New Year Message

This photo has no great relevance but I get complaints if there is no toy porn in a post...

As 2011 draws to a close this seems a good opportunity to look back...and forward.  Later in this post I will sum up my wargaming activities and plans.

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers and fellow bloggers - especially those of you who leave comments.  Comments are the life blood of the blog and provide my only way of knowing that someone out there actually reads this drivel!  Megablitz and More enters it's fourth year as an integral part of my wargaming life - a fact reflected in the improved regularity of posts in 2011 - more than 5 per week on average.  It is pleasing to feel that as well as a means of keeping in touch with old friends, this blogging lark has led also to new friends.  As always, I hope to see at least some of you during 2012.

Megablitz - While I had to pull the planned 2011 'big game' but hopefully I'll sort something out for 2012.  I did manage to finish more toys and played a few small games.  The 'new' toys include Japanese tanks and a few Russians, as well as newly acquired Germans (3 divisions!) and Russians.  I also added quite a few 1/144 scale aircraft to the collection.  More toys are on the modelling table as I type this and will be the subject of posts soon.

NATO Brigade Commander - this remains on the back burner of late, but I did finish more Soviets and Greeks, and the latter have been used in a game.  I have a small Cold War-era scenario ready to go and a box of undercoated toys waiting to be completed.  WW3 here we come!

Funny Little Wars - I began the year with the intention of completing the Forbidian Army.  Not only did I manage this (although no doubt more bits will be added), but it has actually seen action!  As with everything else, however, a single army is never enough so expect 2012 to see progress on either a 'French' Army or a 'British' Naval Brigade.  Probably.

Op14 - I don't think we played an Op14 game during 2011 - although we came close last Wednesday.  I did complete more 6mm toys - French and Russians.  Hopefully we will get a few games in during 2012.

 

Command & Colours Napoleonics - This has been a good addition to the games lineup and led to the 15mm toys getting a fair bit of use.  Minor additions to the forces have (thankfully!) come ready-painted.  We're about halfway through the scenario book and at least one supplement is due out in 2012.

 

Classical Warfare (Command & Colours and Strategos) - The 6mm toys have had an easy year, not least because of the surprise return to my shelves of 25mm as a scale.  Initiated in August by the posthumous gift of a load of figures from my old friend John G Robertson, and boosted by plastics and some online auction 'incidents', these little blighters now fill 10 boxes!  Following some fast talking by Phil Steele I even rejoined the Society of Ancients.

 

Naval Wargames - 2011 saw a gentle buildup of my 1/1200 fleet and the first outing at the Sheffield Club of the Fletcher Pratt game.  This was successful to the point where I have been asked to run more F-P games.  Well,we do meet in a big room with a parquet floor and there appears to be no shortage of members prepared to crawl around on it pushing toy boats...

Wargames events - I will be attending the following during 2012 presenting the year's new Wargame Developments participation game 'Rollbahn Ost' - Triples, Partizan, CoW, The Other Partizan. I attended these (less first Partizan) in 2011, along with Derby and I was also pleased to get to the  London Toy Soldier Shows in May and December with Len Cooksey.  I may also appear at a couple of other shows but there's nothing else in the diary as yet.  I usually mention upcoming show appearances on the blog, so if you're at a show I attend do come and say hello.

No doubt more distractions will present themselves during the year...