Reviewing 2015

I wish a happy 2016 to all my readers (except the Russian spambots).

It is interesting to look back at the span of 12 months spent on various hobby activities and summarize them. 

First of all, let's see how the previous year started and what I wrote in January:

• 1/72 TYW. A few games played but very little in terms of figure buying.
• A large table Maurice game and a GNW expansion ("later in the year" were my exact words), both fulfilled.
• Zvezda Samurai. Basically nothing, it was what the professionals would call an impulse buy.
• Medieval, using SDS/Lion Rampant. A smaller group painted at the end of March, and another forty or so figures in May, complete with an unrecorded skirmish and an epic tabletop siege using my two dollar medieval fortress. A final batch, as a diversion from the 18th century figures, was completed in October. Lion Rampant was bought but never played, I used my own homebrew instead.
• 15mm sci-fi:
• - Tree Monsters army completed
• - no other army started, two medium battle mechs painted in June
• - two games played in one evening
• The sci-fi fleets were, on the other hand, expanded with the popular Space Worms Death Fleet in April.
• 1/72 Napoleonics. The Austrian infantry was completed at the end of May and rebased later in the year, converted cuirassiers and commanders added at the same time; and a group of Zvezda uhlans repainted as Dutch-Belgians.

These goals were, I would like to say deliberately, limited in scope, and as a result I managed to fill most.
I've also had a great prophecy on Zvezda's new Art of Tactic stuff: "very disappointed that they do not continue producing larger boxes, and this also means that the price on the OOP ones will go higher". It turned out to be very true. (There is a GNW Swedish infatry box right now on ebay for 40€+P&P.)

With the first glimpse of the new year gone in January, let us see what had really been done:

January started with some Nova Hungaria-related activities, followed by the beginning of the pre-dreadnought craze. 

In March we launched a short-lived WW2 campaign using Bag the Hun. As an umpire I liked the rules but the players did not. It did not prevent me from purchasing more vehicles later.

April started with painting the Italeri ACW figures and the freebies for Nova Hungaria, followed by some naval folly at the end of the month, during which time I produced scratch-built balsa sailing ships. 

In June I built my first small-scale pre-dreadnoughts, first fictional designs then models after historical ships. The most interesting thing here is the learning curve: how to use household rubbish to create wargaming models, woodworking, working with plasticard, all had to be learnt and mastered. The second step was the Austro-Hungarian and Italian fleets, and the next the Japanese. 

July was a month of diversions, with a four-player Renaissance game using Flashing Steel at one of my friends', some WW2 and Napoleonic Wars thrown in.
The same can be said about August and September, with Nova Hungaria returning, 6mm figures and scenery, a series of naval games in a mini-campaign of sorts... During these two months I made very small purchases so the focus was on painting away at the ole pile and scratchbuilding. I think July was dubbed the 'Spare your wargaming pocket month' and it was indeed.

The idea for a 1/72 GNW Saxon army was born in October, followed by a series of quick purchases. Out of that came the Calvacasa Rebellion and taking an inventory of my 18th century figures, keeping me occupied since.
In November, an additional Baccus order, although somewhat tardy in its arrival, had made my life complete and a fourth SYW/GNW army commenced. In smaller batches, my 20th century ImagiNation Jazygia has also grown, and has its armored regiment ready to fight now.

The next post will be detailing my plans for this year.