2022 Review and Plans for 2023

A few days late with the obligatory review but here goes. 2022 was a bit of a weird one. Having moved house in May 2021 we’d hoped 2022 would be disrupted by assorted major building work. But no. Partly our lack of motivation but also we lost track of the number of builders who just couldn’t be arsed to reply to emails, return calls, turn up when they said, and when they promised a detailed quote just fobbed us off for weeks and weeks and then ignored us… Twats. So nothing major has happened other than in November we got a wood burner installed and it is GREAT!

Hopefully 2023 will see some progress…

So hobby. What did I say I was going to do?

“Ayton and C18th – I don’t NEED to paint anything but Ayton is always a good target to get extra stuff done by. I want to round out some of my brigades so they are better matched and not odd units. So ideally I want to do two infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments. That will do…”

Well, ended up with over 300 figures painted! And still lots to do.

“Great Northern War 15mm – would still like to make a start on this…”

This never happened. Again. I did dig the figures out once but to no avail….

“C17th for Ayton 2023! – yes. We are going C17th for Ayton next year. So I want to paint a few units and I want an excuse to buy the Bloody Miniatures ECW figures!”

Well, here lies a story… 🙂 Despite initial enthusiasm, after a few months I just wasn’t feeling the love for C17th. So as there are always a few side games at Ayton I just asked what, if anything, anyone was planning so I could join in with that if needed. And that was it. A few other people exhibited less than enthusiasm for C17th and when the usual post-Ayton Sunday night chat happened in May it was decided the main game would be a C19th Colonial affair again. See below… And apparently it’s all my fault….

“Advanced Squad Leader – I would REALLY like to get back to playing. It requires a bit of a commitment and as before I’m reluctant unless I can be sure I’ll be able to stick with it. We shall see…”

And despite buying any new modules released I’ve still not played, or clipped or sorted anything…

“Sorting and selling – I have less space now. Something needs to go…”

And what went was…more of the very little space I actually have! Nothing really sorted. Nothing sold.

So apart from a good increase in my C18th forces it didn’t exactly go to plan… I made it to Vapnartak in Feb, Ayton in May, Framlingham in November and Battleground later that month. And failed miserably to get to my local clubs…

2022 Results

I actually managed to paint 256 28mm foot and 28 mounted. Almost entirety C18th. Which is quite good really. I managed to round out my Savage Swans Legion to a full infantry and full cavalry brigade by adding two more units:

I’d also wanted to add a battalion to my Braunschweig troops to make a full brigade (which I did for Ayton along with a band!) and then afterwards I added another full brigade and more command stands!

I also rebased and added command figures and halberdiers to bring my previously Shiny Ottomans back into the C18th fold. I still have a unit of RSM Janissaries to do.

I’d planned to do a full ‘Prussian’ grenadier battalion for Braunschweig but when I dug out the figures it turned out they were RSM British! So it was rude not to paint them…along with a brigade command stand.

Apart from adding to the Swans cavalry I only managed one other unit. Some RSM Hussars.

And the rest of the time was spent on assorted civilians. The Ratnik Duelling Set is rather nice. And I’d picked up a few Foundry Aristocrats, a couple of which a tried this new Slap Chop thing on. It worked OK but not something I will pursue…. And a few of the Galloping Major Naval figures which although lovely, are HUGE!!

I did finish off a few 15mm Fantasy bits that had been lying around since before the house move but other than that no more 15mm.

So all in all, not a bad outcome for the year. Ayton, as ever, was brilliant and you can read the full report here: Ayton 2022. November saw a long trip to Framlingham to play a big ACW game using Tim Hall’s wonderful collection. It was a great couple of days (with thanks to Paul Bright for providing the lift!) and the collection was a joy to play with. Especially as I had the pleasure of wiping Peeler’s force from the table!

So, very few games but boy were they good ones!

Plans for 2023

I’m really not that sure… but here goes:

Ayton 2023 – I’m just using my Spencer Smith C19th FPW era ImagiNation troops. I have plenty for the game but had spent time in 2020/21 gloss varnishing them, and mounting them on plain green steel bases. I didn’t want that look for Ayton so I’ve kept the gloss and started tarting up the bases.

I do have some SSM Bavarians primed and I’ve started on a unit of those so, as ever with Ayton, I’ll be using it as a driver to get a few more units painted.

C18th ImagiNation – yes. I know I don’t NEED to paint anything at all but I have a planned Naval contingent, some more British types and a few odds and ends of stuff. Just to round out the forces… 🙂

6mm ImagiNation – I did a trade with Paul Bright to get back the 6mm Savage Swans I’d done a few years ago, plus all the other 6mm SYW stuff he’d pulled together. I HOPE to do something DBSYW related with these. Once I decide how I want them based…

And to be honest, that’s it. I’ve got 15mm Ancients I could do, 28mm WW2, 15mm ACW or AWI. All could have bits added and may well do so when I need a break from the big projects. We’ll see.

And as with every year, I really need to get some local games in. Ten minute walk from my local club. No excuses really…

And also update this blog more often!

Currently on the workbench I have some of the SSM FPW Bavarian types, some Minden SYW French I am painting as Irish, and what seems to be a never ending unit of Minden Cuirassiers… and just to provide some focus to all these little projects here’s my first completed figure of the year. A Ral Partha 15mm Fantasy Landsknechts type!

Addendum

Reading – I used to read a lot. On the bus to and from work. Bed. Loo. Lunch breaks. All the time. And then the pandemic hit and with no travel to work I stopped reading. Gradually at first, and then less and less. I read one book last year. One! I started others. Gave up. Now this applied to fiction as well as non-fiction. Obviously, the latter can be easier to dip in and out of. Last year I finished Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. Excellent book. I’d started about 6 months before and got stuck. Then on holiday in July I had time and I MADE myself read. Finished it. And finished Grey Sister as well. Started Holy Sister on the flight back. And I’ve still not finished it!!! I LOVE Joe Abercrombie’s books. Read them all and then read A Little Hatred. Great. Started The Trouble With Peace and stopped two chapters in. No idea why. Haven’t been back to it. And I KNOW I’ll enjoy when I finally do. But I just can’t read at the moment. Each time I pick up Holy Sister I read and thoroughly enjoy a couple of chapters…then…that’s it for a couple of months! Depressing.

So my other plan for the year is to get back reading again. I want to see SIX books completed this year! Fiction or non-fiction. Doesn’t matter.