2013 – What a Wargaming Year

What a fantastic year of gaming I have had.  84 miniatures games and 5 board games – by far and away the busiest year for a very very long time.

This has included playing games at 17 different places – although obviously most at the Falkirk club I  also visited Washington, Dunbarton and Grimsby and played a round of the Scottish Impetus circuit at the Dunfirmline club

Games played at shows were at Vapnartak, Salute, Claymore and Targe

This year we got involved in putting games on for the public at the National Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Flight, Kinneal estate (Falkirk’s Big Roman Week) and the Culloden Visitor Centre.

Last but not least were games with Richard in Scone, Tim in Mid Calder, a game at Frank’s shop (Worlds at War) in Craighalls and even some games at home with a couple of visits from Brian.

The games at the Falkirk club included three Sunday games sessions, two of which were Impetus competitions and the third a joint event with the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers. We of course also hosted the Carronade show which continues to go from strength to strength.

The 84 miniature games were spread over 30 different rule sets and all the board games were different. 

I have had an absolute blast gaming in 2013.

All this activity has been at the expense of longer term projects and painting.  However both the Mordhiem and Longstreet campaigns have been excellent and I have also enjoyed taking part in 3  Dux Britanniarum campaigns as well.

The blog has gone pretty well, the only downside being that it can gobble up more time than I would really like it to.

I will post up my plans for 2014 in a few days time but 2013 will be a very hard year to beat!

A great start to the year – what next?

I have done Vaparnak, Salute and the Viking exhibition at the museum.  This weekend we have an Impetus completion, on May 11^th it is Carronade and we are then putting games on at the Museum of Flight!  Add in visits to Dumbarton and Washington Wargames clubs, Worlds at War and the usual Monday nights at the Falkirk club and it has been pretty intense.

I hope to keep up a good level of gaming for the rest of the year, but I suspect not to that level. I am already in a Mordhiem campaign and the Dux Brittaniarum one should hopefully restart in May.  I  also hope to get involved in a campaign of the reconquest of Majorca and WW2 naval /air fighting in the Med in the early war years.  Plus at least one game in my Peloponnesian Wars and 1513 campaigns as well to keep them ticking over.

However the other thing I need to do is focus on tidying and organising the attic where all my warming gear is – it is an absolute mess.  I also want to get some painting done.

Painting priorities are

The next game – I want to get sorted a bit in advance of each game and get to play with as many painted figures as possible

28mm 1960’s British and adversaries – I hope to buy a few more at Carronade

28mm Freikorps - once again buy some at Carronade

28mm SF – finish my Pig Iron troopers

15mm War of the Triple alliance – these are largely painted but need to be organised and magnetised as a minimum

28mm Tudor – there is a lot of work involved here but I want to try and pick these off a unit at a time

I also want to try and do Mortimer’s Cross this year in 25mm – most of the figures are painted but I need to do some research, organise the armies and probably paint up a few more

And finally

I picked up an Imprest Bradley and some28mm Iraqi insurgents and US troops a couple of weeks ago – perhaps a project for 2014 though?

Master plan for 2013

1 – Gaming in general

No specific target for the number of games.  I would like to try to get around more though so I will look to game somewhere new an average of once a month.  I already have a couple of new venues lined up – the York show in February and the Viking wargames day at the National Museum of Scotland in March.

2 – Projects

Tournaments – 3 or 4 25mm Impetus competitions plus a trial Warmachine one.  I need to get the Warmachine models painted.

Dux Britanniarum campaign – being run by fellow SOA member Richard.  I may try to get some figures painted.

Peloponnesian Wars – 25mm and micro naval – some more battles fought

Henry VIII’s invasion of France in 1513 and Scottish Renaissance battles – at least one battle and some figures painted.  I cheat a bit by using the same figures for both.

 

RN Carrier Ops – Mers el Kebir linked scenarios played and the article I have in draft for the Society of 20^th Century Wargamers on this subject written and submitted

SF – 28mm – paint the few Pig Iron figures that I have and get a game of some sort with them

Paraguayan War – get figures sorted and a game or two played. Research some historical games and expand the armies as needed with a view to bigger games late 2013 or in 2014.  Investigate the naval side of the war for possible games.

Cold War British Colonial - Paint up my Commando Miniatures figures and find some opposition for them.  Possibly 2014 before I can get a game in.

Warhammer Fantasy- Get some games in and bulk out the Chaos army a bit

Purple Heart Valley – get some games in. 

Others – games of, in no particular order - Piquet, Force on Force, Hail Caesar, WRG 6^th , 15mm WSS, 28mm RCW, Dux Bellorum, Check Your 6 and Bag the Hun. 

Something new – perhaps Augustus to Aurelian or Comitatus

3 – Blog

A few more posts, but basically keep it going for another year

 

4 – Clubs

Falkirk District Wargames Club - I have been a member for over ten years now and have beem on the committee for a while.  2012 was an excellent year and I hope to continue to help the club and our show ‘Carronade’ continue to grow in 2013.  I am particularly keen on expanding our once a month Sunday gaming days to have more organised events which reach out to a wider audience than just our club members.

Washington Wargames Club – Last year was the first year I did not manage a game down in Washington since I joined the club back in 1978.  I am determined to get down at least once and hopefully two or three times in 2013.

Other Clubs – I hope to revisit Stirling Wargames and the Dumbarton club.  It would be good to get along to another club or two as a visitor

Societies – I am a member of The Society of Ancients, The Society of 20^th Century Wargamers and the Naval Wargames Society.  I will continue to support them in 2013 and it would be good to get a little more involved in some way, even if that just means writing an article for their excellent magazines. 

So that is the plan for 2013.  Not having had a game since the 10th December, with the next one not due until 7th January, I am champing at the bit to get started again.

Good gaming in 2013!