Kick Off 2025

We gave you a summary of the last year already in our recap article on 2024, so it is time to look ahead on 2025.

It was surely a good year wargaming wise, lots of travelling and meeting up with people, and the plan is surely to keep on doing that for the new year.

Shows, Conventions and real-life gaming meetups

I talked with Dino and the others, to see what we can fit in our schedule for this year and try to fix as much as possible. So far these are booked or at least written down in bold letters in my calendar. And we're starting with an event in the next week already.

• January 10th - 12th - Tabletop Szenario, Hackenheim GER (visits 2013, 2015, 2023 and 2024) BOOKED!
• March 13th - 16th - PaintPals Malwochenende, Dreifelden GER (not yet) LIKELY!
• March 22nd - 23rd - BembelMiniatureCup, Rodgau GER (not yet) LIKELY!
• March TBA - Bitbox, Mülheim an der Ruhr (visit 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) LIKELY!
• May 10th - Ad Arma Con, Landau (visits 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019) LIKELY!
• Mid of May CONflict Rhineland - BOOKED!
• June TBA., FeenCon, Bonn (2010, 2012, 2016, 2023 und 2024) BOOKED!
• September 13th - 14th - Rhein Main Multiversum 2025 (visits 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023) BOOKED!
• November 1st, Crisis, Antwerp BE (visit 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019,  2022 and 2024) LIKELY!
• November 14th - 16th TTW Maltreff, Lützensömmern GER (2024) BOOKED!

During the holidays, I took a few days off and my wife and I spent a weekend without the kids in Liége. While we live with a lot to see in a 2 to 2,5 hr radius, we enjoy day and weekend trips, just like we did with the Mosel area in October. And while I missed to visit the Hobby2000 in Liége, I stumbled across L'Autre Monde, on our way back from the Montagne de Bueren back to the city.

In addition to the events above, I'll try to arrange some trips combining short vacations with wargaming for this year, like we did for Bring Out Your Lead in August 2023. One of the more fixed ideas is to to Teutoburg Forest with the podcast and guests.

Starting Q1 / 2025

The first few days in the new year were dominated by preparing the upcoming reviews. I took almost 400 pictures for the first three items and there are more in progress. Beyond that, some drafts still need text, for example I still owe you the Medusa Basilisk in both scales. Beyond Games Workshop products, there are a few items by Warlord Games and Osprey to catch up. But with those I don't want to just have the reviews as stand-alones but rather published within in a themed week or alongside a project, that accompanies the content.

That said, I really had to apply project management techniques on the preparation of the last reviews, as bigger items are incredibly time consuming, and the breaks / interruptions for taking pictures, comparisons etc. drive up the build time alone (that's without post-processing pictures and writing the article itself) by the factor 2,5 to 3. As I don't intend to boil it down to just unboxings, especially with the extensive coverage for example that Games Workshop provides on Warhammer Community on many items, I don't see the added value on these. But there is surely a compromise to be made, most likely not going that much into detail in building steps anymore, but still focus on the variants, options and comparisons.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy what I do, but at the fact that I don't monetize this is a conscious decision. For multiple reasons, self-employment as a content creator in a niche market like miniature wargaming is highly volatile, as algorithms, monetization (especially in historical wargames) are not a reliable and steady source of income. You have to mix that with some kind of Patreon, merchandise and probably still do some side-projects that pay the bills, and not only would this take away a lot of freedom, but it most certainly is far more than the regular work load you have to handle as an employee, while still earning less. Not to mention, it takes away the fact that your hobby is no longer a hobby - it is work.

And that freedom is of incredible high value to me. I don't want to do clickbait thumbnails to generate the buzz needed to monetize content. If I feel like it, I want to cover an 8-part article series on some wacky homebrew rule set, without having to find a sponsor. To be able to spend a few weeks on something I prefer, without having to argue on patreon that I amm not delivering content, and so on. Heck, this is free content and the way some people demanded (!) certain thing, for example with Legions Imperialis was just rude. In addition having to file copyright strikes last year is something that I don't want to deal with alongside a commercial aspect.

But never the less, I will stay with the aspect of content creation, but shift the type. I am in the lucky situation that I can choose what I cover, and the majority of the items that you see as reviews on here are hand picked. This means with minor exceptions (I am looking at you Pegasus and Battle-Automata) there is little to no frustration on that part.

And I want to try out narrative battle reports, as it combines an aspect that comes too short currently - which is gaming - and forces me to paint the things that I have here. For that I made several preparations, for example gathering ressources like I wrote about in my Blood Bowl article, but sourced items like the Realm of Battle boards and a lot of bases for the pile of opportunities. This means writing as well, but that is something that I enjoy. I am not about the meta, I am really into the lore and as you could see in our Battle for Uulda coverage for example, this is a present part of the hobby for me and something that I enjoy spending time on.

New Projects for 2025

While I definitely need to cut back on some of the bigger projects and probably on some of the terrain stock as well, the skirmishers with a foot print of a sheet of A5 paper or even less, are staying. Especially if they make use of the same terrain as others. Which means, especially alt-history settings have a good chance of staying or being realised. With two particalur to point out;

As I already have a few Napoleonic miniatures from Brigade Miniatures, and added a few more spanish models to it earlier this year. This would give me the option to have some Sharpe themed scenarios, using rule sets like Songs of Drums and Shakos, or add a fantastic aspect ot it Silver Bayonet. While still using the mediterranean terrain I have for - among others - Bolt Action.

Initially I had some plastics collected for the french counter part to Sharpe's men, but decided they didn't provide enough character for a skirmish setting that small. Don't get me wrong, nice miniatures, especially for regiments, but in a skirmish I want the individual characters / models to stand out more. And those plastic bodies were the perfect base for a Turnip28 project. Again something without a bigger footprint and could be played with either the terrain from above or within the grim dark surroundings of Mordheim, Deth Wizards and such.

Ontop, this is not something that needs to be painted on 'Eavy Metal level, but certainly works with a practical, intended sloppy paint job.

As for bigger projects for next year. I plan the expansion of my "hobby facilities". Strongly inspired by the outdoor dining room by BigMeatLove, but with a wargaming twist. I don't want it to be a wargaming shed, but more like a "neutral" additional room, that could be used for board games or social gathering in small groups. But properly lighted, as I have my trouble taking pictures of bigger products or builds in my current setup. Especially with the battle reports mentioned above, this would increase the quality of the content. And as I have a proper bar including counter at my parents that I would like to include, this is another thing to keep in mind.

Power and foundation is already prepared, currently collecting quotations and determing the conditions (a.e. building permits) that I need to get things approved.

Final words

What can I say? Life is good and I try to make the most of it. Yet, I honestly underestimated how hard it would be to coordinate the time slots of wargaming dads. Because it certainly isn't the distance, but really aligning those few free days and hours each months in a way that it ends up in a round of gaming.

Sometimes I am shocked, when I look up my own projects on here and see, how long certain items haven't been touched or have been around. And looking forward after turning 40 last year, there is a certain amount of time that I got on my hands where eye–hand coordination is still good enough to let me paints things on the level that satisfies me. And I don't want to waste those years by moving boxes from one side of my hobby room to the other, but rather putting those things to use - one way or the other. As my pile of opportunities is too big for me to die young, I have been taking care of certain things in 2024. Doing (pre-caution) check-ups, reduced stress and cut out other elements that won't do me any good.

I am looking forward to this year, spending time in the described way and especially that I don't have to wait until may this time for wargaming to begin, but to see a lot of people, who I haven't seen in quite some time next week at SzenarioCon. Dino and I will be there on Saturday and have some time on our hands, so drop by and feel free to catch us for a chat.