2017 In Review - 2018 Things to Do!

"Tell them we are coming..."

Seemlingly asleep, but about to awaken...


March or Die!!

Wow, in January 2016 I was thrilled to pass 4,000 posts. Presently, we are at 18,000 and counting, and projects are taking shape, getting focused and moving forward well!

2017 was something of a mixed bag, with lack of direction and 1:1 Army slowing down projects and scattering energy. It was hard to focus, and some projects that are long-term love affairs were neglected for new and shiny things, which was a mistake:

• There were 16 Posts in 2017, double that of 2016
• The year started off with a lot of energy spent on 54mm Colonials, NW Frontier British, Indians and Pathans. Skirmish seemed the way to go, and it is cheap. I am still interested in working on the skirmish version of my rules, but there's lots of ideas and not much development at the moment.
• Things tapered off as we went into the summer training period, with just a couple final posts on NW Frontier skirmishing.
• As a result of 1:1 Army training, I got to thinking of a micro-armor project, which would both further my professional and personal development. I felt it would also fit well on my office table, where I do most of my gaming these days [and a lot more gaming it is since I discovered the whole "One-Hour Wargames" Movement!].
• I bit the bullet and bought a Stryker Company and Soviet Puppet opposition, postulating a hypothetical US intervention in the Syrian Civil War.
• There was a big lull here from July to November. But as Thanksgiving approached, I did a few playtests of Wargaming: An Introduction rules, namely the Skirmish [French Foreign Legion v. Arabs in 15mm, a long-neglected and forgotten project from the 1980s or 1990s I think] and WWII rules [desert WWII again]. I liked them both, but development of my 6d6 Medieval Rules was so successful that I knew they could be adapted well to WWII, and would be less clunky than the W:AI rules.
• Breakthru in game design concepts led to a 6d6 WWII v.2 that is presently not on the internet, but available direct from me in a controlled playtest agreement.
• This gave me confidence to run a big-battle game for my dearly beloved Sidi Rizegh, to which much of my 15mm force is focused: Operation Crusader.
• That game went really well, and momentum for 6d6 WWII v.2 has been strong.

That's 2017 in Review!

Now, on to 2018! This started off with an unexpected journey to 1973's Yom Kippur War, for which I had neither figures nor interest. BUT two pals did and they asked if I'd work the WWII rules into the modern period. This involved halving the time of a turn and doubling the distance, and a bunch of other changes, also. It was a pretty wild ride, as it mostly occurred around an NTC staff trip. However, it worked well and was a great learning experience. It also forced me to ponder mechanics that would go from 1940-2020, a long time span of tech and training. Quite a challenge, but easier than doing all the periods separately, I think. 

So here's where we are now:

1. 13 Posts in 2018 nearly equals all of 2017 - wow!
2. Modern company-level rules for 1940-2020 are the top priority.
3. WWII and the 2019 are the main and secondary effort [start and end of period].
4. Hobby work must prioritize finishing my desert British [so I can have a balanced force to fight Italians], and pushing forward on my modern micro-armor [it's fun, it's easier and faster than 15mm, that's for sure].
5. Terrain for both these projects needs to be made - fortunately, it is all middle east, so not that hard to make and I can probably double-use them despite the scale difference - IF I am clever enough.
6. Shifting to the continent, I have a double-force of German Luftwaffe Feldkompanie ready to go, with some lovely paint jobs [if I do say so myself!] and their StuGIII's nearly done. Now, they need an opponent, and I have made zero progress on my US forces over the last several years, so I sense a bucket-load of US infantry in the works. These will HAVE to be based off the 28ID, no doubt about it!
7. Using the same desert terrain in 15mm would be my French Foreign Legion v. Arabs, which I plan to change from Skirmish to Unit-based game, using the "Up the Blue!" rules but with more assault / melee mechanics, and of course, cavalry.

That's more than enough for now. I'm already getting my Brits on the table this Sunday, despite working on the Welsh spearmen for the medieval game next Saturday. Tally-ho!

Hope your 2018 gaming is off to a strong start and a great season!