Due to the weird way I kept tracking of what I gamed in high
school, I’ve always ended my “gaming year” in September.
Here go my recollections:
The Blog
A combination of steady blogging, years of built up content,
and this fun new technology called Twitter, I had record year for posting and
page views on my blog! I believe the
combination of factors that shattered all my previous records was My Little Pony
and Steve Jackson Games (although not together). Two columns of pages dedicated to my actual
play collections, yard sale items, and other stuff doesn’t hurt either.
News
#1 The biggest news on my front is the opening of a game store halfway between work and home! Emerald Vale Games has gotten more of my money since May than the last eight years of other game stores combined! Haven't gotten a chance to game in store yet, but after crazy time at work this Fall, we'll give it a go.
#2 Only a game store on a gaming blog would trump the purchase of a new house. My painting area is well established, although it will take a bit of time to set up a permanent gaming spot in the basement. More important things (like heating oil) will delay the tables and chairs.
#3 I am a sex, er, painting machine: I painted up a whopping 161 pieces this past year, many in preparation of my Samoan Civil War game at Cold Wars. To put this into the proper prospective, I painted up 60 Provisional Island Fighters by Pulp Figures this year, which is one fewer figure than all the items I've painted over the LAST THREE YEARS! No big 10+ figure lots are in my painting queue right, and I have a lot of gnome touch ups to do that won't count, but I think I can keep this pace going. It's only 3 a week, right?
#4 Kickstarter: I bit the bullet and jumped into a number of campaigns. I'm quite certain I may never do another minis KS again, but the role playing and comic ones seems ok.
#5 My Birthday Con: Best gift I could have gotten from my wife for my 40th Birthday: the rental of a fire hall, and inviting a everybody to come over and play games. I got to play Basic D&D and Battletech AND run my Samoa game AND drink all the white birch beer I could? Paradise!
#6 Maja Goes to Her First Con! I took my five year old daughter, Maja, to the Spring Mepacon and she had a blast!
GAMES
Gnome Wars: Got just about the same number of games in as last year (re: not enough). We did start up a Eastern Europe Great War Campaign, as well as a great Father's Day game, played on the hardwood floor of our new house!
D&D: Not only did I get a game of Basic D&D in this year, I snagged up a copy of the 5th Edition Starter Set and ran some "Dungeons and Ponies" games with the girls to test it out.
TIARA: The girls and I played a few games with our ever evolving rules before switching over the D& D with ponies.
Contemptible Little Armies: My Samoa game at Cold Wars wasn't an award winner, but it looked great and I can't wait to paint up more "real" minis.
The Race Game: Racing my antique racecars on a racetrack made from graph paper was all the rage for the first two months in the new house, then it died off.
Call of Cthulhu: Good news, I actually played in a Delta Green playtest, which ends a decade-long drought as a mere keeper. Bad news, getting better: our ongoing campaign was in hiatus this year due to scheduling BUT we did jump start it in September with two whiz bang sessions.
Conventions I stayed at Cold Wars solo this year, but Maja did attend her first Mepacon, and now wants the whole family to come to the next one!
Purchases: eBay has given way to Kickstarter, with five projects supported. The new FLGS has also meant I've added a record FIVE CoC books to the library. Heck, don't tell my wife, but I've purchased Magic booster packs and singles at the store to make sure I buy something each week
Best Kickstarter: Easily goes to Golden Goblin's Tales of the Crescent City. It was affordable, on time,and it's the only one I've received thus far!
Best Game: My much ballyhooed Samoa game was great, my Cthulhu session in early September was awesome, and I guess I could count the Birthday Con as a whole, but really enjoyed our impromptu Siege of Apia game using Gnome Wars at Cold Wars. That was cobbled together in two or three days with Mike Lung, and it turned out to be far more enjoyable than the mega game the following day.
Best RPG Buy: Tales of the Sleepless City by Miskatonic River Press. May have grabbed the last copy retailer distribution channels.
Best Minis Buy: I bought a lot of awesome minis (including most of the Pulp Figures I used in Samoa), but the biggest surprise purchase for me was a new 40K Gretchin boxed set, which I've painted up as Blue Martians.
Best "Other" Purchase: The two copies of Pocket OGRE I picked up have rekindled my love of all things Steve Jackson. I can't wait for the reprint of Car Wars! .
No comments:
Post a Comment