The Annual Report

🍾🥳 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥳🍾

It was the night of the Grand Armée New Year's Eve party.

Emperor looked at the banner and said "...Bonne Anrèé... Bonne ANRÈÉ ...don't they teach them to check their spelling in school these days Bonhomme?"

Henri shook his head, "they are too dependant on AI, sire!".

Napoleon rolled his eyes and said "what is the World coming to?"

Well, it is that time of year to be reflective.

It has been a very different hobby year compared to previous ones. I have deliberately slowed down my painting volume on the basis that I already have enough figures and armies. My intention going forward—I occasionally slip back into "corporate speak" despite leaving that world behind—is to only buy figures required to finish existing projects. The one caveat is that I may add the occasional unit to an existing army if something special catches my eye (and, of course, all of this goes out the window if I win the lottery).

In terms of painting productivity, the annual results show a dramatic drop. I completed only 330 foot and 64 mounted figures. While some might think, "that’s a lot," it is dwarfed by my 2023 totals of 1,423 foot, 132 mounted, 34 guns, and 8 pieces of equipment.

However, my scratch-building productivity soared this year with a couple of commissions and several buildings for sale. Using the recognised calculation of "painting points" (5 pts per 28mm foot figure, 10 per mounted figure/gun/equipment, and 10 per hour of scratch building), the breakdown of points by project is as follows:

The listed Ottoman expansion project, did not proceed.

A graphical breakdown is:

Comparing the year to previous years it stacks up, but is still only the eighth largest in the 12 years I have been keeping records and if the scratch built are removed it would be the lowest production since probably 2004. But, that was the intention.

This decrease in painting productivity has been offset by a dramatic increase in games played, reaching a total of 43—likely my highest game count for any single year. This boost has been fueled by my retirement, which has enabled me to play extra games with retired friends, as well as a renewed interest in solo play. Solo gaming has allowed me to develop a narrative side to my hobby through The Adventures of Henri Bonhomme.

Henri's adventures provided a great deal of fun, not only through the varied games themselves but also the hours spent creating and fine-tuning the backstories. These narratives have encouraged me to pursue storytelling even further in the coming year. While Henri’s adventures have run their course (and I’m not sure there is any artwork left in Europe for him to purloin, anyway), there are other characters in other eras waiting in the wings.

So, what are the plans for 2026?

First, there are more buildings in the pipeline. The current set of ruins needs to be finished, and a second lot will likely be worked on in parallel. There will also be another batch of buildings for sale.

I have already begun writing the backstory for a new adventure, as mentioned above, which should see the light of day around February. Additionally, at some point in the first quarter of the year, the final purchases for the Franco-Prussian War armies will be made—specifically French cuirassiers and generals, along with some Bavarian cavalry and artillery.

Finally, I have a few ideas for short campaigns in development. 

We shall see how it all pans out.