31 December, 2012

Adiós 2012

Hopefully you'll forgive me my recent hiatus - work and home have been hectic and I've gotten in just a single game in the last two months. Overall though, it's been a good year, so as usual here are some highlights:


Gaming Highlights

The Package
My work was published in Battlegames as a command challenge - a small engagement for Force on Force graced those esteemed pages and I've gotten some nice feedback since

Pulp Escapades
I ran a three-part campaign at Gaelcon using Perilous Trail, previously only seen in use hunting dinosaurs, but this time to track the adventures in pursuit of the Lost Treasure of Annobon...

BattleGroup Kursk
Took part in the big game down in Kildare, where we were hosted ably by Piers et al and everyone had a great lark playing this massive game just before its official release





Blogs of the Year

Dougie's Wargaming Blog
In my humble opinion, everything Dougie touches turn into gold! Between his stand-out moderns and really useful tutorials (both miniatures and terrain) this is well worth a look

Small Scale Ops
This year, I'm particularly impressed by Chris' BattleTech stuff - his (1/144 Macross) Davion & Kurita collection is gob-smackingly good!

Lard Island News
Usually I would avoid nominating an 'official' blog like this, but the guys over at Two Fat Lardies are having too much fun with their games for me to ignore it. I also love the extra insights they give us into game design (specifically for their Dux Britanniarum game).




New Releases

Medieval Scots
Claymore Castings' new line of medieval Scots is well worth a look if you're ata all interested in wargaming the late 14th century. From the look of them they’ll be usable for the Hundred Years War and War of the Roses without too much heartache, and given they seem to measure up pretty well with the Perrys’ range.

BattleGroup Kursk
Plastic Soldier Company released this lovely book back in October and I'm incredibly impressed by the look-and-feel of it in reproducing a wargame that feels like Kursk. Normandy and Fall of the Reich to come out next year

M-ATVs
I’m particularly impressed by the M-ATVs (the Humvee’s replacement) from S&S as there’s loads of different options along with oodles of stowage available.





Projects in the Pipeline

Istvaan V Dropzone
Planning to do this one-sided battle from the Horus Heresy with Steve - he'll be running it with Tomorrow's War, bringing his Chaos Marines out of cold-storage. I'll be (finally) painting my collection of Alternative Armies Firefight/Ion Age line







Attack on the Diomedes
I want to do a large scale game pitting fighters against a cruiser. I'm going to use some of Brigade's fighters to take on a scratch-built warship...
This is one for the slow-cooker. Aiming to get on the table for early 2014!




Solo-Gaming
Having been unable to get around to this in November/December I'm going to take another run at the two solo campaigns previously touted here sometime next year...

Outstanding TV

Homeland
Actually, season 1 was shown first over here earlier this year, so this is for both seasons. If the premise involved stretches credulity for you, then the acting by the two main leads (Claire Danes and Damian Lewis) makes this an outstanding show to watch

Newsroom
Although this new Aaron Sorkin vehicle may have painted itself into a corner in terms of how it can achieve its aims of changing the way the news is reported. I'd prefer less of the smaltzy romance, but otherwise it's definitely worth a look if you miss the West Wing.

Justified
This is DVD viewing, since no channel of note on this side of the Atlantic seems to have picked it up! Based on a single Elmore Leonard short story, old-school U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant) kicks ass across Kentucky.

Books of the Year

Apocalypse World
This is a post-apocalyptic roleplaying game by D. Vincent Baker I picked up after playing a dungeon-crawling spin-off at Gaelcon. The mechanics and setup are so well put together, I'm tempted to use the word 'genius' when describing them. I intend to put my money where my mouth is (so to speak) and run this next time around in our roleplaying group.





Sniper One
This account of a tour in Iraq by British Army sniper Dan Mills is intense and delivered in a no-nonsense fashion.








The Heroes
For me, this defintely counts as Joe Abercrombie mixing it up in the same setting as The First Law. Excepting the Black Company, I can't think of as anti-war a fantasy novel as this (off the top of my head at least).







Hope you had a good 2012, here's to a great '13 on all fronts

8 comments:

  1. Some wonderful highlights for you this year Donogh. Congratulations on being published and that pulp mini campaign looks a hoot!

    "Attack on the Diomedes" is a something I was toying with a few years back based on a "Battlestar Galactica" style game but never got it off the ground in the end. Cant wait to see how that comes out in due course.

    May 2013 bring you and your family happiness and health.

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    Replies
    1. Any 'lessons learned' from your attempt to get a BSG-style game off the ground Paul?

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  2. A great blog, Donogh. I've nominated you for the Leibster Award.

    http://ajstable.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/i-would-like-to-thank-academy.html

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  3. Some terrific memories in there, Donagh. I've really enjoyed Land War in Asia this year - especially the scenarios and that terrific series you did on "favourite Firefights in the Movies". Here's wishing you and yours a terrific 2013!

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  4. The package was good, thank you for letting us try it. It will be regularly in use now when we start again our X-istan campaing! Also other skenarios you've provided in you blog were good!

    last year was good, lets make year 2013 even better!

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  5. Thanks all - glad you enjoyed my fare over here!

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  6. Just came across your blog via Gazebo ezine and very pleased I have too - great stuff. Browsing through recent posts I read your Top Ten gunfights with great interest. May I suggest the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, most of Black Hawk Down, the sentry guns and the climactic 'last stand' in Aliens, and the final gunfight in the house in Grosse Pointe Blank for a mention in dispatches? How about a Top Ten sword fights for 2013? All the best to you and yours for the year ahead

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by Peter.
      Saving Private Ryan nearly made it (but for the final bridge shootout), as did Black Hawk Down (though picking out a single scene was challenging).
      Absolutely love Grosse Pointe Blank! Though the gunfights are more like proxies for quick-witted banter.

      Top Ten Sword Fights? If I can bring in fists and other melee weapons you've got a deal!

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