The whispers in the dark or what the hell are you talking about…
Last year, 2023, was full of surprises for me. This may be something of a rant at times. I want to make some observations on THE HOBBY. These are my opinions only and if you’re easily offended by an honest commentary, well, move along.
Before I get started though, I did finish four more minis after I published the 2023 recap. That’s what I get for wanting to get a blog out early. I finished the Inner Sphere Heavy Lance and added the Grasshopper and Centurion Mechs to the collection. Along with the Original Human Torch for Marvel Crisis Protocol and a printed mini from Atlantis Miniatures; the Dwarf Troll Hunter. So, 90 minis painted in 2023.
This started out as a comment on the games that were bought this year. New games, new rulebooks, new expansions. Some I have already talked about in other places and some new. There were a lot of things that angered me this year in gaming and some that amused me. Perhaps there are things that I missed, probably really, but it is a hobby and I am not interested in all the games, just some.
I bought a box of the new edition of the 40K starter set after swearing I would not buy anything ‘Primaris’. Mainly, I would rationalize, for the transfer sheet but I wanted the new Terminators and Terminator Captain. Considering that the new edition boasted that you can use the cards published for free along with the rules… Okay that ended quickly with a publishing of rules and new codices. I was also happy to see the boxed set of the Primarch of the Dark Angels that I could not resist, the addition of a trio of Bladeguard Veterans that comes with it let me rationalize the expense. My interest was also piqued with the recent release of a new version of ‘Epic Space Marines’; it seems that there is still a level of creativity in the company. Many of the ‘pundits’ of 40K on youtube will tell you that GW is done for and is ready to fall apart and then there are those who equally claim that GW is making all the right moves that show that they are still the greatest game company ever. Believe who you want, GW is not going anywhere, anytime soon.
I ordered a mystery box from Warlord Games and was a little under-enthused with it at first. Odds and ends from games that are a bit of a taster, as it were, to expose you to their games, but it is odds and ends so no complete game. Then I looked again with ideas about what to do with them. So started with the Bersaglieri recently introduced for Bolt Action and saw they could be used in other games like Xenos Rampant or Pulp games as the henchmen of some mastermind. I also realized that the Inca and Seneca warriors are perfect for Oathmark or Dragon Rampant (even some pulp games) as small units, as well could be NPCs in Frostgrave or Ghost Archipelago. On the other hand, the resin ship from ‘Victory at Sea’ will be a one off project as I don’t particularly like naval games. There is also a Judge Dredd booster (the Judge himself on foot and on cycle) here some time soon. Later in the year they put single sprues on sale. Yeah $50 later I have enough to make a ten man military unit as well as 20 odd civilians. Not a bad haul if you add in the rule books from the Mystery Box. In many ways Warlord is overlooked by fantasy gamers but you should take a look.
I did two orders from Reaper in 2023. One in August and a second in December. Of the 26 minis ordered, none have been painted, which is odd for me. I tend to paint them as soon as I get them but have gotten bogged down in some other projects. They will all be used in different games, some for dungeon crawls and some for more modern skirmish games. Reaper’s Mail Order is top notch and they keep you informed down the line of shipping. Also, you still get some free things when you order. $40+ will get you a free mini, each month has one that is also added and you can get other things at times. I got a lump of coal for Christmas this year in the box. $50+ order makes shipping in the US free. I don’t hide my liking for this company, their minis and their customer service. They are one of the few that still make affordable PC minis as well as NPCs.
Mantic has been a surprise for me as I have not really ordered anything from them in a long while. I still have a number of minis for ‘The Walking Dead:All Out War’ to paint. The announcement a few weeks ago that the contract has been renewed with Skybound and that the game will return is a very nice thing to see. Now I just want to see if there will be a ‘Second Edition’ rule set or a revised starter set. The original was $50 and quite playable out of the box. I did get more excited about that than the ‘Return to the Old World’ from GW. During the year Mantic has released a free set of rules for the Kings of War game. It reads, to an extent, a bit like an older edition of Warhammer Fantasy. I doubt that I will start an army from KoW but it’s a good ruleset.
I have an addiction to Amazon and I look there for games that I can’t find anywhere else. Well, that’s my excuse. I ordered a couple rulebooks that come from Osprey Games; Xenos Rampant and Pulp! XR is an excellent ruleset in the Rampant Series with some revision of the rules that makes the game better. It is a multi genre SciFi/Horror set of rules and has kept me fiddling with units and forces. Pulp! on the other hand is kind of a clunker. There is a game in there but you will have to work at it. I think what fails is the layout of the rule book and a need for a good proofread prior to publishing. It is a typical ‘bluebook’ game; 64 pages, well illustrated with both mini pics and art, and charts but that is the best thing I can say about it. Was it worth $10? Yeah but I am going to take it on vacation with me to try and get the rules in order. Kinda becoming a project.
So a final musing on the year that was. I can’t really say it was a bad year with 96 minis painted, some terrain projects, finally, getting started and a few games played. Some even won.
joehough1960 