Big Fat Review Of The Year

I first set wargaming New Year's resolutions in 2013 and it has become probably the most consistent feature of this blog.

So I see no reason to stop this year. However, I am going to endeavour to be a bit more concise this year.

Let's start, as is tradition, by having a look at how I did with last year's targets:

1. Decrease The Lead Mountain - Success

As ever I set my first goal as ploughing through the backlog, and this has been a resounding success. I began the year with 890 models in the pile and finished with 641. Get in!

2. Play More Narrative Games - Success

In the last year I have:

• Finished of the Lurkers from the Deep feature pack for 7TV (and started Vlad's Army);
• Taken the Fellowship from Lothlorien to failure in the Dead Marshes in the Quest of the Ringbearer;
• Continued Hawk the Slayer's adventures in Five Leagues from the Borderlands;
• Got two gangs involved in scuffles in Necromunda;
• Played through a tutorial campaign in Fallout Wasteland Warfare.
• Played through a tutorial campaign for Judge Dredd: I am the Law!

3. The Tale of Four Armies - Success

I set out to finish and tidy up my Vampire Counts, Bretonnians and Wood Elves (these need rebasing as well) and paint up 1000 points of Skaven for use in Warhammer: The Old World.

I was successful in most of this but actually only painted 500 points of Skaven for Age of Sigmar. However, I did paint 1000 points of Astral Claws for the Badab War in 40k, so that's four and a half armies.

I think I have been surprisingly successful in 2024. Let's carry this positive energy forward into 2025:

1. Decrease the Lead Mountain

Same old, same old. Paint more than I acquire.

Over time this has become less about guilt and making space and more about getting some very old models painted that deserve better than sitting in a cupboard.

2. Get Out More

I've become quite insular in recent times, making me reliant on my regular gaming group for almost all of my games. I can't expect them to always be enthusiastic as I jump about between different systems. I've also, in the past, made some very good friends by getting out of my comfort zone and going to events.

Therefore I'm going to get back to going to events and spreading my gaming net a little wider. I've already signed up for a 40k event in February and I will look at events for other systems I'd like to play more.

3. The Path of Damnation

I have a good number of very old metal Chaos models in the Lead Mountain. Therefore I'm going to create a Chaos army which evokes the more creative style found in the Realms of Chaos books that I reacquired for my birthday.

I'm hoping that this commitment will not only help to work through the Lead Mountain, but stretch my painting and conversion skills. The aim here is more to create something I'm proud of rather than just get models on the table.

So there we have it. 2024 has been a good one for me on the gaming and painting front, and I'm hoping 2025 will be even better.

Happy New Year!