Wednesday 31 December 2014

Vampifan's Views 59 - Monthly Musings 37

Vampirella by Dan Brereton
It's the last day of 2014 and time for my annual look back at the past year as well as looking forward to 2015. I did very well for gaming related Christmas presents this year thanks to my mum giving me a big cheque to spend as I wish. I bought the new Judge Dredd Miniatures Game supplement "Blood on the Street" along with two boxes of 28mm scale figures - Heroes of Mega City One and Mega City One Judges. For Super Dungeon Explore I managed to buy two very rare figures from e-Bay - Nyan Nyan the Freyjan Hero and Vandella the Succubus. They are so cute! I also bought two books - The Art of Vampirella: the Dynamite Years (just full of gorgeous illustrations) and a new Durham Red graphic novel called Bitch. Durham Red is my second favourite comic book vampire after Vampirella.
In addition, I received a lovely surprise from Steve, a good friend of mine. He got me the Arkham Horror: Call of Cthulhu  board-game by Fantasy Flight Games. It can be played by 1-8 players and that 1 is very important to me, seeing as I'm usually a solo gamer. Steve described the game as "the best solo game he has ever played." Seeing as he introduced me to Super Dungeon Explore and we both love solo games I respect his opinion and I look forward to playing the game in the new year. On the plus side, this is a game that can easily be played without miniature figures (thank God!), although I do possess a lot of Cthulhu monster figures and 1920's human figures. On the downside, if I do enjoy this game as much as I suspect I will (I've already read the rulebook and it looks awesome!) then I'll probably end up buying numerous supplements for it. There are a lot available.
Looking back on 2014, on the whole I have to say it was a good year for me. Far and away the best thing that happened to me was having my cataracts removed, which fully restored my eyesight. This made a huge difference to my life. Other highlights of the year were meeting up with fellow bloggers Joe and Mathyoo in the summer and playing a few games of ATZ with Joe at his home. Great fun! I also became very close friends with author and games designer, Steve Gilbert (as mentioned above), and I think we'll be friends for life. I introduced Steve to Zombicide and in return, he introduced me to Super Dungeon Explore. We are so full of enthusiasm for both games and chat about them almost everyday. It is always nice to meet someone who is as passionate about the gaming with miniatures hobby as I am.
Earlier this year I ran a competition to celebrate 500 posts of my blog. That proved to be very successful and already I have plans for more competitions. And, yes, there will be prize give-aways.
Kickstarter proved to be very popular (and hurtful to my bank account!) in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015. For me, the big Kickstarter events of 2014 were backing Zombicide season 3 and receiving a pile of goodies for Zombicide season 2. I backed the Mars Attacks Kickstarter project in 2013 and I finally received a huge parcel for this game late in 2014. In December 2014 I backed the Rum and Bones Kickstarter project and I'm very excited about this game. The fact that it features undead pirates was a big clincher for me. Plus, it just looks like a whole load of fun, and to be honest, that is what gaming should be about.
So, what are my plans for 2015? It is traditional at this time to make New Year's resolutions. Normally, I just can't be arsed! This year, however, I will make one. And that is to play more games. I don't just mean my ATZ-FFO campaign, although I do want to continue that. I want to play more of the things that interest me and not just zombie gaming. Mind you, zombies will feature heavily in Zombicide (naturally) and will turn up in the likes of Rum and Bones and Super Dungeon Explore. I have developed a keen interest in boardgames played with miniatures, so hopefully, I'll get to play at least some games of Zombicide, Rum and Bones and Super Dungeon Explore next year. I'm also looking forward to playing Arkham Horror as I've always liked Call of Cthulhu. If I could fit in a bit of Judge Dredd and a bit of Wild West skirmish gaming that would be great but quite frankly, I doubt if I'll have time to fit either in.
Blogging, figure painting and card modelling will continue as normal although my figure painting will diversify to cover various genres besides zombies. I'll continue posting reviews of my werewolf figures for the next two weeks and then I'll start posting reviews of Super Dungeon Explore. All of the figures from the basic boxed set have been painted and photographed. I am now painting the figures from the two big expansion sets - Caverns of Roxor and Van Drakk Manor.
In closing, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy New Year. Peace, good will, good health and prosperity to you all.

27 comments:

  1. Delighted you've had such a great end to the year, Bryan. Certainly finding your blog is one of the highlights for me this year - although my wallet isn't so appreciative as it keeps making me want to fork out for minis I never knew existed [Simon Quinton's Brummie Wargaming is equally as bad though!!]. Thoroughly enjoy your backlog of ATZ posts but new stuff is always better. Looking forward to seeing a fortnight's worth of more Werewolves and then Super-Dungeon Explorer - I have already mentioned it to the missus as a Birthday treat :-) Genuinely wish you a very Happy New Year and perhaps I'll get the opportunity to buy you a cuppa at Salute in the New Year.

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    1. Many, many thanks, Simon. I'd just like to add that I thoroughly enjoy reading your own blog posts. Your love of superheroes really shines through. I do hope you get Super Dungeon Explore for your birthday. You can pick it up quite cheaply from numerous sources, like Amazon, e-Bay and various games stores. It'll pay you to shop around. SDE is a great game to play with all the family. If you have kids of either sex they'll just love the Heroes. Get your wife to play as well. No, seriously, do it!
      Visiting Salute has been on my wishlist for many years but sadly the cost of travelling there prevents me from attending. Living so far from London is both a curse and a blessing. All the best for 2015 - I hope you have a great year.

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  2. Happy New Year Bryan, though I doubt you can top having your eyesight back - I know I couldn't

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    1. I never dreamed I'd ever have 20/20 vision again, Joe, so that was nothing short of miraculous. A very happy New Year to you and your family.

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  3. Bryan, Arkham Horror is a good choice! If you enjoy it and want to branch out further I would suggest checking out Eldritch Horror as well. Out of the series of three games FFG did it's my favorite. The last one (Elder Sign) is good fun as well, it just doesn't live in the sweet spot that EH occupies.

    This was a good year for you, I hope the next is even better!

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    1. Great to hear from you again, Jon. I have been looking at all the supplements for Arkham Horror and yes, Eldritch Horror is in my sights as well. I have read great reviews about both games and I suspect I'm going to become fully immersed in this genre. As for Elder Sign, I have no interest in this game. I'll probably pass on Mansions of Madness as well, as that isn't suitable for solo play but I'll almost certainly buy Eldritch Horror at some point next year.

      All the best for 2015, my friend.

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  4. Glad to hear it was a good year! Getting one's eyesight back is no small thing, and I am certain will be a highlight for some time to come. I am interested to see your thoughts on Arkham Horror after you play a couple of times. I had a friend introduce me to the game some time ago, and it is a regular rotation when we get together to game. Lots of fun, plus it is enjoyable as a solo endeavor. While Mansions of Madness may not have solo potential, if you get a chance to grab it on the cheap, it has many wonderful components that could be useful for horror gaming...

    I hope your (and everyone's) New Year brings health and happiness as well.

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    1. By useful components, I presume you mean the plastic figures, Hugh. I can see their gaming potential, for sure, but can I justify the cost? Hmm, we'll see.

      Good health and happiness to you and your family throughout 2015.

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  5. Good for you and for 2014, mate. I am admiring of your ONE resolution. I like it's attainability. Blog you batreps though! I like your analysis of rules and the tension you gain. Happy New Year to you and your Mum. All the best Bob & family.

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    1. I agree, this resolution should be attainable, considering how little gaming I did in 2014. Don't worry, my batreps will continue.
      Have a great New Year, Bob, and best wishes to you and your family.

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  6. Godt nytår! 2015 will be amazing mate! Looking forward to yet another year with great blogposts from you. Whether it be reviews or battle reports. Big hugs from Denmark.

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    1. Thanks, Johnny. Big man hugs right back at you!

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  7. Glad to hear your year went well, let's hope the next one's even better! Happy New Year Bryan Dude!

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  8. A great year my friend, have another one this year and all the best!

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    1. I can only echo your sentiments, Fran. All the very best to you in 2015.

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  9. Terrific news about your cataracts or should that be your lack of Cataracts! WE all need to resolve to get more gaming done, if only it was that easy. I can and will confirm Arhkam is a very good game, if a tad long!

    And Best wishes for the new year.

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    1. I think my New Year's resolution is achievable. I certainly hope so. As for Arkham Horror being a long game, I have heard that too, but I view that as a good thing.

      I hope you have a truly great year, Clint.

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  10. Bryan, 2014 was really good to you!! Hopefully 2015 will be just as good, if not better :-)

    Keep up the good work, stay safe and survive.

    Toni

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    1. Many thanks, Toni. I hope 2015 proves to be a bumper year for you. All the best, mate.

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  11. All sounds pretty good, both last year and the plans for 2015!

    I know that you've probably got too many options already, but have you looked at "Fear and Faith" from Ganesha Games? It seems to me that this would be right up your street!

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    1. Many thanks, Hugh. I was unaware of "Fear and Faith" until you mentioned it. A quick Google search has put me in the picture. I agree that it does look good. I may well check it out further but I wonder when would I find the time to play it?
      Anyway, best wishes to you and your family for the New Year.

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  12. I knew someone who had cataracts but she refused to go for the op (never really knew why). It fills me with dread to live in a world which such impaired vision. Glad things turned out ok for you. Have a good year!

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    1. Many thanks FEM! My cataract operations were such a success I just wish I'd had them done earlier.
      I hope you have good year, mate.

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  13. My Modell

    The Big Boss Level bei Z-Clip: Outbreak-28mm

    http://hobbythek-crefeld.blogspot.de/2014/11/the-survivor.html

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