraWeeCq5guCnRK1Ewvci2yaJNaMMvXM0seNuiovnKx4y2dWQXrZpp-e-EKqlBkbrMrKo6fwbgbsGGVCsxWgHhyphenhyphenRvhkrn-EiN9-N7MOMu00QLq03_K3ou9D/) |
28mm Knucklebones 3d printed Orcs |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkTgDhdWBzISDd6eb3TTQYxdOL9Qz8AxeZ5YLcAfV6Ymbd73x_7GhzhkOhqtT_uD6Ue89A5bZ3Leym-_MlH2P44Hv4fpjC1PX3M8WPstkYXXX7uOTuuogd6LBgBmw_UTytdjvGFQvACM4/) |
3d printed cars |
The huge, totally unexpected effort this year turned out to be Napoleonics. It is where I started so many long years ago, and I've returned to it with some maturity as a player and painter, and a deeper wallet than when I was a callow youth with only Airfix figures! The results have been pleasing.
This knocked a big whack of very old stuff off the leadpile. Of course, I also seemed to add a bunch too. Fortunately, I've gotten most of it painted, so the leadpile has still seen a net decrease. I think.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM6kHi8T8bNgTwWLNUwzBOZucnyuZctx3V9nN-iMmhDJJPzLw3BGCDwRwT-RPJ-ZUpK63wfAVDQSHztdG62z5M5L3E0gM-hdvG0LOCLtHTLs0td54QhdX9X_gC3w483PY9-XRzhmTIfk5/) |
Warlord Prussians |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGOOz7UFmc_-djQqKOo4Cfg_3wRfhhMFDrt56In2QXJVEw-6kwqU5FPpFVueH8YQOsHrF55eQhX0jRmy6k-cUNCxEz7twr_5CULtzXGDaeNIwPG5Z4GLt2VTG55h6RgJkCtVmKkxaIYmT/) |
Old leadpile |
New period/project always prompts new terrain too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeZ99f64UkrnbzmSCvi5SNTOzGyXGETP-teyeTabuQ0fb4NcTreQLqLaXoQE5-PQ1yCETJKDazKBumiC_gBRm2hl6M_eaSmJyt7SfZ1YMFLVuAj1NQd6Fq3wBnga7FQq7KaHEvGNkVTjh/) |
Perry Prussians with Warbases houses |
Discovering Front Rank figures has been a joy, I must say. I'm glad I went out of my comfort zone to order some before the company got sold.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJn4YY03PpF_2V34ll-iOa4PRKcVhcKhygNCq8ajP4msq_ByOJKpXIOjfFo1cwvRW9pKh-oZbk9hp_zD4v5sy4i0ZlHbj5ncZk0ZqoYDLaIgcK5UEeLi5nk0RSZZoUq5y5FV8yvcWL0HlJ/) |
Front Rank Russian command base |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtkB3O-mAnqI-1-4hjNQ7k8rKvMWUL89-ycrhVvh39-pVaO0zfCiR00IlQ75zGPRxvLWuACNSHTj8LOPmlPv10gXMRLh7ruDs6JxUnUe0IXnL5hTSGr7Babf7O4fjQlVJksdvrHNP4Z-f/) |
Perry Prussians |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqJMmW_pnQY6nC40Q6LCk517FnVkyVOsYywQy-mCi-nm7hsdoZMnB3emLECuUmHpgi59DibM_mtpcpaJuFJS4sL_ZqZyATvyM_xiCcklxuBPEpplB2iPFAK2BEAcVjSSu5VvtlNQ44HM8/) |
Front Rank civilians |
I always liked the Prussians, and am finally building that force that I've always wanted, but the Bavarians were a completely unplanned and happy accident when I determined that I would get more play value out of the Russians and Prussians if I built an in-house opponent for them. I've always wanted a Bavarian army too because of the
Ruppenhelms. An ancestral connection to Bavaria made them even more special.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSiIPp1WoscZPnfwe4v5s0hdejLjspXjjE4Ne6fP4lPbyXs8JXvO3MrEvId84EwWFEzppEa3lwPzw1-aObRajZ7CWak6F7pZdIzLY2sRdSYeya_AZ7JkCofXIKUOy8Nj5baKh-aXr18PP/) |
Boom! Not bad for 6 months work. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz2P0klwrKE85c5igAUdALaelyaULfzAaA63EP0ppREcf4RaDg4PQ4LGFQHQd_Xkdlml5vtu0cNEL2MshX44F8KazP5nT3cMMOzokwpBFtVcQtjX6jcodb0zBG3IWlPKAKI_5wdbg7yih/) |
First Bavarian unit. Hat figures |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaJS2bA-ot1fICDbftaBY1yUAvoJE9iMY-wnvoh2JZlC6OxJ-2iiKYS0zrfxjg6QZHt9S9yBTszMLMWEz5C56Kw0YEMoL6N4PgnCoDxe8Y3vo-UocAzFqCXAQKQmD2YLe7Sg-cnY667Dg/) |
Perry Chevauxleger. Really happy with the officer |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3pP1ry-HtGm0LNFusESuPO61Mp1vzw6XaPuSTiVimVmLgK9ae6p_41JvwuHNxzGZm2Skwl37LmOgXRGnhyphenhyphenxltMSBBVR2uTImpbi9nAYo8JQJg5dgpfNpNFxN7WPP-Il9iiZJ7Z0mYNc_/) |
Front Rank schutzen |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZN5k_MMNACllYXDxfbMEG1VjtgYtBrx9Lt05FCgWLegvsgVYfOpWf6Cbq-vMrgvYUYi0omQMTJBxZ9okre1WbuxGDDgr_zcbJ7MmHIdS5iI4HR36bPrRMQUYyDDNoEm-Gk5O2Llhgp8u/) |
Front Rank command group |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQishKTyxiLgQOQ8YpuPJNzeHkTQ7qfvdzP6BPBk6sykHLlNPk_YAsadfno0-4t1v-_-zZsJCVL02ULWwoH562JmS8pijH2XP9_wR43FN8jpNKMYX8U5CsxUQYsHWXn_e3CuMf016_tBkf/) |
Perry limber. It's nice being able to afford limbers, caissons and wagons too! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpOj85Yp-fKFTVutVv4FIi1dYiqZRly6mknl9jvb-ES3wMoJ_ysnH4rxoM_MsuP6fXQjGvfC23uBT3C94mvJE0-XNVLRdwVpAIG80oVCnQhZL_AEvM-opdsqtTKPLdqp-Cn9RSMjV2_OM/) |
Super economical MDF wagons with metal horses from Warbases |
I thought games had dropped off this year, but a late flurry in the fall with an easing of Covid Restrictions really boosted the numbers back up. This year I had 20 games, which was the same as last year.
- 5 virtual (Coastal Command, What a Tanker, Packing Heat, CoC x2)
- 9 face to face (GdA, O Group, Infamy, SP, BtH, DR, IABSM, TCW, Zombies)
- 6 solo (BtH x3 SP x2, DR)
I naturally thought the focus was Napoleonic, but the games were different form the painting output obviously:
- 9x WW2 (including 4x Bag the Hun)
- 4x Napoleonic
- 3x fantasy
- 2x Gangster
- 1x ancient
- 1x WW1
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdyzWt9V7YNymrtZ828pXFc_zp4oBKWwAIyCwhnZjIxlgPG2sAjxpQSQF6f4-INlu_xgKJ4bZwHq6efEj7pHZ_iYZTZnf3GXREBU4WQK9I7CO0Kq2jn2osPQkvSm3SYWc161x_lTc9SS5/)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTivG8AcoU73FyDQdfh_IEOxlLQKrOWJJO2fvcbTUGvEawrEiXZc0p1wwdirGFGQx426_qRuIQlFvmORo0rz_5eJABTDeR3tNqbzF4noa1JFm1viSybAVG25NQUkHp1ebyFbF67eNdklcB/)
Looking back at last year's retrospective produced a fine list of
Things I Planned, But Didn't Do This Year:
There's some nice 15mm WW2 and SF pieces in the stash I should build. Also a platoon of German paratroopers started. And Goths, Prussians Swiss and Samurai to paint.
For terrain I still want to build some urban ruins and clear the collected crap out of the way. Same with my 15mm science fiction. Corridors and room modules for a colony are on the list.
Game wise, more of last year plus I want to take a look at adapting Contact Front to my Firefly in the Expanse games. Adding a ship component with scratch built ships is in the back of my mind too.
So for 2022, I'd like to
- Play more Napoleonics, or air, or Middle Earth, or WW2 or anything really
- Build a castle for Middle Earth and Medieval
- Build urban ruins for 15mm WW2
- Build SF corridors and Off-world Colony terrain
- Sort out my ideas for a SF/Contact Front hybrid
- finish the Bavarians and Prussians
- keep smashing the leadpile down
- buy less, but keep painting output up
New projects? Who knows? Maybe this year will be the year I add a proper Dwarf army to Middle Earth? But I've also just discovered 3D printed proxies for Epic 40K, which is a game I regret getting rid of.
My gaming projects always seem to be a series of happy accidents. I hadn't planned on Napoleonic Bavarians this year either.
Watch this space.