The first thing that leaps to the eye when looking at my BoardGameGeek statistics is an unusual number one, namely something called “Unpublished Prototype”. On BGG, this is the dataset for games that are in development (or at least that’s how I use it). There are actually a number of very diverse games in this category. Some of them are games I tinkered with for my job, as I’m now working as a researcher at the games department of an art university (which, by the way, is one of the coolest developments of this year). Others are my never-ending efforts to develop sets of miniature wargames rules.

The second thing is that my single most played game was Atlantic Chase. I’ve already written about how much I was impressed by this game. Most of the plays were actually solo, as the game has an excellent solitaire mode and I discovered that maybe I do enjoy playing solo sometimes. Also, most of my games of Atlantic Chase were in a relatively short period of time, before I needed a break from WW2 again, so this is not totally representative of what I played this year.

So let’s break the statistics down a bit and sort them according to game type. If we add up all role-playing games, I’ve had 40 sessions this year. Most were with the remote group that has been meeting regularly on Discord for a number of years now and that is still going strong – at the moment, we play Mothership, with Star Trek Adventures scheduled for 2025. Also, Virago started running a face-to-face Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay campaign, which is a great success and ongoing. The rest were one-shots with a diverse cast of people. Generally, it was great to have played games with so many different people this year, some of which are new to gaming (or at least to the nerdy way of gaming).

Adding up all miniature wargames, included those in development, I had 36 games this year. So RPGs and miniature games are actually quite equal, which is good to see, as I enjoy both very much. Although I feel like my painting mojo has not yet fully returned, I managed to get a lot of stuff done: at the beginning of the year, I developed an interest in the Spanish Civil War (triggered by Alex Knight’s excellent boardgame Land & Freedom), which resulted in two 10mm armies and a couple of games of Blitzkrieg Commander.

Then, the lure of Sharp Practice and napoleonics combined with my love for all things naval, so I painted figures for the Adriatic theatre in 1809, mainly Austrian naval crews and some local troops.

To complement this (and with an eye on a potential campaign), I also built and painted a couple of 1/700 ships by Warlord Games and Hagen Miniaturen. However, I kind of ran out of steam with those – while they are lovely models, they are also a lot of work. I did however tinker with rules for very small engagements between small vessels, such as brigs and gunboats.

And then, I rediscovered my love for all things medieval and collected and painted 1/1200 ships for the period. I also wrote a set of rules for them, which I intend to publish in 2025.

In between, we had games of Sharp Practice, What a Cowboy!, Gaslands and even the old tavern brawl game I made for one of our summer gaming events.

Speaking of which: An absolute highlight of the year was again the summer event, which saw a group of friends gathering to play a large multi-player sci-fi game using my 15mm collection and very simple home-made rules with RPG elements.

Great fun was had, although we realised that maybe we have now reached the limits of what can be played with one single group on one table in a single session. As we will probably see even more guests next year, we want to run two or three games in parallel. Let’s see what we can come up with.

Another highlight was a rather unexpected big Austerlitz game with Commands & Colors: Napoleonics. Originally, we wanted to make a trip to the Austerlitz battlefield, but we canceled it because of the weather and Virago spontaneously suggested playing a big C&C game instead. With five players around the garden table, this was another great day with friends!

And I finally published the Star of Bravery campaign supplement for Sharp Practice! I didn’t publish the ACW naval rules, but I ran my first game in public at the Vienna Fantasy Gaming Convention in March.

All in all, I’m very happy with my gaming year. As always, thanks to all the people who played with me, who indulge me in my crazy projects and experiments and who shared their projects and passion for gaming with me. It really means a lot to me.

What will the next year bring? I don’t like to make plans, so I can only offer vague ideas. Another summer event has already been scheduled. The RPGing will hopefully continue. I still feel that I’m not yet finished with naval wargaming and ancient galleys have now piqued my interest. Virago has infected me with his enthusiasm for the upcoming Guards of Traitor’s Toll, so I’ll probably paint up a couple of fantasy figures. Other than that, I’ll go where my fancy takes me!