Jan 1, 2013

My Hobby Year - 2012

This review of the year is pre-written because I'm quite sure my New Year's Eve will pass in a high spirit enhanced with many beverages (wishing the same to all of you).
I see many blogs eagerly publishing what their owners achieved, so here is an attempt to summarize up my year regards the one of many hobbies, the one of Random&Creative's main topics:

(At first I did not want to include the 'Read more' option in this post but seeing how long it will be I changed my mind).

1. Painting Little Things


Above the extended Ikea drawer, full of painted goodies! And to the left, the numerous boxes, also filled with plastic soldiers ready for action. The top is useful for taking photographs but the latest ones were taken on the workbench simply because there's better natural lighting. 

(Click on 'Read more' and prepare some popcorn 'cause it's gonna be long.)

Judging by the posts and with the aid of the first complete list at the beginning of May, and a quick browsing through the finished material, since that list, I've rebased 40, repainted 79 and painted an amazing amount of 612 figures (yesss!!!), I should really slow down before there won't be enough space in my room. The total is, then, 1485 figs painted altogether. This includes about a dozen figs sculpted by myself, see the posts labelled 'Sculpting'. I fear the day when I will have to move out.


Besides the usual Jackewline JCW/JWI Imagi-Nation theme, I've started a 30YW/Pike&Shot project, the first ones in a long queue being the Zvezda foot figs and these Swedish horsemen in the picture above, which I've got for my birthday thanks to an ebay auction.


And don't forget the medievals, the Tournament, the rebased Vikings and the kick-off of the 'World in Chaos' fantasy setting, which inspired the Fantasy and Campaign additions to my homemade ruleset, Inter Arma.


Finally there were other scales too: above the 15mm figs painted during Christmas (and watch out for the post about them).  And let's not forget the ~200 12mm Risk figs either.


Besides some random metal figs, I've painted a pack of Artizan Landsknechts in 28mm. Both these scales will be featured more next year as hopefully my incomes increase, and  28mm, for its size, is more suitable for skirmish gaming, the Landsknechts are better detailed and more spectacular (Pro Gloria Miniatures, here I come!), while 15mm is easier to store and paint, so maybe, just maybe, I will be able to do some in the student hostel during the next term.


The fleet saw a small but noticeable expanse, the Judgement's Scream being the latest. She's a neat little ship and is placed on one of the top shelves.


Building-wise, I really don't know! I've built some terrain, a country mansion, Medieval cottages to be raided by Vikings, planted tomato bushes and many, many more.


Painted 5 tanks (2 1/100s and 3 1/72-76s) since the ominous May listing, two 1/100s, two 1/72s and one 1/76 (the one you can see atop the drawer on the first pic and of which I will post more pictures in the new year).  

2. Games Day

Games Day hall on 09/12/12

Like last year, I went to the 'biggest tabletop gaming event' in Hungary, spent a smaller amount of money and had a very good time, see the posts labelled 'Games Day'.

SDS scenario on Games Day

I played a game of Song of Drums and Shakos and liked it so much I've bought the rules and made myself ready to acquire more 28mm figs (as stated above) and indulge myself in playing more. All I need now is some opponents.

3. Other Visual Hobbies and Literature
'dolek pls' by AndrewMcCory. A good introduction to the artist's qualities. 

There was not much progress in my literary endeavors this year (nor the previous years). I completed a few series of children's books for my press, received more money for it than the previous year. I competed in one poetic competition (for which, in the end, I did not choose to let my poems be published), and one for prose, researching the siege of Szabács and writing a short story of historical fiction ~ this one I 'won', meaning the story will be published among 11 others in an anthology, scheduled to September 2013. 
There are two or three major projects: the Jackewline War of Independence novel, the World in Chaos stories and the Jackewlinese steampunk/magic series with a detective protagonist. The most work has been put into the last one this year.

The DeviantArt gallery has been filled with many stuff, photos, digital and hand-drawn pictures.

While completing and playtesting 'Sul Rhaiq ih les Jhaqellen' (For King and Country), the brigade-size game for the Jackewline War of Independence, my fictitious conflict, I've written two more rulesets, one for Risk figs and the infamous Inter Arma with its four 'patches', all available from the 'Rules' page in the header.

I've finished reading 7 classics I did not in high school and almost got through 6 more, they are at various points of progress and are occasionally interrupted by studies or something more interesting (lately, the adventures of Sherlock Holmes). I've read 7 Osprey books too, most of them dealing with the pike&shot era. 
Thanks to the Hungarian Museum of Military History's Library, I now have digitalized copies of Jomini's L'art de la Guerre and Clausewitz's Principles of War, both in Hungarian. That's roughly 1,300 pages to assort and read through, parts of my education on military thinking and strategy. I wonder how much more they can say after Sun Tzu and Keegan. And Caesar. And Machiavelli.

And a little bit on PC gaming: besides the old classic Cossacks (which now has a blog on its own, telling the history of the Principality of Schultze-Böhnstadt) a few days of World of Warcraft has gone out the window, and also a little bit more on the slightly less entertaining World of Tanks. 

4. Blog Traffic and Statistics

Statistics, how do they work?

This year, the blog scored ~13000 hits and reached an unholy number of 66 followers (including your humble scribe). Countries with the most hits (counting those ~800 from 2011 too):
  • Hungary 3243 (most of them was me)
  • USA 3042
  • Russia 1392
  • UK 1349
  • Germany 615
  • France 359
  • Belgium 176
  • Australia 138
  • Poland 137
  • Ukraine 108
81% of the readers use Windows OS, 8% uses Linux, 5% Mac, the rest is all below 1% with hits under a hundred each.
Browsers: Chrome 4377 (32%); Firefox 3858 (28%); Internet Explorer 3205 (23%) [still took the bronze, what]; Opera 1434 (10%); Safari 656 (4%).

The busiest month with 22 posts was July. The month with the most visits is December, ~1800 hits (due to increased traffic from TMP [and the Games Day posts?])

5. What the Future Brings

I look forward to the new year, but there won't be much posting in Jan/Feb as I need to spare cash. I plan to buy Zvezda's Medieval Peasant Army as an addition to my existing World in Chaos forces. There will be a major shopping at the beginning of March, preferably both 28mm and 15mms. 

10 comments:

  1. Have another good year in 2013 Andrew!

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  2. Happy New Year, and that includes a prosperous modeling one!

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  3. Great post. Happy New Year Andrew!
    Regards
    Bruno

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  4. Happy New Year its been great watching your projects this year and look forward to 2013 ones

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  5. Ok, you have me beat with the sheer variety of your projects. What a great year 2012 was for you! I'd love to read your short story, should it ever find it's way into an English edition.

    And Happy New Year to you as well!

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    1. Thanks! Translation is neglected at the moment but when it's done I'll let you know and send it somehow as (mentioned in the post about the historical background ) the press exquisitely asked not to publish it anywhere.

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  6. Great review Andrew!

    Happy New Year to you and your family!

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

    ReplyDelete