Friday, January 01, 2021

2020 in Review and Looking Ahead

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the hobby seems to pale in comparison, but at the same time, it's something that connects us with who we are, and with each other.

We only managed to play nine sessions of RPG this year, with a couple more online. I was not able to complete the arc for the Terrinoth A Team, nor play the campaigns that I had planned for this year (nor FG make his debut as a GM), but we did manage to start a new campaign with new players.

What was unplanned for was the start of Thursday evening gaming sessions with Adrian and FG. Plus the few Sunday games Martin, FG, and I managed to play after lockdown lifted, we played a total of 15 sessions this year.

While the future is still uncertain, I am going to continue with tradition and lay out our plans for the year.

We will likely continue our Barrowmaze campaign through March.

In April I hope to play the Sorcery! sequel campaign. We will probably be using the Forbidden Lands rules, since they are suitably crunchy for my vision of the game.

From June onwards things get a little hazy. One of the big campaigns I planned for 2020 was Season 3 of our Space Opera campaign, using the Traveller Deepnight Revelation kickstarter campaign. The delivery of that kickstarter had been delayed, but it should (fingers crossed) deliver by then, which allow us to play through that campaign in the second half of the year.

Other possible campaigns are a return to our Gamma World campaign, or something that uses The Hero's Journey rules, which seem quite fun.

On the wargaming front we are planning to play a short league using the Blood Bowl Season 2 rules. That should take us through the first three months of the year. Thereafter Stargrave is a possibility - presumably Northstar will release more plastic and metal figures to tempt us closer to date.

Then there is also the Spanish Civil War project that Martin is helming, and my 28mm sci-fi WW1 figures to be delivered and then painted, and the 10mm Arab Revolt project I will finally get to complete

And that's that.

I notice that I have been more tentative than in previous years, for obvious reasons. The year has no doubt taken a toll on all of us, not just in terms of health and finances, but also on our morale. But perhaps that's all the more reason we should be gaming in the upcoming year: to keep alive the friendships we have made through the hobby, and to encourage each other.

Be of good cheer, my friends.

No comments: