The winter was long and busy, full of unexpected events, but if you are into the same hobby as I am, you know you can bet on one thing: you will surely end up buying new games and minis.
After my New Year’s post, where I wrote about my backlog and about not buying too much new stuff, writing a haul report might look controversial, so it’s worth mentioning that I bought most of the stuff I’m covering here before the end of 2019.
Let’s start with the Dungeon Saga games from Mantic. It all started with an impulse buy at SELWG in October, where I bought Dungeon Saga – The Adventurer’s Companion at a bargain price. I wasn’t familiar with the brand, but when I spotted the reference to solo play, I didn’t hesitate for a minute. I had to realize soon, that I made a mistake: it’s not the core set, but an extension with loads of optional rules and new game modes. I don’t blame anyone, this was my fault: I decided in a hurry, without having enough information (and without properly reading all the details at the back of the box…). I can’t complain though, I started liking the game rules and quickly decided to buy the core set too.
Also, it happened to be Black Friday with special offers… so I ended up with a core set (The Dwarf King’s Quest) and almost all its extensions (The Return of Valandor, The Tyrant of Halpi, The Warlord of Galahir, The Infernal Crypt). This game came with dungeon tiles, 28mm figures and loads of furniture pieces that can be used in RPGs too: they can fit into any fantasy setting. I tried the solo play, the introductory adventures with my wife, and a couple of adventures with a group of friends. We all enjoyed it, so I’m sure it will soon become one of our regularly played games. I also have to mention that the solo play mode is a real blessing amidst all the COVID-19 issues and the required social distancing. Actually I plan to dedicate a full post for this game later.
Escape The Dark Castle is another purchase from December. It’s an interesting, card- and dice-based game, that can be played alone or with up to four players. The game has its strengths and weaknesses, but I had a good first impression. Unfortunately, it becomes significantly less challenging when played with a full party. A detailed review is coming up soon.
The next piece is a Warhammer 40k tin sign, designed to remind the loyal subjects that THE EMPEROR PROTECTS. There’s no need for too much explanation about the necessity of this item. Doubting this message is heresy. All households should have this reminder, especially in these challenging times.
Since I want to improve my painting, I bought a couple of books from AMMO of MIG Jimenez. These books are amazing: they are well edited, full of knowledge, advice and inspiring pictures of the works of professional and extremely talented artists. Reading the Quick Guide For Painting, which is the introductory volume of the Encyclopedia of Figures Modelling Techniques and focuses on the basics, was a shocking and humbling experience: my most often used technique, the drybrushing is not even mentioned there- well, let’s face it, it’s a bit passé … However, my dream goal, NMM – Non Metallic Metal is included… as a basic technique! Wow… I still have a lot to learn.
Earlier this year I decided not to buy any new game systems or start new projects, but to focus on completing the ones I already have. I have mostly been successful with keeping this resolution, but I have to admit that I have slipped up recently.
My good old friend, who is a veteran wargamer and RPG player (he is credited in the Stargrunt II rulebook as an external playtester!), is a long time fan on Dirtside and Stargunt II. He convinced me to look into the Stargrunt II rules, which are available free from the Ground Zero Games website. Frankly, I was impressed by those rules: they found a very elegant balance between simplicity and complexity, giving a sense of realism and an in-depth strategy without sacrificing playability.
Their range of miniatures are also amazing. After a little research, I found that the 15mm sci-fi wargaming is a completely different ecosystem than 28mm one.
I have never really considered using any other scale than the 28mm one. All my collections, my accessories and maps are 28mm. Buying 15mm troops means starting a completely new collection that is incompatible with everything that I own. On the other hand, the 15mm scale seems to offer a solution to many issues that I face with wargaming. After seriously considering all the advantages, the disadvantages and the consequences, I placed my order.
At the time of writing this post, the first squads have already been painted and more are coming up soon.
Though Stargrunt II rules are available for free, my friend and I decided to order four copies from Monday Knight Productions, when we found the printed rules in mint condition and at a very friendly price.
These are all the gaming and hobby stuff that I hoarded during the winter. I know that it seems a lot, but I could buy most of them at really good prices and I’m very happy with all these purchases.
It’s easy to say that some rules are meant to be broken, but sometimes it’s also worth to reconsider our old decisions.