So today I am going to continue my look towards 2013 and the games that will be, could be and won’t be.
Urban War
This game has long been one of those skirmish games that I’d be happy to pick up a starter or two for, paint them up, and try and get others to play. I actually don’t know much about the rules, but I do quite enjoy looking at some of the models, specifically the Junker and Viridian factions. Not only do I like the regular troops, but they’ve got awesome mobile units like dune buggies and bipedal mounts. Very cool stuff. However, as I don’t want to be buying into new games, especially if it won’t became a game we play, I might have to hold off on this until later in the year. Maybe much later, if at all. But there’s still hope.
Dropzone Commander
When this was first being advertised (read: raved about all over the ‘net) we were all for it. The models looked great, the dropship concept neat, the combined arms approach to army building cool, and a new scale to delve into. Well, since the time between announcement and release was long, longer than anticipated as usual, we had already lost interest by the time it did come out. And at that point the price tag became the deciding factor, more than anything. I already have a problem with my hobby budget, and I wasn’t willing to shell out another $100+ on a starter box that may have gone nowhere (like Heavy Gear Blitz!). I have no problem spending money, believe me, but sometimes I think before I buy.
Don’t get me wrong, it still looks like an awesome game. The models look great, and I would have no problem choosing between at least two of the factions, if not three. And now that Blue Table Painting has some videos up, it’s even more interesting. But the price tag and other miniatures commitments are keeping us away from this game. But, once again, ‘for now.’ I’m a ‘never say never’ kind of guy, especially when it comes to gaming and buying into new systems.
Battlestations!
Okay, so one of the projects I wanted to work on in 2012 was a “3D” version of a great game called Battlestations! Really I just wanted to use some of my awesome pulp sci-fi minis and run a cool Bot Wars campaign. I have almost all of the expansion books for the game, and I’ve been dying to bring it back to the table. My successful Descent campaign got me thinking that a Battlestations! campaign could work, as well.
And to make things easier, Okumarts finally released their robot paper standees, which I added to my collection of the other space sets. I could now totally run Battlestations! with these cool paper minis, without having to worry about finishing painting actual minis AND upsizing the ship modules to 28mm. I’m going to start discussions with my graphic designer pal and fellow gamer, and see if we can downsize the paper minis and have them fit on the Battlestations! boards. If so, I think we’ll be seeing this fun game on the table soon.
C&C Ancients in 3D
Another failed project of 2012 was turning the board wargame Command & Colours Ancients into a ‘minis’ game. Well, actually just using the exact same game and making a miniatures version of it. With an awesome rendition to copy…I mean, inspire…I pretty much had all of the units planned, knowing which kits to buy from which company, and how it was going to turn out on the table. Well, early in 2012 I was working on this, and early in 2012 I stopped working on this. Too many distractions, you know? One of them being the possibility of doing the Napoleonic version of C&C, which I was definitely ready to do, but only got so far are as to do minimal planning.
I would really, really like to get back to this project in 2013. I really like the game, a wargame system second only to the Combat Commander mentioned below, and it is possible that Steve from Meeplemart will want to split this project with me. I think that is the biggest challenge with this, is that I would love to be able to share the responsibility of painting all those models with someone. It’s not like I couldn’t do it myself, but I’m easily distracted and have so many other projects on the go that it’s not easy. But I do have a good feeling that you will see more of this in the coming months.
Flames of War
This game is one that I have long wanted to play and get an army for. My usual reason for not plunging in has been cost. But it’s not like I don’t spend the same amount of money on other games! There is just always this draw for me towards Flames of War, but I just never can justify getting into it. Even with the new ruleset and potential opponents (Rob even has an army or two!), I am going to have to say that I will not be getting into Flames of War in 2013, as much as it pains me to say it. But what do do with those couple of boxes of FoW infantry I have?…
Combat Commander in 3D
A third “3D”ification project that I’ve long wanted to work on is that of taking Combat Commander, my favourite hex-and-counter wargame ruleset, and giving it some miniatures to make it pretty. Due to the scale of the game and the huge variety in maps, completely “miniature-izing” this game would be less possible than doing so with C&C Ancients. In that game the terrain elements are a lot more abstract, and a lot less sparse on the map. In Combat Commander, pretty much each scenario has its own unique map. So what I would do is blow up the maps just slightly so that the miniatures on their bases would fit, along with the usual status markers that apply during the game. There are still some details to be worked out, but I could pretty easily get this project underway if I set myself to it. I might even take out some of the FoW miniatures and work on them someday, just to test out that scale.
Bolt Action
Continuing the WWII theme, Bolt Action looks to be one of the more interesting miniatures game releases of the year. A 28mm WWII game has been on my want list for a while, and while there are some out there that do look interesting, I think Bolt Action might be the one I’ve been waiting for. It is supported by an awesome range of miniatures, many now plastic, and the rules seem to have some pretty cool mechanics. I’ve been reading batreps and reviews for the last few months, and I like it.
Getting into it, though, totally goes against my goal of not buying into more game systems. While I do have some 28mm WWII models waiting to be painted, I definitely don’t have enough to field even a minimum force’s worth for Bolt Action, meaning I would have to buy both the rulebook and some starting forces. I would likely have to buy two armies, too, as I’m not sure who among my usual opponents I could convince to pick up their own army, at least before playing.
So this is another game that I will say, “we’ll see” to for 2013. I’m not going to say “for sure,” but I’m not going to “no” to it either. It’s a possibility.
Dust Warfare
This will be a quick entry. While I absolutely love the theme and the model line, I did not care much for the game itself, and have decided I will not pursue this game. It was a hard decision to make, as every time I look at some of the units I just fall in love with them all over again. But no, this game will not be one of mine in 2013, or ever, likely.
Dystopian Wars
Like Dust Warfare and many other games, the theme and models for Dystopian Wars (and now Dystopian Legions) are so dang appealing to me that it hurts. I have oogled and Googled fleets for this game for hours, and have come to a few different decisions at different times of which fleet I would run. But the fact of the matter is, it is very, very likely that I will not play this game. I won’t say no, as it could happen, but I will say definitely not in the forseeable future. This is one of the harder games to say no to, because unlike Dropzone Commander the pricetag on this game is relatively low. Sorry, DW, not yet.
Incursion
When this game came out, I bought it and the first range of minis, right away. I opened it, grumbled at the miscut on the counters, ogled the minis, and then proceeded to pack it up and keep it on my shelf waiting to get some love. Since its release I still have neither played it, nor painted the minis. But, like Dreadfleet, I have a draw to this game as an interesting project that could be fun to do, and would end up with a playable game. It would even make a great joint project if I could convince someone to help me paint some minis then play the game afterwards. It is possible that I won’t like the game, and it will end up being a paint-to-sell package. That’s why I would like to at least paint the models or learn the rules in 2013, so I can do something with it, finally.
MERCS
I have a starter box for this (FCC). I have tried the game once. It is something I am pretty sure I can get played, as Andrew also has a starter and a few other locals have it. I just need the inspiration to take the models out and paint them.
MERCS will definitely be a painting project for 2013. Guaranteed. Whether it’s a game we pick up and start playing, that I’m not sure yet. But at least, like Heavy Gear Blitz and Dark Age (before I convinced others to buy in), I will have a painted force to use.
Ah, 40k. How I doubt I will play you. While I dabbled in the game a few years back (when 5th Edition was released, actually) with Tau, I never really got into it. Since then I have fallen in love with the evil Dark Eldar, and knew that if I ever did play the game it would be with them. But, even with a new edition that brings it closer to Fantasy’s playstyle which I love, I am pretty sure that I will not be partaking in 40k projects this year. Who knows, maybe in future years?
Pulp
Be it adventuring or sci-fi, the pulp genre has always grabbed me. With rulesets like .45 Adventures and Fantastic Worlds (the two that I own, I know there are more), I have bought many miniatures that are just screaming for me to play them. And in fact I have run games of Fantastic Worlds before. But for some reason I always find other games to work on, and continue to leave pulp games behind. This is likely going to be the case this coming year as well, but I do have hope that I will once again return to pulp gaming in one form or another. Maybe it will be the new editions of the Ratrap Productions games I already own, or a new set, or maybe it will be Hydra Miniatures’ forthcoming rules for 28mm atomic pulp, or maybe even my old plans of turning the Daring Tales of Adventure RPG modules into pulp skirmish games. Who knows? I sure don’t. And at this point, it doesn’t matter. This is one of those projects that comes into and out of my mind and plans regularly, so I don’t even want to actually guess as to its future on my tabletop. Just keep watching and find out for yourself when I do 
Relic Knights
Okay, for my final miniatures game entry I am going to talk about Relic Knights briefly. Briefly because I supported the Kickstarter campaign that ran a few months back, and in May or whatever month it gets pushed to, I will be receiving a bunch of minis. Two factions’ worth. I sure hope it’s a good game! But I will definitely be doing something with it whenever it comes, so stay tuned.
See? I told you that would be brief.
* * * * *
I am going to stop there for now. I do think there are a few more miniatures games and possible projects that might pop up through the year. Some I already own, some I do not. As the year goes on it is likely that new things will pique my interest and other things will fall out of my zone of caring. It always happens. And it’s often Andrew’s fault. So I will leave the above list of games (including those from the other part of this Game Plan) at that. I tried not to be too definite with my predictions and goals, other than “paint more, play more and buy less.” My hobby interest and attention span are too fickle to make sure plans, so we are going to see how 2013 pans out. I can only hope that I can succeed in my goals and in the end have an even better hobby year than 2012.
I did not list all of the board and card games that are going to distract me. There are many old, new and upcoming games that force me to juggle and divide my hobby time. There are the two new Star Wars games (X-Wing and The Card Game), Descent 2nd Edition, Mage Wars, Sentinels of the Multiverse, etc. etc. etc. Some overlap with my painting, some do not. All of them are fun, though. And that’s the problem. The only thing worse than being a hobbyist is being a hobbyist and a gamer (and a husband and father?) when it comes to “too many games, too little time.”
But 2013 is going to be AWESOME, people, I can feel it. This blog is going to be rife with WIP updates and showcases and battle reports and all sorts of other things to keep me writing and you reading. Come back for it all, and I hope you enjoy what you see. I know I’ll enjoy what I do.
Happy New Year, everyone. See you in 2013.
Thanks for reading.
