Review of 2021

2021 was a year of change for me.  I retired from full-time employment in November 2020, started collecting my pension, and found myself with plenty of time to indulge in my hobbies. I started up a small business, Derek’s Wee Decals, which provides a decent level of beer money most months, and used part of my pension lump sum towards to buying two 3D printers, a Crealty Ender 3 v2 (FDM) and an Elegoo Mars 2 (SLA). It was a very active year on the hobby front.

Games Played

My target was one game a week in 2020, though Covid restrictions ensured I got off to a very slow start and I had only played four games by the end of March. But once restrictions started being eased in April I was off and running. It’s been a record breaking year as I have been gaming at least twice a week (more usually three or four times) since May. I’ve continued to play my usual miniatures games but have also started a weekly board-games session with a long-time friend. We managed 22 board-gaming sessions in 2021, some of more than one game.

Miniatures Games Played (total for year 64 sessions)

• 13 x Sharp Practice
• 10 x Test of Honour
• 7 x ‘O’ Group
• 7 x Warcry
• 5 x Infamy Infamy!
• 5 x Mortal Gods
• 4 x Mortal Gods Mythic
• 3 x Chain Of Command
• 3 x Fistful of Lead
• 3 x Stargrave
• 1 x Oathmark
• 1 x Men Who Would Be Kings

That’s a record for me. There’s a strong showing for fantasy games with Warcry and Mortal Gods Mythic, but my most played game was Sharp Practice for the second year running.

Board Games Played (total for year 22 sessions)

• 5 x Marvel Unlimited
• 4 x Monster Slaughter
• 4 x Super Fantasy Brawl
• 3 x Massmora
• 2 x Nexus Ops
• 2 x Ticket to Ride
• 1 x King of Tokyo
• 1 x Nemesis

Planned Painting

With 2,468 points in the TooFatLardies Painting Challenge 2021 I painted more in 2021 than I have any year in decades, easily beating my target of 2,000.

Infamy, Infamy! My main aim for the year was to get forces together for use in the Punic Wars testing of Infamy, Infamy from TooFatLardies. During a slightly mad February I completed a force of over 100 Gauls, who will be able to fight against the Romans on their own or act as support for the Carthaginian force I put together in March. In April I painted a small force of Numidians while later in the year I expanded the Gauls and put together a force of Caesarian Romans, who can fight the Gauls or have them as Allies. I’m now well sorted for Infamy 🙂

Test of Honour:  Another aim for 2021 was to expand my forces for Test of Honour. I with thiss, but not by much by t painting up the peasant types necessary for my planned Ikko-Ikki force. I still need to do a few hero types.

Oathmark:  No painting and only a single game. But I did design and print prototypes of for a sabot system which I will use in my planned Human/Undead Oathmark army. The humans all come from my Gw?r y Gogledd force for Dux Britanniarum. .

More Warbands

I’m still having fun putting together small forces for skirmish games, This year I’ve done Ossiarch Bonereapers and Undead Samurai. for fantasy and Nurgle Space Marines, Undead Space Marines, Robots and Belters for SF games.

Scenery

Not a lot of scenery finished this year, some samurai walls and scatter terrain and a rather nice Spanish windmill from Charlie Foxtrot Models.

Incomplete Plans

My Hydra is still sitting in it’s undercoat. And that’s about it.

3D Printing

I’ve had mixed experience with my introduction to 3D printing and it’s been very frustrating at times, I’ll write about it more fully elsewhere, though I must say I’m getting on with the Ender 3 v2 a lot better than I am with the the Elegoo Mars resin printer.

I did manage to print and paint two forces using stl files for 2mm miniatures from Project Wargaming. I now have Romans and Gallic armies for the Strength and Honour big battle rules due soon from Reisswitz Press and I’ve printed a load of scenery, most of which has not yet been painted. I intend to rectify that soon.

All in all it’s been a highly productive year.