Not gonna lie - seeing these two on the shelf and available to purchase is a real pleasure! I have said before that the whole writing process and all the associated model making, testing and research I really enjoyed!
From my perspective the current year has been mixed. The serious stuff concerned Laurel’s health - not her ongoing disability (wearing though that is) - as she managed to swerve not one but two cancer scares. Both of these involved numerous hospital visits - 21 appointments in all - and nervously waiting on phone calls. Both situations ended on a positive note for which we are all eternally grateful. I had my own run in with a hospital when I managed to half fall out of the loft. My right arm (which was by far the most painful) is now fully recovered but my left elbow is still niggling - nothing serious though, for which I am heartily relieved. The year ended with my seasonal chesty/throaty thing which is still lingering but nowhere near as wearing as previously. Not to be outdone our daughter Holly managed to suffer a small break in her ankle the day before her birthday (15/12) meaning the use of crutches and a boot. She is mobile now though.
Looking forward to giving this a spin - the production standard is very high and the artwork is gorgeous!
It also uses a combination of blocks and cards….
The library of the Reconquista!
A view from the Alhambra
One of the many buildings - this was the palace of a lesser member of the nobility
Looking up!
A typical Moorish style gate and tower
On a more upbeat note Laurel and I had a two week break in Andalusia way back in June. We stayed at the same place as we did last year - near Alcaucin, about fifty minutes from Malaga. It was wonderful with the highlight being a visit to the famous Alhambra Palace. This was a long term wish of mine and it certainly did not disappoint! It was hugely inspiring and the period of the Reconquista is certainly one that appeals from a gaming perspective - not sure in what way yet though. We are going back for another visit in June next year as the hotel is fully set up for people with mobility challenges and we can fly from our local airport so the journey is relatively stress free.
Anyways, enough of the day-to-date stuff!
This year I have not been able to attend a single wargames show! For a variety of reasons - usually calendar clashes - this has been quite a disappointing turn of events but I aim to rectify this sorry state of affairs in 2026!
The biggest gaming news of the year for me was the publication of Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame: The American Civil War in June. A lot of work went into this - Bob Cordery did his writing and editorial stuff and both Messrs Fox and Huband, along with Messrs Slater and Kightly, combined to contribute to an epic battle for the grand finale of the book. It was a tremendous effort and I am truly grateful to them all for their help and assistance.
Captain Nathan Hubbard USN, officer commanding, U.S.S. Manhattan aka Nick Huband
Captain Noah “Redeye” Fox, officer commanding, C.S.S. Atlanta aka Neil Fox
Work on the new book is progressing well. For the most part the rules are ready and have been tested a couple of times with a third game to take place in the next couple of weeks. The ship specs and charts for the Russo Japanese War (specifically the Tsushima WoFun collection) are complete and so I am now turning my attention to the American Civil War for the Ironclads portion of the book. The biggest challenge with this is pinning down firing arcs but I have this ‘dialled in’ for the rules - it is just for the ships I need to worry.
There have been a fair number of acquisitions this year - gifted and otherwise. For the former I (re)took delivery of the Axis and Allies WW2 collection - much of this originally came from Bob Cordery and Archduke Piccolo with a small dollop of stuff from yours truly. I have a full set of the hexed gaming mats that came with the starter sets which I had laminated and these have been used many times with my block armies. I had an idea about using the A and A kit with Memoir ‘44 - certainly there is enough of it. The Redoubtable Mr Fox added to my 15mm pile (the Axis and Allies kit being the same scale) when he offered me his bits and pieces from the Tanks game from GF9 Games. These will also be destined for some kind of Memoir ‘44/Portable Wargame ‘mash up’ in due course
Basing experiments with Zulu Wars British infantry
The 15mm Mike’s Models Colonial collection was the big acquisition of the year and so I now have everything I need to tackle the Zulu War and much else besides. I am still planning what to do with this collection in terms of painting/organising/basing etc so it is a bit of a slow burner. In the short term though, I have been thinking about a pair of Portable Wargame forces to go with the Royal Navy and Turkish ironclads I have under construction. This would have the advantage of being relatively easy to organise as many of the figures for this are already painted. Something to think about.
Fighters of the Pacific
Fighters of Europe
Fighters of the Pacific and of Europe I am really looking forward to gaming with - there is a huge amount of potential with this system and as per usual I have already been thinking ‘outside the box’ at looking at other rules etc. Having both the full kickstarter sets with the stretch goal add-one makes a huge difference and as I have mentioned previously, the accompanying neoprene gaming mats will be very useful indeed!
Boardgames and books have been added to the collection with a good number heading out in the opposite
direction. The library is due an extensive cull - mainly because there are books contained therein that are unlikely to lead into any serious gaming and I am mindful of the need to keep the collection on a tight rein. The following are a random selection of some of the books and games that have found their way into my collection this year. I should also mention the refreshed version of Memoir ‘44 which will certainly be getting some use in the new year!
I am hoping that next year that I can get more games in, more shows in and to actually get some projects off the ground and to a gaming state. We shall see.
In the meantime though, a Happy New Year and here’s hoping that 2026 is a better one.
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