Sunday 3 January 2016

New Year and Oldish Ideas

First of all a very happy new year to one and all! 

Like many others I shall back on the treadmill tomorrow and the holiday seems to have flown by. I have not achieved very much on the hobby front to be honest but I have managed to get some ideas together - rather I have given some form to some older ideas - and these will form the basis of this post and the activities of the coming year.

Salamis

The additional bases I needed for the models have been ordered so it is merely a case of acquiring the extra models I need for this project to really get under way. I have all the Heroscape hexes I need and I have also made a start on drafting the rules for use when I refight the battle. All told there are around 60 triremes of various sorts to be painted but they will be easy enough to do once I can get to them.

Jutland

I will certainly be commemorating the centenary of the battle in some form but as yet I have not decided exactly how. It may well be I will revert to using the Avalon Hill Jutland game as it is simple to put together and gives a nicely representative action.

The Caucasus

This is going to be a slow burning and long term project - mainly because I have yet to decide which pair of the four main wars I want to tackle. WW1 is a certainty but I am wrestling with the choices from the 19th century. The main protagonists are of course Russia and Turkey but there are a number of potential twists that could be applied to the mix. The Persians and assorted Asiatic tribes could readily feature and it would not be stretching a point too far to include the British Indian Empire. I need to think about this in more detail but my thoughts at the moment are very much looking towards the 1880s as a good compromise.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi

I want to tackle something from both genres if possible but only as a sideline - the list above will give me plenty to be going on with - and am keen to take a look at both Frostgrave and Dragon Rampant in due course. The size of force required for both of these is fairly modest which is a very important consideration in respect of the time I will have available.

In the meantime though I shall continue to use the block armies on an ad hoc basis as and when I need to get my gaming fix.

One thing that will need to happen though as a matter of priority is that I will once again need to have a long and hard think about what I want to hang on to as the man cave is getting a little, how shall I put it, crowded!

12 comments:

El Grego said...

David,

I am looking forward to seeing your progress with the Salamis project - maybe it will spur my own naval projects along.

Reducing the hobby mountain is also on my radar this year.


Best,

Greg

Millsy said...

Happy New Year David. Sounds like some interesting plans. Are man caves not, by definition, crowded? :-)

Simon Quinton said...

Happy New Year. Good luck with sorting out the projects I had to do a similar thing last year. Felt better and more focused since doing it now though.

Paul O'G said...

Well whatever you get up to, I hope it will be a cracker matey!

BTW did you see that Osprey is releasing Poseidon's Warriors later this year/ Squadron based galleon conflict. I know that I will crumble...

"Full set of rules with fleet lists and scenarios from the age of the Trireme to The Age of Titans and the Punic wars. No hex grids required."

http://johnstoysoldiers.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/poseidons-warriors.html

Conrad Kinch said...

A busy schedule David. Which do you intend to tackle first?

David Crook said...

Hi EG,

I have the plans for Salamis more or less complete in my mind but as ever it is the practicality that is the issue. The key thing is getting the models completed - I am using Navwar 1/1200th - and the last of these are now on order. Once they are ready everything else should drop into place but I will keep you posted as things develop.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Michael,

In retrospect I think crowded may be a little harsh - more accurately I would say untidy! The trouble is this makes it look worse!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Simon,

I am a leading authority on sorting out projects as I do it constantly. The trouble is sorting out projects then almost becomes a project in its own right!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Paul,

I must confess that Salamis has been a long term itch that is at last getting scratched. I noted the rules and will certainly be getting a set when available - the refight will be hex based though although it may be interesting to go off the grid as well.

Much to ponder methinks.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hello Mr Kinch,

The plan is Salamis first of all which will keep me busy for a while. Jutland will need very little work to run with and the others are very much as and when. I am not being too strict in terms of times as my work schedule is rather erratic.

That is the plan in any event - although how long it survives is anyone's guess!

All the best,

DC

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Jutland YES

David Crook said...

Hi Goerdie,

I will be tackling the battle in some fashion - most probably as a hybrid board game option - and have a couple of possibilities to consider. I have a while to finalise this so am not overly concerned at present although knowing my luck the time will fly by and May will be upon us sooner than I allowed for!

All the best,

DC