End of the year regrets and resolutions...

When I moved last year, I had to downsize my figure collections.  I got rid of 28 mm Reil Rebellion figures, 28 mm Spanish-American War armies, 28 mm Trojan War armies, 30 mm High Elf army, and some 28 mm Napoleonics.

I regret selling off the 30 mm GW High Elves.  Now I'm redoing that army.  It's more expense to replace the figures now.  I want a fantasy army to fight some local gamers.  I have no regrets over selling the rest and giving the Napoleonic figures away as a present.  I only have so much room where I currently live.  My collection of figures are now in GW figure cases.  I spent a small fortune on figure cases....

So I'm currently assembling GW High Elves.  Here is my painting schedule for the next year and beyond:

2017:

1)  Finish up 28 mm Masai Warriors.

2)  Work on 30 mm GW High Elves.

3)  Paint 30 mm Warmachine Rhulic Dwarfs.

4)  Assemble and paint small GW WH40K Adeptus Mechanicus army.

5)  Paint 28 mm Viet Cong fighters.

6)  Paint 28 mm  ARVN Rangers platoon.

7)  Paint 28 mm US Vietnam Marine platoon.

2018:

1)  Paint 28 mm Sudanese Mahdist army.

2)  Purchase and paint 28 mm Amazon army.

3)  Purchase and paint 18 mm SYW Swedes.

2019:

1)  Purchase and paint 18 mm SYW Prussians.  That completes my 15mm SYW armies.

2)  Purchase and 28 mm French Foreign Legion and 28mm Republican Mexican & Mexican irregulars for a 28 mm Camerone game.

3)  Purchase and paint 28mm terrain for a 28mm Camerone game.

2020:

1)  Purchase and paint 15mm Chilean, Peruvian, and Bolivian armies for the Great Pacific War, 1879-1884.

2)  Purchase and paint up 15mm terrain for a 15 mm Great Pacific War game.

3)  Bastardize stats for home rules to handle a 15 mm Great Pacific War game.

I'm unsure on the last thing.  I wouldn't mind doing 28 mm Russo-Turkish War forces.  However, it might be too costly.  The Great Pacific War in 15 mm is more manageable.  I'm trying to keep my figure purchases to a minimum next year....

Peace,
Blake

WH40K AAR: 10DEC16

Here are some photos of a WH40K game I played with a friend today:

                                          Hostile Contact (Curtis Turner) moves his Space Ork hordes.

                                          I foolishly advance Deathwing towards their doom.

                                          Space Orks start mopping up my Space Marines.

                                         After the game, picking up everything.

Review of The War of Spanish Succession by James Falkner

Author:  James Falkner.
Title:  The War of Spanish Succession 1701-1714.
Publisher:  Pen & Sword Publishing.
Copyright:  2015.
Pages:  281.


Overview: 
I read this book on my Nook e-reader.  It's a critical study of the War of Spanish Succession.  Louis XIV put his grandson on the Spanish throne.  The Allies declared war in protest.  The conflict dragged in most of western Europe.

The French had the largest armies, but the worst led generals.  Many marshals were royal bastards who didn't know how to command.  The generals who knew how to fight weren't gentlemen and didn't get along with their compatriots.  The Allies were no less fractured.  The Dutch didn't want the British to leave Holland.  The Austrians were only concerned with Italy.  Eugene of Savoy had his hands full keeping his army in the field fed and clothed.  Marlborough had similar problems with his forces.

In the end, the map of Europe went back to its antebellum borders.  The French and Spanish lost influence and property, while England became a maritime power at the expense of the other European powers.  But it was a long and drawn out war that should be settled much sooner than it was...

Recommended.

Review of Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee

Authors:  Barb and J.C. Hendee.
Title:  Dhampir.
Publisher:  Roc Fantasy.
Copyright:  2003.
Pages:  376.
Price:  $6.99 (US).

Overview:

Dhampir grew on me.  Its about two fantasy vampire hunters and their travails with a group of vampires.  The fantasy named vampire infested land seemed too over the top.  The mixture of English named characters didn't do much for me in a fantasy Slavic setting.

It was basically "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Lord of the Rings."  The action kept me reading.  It took a while for things to get going.  When it did, things got interesting.  It should be noted, lots of characters die in this book.  These are not the sparkly vampires of Twilight.  They're old school fantasy vampires who want to defend their turf from the two vampire hunters, who just want to retire.  Recommended once things got going....

Early December 2016 reading...

Here is what I've read so far this week:

1)  Dhampir by the Hendees.  Full review on my blog.

2)  The War of Spanish Succession by James Falkner.  I'm at 1707 of the conflict.  The Allies are having trouble uniting against the French.  Louis XIV wants peace.  But on his terms.  The Allies have expanded their war aims to unobtainable goals.  The result is more war neither side can afford...

3)  Imperfect Sword by Jack Campbell.  The soldiers of Midway are sent into a trap against CEO Harris and his minions on Ulundi.  The good guys have begun their ground attack as the enemy sets their sights on the Midway taskforce....

Late November 2016 Reading....

Here's what I've read so far this month:

1)  Dhamphir by the Hendees.  Fantasy vampire hunter novel.  "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Lord of the Rings."  It took a while to get into the action.  The last twenty pages made up for it.  I'm at page 84 of 350 pages total.

2)  Wolf Star by R.L. Meluch.  More travails involving the USS Merrimack and her sister ship the USS Monitor against the Roman Palatine Empire for control of the galaxy.  I'm now at page 400 of 685 pages of the dual volume Tour of the Merrimack:  The Myriad/Wolf Star.

3)  The Lost Stars:  Imperfect Sword by Jack Campbell.  I'm about at page 120 of page 350.  The Syndicate rebels at Midway have launched an invasion of Ulundi, a neighboring star system under the control of a rebel Syndicate CEO.  I've enjoyed the Lost Stars series so far and I've been reading it on my NOOK E-reader. 

Arm surgery and subsequent gaming adaptation...

My right arm is now been beconstructed.  I don't remember much of the surgery.  It was brutal and compact.  My right is usable and recovering. The ansethima knocked me out for several day.  The days of me painting mass arms are over.  I can work on smaller figure scales with fewer figures  I'm looking at WH40K Cult of the Mechanicus and 30mm Rhulic Dwarf army.  But I'm done buying things in bulk.  Though I've been painting in bulk. Take care and know my basal skin cell cancer was comp;etely removed.  Now, if only my hobbies would cooporate....

Blake