Expenses:
October 2021
Citadel Paints $24 Staples $68.97 (Really Useful Boxes)
November 2021
Historicon Lodging, Meals, and transportation costs $790, Historicon Purchases $88.50
Kickstarter for Voidfall $179.71
December 2021
Old Glory $398, Napoleonic Scenario Books $80
Old Glory $398, Napoleonic Scenario Books $80
4th Quarter Total $1,629.18
3rd Quarter Total: $343.08
2nd Quarter Total: $130.99
1st Quarter Total: 923.84
GRAND TOTAL 2021: $2,927.09
Painting:
October 2021
Prince Rupert's regiment of Horse (6 = 60 points)
November 2021
Sir William Constable's Horse (8 = 80 points)
December 2021
Hittite Heroes/Leaders (5 = 25 points), earl of Winchester's Horse (60 points), Mauryan Indian Archers (24 = 120 points)
4th Quarter Total: 345
3rd Quarter Total: 800 points
2nd Quarter Total: 1270
1st Quarter Total: 1365
2021 GRAND TOTAL: 3,780 points
Games:
October 2021
"Many Roads to Mantua" Campaign in a Day, Battle of Wildbrooke Common (ECW, FK&P)
November 2021
Historicon games "Foes East and West", "They Came from the Sea", Kadesh, Johns Northumbrian Game, Fuentes de Onoro, Renaissance Galleys, 2 brief mini games with Test of Resolve involving attacks on the gates of London
December 2021
None
4th Quarter Total: 10 games
3rd Quarter Total: 6 games
2nd Quarter Total: 5 games
1st Quarter Total: 5 games
2021 GRAND TOTAL: 26 games
Blogging:
115 posts for 2021
So, how was the 2021 performance compared with the goals set forth in January?
Expenses:
Goal:I will keep the allowance to $2000, and hope to come in well below that. If Historicon does not take place, I should end the year well under budget.
Result: Over budget by almost 50%; since I didn't share a room, that added to the Historicon bite for 2021. Guess what? It was well worth it! .
Painting:
Goal: I doubt I will be able to match 2020's production of over 3,700 points, but I'd like to paint at least 2000 points worth.
Result: A handful over the totals for 2020! Biggest driver was probably spending all but a few days worth of my vacation time at home due to COVID effects.
Goal 1) Add to my French and Austrian Napoleonic armies (already my largest, mind you). I have lead on hand for a LOT of Austrians and quite a few French as well. No purchases needed here!
Result: A great many Austrians painted, and quite a few French as well!
Goal 2) Some additional ECW reinforcements (Cavalry and Artillery - Old Glory, already ordered)
Result: Painted all of the Cavalry, none of the Artillery... then ordered a slew of Scots!
Goal 3) Paint newly acquired/to be acquired Chariot era additions - Peleset, Libyans, a few Egyptians, etc.
Result: All painted!
Goal 4) Add to my Mauryan Indian Army for To the Strongest! Lead already ordered. I still have some remaining lead for the Macedonian/Thracian forces.
Result: Barely squeaked a few Indians under the wire in 2021.
Goal 5) Paint the Murawski Polish Horse Artillery and Krakus. It looks like Murawski is now planning to do the Baden Hussars, which will be a Must Buy, even if they don't get painted this year!
No progress, and no Murawski Baden Hussars in production yet either... but did I tell you about those Piano Games Wurttemburgers?
Goal 6) Maybe start on my Darkest Africa project- I have a fair amount of lead on hand for that now.
Well, I painted those 2 African Huts for my Historicon game, which is a bit of a start!
Games:
Goal: Try to exceed 20 games run/assisted with/played in this year.
Result: 26 games, pretty much one every 2 weeks. Until I retire, I think that's about the practical limits of time and marital harmony!
Goal: Historicon is the big question mark. It looks at least an even chance that it WILL happen this July, although it is likely to be restricted (see the plans for Cold Wars) . That makes it very difficult to plan any games. There is certainly no way I could see doing a Campaign in a Day event there in 2021, but 2022 is a distinct possibility.
Result: Well, of course Historicon was indeed cancelled in July, but morphed into November in Valley Forge, and I ran 5 games and played in one there.
Goal: For the same reason, I don't think 2021 will be the year to run a Siege game using Vauban's Wars at Historicon... but we'll see. 2022 would be much more likely.
Result: Spot on. I don't see 2022 as being the year either, maybe 2023?
Goal: One or two games with Field of Battle 3rd edition are likely to be on the roster (? Albuera 1811), as well as one or more games with To the Strongest/For King and Parliament. One possibility would be doing the Battle of Qadesh.
A game with the 15mm Renaissance Galleys (Galleys and Galleons rules) on Sunday AM is a definite possibility.
Result: Did Fuentes with FoB3, Kadesh and 2 more TTS! games, no FK&P at Hostoricon this year, and did the Galley game Sunday AM.
Goal: If Covid looks better by early Summer, it might be possible to consider doing a Campaign in a Day event in Connecticut in late September/early October.
Bingo! The Many Roads to Mantua Campaign in a Daywas a deliberately trimmed down affair, but a great success.
Blogging:
Goal: Maintain about the same number of Blog posts - circa 100 per year.
Result: 116 posts; highest ever!
What is more, it is now 11 year since I started Blunders on the Danube in January of 2011, and the last post of 2021 was exactly post #1,000! hence the image accompanying this first post of 2022!
Rules:
Goal: I still have a lot of sets that I want to try out!
There at least 4 different Napoleonic rules sets in the sights - Blogger sets Eagles Cheaper than Brain Cells and 123! Napoleonics, plus General d' Armee and a Napoleonic variant(s) for Bloody Big Battles (Jared has been using this last with his students).
Several Napoleonic Age of Sail rule sets to try as well - Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail and Form Line of Battle.
Also for my large collection of Superior Starfleet Wars/Galactic Knights ships, play at least one game with those rules, as well as Starmada and Ascension of the Galaxy (from a Kickstarter).
Result: Mostly Epic Fail. Got Gd'A on the table, but abandoned the solo playtest after 1 turn; I just found the processes unnecessarily lengthy, and thus dragged my feet playing the game until the point where I needed the table for something else. Non of the others even approached a turn on the tabletop. Maybe 2022?
All in all, given the challenges posed by 2021, this seems to be a pretty satisfactory result Peter - well don!
ReplyDeleteYes, gaming and hobby activities was almost certainly the main high point of 2021 for me, especially reconnecting with some friends for FTF gaming the later half of the year.
DeleteVery disciplined on all fronts Peter, and you managed to get a fair bit packed into the year in spite of the pandemic. I'm aiming for a very lean year expenditure wise, with the only things that might tempt me being those Wurtan earlier posts.
ReplyDelete"Wurttemberg figures and Peninsular War scenario books", that should have read.
DeleteBoth of those a re new arrivals - options that didn't exist until the past few months. I expect 3022 to be a relatively expensive year, with several large purchases planned already. On the other hand, that will probably mean that I have more than enough lead on hand to make 2023's budget considerably less... Maybe.
DeleteA good year. Hopefully we will manage some more zoom games in 2022
ReplyDeleteThanks, David. No reason we shouldn't be able to.
DeleteDownsides were continued impact of COVID, working MUCH more than planned or scheduled in the second half of the year (although it resulted in a whopping productivity bonus at the end of the year!), and having to place my mom in the Nursing home last March, and her death last month.
Not a bad year at all given the Covid situation. I'm retired, well a full-time carer now and can certainly relate to the 2 games a month on the marital harmony front! Maybe a dedicated game room may appear at some point if and when out daughter moves out after graduating this year. It would be nice but I'm not holding my breath!
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends on the scope of the games, but even if I were retired I think weekly would be just about the maximum I could manage. On the other hand, with remote gaming (and not hosting everything), Jon has certainly shown that and more is possible!
DeleteNot too shabby. One of your more expensive yearly totals....but all those expanded armies will prove their own worth. More impressive is the cranking out of so many new units.
ReplyDeleteHopefully 2022 makes time for some games that fill everyone's expectations.
I'd agree, Joe, especially with the last sentiment.
DeleteRight now COVID is super bad in terms of numbers of cases - we went to 75% remote visits, mostly to asses and manage COVID cases, as of today, and expected to continue for the next 2 weeks until the huge Omicron surge passes. The next 2 weeks are a good time to stay home as much as possible. Good for painting, at least!
Peter, your summary looks like a success on most fronts. A result to congratulate yourself on achieving. Your spend does not seem unreasonable to me especially given your year-end bonus. Easily justified from all of your extra hours in the office. Let's plan another remote game in the New Year.
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutely; let's do it! Maybe late January when the Omicron surge settles down and the weather is iffy for travel in both of our areas?
DeleteI don't feel bad about the budget (although I don't want to be that high again in 2022! For the first quarter of this Fiscal year, my productivity is 33% above target, and it's crazy busy now. Stay home the next 2 weeks if you can!
Seems like you hit most of your target and going over budget occasionally is fine I think, if justified and it seems like it was,it's the going over budget every year that's to be avoided!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks, Iain. Indeed, exceeding budget with regularity is definitely to be avoided!
Delete