Hobby Aims 2022

I’ve never done this before, but I thought it would be a good idea. I though, if I set myself some targets for the year, I just might be able to focus on one or two and actually achieve something.

I’ve never been good at concentrating on one thing for any length of time and I have so many half-finished projects lying around you wouldn’t believe.

Anyway, I’ve put together a list. A list of aims, which are mostly hobby driven, that I can keep an eye on to keep me in check. I only intended it to contain about half-a-dozen items but, as you can see, it grew a bit!

So, in no particular order, here goes…

1. At least 70 posts

The most I’ve put out in one year has been 64, in 2020, with 60 being my average over the 4-years of TSM. I do tend to ramble on a bit and some posts are a wee bit long, especially my reviews, and so they take time. I don’t want to cut back on the length for the majority, but I do need to learn to be more concise. You’d think I’d be good at that because all the written stuff I did in RAF, and I did quite a lot, had to be just that, concise. I guess it’s because I’m writing about things I’m interested in and just get carried away, no bad thing, but if you take a look at the number of draft titles I have queued in WordPress, then you’d realise I need to crack on, otherwise they’ll be charging me extra!

I think 70 is well within reach, but I need to have at least one aim that is achievable, it’s good for my morale!

2. 10 Reviews

10 Sounds like a lot, and when you’re putting out 6000 words+, I suppose it is. 2018 saw me post 16. That fell to just 5 last year. In that first year I’d got plenty of time in on the games I reviewed, so I could write knowing I was giving the games a fair hearing. More recently, I’m playing new (to me) games and am struggling to get enough plays to do them justice. So, 10 reviews will also mean playing more games, and that’s no bad thing!

3. Complete my Mansions of Madness miniatures

I’ve nearly finished the monsters, 36 done out of 45, that leaves the characters, of which there are 20. Once my painting picks up again this is achievable, and I really need to do it ASAP, as Yasmin is pestering to play. So far, I’ve been painting them as a side to other, more detailed stuff, but I could concentrate solely on them, and I may well do if nothing usurps the need.

Of course, there’s always the chance I might get my hands on the few expansions I don’t have, and that would knock things up a bit!

4. 8 More MCP Characters

This may be pushing it, though I have two ready and primed, with another three awaiting assembly. It really depends on the characters. Some I find quick to paint, such as Dare Devil and Bullseye, but others take more time, like Loki and Star Lord, and of course, it depends upon how much painting time I actually get, which is usually the prohibiting factor. I was averaging one a month last year, but I have other things lined up, so we shall see…

5. Paint and Play – Bolt Action

Talking of things lined up, here’s one of the main ones. My aim here, is to paint enough to play a small skirmish, so I’m not trying to paint everything in the Battle for Berlin box in one go, though I do want to find a method for producing the minis quickly and to a decent standard. Part of my problem is that I spend too long, trying to paint all the details, when I don’t need to. These are going to be played with and only need to look good at gaming distance, and I’ve got to get that into my head. If I do, then I could well hit this aim.

6. Finish painting my Scythe factions

I should have done this long ago. I have one of the core factions to paint, two from Invaders from Afar, and the stuff from The Rise of Fenris. Actually, that’s a fair amount, but the mechs are straightforward and I only have to spend any time on the characters.

7. Paint at least three major pieces of scenery

By major I really mean buildings, though if I paint a fair bit of smaller stuff, I may be happy with that. I look at my photos of us playing Marvel: Crisis Protocol and I think, ‘Ugh! Look at that bare scenery!’ So, even if it’s only to make the pictures look better, I want to hit this aim!

8. Paint one miniature to the best of my ability

I’m thinking a larger miniature, or maybe do a vignette or diorama. Whatever it is I want to aim for display quality, push myself to do the best job I can. I think it will help bring me on as a painter and I want to try something different. It could also be something like a kit, an aircraft or ship perhaps. I’ve had my eye on several aircraft, all ones I’ve actually worked on, which would be good, but I already have a few ships that have been sitting in my drawer for years now. Trouble with ships is accuracy, at least I know a damn site more about the aircraft and that would make it easier.

9. Post at least three battle reports

Victory at Sea is where I’m going here. I already have enough ships painted up, so I just have to find the time to play, simple as that.

10. Assemble and play at least two games of Shadows of Brimstone by end of Feb

I’ve put this one on the list to try and force my hand – Yasmin’s looking forward to playing and so am I. There are about thirty miniatures to assemble, but I’m not going to fully prep them for paint, only removing those mould lines that would be awkward once they’re put together. So, I should have them done quickly enough, all I have to do in the meantime is learn the rules. I might even achieve this aim by the end of January!

11. More Solo content

Yasmin’s got her exams this year, so I’ll probably get the chance to play more solo games, as she’ll be a busy bee revising. Mind you, she’s not averse to dragging me into the process, which has its ups and downs – you want to try going through 40+ revision cards about Religious Studies!

I want to explore the mechanisms that solo games feature, as I enjoy getting into the depths of what makes a game tick. I also aim to do more solo playthroughs, focusing on what goes on in my head and why I make the decisions I do, hopefully with the outlook to beating the game.

12. Back a maximum of one crowdfunding project

I’d rather it be none, but I’m a sucker when I see something that really grabs my interest. Currently, that’s CMON’s Marvel: Zombies, which will be launching soon, though I have my reservations when it comes to backing their games. For starters, they throw a lot of tempting add-ons at you, and if you just go for the base game, you feel like you’re missing out. It also annoys me that they have a habit of being available in retail before the backers get their copy, which I feel is just wrong. Still, I like the concept of this one and will be keeping an eye on it.

Other than that, I know of nothing else due for release that interests me, but…

13. Finish watching The Walking Dead and the X-files

I’m on the last episode of season 7 of The Walking Dead, and at the rate of 2-episodes a week I should be finished with all 11-seasons by the end of September.

The X-files is progressing somewhat slower. I’ve seen them all countless times before, but I think it’s great and I’m now going through them with Yasmin. Sometimes we get to watch 3 or 4 in a weekend, but then it could be a month before we watch another – I actually have no idea what season we’re on, I just press continue watching on Disney and off we go. Hopefully, all done by the end of the year.

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So, that’s my hobby aims for 2022… Or is it!

14. Achieve at least 5 of my aims!

I know I’m not very good at keeping to what I say I’m going to do. I drift off as something new enters my head, so this one’s here as my get out clause. I’m sure I can achieve 5, and to be honest, I’ll be happy with that. If it helps me stay focused and I hit more, then I’ll do it again next year.

I’ll do regular updates, mostly to keep me on track more than anything else, and at the end of the year we shall see! So, no prizes, but how many do you reckon I’ll do?