'A Tale of Four Gamers'

[Steve J]

    Now there is nothing, in my experience, like a deadline to focus the mind on the task in hand, whether it be work, family or gaming related. A case in point is Colours 2012, which is only a couple of weeks away. Knowing this I have been using all my spare time to get scenario details ready for a demo game I and some friends are putting on, plus other bits'n'bobs required for the game.

    Now the above is very unusual for me. I'm a terrible wargaming butterfly (or slut if you prefer), generally flitting from one project to another, easily distracted by something I have read in a book, seen on the web etc. This means that like many other gamers, I have so many projects 'on the go' or not even started. I would really like to be able to actually finish one battlegroup, army, project  or whatever it may be, or even a part thereof, before moving onto something different. So with this in mind, I have been mulling over a way to try and tackle this the past few months or so.

    Some of you will hopefully remember the "A Tale of Four Gamers" that ran in White Dwarf maybe ten years ago or so when Paul Sawyer was in charge, and the magazine was actually a great read and worth buying. If you don't, basically it followed four staff members who set themselves a challenge, to finish a Warhammer unit each month, eventually leading to a small starting army in a relatively small space of time and on a fixed budget.

    So I thought that this might be a good way to set achievable goals each month, with the aim of reducing the lead mountain, or whatever it might be, and actually to see some progress over the year. I must admit that this year has been very patchy, but looking back this is pretty normal for me.

    I raised this idea with some of my gaming chums (Nik, Craig and Chris) who liked the idea but also thought it would be good to spread it to the wider community of the Pendraken Forum (thanks Chaps). So would anyone like to 'come on board' as it were and chart their aims each month, and whether they have been able to achieve them or not? If so feel free to post here or to link your progress on a Blog, Wiki etc. Obviously the more the merrier and it can be everything and anything wargaming related. Hopefully some of you will be interested and will post your efforts, all of which I look forward to seeing!

    So kicking it off, my first small attempt post Colours will be to finish off my 2mm ECW Parliamentarian army and then to get a game with them using either Maurice or one of the Warmaster variants for this period. After that I will simply set myself another goal for the following month. I'm hoping that by doing this I will really start to make progress on my stuff and remain focused and it will not be a case of 'best laid plans and all that'.

Steve J.
   

[nikharwood]

Good man Steve - my plans as they stand:

Pendraken:
- SYW French commission (in-progress) for Maurice
- FPW Prussians
- FIW both sides
- Fantasy: Goblins & Wood Elves for Warmaster
- South-American Pacific War
- Some more pulp / Cthulhu 10mm skirmish
- poss some 10mm Firefly-type sci-fi and / or STALKER stuff

Other:
- 28mm: Empire of the Dead
- 3mm: BAOR force for CWC c1987 or so
 
Something like that...subject to wargaming sluttiness 

[Luddite]

Are you doing ALL that this month Nik??!!? 

This is an interesting idea as a motivating force i suppose.  I'd like to see pictures though.

Last mongth i finished off my Dystopian Wars Japanese fleet.

My immediate project for this month in terms of painting at least is to get my 15mm Old Glory SYW Russian force (for the marvellous Maurice rules) done. 

I'm two packs short in the delivery which won't be made good for at least three weeks apparently, according to the chaps at Timecast, but i do have enough to be getting on with once the Minibits bases turn up.

If I can get the bulk of that done by the end of September i'll be happy and that's my 'tale of 4 gamers' goal.




I terms of upcoming projects, i've got a few options for the next thing once the SYW stuff is done, most of which are outstanding projects to be finished   ; so future 'tale of 4 gamers' options might include:

1.  Finish the last bits and bobs of my 28mm A Very British Civil War Communists.
2.  Finish the 28mm WotR (mostly Perry's) army - i hate the Perry plastics
3.  Finish the 15mm HYW English
4.  Finish my Pendraken 10mm FPW French

However, i'm very tempted by a couple of possible new projects, both Pendrake 10mm - Weird World War I or II, or a bunch more Hordes of the Things fantasy armies.  Having just watched Outpost II: Black Sun, and the other night watching Iron Skies a WWWII thing is looking probable.   

[Lord Speedy of Leighton]

I'm in!
Plan for the next few months, in order:
Before Colours base up 50 palm trees fom my Flames tables (see you all there, Ill be the one in a Fez)
10mm Finish 25th (Hessian) Division of XI Corps Franco-Prussian War.
15mm 1806 Prussians - convert 6 units of infantry from POW:N basing to FOG:N basing (ie add about 20 figures to each unit)
10mm Guards Voltigeur Division 1870
10mm Guards Grenadier Division 1870
10mm Falklands (when helmetted and capped chaps arrive) & Goblins, side projects.
10mm The other half of IX Corps?
15mm Waterloo Anglo-Allied to change from POW:N to FOG:N

Three main factors will effect this: 1) Daughters and their erratic sleep patterns. 2) Start of a new school term. 3) Wargames tartiness. 3 1/2) Spending too much time on-line!

[nikharwood]

Are you doing ALL that this month Nik??!!? 

This is an interesting idea as a motivating force i suppose.  I'd like to see pictures though.

Nope - not all this month (it's the 28th now after all  ) but I'd hope to get the SYW French, FPW Prussians & FIW both sides painted, the WM armies based & prepped done by end of September I think. I'll most likely buy the SA Pacific stuff soon & therefore that'd get prepped too I would think.

If I get round to buying the 3mm that'll get painted in a spare hour or so...

The EotD stuff is all prepped - and I'll use that as a diversion from painting lots of ranked troops - along with the 10mm skirmish stuff too as that'll break things up as well (and they're all based & prepped)

Oh - and there will be pics...lots of pics 

[FierceKitty]

Finish Zulus within two weeks, incl. Natal-specific terrain.
Bengal lancers and RHA rocket troop - a week after that.
Khedival Egyptians - by the end of September.
19th-century Abyssinians - by new year.
Boers - a weekend job.

By then, of course, it'll be time to go go down Mexico way and back to Pike and Shot.

[FierceKitty]

Oops. Forgot the Fuzzy camelry. Also after the Zulus.

[Steve J]

Nice to see a lot of stuff already . I don't think I'll quite match up to some of the scheduled out put, but then it's all about keeping motivation etc.

Mad Lemmey, we'll try and look you up on the Sunday if we have time from out BKC table. Feel free to look us up if you have the time as well, we're down as Double Six gamers.

[Lord Speedy of Leighton]

Excellent, always nice to put names to faces. 

[Womble67]

Hi all Im in
               After spending most of the year making scenery I have now finally started to paint my backlog of figures.

I have just finished a motorised panzer grenadier battalion and I've just started the armoured panzer grenadier battalion.

Things that still need painting

German HQ
German artillery
German reconnaissance Battalion
German engineer Battalion

another two German infantry battalions nonmotorised once these are completed I will then start on the shed load of Russians I have and then there is ACW figures but we will leave them from now.

[Nosher]

September -finish my Saga Scots.

Not sure after that but will probably be buying the figures to round out my SAGA figures for Dux Bellorum/Dux Brittaniarum

[Lord Speedy of Leighton]

Notice your using both Nosher - any preference? 

[Hertsblue]

September's a "short" month, due to a fortnight's holiday in the middle. However, England expects -

Finish the last two battalions of Brigade Fragnern 1866 (60 figures)

Reinforce the WW2 Japanese up to two company strength (includes converting Italian A.T. guns to Japanese 47mm)

Buy in figures and equipment for Das Reich Kursk project (no, not the entire division)

Avoid falling asleep on the sofa.

[TinyTerrain]

Hi,

Well a mixed bag for me:

Finish the last of my 10mm WW2 NWE Brits (a few infantry, and some extra vehicles I am picking up at colours)
Finish off my 10mm AVBCW Anglican League force (vehicles and guns done, mainly infantry, HMG and Mortars to do).

and if I get time......

Half a dozen bases of 10mm AVBCW BUF Cavalry
Half a dozen bases of 10mm AVBCW BUF Armoured Cars and early tanks.

With all those loose ends finished I will at least have enough to field a BUF and an Anglican League force for a few solo games of BKCII.

End of Sept I start a massive commission for some 400 or 500 Vietnam figures for a US customer so that will occupy much of my time Oct onwards!

Looks like the last of my 10mm AWI may need to wait a few more weeks!

B regards

Craig
TinyTerrainModels

[Chad]

Mixed bag for me too.

1859 - Foreign Legion finished. 1 Austrian Brigade underway and Zouaves started.
LoA - 2 French units started, but further work postponed until remainder of range available.
1866 (Western Theatre) - Now 2013 project. Hope to place final order at Donnington.
28mm Napoleonic- Several units to finish. Hope to squeeze them in for 'light relief' from 10mm.
WSS - Finished for now, but have enough lead to add to it at some future date.
15mm French Revolution - Being sitting around for some time in various stages of painting. Have no idea if it will ever be done.

I have other periods and scales in my 'mountain', but dare not even think about them. 

Chad