Full Circle - and Necromunda

It's been a hot minute since I posted to this site. In actual fact, it's been a hot seven years. In the intervening time I've changed careers, run eight successful Kickstarters, had nearly half a million words published by various game companies around the world, and self-published 7 RPG zines (see more on the Caradoc Games link at the top of the page).

The last few months though I've taken a hiatus from game design, and have been getting out the paints and brushes, dusting off miniature games I haven't played in some time, and generally doing other hobby things. It's been nice to come back to that side of the gaming hobby, and more and more I've felt like blogging about it. So here we are, full circle.

What got me back into miniatures gaming? A bit of uncertainty around what I was going to do next with Caradoc Games, and a desire to take some time. A good friend of mine had finished running a Necromunda campaign, and was talking about running another campaign later in the year. He asked if I wanted to join in; the bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

After some umming and ahhing, I finally gave in and thought to myself, 'yes, just a gang for Necromunda, that will be a nice distraction from my studies this year'. Six months later and I have a painted Necromunda gang, a fleet for Oak and Iron, a Gallic DBA army, and I have Bloodbowl sitting on a table nearby... I should have known this was how it would go.

Looking at the gangs that our local group had, and which miniatures I liked the look of, I ended up getting an Ash Wastes Nomad gang (cue the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme tune, and an episode titled: The Gang Does the Ash Wastes).

I don't think I've bought anything from Games Workshop since the late 90s. The model sprues were good quality, and the figures went together easily. I rather like these models, but boy are there a lot of layers, with bits of cloth and cowl hanging over parts of the figures here and there, chains, and cannisters and all manner of other details, which look wonderful once painted, but are sometimes tricky to get a brush to. If I had my time again, I'd almost elect to paint them on the sprues, but then again, just typing that gives me the shudders, so maybe not.

I was really happy with how these figures came out, the models are well posed and detailed, and I am pleased with the final product. According to my extensive research and exacting sources, most of dyes available in the Ashen Wastes are various shades of brown, so that's what I went with... 

My gang for Necromunda - The Ash Waste Nomads

The campaign started a couple of weeks ago, but I'll save posting about it for another day. So far it's been a lot of fun, and unusually for me, I'm actually playing with painted miniatures!

Hobby Goals for 2018

With my writing goals outlined, it is time to turn to my hobby...

Last year I had a variety of hobby goals, some of them I achieved, others I did not. This year I'm going to try and push a few things (like the podcast), and be a little more circumspect about others (game designs).

100 Unique Games

This is a goal I have had for the past couple of years, and have managed to accomplish. I'm not listing this one because I think it will be an easy victory, but because sometimes it makes me pause when I'm picking a game to play, and ask myself whether I wouldn't rather trying something I haven't played for a while. Usually the results are good - with new games arriving on a too regular basis it's good to try and get some of the older ones off the shelf as well. For those of you on Boardgamegeek.com, I am tracking the games I play throughout the year in a geeklist which can be found here.

Role Playing

Last year we managed to play with relative regularity, and this is something I'd love to continue into 2018. I have plans to continue the Symbaroum campaign we're currently playing. When that comes to a close (in a couple of adventures hence), I might shift to a different game system and setting for a while, and come back later in the year. Currently I'm looking Heavy Gear, Mythic Battles RPG, Feng Shui, and a couple of others. I have loved getting my role playing hat back on the last few years, and really hope this is something we can keep consistent with throughout 2018.

Miniature Painting

I had lofty goals last year, and managed to get nothing done. This year I hope to... well, to do something. I would ideally like to paint my Chronicles of Anyaral figures, Heavy Gear force, Yu Jing Infinity Force and my 15mm Gauls for Sword and Spear... but I know I won't be that productive. I would settle for just one of those. I think I am going to try first for the Chronicles of Anyaral. I love the look of the minis, and it's something my son and I could do together. Beyond that... who can say.

Minis Playing

The last miniatures game I played was Infinity, some months ago. [aghast intake of breath]. Yes, shame. There are a couple of games I'd really love to get to the table with some regularity this year: Sharp Practice, because it is one of my all time favourites, Dux Britanniarum, for the same reason. Sword and Spear, Kings of War, Chronicles of Anyaral (with my son), Infinity, and Kings of War Vanguard - which should be arrived from the Kickstarter later this year. Fingers crossed we manage some consistency with this. We shall see...

Gaming with the Family

Kids games...

Some classics my wife and I love...

Playing regular games (by which I mean almost every night) with my kids, and playing regular games with my wife. One: It's great bonding time, something nice to do as a family. Two: My wife and I used to play games all the time, and life got in the way. I would love to get games back to the table with the ones I love, it's social, enjoyable, and a great activity to slot into an evening before bed-time (or after the kids are in bed, for my wife and I).

ShepparCon

Last year was the inaugural year for our local game convention. I am part of the committee, though what my role is remains a mystery to all involved, myself included. Nonetheless, and thanks mainly to the leadership of our fearless commander-in-chief Karl, as well as those on the committee who did things (Nath, Matt, Will et al), it was a resounding success. This year we hope to increase numbers and generally improve on the whole event. If you're an Aussie - come along and have a great time. You can find the website with information here.

Podcasting

Well, I'll be honest. 2017 was a bit of a let down. Quinton and I had intended to get On Minis Games rolling, and life interceded. We didn't manage it. This year we're hoping to do what we hoped for last year - 2 episodes a month. We already have two recorded, the first of which will hopefully be soon. You can find information about our podcast (including the RSS link) here. We'll be covering mainly miniature games, with a sprinkling of RPGs and Boardgames as well...



Well, that about rounds out my hobby related goals for 2018. Looking back, I think it is more than enough to keep me occupied. Fingers crossed I managed to tick a few more of these goals off than last year!

Writing Goals for 2018

It has taken me a little time to come back to the blog with some clear thoughts on what to write next. Logically speaking, given the last few posts centered around looking back at 2017, and that the new year is underway, the thing to do would be to add a few posts detailing my goals for the coming year. Fairly straightforward really. A few things have held me back. First and foremost of course is the need to solidify in my own mind what the goals for the coming year should be. Should they be a repeat of last years, flow from them, seek to improve on them, focus on those things I struggled with... But there were other thoughts too, as you will read below.

So, this post details my writing goals for 2018, some of them are a continuation from last year, some wholly new.

Freelance Writing

Readers of my blog may know that I have, for the past few years, worked as a freelance writer for Spartan Games and Modiphius Entertainment. The last half of 2017 was devoted to working on the Infinity Role Playing Game line, writing background material for upcoming sourcebooks, adventures and the like. I have work still to do, and am very much looking forward to continuing my efforts with Modiphius.

Since I have a better handle on my rhythms as a writer, and I have a bit more experience in regards to both what I need to do and how to go about doing it, I am hoping this work continues throughout the year. I have loved working on the Infinity line, I have also done a little for the Star Trek RPG, and hopefully will have the opportunity to write for various of their other product lines.

My key goal here is to keep at it. Keep writing, keep working, and keep enjoying the process. I have loved every minute of the work I have done so far, and have been lucky enough to work with some absolutely wonderful, helpful and inspiring people. Here's to 2018 being bigger and better than an already enjoyable 2017! Many thanks too to the boffins at Modiphius, it has been a pleasure!

Blog

For the last two years I have had the goal of blogging at least twice a month. Ideally I'd like to increase that to once a week. But in all honesty I think that when work gets busy I will find myself struggling with the time to do so. So, here's to a carefully constructed escape clause: my ideal goal for 2018 is to blog four times a month, and my realistic goal is that I will blog twice a month. A bit wishy-washy, but there you have it. My journal will include four tick boxes instead of two next to my monthly goals, but if I don't manage to tick them all I'll be content with two.

A Novel

My hesitation in writing this post stems mainly from this goal. I felt a level of reservation. By articulating that something is a goal I am placing an expectation on myself; that I will endeavor to follow it up; to do something about it. This goal is particularly personal, and since I place an emotional value on it, any failure to achieve it would be disappointing. Better perhaps to not vocalise it, to keep it hidden, to toil in silence... In this way there is no chance of failure, no chance of falling short, and any inability to achieve it can be safely directed away from any real emotional consequence because it was never really a goal, was it?

In the end though, if it is truly something I want to achieve some action must be taken. If I want to do a thing then I must begin.

This year my aim is to write a novel manuscript.

There. I said it.

I have a whole collection of short stories, novellas and even two novel manuscripts, one only about 20,000 words, the other close to completion, sitting on my hard drive. But none are finished. None are at a point where I would be happy to send them off for an editor, publisher or agent to look at. Some of them are dated from when I was doing my writing course back at the turn of the century, and that was a younger me, with less experience. My goal this year is to write the manuscript for a novel. To have it finished. To have it between 80,000 and 120,000 words. To edit it, and otherwise have it in a state where it is 'ready' (well, ready to be cut apart by an editor).

I have started. I am reading books on structure and writing again. I am listening to writing podcasts. I have a collection of ideas I like (too many). I have written short descriptions and outlines for each. I have the stories mulling and stewing in the back of my mind, refining and being refined. I have even pitched them to a few people to see what ideas seemed to resonate and what didn't (thank you to those people, really). My next steps in this endeavor center around cutting this list of ideas down to one. To outline, plan, plot, characterise and all the other necessary things, and then lastly, to write it.

It has been stated; at least; at last. We shall see...

Looking Back - Favourite Books Read in 2017

I used to read voraciously, but life, work and hobbies have all conspired to make it easy for me to devote time to other things the last few years, and I haven't been reading as much as I would like. I made a conscious decision in 2016 to try and read more books again, and while the number read in total hasn't been anywhere near what I used to get through, it has been better than the few years before I made that commitment.

This year I have a range of different books, for myself, to my kids at night, and out loud to my class. I have tried to make sure I review many of the books I have read over the course of the year, and you can find those either on Good Reads, or by clicking on the 'books' tag at the bottom of this post.

So, without wasting too many more words, what are the best books I have read in 2017?

First and foremost, the book I most often think about since finishing is Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. You can read my review here if you're interested in more details.

Children of Time is something I keep coming back to because of the juxtaposition of the two stories that unfold. It reads like a real and thoughtful examination of the human condition, and represents both the best and worst our species is capable of. The story is different, one set of characters are alien and strange, and yet it works. The rise of civilisation charted throughout this book is measured equally against the slow disintegration of a microcosm of our own. All the characters are interesting and engaging, the story dramatic and full of highs and lows. All in all it is a book I enjoyed a lot. I thoroughly recommend looking it up, and have been very glad to note that the author, Adrian Tchaikovsky, has stated on Twitter that he is working on a sequel.

My absolute favourite book read this year has been Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling. 

I actually read this twice, once to my class and once to my son. My class enjoyed it, which was nice, but my son went from not being interested in reading this 'strange' book, to absolutely adoring it. We're currently reading Chamber of Secrets, and he is loving the Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle card game (recommended).

The moment where Harry faced down Quirell would have to be one my favourite parts of year, not just reading. My son, rapt, was sitting in his bed disbelieving. Genuinely upset at the betrayal and twist. This book changed his attitude to reading, and it was an absolute joy to be a part of that.

Harry Potter is a wonderful story, and never seems to fail in drawing readers in and capturing their imagination and their hearts - it certainly did mine, and my son was no different. It was an absolute pleasure to read this to him.

The most interesting book I read this year was Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I read this book to my class on recommendation from another teacher (thanks Tara). I was skeptical, I'll be honest. But wow. I am a convert. This book was a revelation, to myself and the kids in class both. I am not sure if I have read a book that genuinely revolted, amused, and fascinated a class more than this. Killing and butchering an animal, making cheese, playing with a corn-cob doll; all the simple every day things that consumed the lives of the Wilder family in their time in that log house was an eye-opening adventure back in time. What a wonderful book and window into another era this book is.

The most influential book I read this year was Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen.

A classic tale of survival, where a boy is pitted against nature itself in an epic quest just to survive. This book contains everything one would expect of a survival story, and is brutal in its exposition. The kids in my class were equally delighted and horrified by it. Why was it most influential? I read it out loud. The rhythm and cadence of the book is sublime. The repetition pounds the message home. The short sentences combined with long sentences and repeating phrases call to be read aloud and make the book a fascinating experience. The story is good, but the writing is fascinating. I loved it.

So, in short order there are some of my favourite books read of 2017. Not all new and shiny, some old and dusty, in fact, but all good books and thoroughly recommended. 

Looking Back - Hobby Goals

At the beginning of each year I set myself various goals, for some areas - like my writing goals, the idea is to challenge myself to achieve various things. For some areas - like my hobby goals, it's to vary things as much as it is to challenge myself. At the start of 2017 I wrote up some hobby goals, they focused on playing a variety of board games, getting some role playing done, painting and modeling, podcasting and game design. The results were a mixed bag...

Board Games Played...

Like 2016, in 2017 I set the goal of playing 100 different board games. Half way through the year this seemed an easy goal to crack, but for whatever reason, I only managed to cross the line in December. It's been an interesting year, my gamer group has moved from playing miniatures games almost exclusively to playing mostly board games, and for the first time in years I feel like I am moving back into the sort of awareness and familiarity with the industry I had when I was more heavily involved in it. I have certainly played more recently published games this year than in the previous few years, and most of this has to do with two factors - my kids becoming old enough to play more games, and my gamer group choosing to play more board games.

For anyone particularly interested, the Geeklist on Boardgamegeek where I maintained the list of the unique games I have been playing can be found here.

It's no surprise that the games I have played the most over the course of the year are games my kids have enjoyed. So far this year the most played games with the family have been...

Zitternix is a dexterity game, much like pick up sticks. You roll the dice and remove the stick matching the colour you rolled. The blue, red and yellow sticks are worth 3, 2 and 1 point respectively. It's a fun game that plays very easily. My daughter, 2, could play this with little trouble, and often requested it. Well worth looking up if you're after a quick and enjoyable game for the family.

Spooky Stairs is a roll and move game with some serious differences. If you roll a ghost, one of the Ghost pieces is placed over the top of a player piece, meaning you must remember which one is yours. Add to this the rule that if you roll a ghost you may switch the positions of two ghosts, and the game is a surprising and enjoyable memory game. Some arguments and tears were shed over being 'ghosted' and 'swapped' - but for all the pain at the time, these little moments are where we learn to be good losers and gracious winners. Again, a really enjoyable game.

Slamwich is essentially snap with a few twists. My kids love it mainly for the food aspect. My daughter always like to repeat the name of every, single, piece of food represented on every, single, card played. But is rather cute and amusing. Another solid game.

My youngest took the 'Muncher' card a little too literally it seems.

Machi Koro is a fun little dice rolling game. You build up a little town, roll the dice and activate and use the powers on any buildings matching the number you rolled. It plays quickly and my son absolutely adored this game, which meant it hit the table with fair frequency. Well worth looking up as a slightly more complex family game to those above.

One of my greatest pleasures this year has been reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to my son. It started with whining about how much he was sure he'd hate the book, and by the time the Dursleys were hiding out in a hut on a rock and Hagrid was banging on the door, he was well and truly hooked. He loved the book, and we're currently reading Chamber of Secrets, which is great. For Christmas one of the newest games to be added to our shelves was this: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle. A deck building game with the Harry Potter theme.

I'm usually wary of games that have such a big licence, they tend to be fairly ordinary. But this one is absolute gold. The deck building aspect is neat, and the 'game' includes 7 games - each adding in aspects from the books as they move through the series. The game starts simply, but becomes more challenging, complex and interesting as the different 'games' and their suite of additional cards, pieces and rules are added in. A very solid game we have already played quite a lot over the last few days.


The best new-to-me games I have played are all quite different from one another. A real-time game, an epic story laden miniatures board game and a tight euro game with a theme I adore.

Eye for an Eye is a game that is planned to hit Kickstarter next year I believe. I was lucky enough to get the chance to play it with the designers Ben and Shae, at Shepparcon - a local gaming convention. I had an absolute blast. If someone had asked me whether a real time miniatures game was likely to be any good, I would have flat out said 'no'. This game, however, proves me wrong. Each player has warrior, and rolls dice to place on their warrior cards which may then be spent to move, change facing, attack, defend and use special powers. It is frantic, with everyone rolling, placing and spending dice as break-neck speed, and, most impressively, it works. I had a lot of fun with this, and I thoroughly recommend keeping an eye out for the Kickstarter when it comes.

Mythic Battles: Pantheon. My friend Quinton kickstarted this, and wow, what a lot of boxes, cardboard, card stock and plastic. Having played now the intro scenario, a story scenario, a co-op scenario, and a drafting battle between three players all I can say is that the game is easy to play, and a lot of fun. The choices are many, and the game is tense. But the rules are easy enough to handle that it all just works and works smoothly. I really enjoyed playing this, and I am looking forward to playing more!

I could have gone multiple ways with the last of the three, X-Com, Rex: Final Days of Empire, Red 7 and others were all contenders for the last of the three. In the end I have run with Terraforming Mars. This is a dyed in the wool euro game, with multiple paths to victory and a very solid game engine. I really love the theme, but the game play itself lives up to the hype that has surrounded this game since release. It is highly enjoyable, tense and engaging. So, Terraforming Mars rounds out my top three new-to-me board games of 2017.


Miniatures games are long and involved enough that I won't attempt to do a top three for the year. What I will do is my pick of the games I have played this year, and a couple of honourable mentions.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best miniature game I have played this year, and quite possibly one my my favourite miniatures games of all time, is Sharp Practice, from TooFatLardies.

This game breathes the theme, it is such an enjoyable and story laden experience that every game has been an absolute joy to play. I never thought I would be interested in gaming the Napoleonic Period, or any other black powder era, but here I am. This game, quite simply, is phenomenal. The staccato beat to each player's turn perfectly echoes the theme of the period, the leadership and activation rules are tense and thought provoking. All in all this is a wonderful game, and I thoroughly recommend checking it out.

Honourable mentions:

I have a box of 15mm Gauls I have been meaning to paint and base... perhaps 2018. I bought them specifically for Sword and Spear. This game is very good, with simple, tight game mechanisms and a really interesting activation system it is well worth looking at if you are after an Ancients game!

My son picked this game for the lovely miniatures. I am hoping to get some paint on them in the coming year. The aesthetic is wonderfully charming and the game rules are simple and story laden. Highly enjoyable all together!

On the miniature related goal front, one of my goals for the year was to assemble a bunch of terrain and get things painted. I did manage to assemble some terrain, and a collection of models for Kings of War, but the painting was an abject failure. I don't think I painted a single thing. Perhaps next year will offer better prospects on this front!

The last game playing related goal for 2017 was about role playing. Over the year we've played a few different systems on and off, but without a doubt the best and longest running in 2017 has been our Symbaroum campaign. I really enjoy this game, and if you're keen you can check out my review here. The art is amazing, and the system is easy enough that it doesn't get in the way of the story at all. Thoroughly enjoyable! I am looking forward to continuing the campaign into 2018!

The last two goals I had for 2017 revolved around the podcast On Minis Games and getting some games designed of my own. On both fronts I have done far less than I wanted to, and must count these goals as failed. Hopefully I'll come back to both in 2018, more on that in another post perhaps. The key reason I didn't get to them is because of the freelance work I have been doing, so I need to look at how I structure my time to see what else I can fit in. Hopefully both these missed goals are something I'll come back to.


Overall I have been very happy with the year, sure I didn't paint, design or podcast as much as I had hoped. But I have been playing and enjoying more board games, I've been role playing more, and hey - you can't do everything!

Looking Back - Writing Goals

At the start of the year I set myself some writing goals for 2017, these focused on four things: writing for Spartan Games, writing for Modiphius Entertainment, writing for my blog, and writing some things for myself.

Well, what a year 2017 has turned out to be. At the start of the year everything seemed to be bursting with action as far as Spartan Games was concerned. Things started going a little wayward, and then suddenly, Spartan went out of business. This was a big shock for all involved, and I was none the wiser when it happened than everyone else. I'm sad to see Spartan go, I got along well with the owner, Neil, and liked the company and the games they made a lot. Shortly afterwards we got the news that Wayland Games, under their Warcradle banner, picked up the various Spartan IPs. I haven't had anything to do with the new rules that are coming down the pipe, but of course, I wish them all the best in their endeavors!

Needless to say this change in landscape for Spartan put paid to any of the goals I had had concerning them, so not much happened on that front. One goal down.

Onto my second goal... Modiphius Entertainment. On this front I have been kept extremely busy. I have spent most of the second half of the year writing for the Infinity Role Playing Game, and have also managed a few things for the Star Trek Role Playing Game as well. A vast majority of the things I have been working on are still in approvals, and I have a few things that will consume my attention throughout January, but it has been busy.

Through my work with Modiphius I learned that if I push myself I can manage upward of 50,000 words in a month, at one point pushing to 20,000 in a week. So far this year, for both Infinity and Star Trek I have penned around 110,000 words, for about 9 different books/products. I say this with a pinch of salt, as much of what I have done is sitting in the approvals lines with either CBS or Corvus Belli, but in terms of what I have produced (not necessarily what will hit print) - those are the numbers.

Overall I am reasonably proud of this achievement. It has taught me a lot about getting words on the page, and the sum total of that experience has taught me one key lesson: sit down and write.

On the blog front I have managed (just, at times) to hit my goal of two blog posts per month. Though I really feel I need to up my game to blog at least once a week. Goal achieved, but room for thought on next year...

On the personal writing front things have been of mixed success. With my freelance work I have been kept busy enough to keep me away from other, more personal stuff. I have managed a few things though:

• I have started the plans for several novel ideas.
• I have been listening to range of podcasts on writing which has been an excellent source of inspiration and information (I will blog about these at a later date).
• I have bought a few books that should help me moving forward (I will blog about these at a later date).
• I have solidified a plan for how I should proceed with my personal writing projects.
• And, I have a more clear idea for how to get there.

So while I haven't written as much as I would have liked, not all is lost!


That gives a rough summary of how I have fared against the goals I set at the start of the year. Overall I have to say I have learned a lot about myself as a writer, and this should provide me with a better structure come 2018. At a later date I'll go through and lay out some of my goals for the upcoming year, but suffice to say for now: I am very happy with my writing achievements for 2017. I am hoping 2018 is even more successful. We shall see!

Writing Goals...

In my previous post I reflected a little on the goals I had set out for myself in 2016. For the most part these goals revolved around various forms of playing games because, well, I like playing games, and my blog is dominated by posts about them.

Over the last few years I been working somewhat as a freelance writer (well, it's a hobby really, I work as a teacher during day-light hours). This work has all been in the games industry, with both Spartan Games and Modiphius Entertainment (those interested can see what exactly I have worked on, on my bibliography page).

I have always had a passion for game design and writing, I have tended to spend vast chunks of my time developing my own role-playing systems and settings, board games, writing fiction, and writing for various places online. After high school I studied professional writing and editing for a couple of years before going on to teaching, and my hard drive and many note books are full of jottings, from simple plot, scene or setting concepts, to game ideas, to variously 'finished' and (predominantly) unfinished short story, novella and novel manuscripts.

The last few years it has been a pleasure, therefore, to be able to do this work in a more professional sense. To see things I helped work on, design or write make it to print. It is not a side-job that has earned me a lot of money, I might add, but I enjoy it, and it keeps me off the streets.

This post, as the title might suggest, is about my writing goals for 2017...

Spartan Games:

2016 ended with an explosion of activity for Spartan Games, and Dystopian Wars specifically. There is a new version of the rules underway, which I am not involved with at this stage, but there are also many models to stat up, 7 faction books to produce, as well as the Ice Maiden and Bronze Typhoon campaign books and the Decameron - a book of novellas and short stories.

Needless to say, everyone involved is full steam ahead. I am working currently on the faction books, the campaign books and the Decameron. While I will be doing some of the writing for all of those, my main role at the moment is to help project manage these 9 books from conception to production. Neil, myself and some of the core writers who work with Spartan (Franco Sammarco and Sam Bevan), have worked through a plan for how these stories will develop, and Neil and myself have worked through the outline and structure of the books so everyone knows how they will be stitched together and what pieces are required. I am excited. I'm hoping everyone will thoroughly enjoy the playing through the campaign books; and the faction guides and Decameron will help develop the background of Dystopian Wars, including some fun things which reveal a little more about the how and why of this alternate 1800s setting...

Modiphius Entertainment:

Over the last year and a bit I have been doing some free lance work for Modiphius Entertainment. I worked as an editor on the Achtung! Cthulhu Miniatures Game, but my main projects have been for the upcoming Infinity Role Playing Game. More recently I have also finished a little writing for the upcoming Star Trek Adventures Role Playing Game. I have absolutely loved working on these games, the opportunity to delve in and write background and setting material is something I enjoy immensely.

Infinity: The Role Playing Game is based on the setting of the very successful miniatures game from Corvus Belli. Those who have followed my blog may recall this is a game I have played and enjoyed, and therefore writing some of the setting chapters for the core rule book has been a real pleasure. I am currently working on an adventure, and will have more to do as Wave 2 develops. It should be a busy year for Infinity!

I have only recently completed my first assignment for Star Trek Adventures, and again, this has been something I have thoroughly loved. Just the potential to tell my wife that staying up and watching Star Trek is 'research' is enough, but the game system is looking really good and of course the setting is classic science fiction, so writing for it is something I have had a lot of fun with. I am looking forward to the opportunity to do more in the coming year.

Castle by Moonlight:

My blogging goal for 2017 is roughly the same as what I had for 2016. If I can keep up around two posts a month, I'll be happy. Last year I managed an average of three posts a month, but I'll keep the goal at two. I know some months when everything else is busy, I may not hit that target, and other months when things are more quiet (or the mood takes me), I'll manage more. Two a month gives me a goal to work toward without feeling like I'm placing too much pressure on myself. As per usual my blog will remain predominantly about games and gaming, with the occasional book review or other piece of miscellany thrown in.

Writing for pleasure...

[insert picture of a majestic landscape or an inspirational quote here]

Much of the work I have completed, in regards to writing, over the last couple of years has been a form of report (as on this blog), a form of technical writing (rules, scenarios), or has been copy editing. It has been a nice break away from the norm to be writing background material for the Infinity role playing game and the occasional piece of fiction for Spartan Games. One of the things I want to make sure I set aside time for in 2017 is to write more fiction of my own. I have a broad collection of narratives, from short stories through to novels, in various stages of completion; and the beginnings of plans or the seeds of ideas for many more.

I want make the time to get back to writing my own stories in my own settings. I think the way to do this is to try and set aside at least one night a week (I'll start with one and see how it goes), where my sole focus is to work on something of my own. Of course, it really should be more than this, but with work to complete for Spartan and Modiphius, one night will suffice for now.

I expect this goal will be quite hard to maintain, not only am I a world class procrastinator, never doing today what I can put off for tomorrow, but when my other freelance projects get busy, they can be quite consuming. Writing is a creative act, and distraction, emotional state, weariness and many other factors can all impact a person's ability to 'get it done'. The act of writing itself can feel like it is just flowing, the words tumbling onto the page, but sometimes they just don't. Additionally, one must often stop for a period to research things like common Sicilian surnames, or how the ionosphere can interfere with radio signals, or the structure of the United Nations Military Council... because anyone who writes will admit to having an insanely random set of browser searches in their history. Research can and usually does eat hours, and, of course, there is a limit to a person's available work time, especially when they have a day job as well. When high levels of research are required, whether for a freelance project or a personal one, it can feel like a lot of time has been spent for very little progress. But this is just a part of the process, of course.

Regardless, whatever the excuses, whatever the distractions, I really want to push myself to spend a night a week working on my own projects. It will be interesting to see how I go.




So that about sums up my writing goals for 2017. The other key factor in all of this is making sure I don't take on so much that I burn myself out, or that it then impacts negatively on the time I have with my family, or my day job. It will be interesting to see how things develop. I think 2017 will be a bumper year, with much to do for Dystopian Wars, the Infinity RPG and hopefully the Star Trek RPG. Add in the time I want to spend on my own projects, and I think I will be kept reasonably busy throughout 2017. Writing is something I love, so I find the process a curious mix of stressful (especially around deadlines) and cathartic. I'm hoping 2017 is a year in which I find a solid rhythm to work to: where I can manage my freelance work as well as make progress on my own projects. We shall see!

Looking Back at 2016...

My last post was a little past the  middle of November, and given the gap I must apologise, gentle reader (note that 'reader' is singular), but it has been a busy time.

Aside from the general business of the festive season, with family to visit, drinks to imbibe and food to relish, we have also been busy moving castles. Moving castles is not the most streamlined of processes, it is messy, tiring, and a lot of wandering around wondering which box contains the thing you want in any particular moment. Even having been in the new castle now for around a month, much of our lives are still hidden in some box or tub, probably under some other box or tub.

So the first post of 2017, in the true spirit of the Roman goddess Janus after whom this month is named, I shall be looking back at 2016. 'How quaint' I hear you murmur, 'nobody does reflections on the previous year in January' I hear you stutter, almost spilling your muscat down the front of your velvet monogrammed pajamas.

While you may think it true, careful examination of the interwebs will clearly show that this time of year typically sees bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, geeklist makers and people of all stripes create lists of those things that were best about 2016, and what they are looking forward to in 2017. Who am I to buck a trend?

In all honesty 2016 was an ugly, drawn out, painful and generally turgid affair. If it was a Beast, even Belle would have been urging Gaston to put the bastard down. But it is done, and while 2017 promises (on a global level at least) to be worse, it is here, and so has to be faced with whatever sense of optimism you can muster or whatever banal aphorisms will help you through.

But, I am not here to moan relentlessly from the comfort of my first world life about how tough it all is, I'm here for the gaming! Well, mostly.

At the start of 2016 I wrote a post covering some of my hobby goals for coming year... well, the end times have come and it is time for a reckoning.

The first of my goals was to play at least 100 different games over the course of 2016, which, surprisingly, is something I managed quite comfortably. I ended 2016 having played 115 different games. For those interested the geeklist I used to to keep track of them is here.

Some of my favourites from the year include Battlelore, which was nice to get back to the table again, and Shadows over Camelot, which is also an older game, but a thoroughly excellent one. The best 'new-to-me- game I played in 2016 was probably Codenames, which was a lot of fun, and something I am looking to playing more of in 2017.

In terms of miniature games, and aside from Spartan games such as Dystopian Wars (which I have worked on), I would have to say I was most excited to play Heavy Gear Blitz and Mordheim. Both games were new to me, and while Mordheim is an old game, it is truly a wonderful game. Heavy Gear is something I am hoping to get to the table more this coming year. The minis are great, and I am really enjoying it.

The Scions of Erasmus... my Mordheim warband...

A Hunter Squad for Heavy Gear Blitz...

My next goal was to reduce the number of unplayed games in my collection. This is a goal at which I failed, I'm afraid. I ended 2016 with several more games unplayed than I began it. Hopefully I will have better luck in this department in 2017!

I'm looking at you Sekigahara!

My next goal was to spend more time playing games with my family. I would say this goal has been achieved, I still want to make sure I take the time to play more with my wife and kids in 2017, but the grounding in 2016 was a starting place.

Song of Blades and Heroes with my son...

I had the goal of playing more RPGs in 2016, something I did not manage to do I'm afraid. I really hope that 2017 picks up in this regard... we have a maiden voyage planned for the coming week with the upcoming Star Trek game by Modiphius, so hopefully this is something we can build up!

I had a painting goal of getting a Squadron a month painted, and surprisingly I think I came close. Between my Covenant models, my Mordheim Warband and some Heavy Gears, I am pleased with how much I managed to get done...

Lots done by my own low standard... fingers crossed that I manage more in 2017!

My blogging goal was to write at least two blog posts a month. I think (if I've added correctly) that I managed some 36 posts over 2016, some months I was quiet, some silent, but overall I am happy with my blogging output. My posting is too haphazard in both regularity and subject matter to ever accrue many views, but writing is my goal, not building up my views stat!

My podcasting goal, of recording and posting something at least once a month, turned out to be impossible. With the Element 270 podcast winding up due to scheduling difficulties, and On Minis Games struggling this last month or so due to the move, I just haven't had the time and opportunity. Here's hoping that 2017 sees On Minis Games get going properly!

Lastly, I had a goal to read at least a book a month. Without a doubt the stand out book I read in 2016 was The Martian, by Andy Weir. It is an absolutely wonderful, totally engaging and brilliantly executed book, and I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone. If I was to include the books I had read to my class, this goal would be a shoe in, but considering only books I read for my own pleasure, I fall short of the mark. Again, I hope to make amends in 2017!

And that about sums up the obligatory reflection on 2016. at some point I'll get around to formulating goals for 2017, so until then...