2020 In Review; Anticipating 2021

 That was quite a year. While I was fortunate in getting through it relatively unscathed, it was still really, really unpleasant. Hobby-wise, even with multiple lockdowns I didn't get much painted. And gaming, of course, was impossible after mid-March. I very much missed going to the highlight events of my planned year: Enfilade, Lock & Load, and Ambuscade here in Portland.

For painting, at least, I completed two projects - both GW. "Completed" is pushing it, as both projects need work on the basing and I'm not completely happy with the paint jobs. But they are ready to hit the table in friendly games, and that's good enough for me.

Ironjawz "orruks" from Age of Sigmar.

Legio Mordaxis "The Deathbringers" and Knight House Aerthegn, from Adeptus Titanicus

The whole year has dampened my enthusiasm for pretty much everything, and the hobby is no exception. I've managed to maintain some spirit through painting and podcasts, plus the occasional paint night on Zoom, but on the whole... well. It's seemed trivial these past ten months.

As for 2021, I am making no great plans on the hobby front. I dearly hope to finish a couple more armies - AoS Skaven, because I love the vile little ratmen, and perhaps a historical force or two. I have several unopened projects waiting for some love, or to be passed on to someone else who can deal with them.

At the moment, I'm debating whether or not to buy into Warlord Games' new Epic Battles: American Civil War. In the anti column are that it's a slightly odd scale ("true" 15mm, and thus smaller than most 15mm figures), the infantry figures are going to be damn difficult to separate from their 10-man castings if I don't want to field ranks of 10 men, and that while I like Black Powder, I prefer Regimental Fire & Fury, another nominally 15mm rules set.

Buuuut... It's also going to be very cheap for what you get, Black Powder isn't a bad rule set, and it seems like a very good way to get some new folks into the historical side of the hobby. And the photos of it do look very nice.

I shall continue to waffle. (The prudent thing would be to buy nothing, since if there's one thing 2020 taught me, it is that I have enough things to paint and game with for a good long time.)