Random- 2022: The Dawn of a New Age

 

Welcome to 2022, the Dawn of a New Age!  Okay.... probably a bit of hyperbole.  However, it is a chance for me to review what I have in the old Work-In-Progress pile and decide what I might actually try to complete work on in 2022.  

Like previous years I will be putting in some goals to act as guard rails so that I do not go wandering down a garden path and not get anything done!  They are more for my protection and safety.  After all, it is easy to get swept away by what is shiny and new in this hobby!  However, I want to keep my goals flexible enough that I can respond to what is happening in the Wargaming world around me too.  

Like most years, I will be breaking this down into the usual categories: 

• Purchases- Things I plan to buy
• Painting and Modeling- Things I plan to paint and build
• Playing- Games that I will put on the table
• Rules Writing- Old projects to complete, and new ones to start
• Miscellany- All the boring stuff that doesn't fit someplace else!

So, let's not waste anymore of 2022's precious time and get to the goals! 

 Purchases

I feel it necessary to start this section of the Goals with a huge "Thank You!".  As I have said many times, you make this section possible!  Every time you purchase a product from the Wargame Vault, buy one of my books from Osprey, or become a patreon; you are helping keep Blood and Spectacles Publishing moving forward.  Without your purchases, I could not get the products for me to review, the artwork for post-production, the models for the painting desk, or the terrain in the featured battle reports.  Your support makes this all possible, and allows me to keep making games.  

Thank you! 

With that said, creating games requires more than just writing rules.  The hardest part is the play-testing, editing, and post-production work.  The purchases I have listed below fall into two main categories.  The first, is items I need to complete or finalize rules and supplements.  The second are research or marketing items to keep me making new content.  95% of purchases are to help expand and grow Blood and Spectacles Publishing and get more games into your hands! 

So, here is what I would like to purchase for 2022: 

• Dark Age Irish from Wargames Atlantic to help complete my Viking Age project
• Gripping Beast Dark Age Miniatures to complete my Viking Age project
• Tumbling Dice Korean War aircraft for White Star/Red Star rules
• Victrix Persians for an Ionian Revolt supplement for Men of Bronze
• Stay caught up with the Osprey Wargaming Series
• Purchase The Silver Bayonet for Review
• Purchase 1+ Indie wargame rules for review   
• Miscellaneous miniatures for a few Horror Games I am working on

My Viking Age, Korean Air War. and Ionian Revolt Supplement are all long running projects that are in Post-Production from 2021 that I want to wrap up and release for 2022.  The others are for review purposes and new projects that are in early stages.  

These Vikings need some Dark Age Irish to fight! 

Painting and Modeling

The last three years I have been super productive on this front.  Therefore, going into 2022, my back log of things to paint is clean.  Last year, I painted 300+ models, and the two years before were closer to 150+ each year.  However, this has cleared my desk so that I can work on the new Purchases.  

• A Dark Age Irish Army from Wargame Atlantic
• Victrix Persian Army for Ionian Revolt Supplement
• Korean Air War aircraft from Tumbling Dice
• A Unit or Two of Gripping Beast Dark Age troops

I think you are starting to see a pattern connecting my purchases to my painting.  Again, all of these projects are focused on Blood and Spectacles Publishing products.  

I was contemplating if this was the year I was finally going to get into Nappies!  However, upon review of my writing and rules projects I have opted to stay clear.  Instead, I want to focus on projects for the business in 2022.  No time for Nappies! 

A Viking Age Project?  It is very close to being done! 

 Gaming

Typically, I get about 12-18 games in a year.  2021, I got 25 games in!  I do not expect to repeat that success.  I have a long running, regular RPG group commitment now as well as my wargaming group too.  That said, I expect to get about 12-18 games in this year, with a lot of Castles in the Sky getting played since it is launching in June of 2022 from the Osprey Wargaming Series.  

• Play 4-6 games of Castles in the Sky
• Play 4-6 Ancients games based on one of the Blood and Spectacles systems
• 2-4 games of White Star/Red Star
• 2-4 games of other systems either from Blood and Spectacles, Work-in-Progress or other systems

That gives me a nice range of 12-20 games for next year.  That puts me at 1-2 a month.  Perhaps a bit conservative, as I am working on expanding the Wargaming scene in my local area.  

Castles in the Sky

Rules Writing

Well, I do have a few games I intend to get finished in 2022, a few to keep tinkering with, and a few to put pen to paper on.  Typically, I am consistent in getting product out, and I will be featuring a lot of my WIP designs, Lines-of-Battle, upgrades, etc on my Patreon as we go through 2022.  

However, here is what I plan to finish: 

1. The Games: Blood and Spectacles- 2E - This is about 50% done after last year.  I am doing some re-writes to unify the mechanics, editing, replacing art/pictures, and adding tracking/QRS pages.  Some of the work was completed in 2021.

2. The Fury of the Northman- This is the working title.  The rules are pretty much complete, some playtesting, and lay-out has begun.  However, it is in post-production and needs more art/photographs to get it over the finish line.  

3. The Ionian Revolt- This is a supplement for Men of Bronze that features expanded lines of battle for Persian forces, some of Persia's enemies, and a multi-part campaign focusing on the Ionian Revolt that was a pre-cursor to the Greco-Persian Wars.  This was mostly written on-and-off for the last 3 years, has begun lay-out, and requires post-production work.  

4. White Star/Red Star- This is a game of aerial combat during the Korean War.  It went through extensive writing and playtesting in 2021.  Much of the work for this game is complete, with the remaining work being play-testing results, tweaking, and post-production work. 

These are the four main projects I would like to complete and launch in 2022.  Some, none, or all of them may get completed!  I also have a few other projects in the early stages and in the hopper.  Some use my "formula" based on Men of Bronze, and others are completely new designs.  We will see if any of them take my fancy or spring ahead of the projects listed above.  These projects are: 

1. Chariot Wars
2. Post-Martian Invasion Survival Horror
3. The Glittering Void- Space Mecha Theatre
4. Homer's Heroes
5. Late Roman
6. Solo/Co-op Monster Hunting
7. Aztec Flower Wars        
8. Mageloque

All of those have some level of development beyond the concept folder stage.  

Space Mecha for Glittering Void

Miscellany

The rest is stuff that is important for the Blood and Spectacles business, but do not really fall into the other categories.  Sometimes they are administrative, marketing, or other details that I want to keep on my radar. 

1. Post Blog content weekly, and "new" Patreon content monthly

2. Update the Painting and Gaming trackers for 2022

3. Launch party for Castles in the Sky in June

4. Go to the Great Falls Gaming Con

5. Continue to build the local Wargaming scene 

I am not sure that I will be actually up for all of those, but I want them on my radar.  I have started to build local connections and good will and I do not want to squander that opportunity.  

Final Thoughts

This year, my goals are more concrete and measurable than in previous years.  In addition, they are laser focused on Blood and Spectacles for 2022.  I feel like coming out of 2021, I have a great deal of momentum and I do not want to squander it in 2022.  Therefore, my goals are a bit more ambitious than usual.  We will have to see what happens!    

2021 was a good year for Blood and Spectacles Publishing!  I hope to make 2022 the dawn of a New Age!  

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page for more fun: https://m.facebook.com/pg/BloodandSpectacles/posts/?ref=bookmarks&mt_nav=0

Or our website:

http://www.bloodandspectacles.com/

Or our Messageboard:

http://bloodandspectacles.proboards.com/

Or our Wargames Vault Page:

https://www.wargamevault.com/browse.php?keywords=blood+and+spectacles&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=