Year in Review

'Tis that time of the year. I didn't do this last year, but thought it might be beneficial for me to do a recap of sorts this year. So, armies progress and hobbying first! What have I accomplished in the last year?

Regnum Aeternum (KoM)
The Regnum kicked off the blog, but started out as GW repaints. However I don't currently count those models in my collection of Kingdoms of Men. Mid 2016, I shifted from repaints to the Roman/Byzantine style I wanted. I've added around 1500 points of things in 2017: more infantry and some knights, and the General on a Winged Beast.

It's a respectable collection at juuust over 3000 points (again, this excludes all of my old GW Empire models). I have a few more things in store for this army in 2018, as well as a few ideas for possible new plastic to buy if the mood strikes. Fireforge is adding some Byzantine models that I have my eye on... especially if they release some honest-to-goodness cataphracts!

Halflings
The Halflings were a small (sorry, sorry) project I started for fun in 2017 as I searched for knightly/cataphract models for my KoM. I liked the idea of a "little brother" army for the Kingdoms of Men, and the idea snowballed from there.

I've painted up a little over 2000 points of Halflings now, and am boxing up the rest. The models aren't that great to hobby on, and I have more than I think I need at this point for a fun army. We'll call them 2000 points painted.

Undead
My Undead started in the tail end of 2016, working up a few Skeleton Warrior and Archer units. In 2017, I've added a lot. Wights, Wraiths, Vampires, characters... with a ton of Zombies, some more skeleton units, and more characters all on the way and already in various stages of progress. The end goal for the Undead is to hit somewhere around 4000 - 5000 points, and to have a nice collection of Undead to draw on. All told I'm a little over 3000 right now, with about 2500 points being added in 2017.

Varangur
The Varangur were my big project in 2017. This year, I've painted up well over 5000 points of Varangur. Lots and lots of armored units, as well as some monsters and characters! I have about another 2000 points of things still sitting around, so I will have more Varangur coming in 2018.

The eventual goal with the Varangur (and Herd, and Abyssals) is to run a huuuge game sometime, with the Varangur taking center stage and supported by the quick Herd on one flank and the ranged Abyssals on another. I think this trio of baddies would look really cool on the table, and provide for a great, fluffy battle report.

Herd
A few test units were finished up on 2016, but most of the work has been done in 2017: some Tribal Longhorns, Guardian Brutes and Beast Packs all ready to hit the table. I'd say about 500-700 points has been done in 2017. Let's just call it an even 500 though.

Abyssals
Despite some purchases, the Abyssals haven't gotten a single unit table-ready yet. That's ok though, as I still don't have much of a plan for the army as a whole. I don't want a large collection; just 2000 points or so. I already purchased a horde of lower abyssals earlier in the year, I should be able to get this army going in 2018 with a little planning.

So, for hobbying/painting, I've painted around 11,500 points spread over 5 armies this year. I don't recall making any particular hobby goal last year, but I'm guessing I would have exceeded it.
========================================================================
How about gaming? You know... the reason for all this hobbying?

Well... I had a rather modest goal of playing 12 games in 2017. I really like Kings of War, and figured that I could probably fit one game in every month, rotating through the friends I know who play and not bugging any one person too much. However, I fell far short of my goal, and I only managed to play 5 games all year, with most of them under the typical 2000 point level. Shucks.

========================================================================
And now... what will 2018 bring?

Hobbying-wise ...probably not as much as 2017. I like hobbying, but I painted a lot of things and don't think I can duplicate that in 2018. I have a loose goal of painting up 6000 points or so. This would finish up a lot of the armies and projects and plastic I have in the works. The Undead will get another 1000 points or so; Herd and Abyssals probably about 2000 apiece. The Regnum is pretty well set, but could have a few things sneak onto the table. And we'll see about the Varangur.

Gaming-wise, I will again aim for 12 games. I wasn't all that diligent in pestering folks for games, and I can probably achieve this with a little planning and persistence. If I can't do this locally... I may have to check out a tournament sometime this year. (Oh shucks.)

And, the last, miscellaneous goal for 2018... is organizing and playing a big mega battle. Huge group games is what really hooked me with Warhammer Fantasy. I think Kings of War will scale up much, much better, and now that I have all these armies painted up and available, I think this would be a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.

That's it for me. Happy holidays, happy New Year, and I'll see you all in 2018!