2022 Wargaming review

[paulr]

It is time, once again, to summarise the wargaming year.

Painting
The year has seen a significant reduction in the number of painting projects. Two down from five or six last year.
 
For the English Civil War or War of the Three Kingdoms I finished the 2 remaining battalia of Irish for Pierre the Shy and then worked through his 54 'spare' figures. Pierre the Shy 'found' another 23 'spares' plus I had some spare peasants. He also ordered some additional kern & Irish native horse.

The other project was the Indian Mutiny / First Indian War of Independence. I sent off my order in July and the figures arrived in early August. While waiting, some might say impatiently, I worked on terrain. I used some existing buildings to build some towns and scratch built some villages and walls. I completed this project in December and have managed to get in three solo test games. The variant of Volley & Bayonet I've come up with seems to be working well.

A total painted for the year of:

1,087	Foot
195	Mounted
18	Models
1,300	Total

Up on last year's 1,041. A project of over a thousand figures certainly helps.

Gaming
I managed to play 35 games, totalling of 118.5 hours, averaging 3.4 hours per game. Five of these games lasted 6 hours over two gaming sessions and 1 lasted 9 hours over three sessions.

The rulesets played were:

• General Quarters I/II: 9 WWII
• Black Powder & Glory Hallelujah: 6 20mm ACW
• For King & Parliament: 4 10mm W3K, 1 28mm Polish Confederation
• DBMM: 4 20/28mm
• homebrew 20mm WWII of our regular host: 3
• Big Battle DBA: 2 10mm Punic Wars, 1 10mm Hundred Years War
• homebrew 20mm Napoleonic rules of our regular host: 2
• Volley & Bayonet: 2 10mm Wing scale AWI
• Spearhead: 1 6mm WWII

Plenty of variety and all very enjoyable games.

Highlights for the year include:

• the One True Scale online discussion with Leon
• the ABDA naval campaign marking the 80th anniversary of the defence of the Malay barrier
• marking Pendraken's 30th birthday with a refight of the AWI battle of Guilford Courthouse
• marking the 80th anniversary of the naval battle of Savo Island with a six-player game.

A number of my forces again didn't make it to the table this year:

• Age of Sail fleets
• 6mm Napoleonic Volley & Bayonet forces
• Pre-Dreadnought naval
• 10mm WWI forces for If the Lord Spares Us
• 6mm WWII Spearhead forces for Poland and early North Africa
• 10mm First Crusade DBA

Scenarios
I've had the pleasure of working with d_Guy and Pierre the Shy on scenarios and optional rules for For King & Parliament for the Celtic Fringe. I've learnt a huge amount about Scotland in 1644-45. I'm looking forward to learning as much about Ireland 1641-51 next year.

Plans
I've been pondering my plans for next year.

As I've said for the last couple of years, do I continue with painting projects and end up with more forces that won't see the table each year or do I focus on making better use of the forces I currently have.

I had been inspired by some of the narrative campaigns discussed on the forum and made a faltering start on developing some linked scenarios. I've created several scenarios and want to spend some more time on these and others. I also want to look at linking them.

Some possible distractions next year might include:

• Pre-Dreadnought ships for the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), using a variant of GQ I/II
• Some more DBA armies, 1066 is a possibility (but what to use for the Welsh)
• Spanish Civil War using a variant of ITLSU
• Ancient Galleys, if I can find some suitable rules for a high-level game
• League of Augsburg using a variant of FK&P
• Something else entirely.

My thanks to all the forum members for the interest, support, information, entertainment and confusion they have contributed over the year.

[fsn]

Interesting. Very mannered and considered. Mine is a somewhat different story.

Painting
2021 was Nobby's Year of Napoleonics, and 2022 was pretty similar. This year I've painted up Napoleonic armies for Austria, Poland, Russia and (most of) Denmark. However, there have been a few deviations - pig faced bascinets 'cos they're lovely; Romans 'cos my daughter bought me a gift voucher and Arab-Israeli and Cold War 'cos Pendraken. 

	2022	2021
Aircraft	13	2
Ships	15	0
Infantry	3640	3856
Cavalry	486	837
Artillery	343	329
Guns	74	64
Vehicles	113	49
Command/Staff	127	181
Other (e.g. scenery)	52	160
Total	4863	5478

I agree about "big" projects. My Napoleonic armies tend to come in at 900-1000 figures, and I get into a rhythm when painting many similar units. So the first battalion of Danes is a curiosity the 2nd onwards is almost "muscle memory". I live on my own so am lucky enough to be able to paint or game when I want for however long I want, which tends to be whenever I'm not doing stuff I have to do.     

Gaming
Playing
Strangely enough, although I have a lovely complex spreadsheet of painting, I don't record my games - unless I happen to take some photos. I did start the year with some Medieval games, matching the pig faced bascinets with the other early medieval ranges for a couple of larger scale battles and some skirmish scenarios. 

Middle of the year was mostly Napoleonic - I took the Poles out against the Bavarians, and then on a "winner stays on" mentality pitched the Poles against the Wurttembergers. These games were randomised for initial set up and the Wurttembergers did better against the Duchy.

Not done a lot of gaming recently.

Rulesets
Rulesets are all mine own. The Napoleonic set were initially developed in 1984 as my degree. I have been tinkering with my arial ruleset. It is designed for large numbers of tiny aircraft  but I'm looking to amend it for smaller games of 2-3 aircraft per side and I can care more about the fate and condition of individual aircraft. This has been prompted by Pendraken supplying Raiden aircraft. (I see the Winter War in my future - Fokkers vs I15s. )   

Highlights for the year include:

• Pig faced bascinets - definitely. Lovely figures (thanks Techno) and great fun to research and paint.
• Pendraken Arab-Israeli and Cold War - nice to be able to paint something with an engine. Also, this marks the historical end point of what I will game. I don't see me ever gaming Gulf War, Afghanistan, Ukraine.
• Battlescale building

2023
Think I've covered this in another thread. Hoping for the Amazons from Pendraken, maybe the Ancient Indians?


I will echo Paul's sentiments about the value of this forum. Long may it continue. Happy new year and may you win more games than you lose.   

[fred.]

Thanks both - interesting reads.

I see that Paul's gaming is as diverse as mine!

I'm rather less organised, so have revisited my painting diary thread and other unpublished photos to produce a wall of text available here https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,21380.msg350822.html#msg350822

[Steve J]

My end of year review and musings can be found on my Blog, linked below:

https://wargameswithtoysoldier1685-1985.blogspot.com/2022/12/end-of-year-review-2022.html

[Norm]

Always interesting to see what others are doing. I note a few blogs are saying similar to Paul, that next year might see a drop in painting and prep and a bit more focus given to getting what they have to the table.

My own painting hugely dropped off in 2022, it never picked up after the heatwave. For next year, I am going to try and reduce my 'screen time' and use the liberated time to better serve the hobby.

[Steve J]

I certainly find I'm leaning more towards games these days than painting.

[paulr]

Interesting summaries Fsn, Fred & Steve

All hail the King of 2x2 in '22

[Steve J]

Thanks Paul     

[fsn]

Thank you Paul.

I snuck in a battalion of Danes and six of the cassions before midnight, bringing me to  3715 infantry and 119 vehicles; total 4944. 

[Orcs]

Painting was down a lot on last year. I got lots in 2021 done due to working from home because of COVID.

This year My paintng totals are

28mm 117
20mm 108
6 feet of streams
1 20mm War memorial.

4 Humanitarian aid trips in shift time off that I usually use for painting and organising our wedding inevitablyhad a big impact, as did a new shift pattern that was very tiring.

Hopefully there will be lots more done this year.

Games

I got in a lot of games this year averaging about 1 full day gaming a week, plus a few evenings. Again this will hopefully increase this year.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

I hang my head in shame, out painted by FSN!
I painted 4611 figures, of which only 1608 were my own!

[paulr]

...
I snuck in a battalion of Danes and six of the cassions before midnight, bringing me to  3715 infantry and 119 vehicles; total 4944. 

   

[fsn]

I hang my head in shame, out painted by FSN!
I painted 4611 figures, of which only 1608 were my own!

Don't you paint bigger figures than 10mm? I don't.

   

Thank you. I'm getting to be a big fan of those extraneous bits of kit found on the battlefield. These are meant to be generic Confederation, but I've reserved some for the Danes who operated something a bit similar.
   


Now that I've forked out for Lancer, I expect the Dark Lord in his obsidian humour to announce that there is now a range of Pendraken artillery equipment. Blessed be his ways, though they be impenetrable to us, the floored Lego blocks on his nocturnal trip to the toilet. 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

I do 6mm to 32mm, so it all averages out!