New Yak/Year thread - 2023 Retrospective / 2024 Resolutions, etc

[Ben_S]

Happy new Yak!

We seem to have one of these threads most years (here is last year's). So, feel free to reflect on the year gone and/or to announce plans for the coming one.

Personally, I didn't have a good 2023, especially the last few months after a leak in our roof. The roof is fixed, I hope, but that was only a relatively small job. We still have a big hole in the bedroom ceiling, which will be a much bigger job (it might require replacing the whole ceiling). And we've decided that we'll probably redecorate/re-carpet the bedroom too while we're at it. All of which means our temporary sleeping arrangements - on the living room floor - are likely to continue for some time...

So, 2024 is probably going to be expensive. The house could really do with a number of other things, including repair or replacement of the boiler, a section of flat roof (not related to the leak), and some garden decking. Thankfully, we can afford this (dual income, no kids), but it will no doubt eat up a lot of time as well as money. Hobby-related stuff really isn't my priority, at least for the first part of the year.

That said, having to empty out our bedroom and relocate a lot of stuff has forced us into a bit of tidying/decluttering. I want to extend this to my hobby stuff too. I bought some foam storage trays earlier in the year. I may need more of those. And I have some ideas for more space-friendly hobbying (even if it does mean more stuff...) though I don't know how that will turn out.

What is everyone else up to?

 

[Punktaku]

Well, last year I said:
“I’d like to empty my bits boxes of WIP terrain. Don’t know how I’d store it all, but I don’t want to add anymore projects. And limit new purchases to stuff like glue, paint, and maybe raw materials like plastistrict.

As far as minis, I want to Finish what I have before starting anything new.”

My bits box is still full, and I’m pretty sure I added to it. But not a whole heck of a lot. As for the minis, I didn’t finish everything before starting new projects. But I did finish almost everything I had started. Then I started the Realm of Chaos project, which required purchases of everything I rolled up. I picked up (and finished!) a bunch of Bombshell Minis and a box of Delaque for conversions. The stuff currently on my desk was a Christmas gift.

So for 2024?
1) I want to finish my Warcry Cypher Lords (the only leftovers from the old stuff) and paint up the chaos cultists.

2) empty the scenery bits box. Add nothing else to it.

3) finish an entry for each YakComp.

Keep it simple, right?

 

[Mr. M]

For me, 2023 started quite well for hobby productivity and by the halfway point, I had completed a set of six multi-story ruined towers for my Necromunda terrain collection and a set of bridges and ramps for them as well. After that, work and parenting derailed hobbies, as they often tend to do. Luckily things are calming down going into the new year, so 2024 should at least start with the return of some hobby time! The 2024 list is probably too ambitious, but hey, that's what this time of year is for!

1. Build another 6 ruined towers (and maybe a couple other types of industrial ruins), plus some rubble piles and longer bridges, to fill out my Necromunda board and allow for more variety when setting up the terrain pieces.
2. Finish painting my collection of old metal Goliaths.
3. Work on my painting speed by tackling a small force of Vikings for Saga (and get them assembled for easy proxy use with Mordheim).
4. Rally the friends for a weekend of Necromunda, or more modestly just a single-day Necromunda marathon.

 

[Greyhart]

2023 for me was a can of mixed nuts.

Between my wife and I handling the estates of both our mothers (who we lost in 2022), adjusting to a life of retirement (and it IS an adjustment, a major one), and trying to find a new place to live thanks to rent costs climbing to ridiculous amounts it's been a stressful year.

On the plus side we did get a new home and settled in just before Thanksgiving and both estates are finally closed. I however am still struggling with being retired as I have literally worked my entire life either growing up on a farm, my naval service, and my career as a military contractor.

This year will hopefully be less stressful. Monetarily we'll be better come August when I can draw social security. Not that we're bad off now, we'll just be better.

I'm also looking forward to the possibility of my son moving to my area from the Midwest.

I'm going to get back to painting and gaming now that we're settled into our new home, I've been out of the loop since September when we got the place and started moving. The bonus is I now have MY OWN ROOM! YAY!

Projects on my list are (in no particular order):

- Legions Imperialis
- Adeptus Titanicus
- Aeronautica Imperialis
- Kill Team
- WarCry

 

[Biggle_Bear]

Not that I do New Year Resolutions, but last year was generally stressful. But the little one is maturing so that is less stressful. And we were gifted an allotment.

I am looking forward for the coming year. I an coming to the UK for a weekend of Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse. It feels like an event even though there will just be very few of us there. And I am trying to organise a tribemeet Germany so there will be a lot to do for that. There's hobby projects aplenty but only those with time scales.

And there will be a lot to do in the garden. So a lot to do but all rewarding things.

 

[daveh]

still trying to get the leak in my (new) roof fixed after 4 months of buckets in the kitchen.
the builder says he will have another go soon

 

[Ben_S]

still trying to get the leak in my (new) roof fixed after 4 months of buckets in the kitchen.
the builder says he will have another go soon

So, that's at least two of us with leaking roof problems - though (touch wood) I think our roof is sorted now. It's certainly been tested by some gusty winds and heavy rain the last couple of days...

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

Well, I checked out the old thread, and wow, was I ambitious. Hobby-wise, everything from June 2023 onward pretty much ceased to exist. But at the end of 2023, this Magos has to say it was overall very positive, if stressful.

Okay, let's break this down into a few neat paragraphs, neatly hidden for those who only care for the hobby:

Spoiler: 2023 - A year of work, women, wanton destruction by tiny xenoforms, and the curse of the flesh.

Job: I'm well into my second year of teaching, and while problems crop up daily and I still tend to be pretty exhausted, this is mostly due to me realizing that while I do not always like teaching, I want to be good at teaching, which means I put a lot of energy into it. A good thing, I should say, at least for the students.

Relationships: Making a long and very complicated story very short, the PrimeClade has been expanded, because a very fine young Magistrix, know to the clade for a while, decided that this very idiot was her favorite idiot and became GirlfriendPrime while this magos was still fudging about trying to find a way to confess his emotions in a way that wasn't binharic. And honestly, if things continue like they have for the last year, I will in due time make her WifePrime, if she so wishes. Another VERY good thing.

Living situation: This has, however, made it necessary to merge our households in parallel to both of us teaching full time, which turned out the be remarkably stressful. She moved in with me in earnest at the end of August, and I offered to sacrifice half the hobby room to be her office space, moving my main hobby table into the living room and giving up the other one (frankly, I had mostly used it for storage anyway). The new arrangement is very efficient, very social and also heavily fortified with a clear plastic dome (a very large IKEA crate).

Pets: Why fortified? Well, around the time GirlfriendPrime moved in, we received a distress call about a small xenoform from the cat clade needing a new home or facing destruction (seriously, some people are very cruel). So the menagerie was expanded, since we knew the PrimeDog was very fond of them, to include PrimeCat, which is now five months old, very affectionate, and while not very destructive for a kitten, she does love batting things about, and I am not taking chances.

Health: At the end of the year, I also had a few health scares, in the form of another bout of Covid (mild) and gastrointestinal problems (not as mild) which have yet to resolve. In the course of the various check-ups, a case of medical serendipity turned up a fatty tumor on my right kidney, which thankfully turned out to be benign and the kind that sadly runs in my family. Jury's still out on whether or not it has to be removed, but if so, it'll be a case of "put tiny tube into lower back and drain". The stomach problems on the other hand are still being investigated, but so far ultrasounds and MRIs point towards developing a major gastritis or a burgeoning ulcer. Aka "You are under a lot of stress for the first time in your life, and you will turn 40 this year."

Memento mori: And that's the last one, whoops, I'm turning 40 this year. Huh. Hadn't really planned this far ahead. Always figured things would figure themselves out by then. They haven't, but well, waltzing my way through life worked pretty damn well up to this point, may as well keep on dancing.

Okay, hobby-wise, let's review:

1.) Keep working on gang expansions: I did! A little at least, the Delaque one is done, the Orlock one is almost done, the Goliath one has one model painted and the rest assembled. Cawdor is assembled in full, Van Saar has, uh, one model done as my gang boss. Escher is still in the box. I did take the foil off and looked at the lizard cats!

2.) Keep working on SW Legions: Hah, well. I did get the Swoops done, and I was 90% finished with the first infantry squad when the fates ate all my hobby time in June.

3.) Make the pile smaller: I never mentioned it, but I did manage to get rid of a few more odd old boxes, decluttered the hobby storage, and bought very little over the course of the year. A friend's younger brother wants to get into 40k (haha, the fool!) and I mentioned I might flog him one of my half-finished armies. In a blow to all of that, I was gifted the Leagues of Votann army box for Christmas by some well-meaning friend who knows I like Space Dwarves.

I'll stick to these, and trying to get my hobby organized a bit. The turning of the age (in case you skipped the wall of text, I turn 40 this year) has made me realize my time and energy are not endless, and I'll try to discipline myself into having set times for hobbying. Teaching made me realize I can discipline myself into doing things I thought impossible (getting up at 5am every day, for starters) if I put my mind to it, so it might just work a little.

 

[Punktaku]

you turn 40?!?

whipper-snapper

 

[Greyhart]

40? My son is almost that age..

Yeah, the "my time and energy are not endless".. I hate to tell you it gets worse as you get older. Even retired as I am I never have enough time or drive to do everything I'd like with my hobbies.

You're welcome.

 

[daveh]

anyone beating 60?

 

[Punktaku]

No, but it's getting closer...

 

[Raven Morpheus]

'23 was much the same as '22 for me, I was "busy" at the beginning of the year, then the summer heat hit at the end of June, and again in September, and again aggravated my health problems. Unlike '22 though I've not been able to recover enough so far to do much hobby-wise, However I am currently working on a Revell Star Wars Lambda class shuttle (from Return of the Jedi), but I seem to take 1 step forward and two steps back every couple of days where my health is concerned.

Fortunately mother is making use of her carers and ticking over, so I can leave her to get on.

After the Star Wars kit is done, I plan on finishing filling gaps in and then painting my mid-90s metal GW dragon, that I'll use for Talisman 3rd ed. That's about as far ahead as I want to plan.

My pile of shame keeps growing and I've "boxed" (BSG reference) my "Epic Armageddon" not-Steel Legion infantry, GW Reaver and Warhound titans.

 

[Greyhart]

anyone beating 60?

61.

I'll be 62 in August.

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

It's always relative, isn't it? In one gaming group I'm in, being 39 makes me one of the two oldest blokes, in the other, I'm the youngest by ten years.

 

[MedMos]

A week into the new year, time to reflect and look ahead?
Anyway, 2023 was busy. Moving to a new house, busy at work and MrsMos pulling the plug on her company due to her leukemia draining all her strength, things have been hectic at times.
Good news is, the new house is much closer to work and school, MrsMos is beginning to regain some strength, and since January 1st I'm no longer on contract but on the payroll as an archaeologist at one of the biggest and most successful/financially viable museums in Denmark.
Hobbywise, late '23 was a bit of a bust. Not getting much done. But the urge has resurfaced, and I'm very keen to get my hands glued to some terrain! So that's the plan for '24. First up is probably my Hive Guys, which has been wip for years. And seeing as I've got a few Mordheim/Frostgrave warbands in the works, I really want to get some fantasy terrain in production. Big plans for big terrain! And I got a new glue gun as well, so should be set for actually getting somewhere.

So terrain is the ticket for 2024. We will see how long that plan lasts.

 

[Lord_Ikka]

My 2023 completions-

Necrons

10 Lychguard, 1 Hexmark Destroyer, 1 Chronomancer, 1 Canoptek Reanimator, 1 Skorpekh Lord, 1 Plasmancer, 2 Crypto-thralls, 1 Triarch Stalker, 3 Tomb Blades.

Sisters of Battle

20 Battle Sisters, 1 Cherub, 10 Sororitas Novitiates, 1 Missionary, 2 Preachers, 4 Death Cult Assassins (Corpse Grinder Initiates), 6 Crusaders (Corpse Grinder Skinners), 3 arco-flagellants, 3 Redemptionist preachers, 22 Sisters Repentia, 5 Seraphim, 1 Penitent Engine, 1 Canoness, 1 Dialogus, 1 Hostpitaller, 1 Dogmata, 1 Imagifier, 1 Repentia Superior.

Inquisition/Necromunda/Random

24 Inquisition stormtroopers (10 meltagunners, 10 volley-gunners, 3 medics, 1 casualty), 1 Ordos Alius Ogryn-quisitor, 2 Servitor Ogryns, 1 Ordo Reductor Tech-Priest, 4 privateers, 1 Ordos Xenos Inquisitor, 4 Chaos cultists, 5 Mechanicus cultists, 1 random Inquisition bodyguard, 1 Hounds of Abaddon Terminator, 1 witch and 4 familiars, 9 Orlock gangers, 8 Radical Inquisition Cultists, 2 Guild of Coin Crag Walkers, Medium Transport, Goliath truck, Lord-discordant. (Lord-Discordant and tech-priest not pictured)

Space Marines

3-man Aggressor squad, 3-man Outrider squad, 10-man Infiltrator squad, 3-man Suppressor squad, 3-man Eliminator squad, 5-man Terminator squad, 5-man Sternguard Veterans squad, 10-man Infernus Squad, 1 teleport homer, 1 Ballistus Dreadnought, 1 Primaris Ancient, 1 Phobos Lieutenant, 1 Captain in Termie Armor, 1 Chaplain in termie armor, Marneus Calgar, 2 Victrix Guard, 1 Primaris Librarian, 1 Librarian in Termie armor, 1 Apothecary Biologis, 1 LT w/combi-weapon, 5 Hellblasters, 2 Watchers in the Dark, The Lion. (teleport homer not pictured)

Battletech

40-ish Mechs, 36-ish vehicles, 18 infantry and battle armor.

This year, going to have much less on my plate- no full 40k armies... Got a bunch of Battletech to paint up (24 IS Mechs, plus 15 Clanners), a Cawdor gang for a new campaign next month, some Eschers, some more Necrons, and other bits and bobs.

 

[ClanBuckCANS]

Been dealing with more den me care to go on about in the boiling hell hole of pain dat be 2023. With dat being said, we here in Canada, have dis lovely broadcast company day made dis interesting show called "Best in Miniature", and one of the people on de show caught me wife's eyes. See de wife, she loves dat I be skillful in turning nothing into something, but sometimes whishes I didn't only make stuff for the Necromunda and such. . . Well dis contestant on dis there show, happened to be older and from our neck of de woods. The wife sent me the ink, and told me 'why couldn't I be on de show, noo I had to make war game minis, could make something nice like dat'

Well got me thinking, and some how I seem to have agreed ta making a scale version of dee Anne of Green Gables house.

 

[Punktaku]

No reason you cant share the progress with the Tribe. you know.

 

[ClanBuckCANS]

Oh, you can be trusting in dat I be going to do so. Granted one de progress be starting o'course