2025/2026

Welcome, everyone, to the new year, 2026. Once again, I am starting this year with a summary and plans for the upcoming year. I am very curious to see how many of my plans I will be able to accomplish.

Source: Biblioteka Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu.

As usual, before I get into specifics, here’s what I planned at the beginning of last year:

https://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2025/01/20242025.html

1. 2025.

1.1. Blog.

Last year, I published 63 posts, and I plan to publish 64 in 2024. My blog received a total of 177,136 visits, but in September, like many others, it faced a bot invasion that likely skewed the visitor count. Despite this, it propelled the total visitor count towards one million. I also celebrated the publication of my thousandth post. 

This time, I won’t be sharing the lists of my most popular posts, army pages, or the countries my visitors come from, as they wouldn't be accurate. However, I can confirm that the number of my followers has risen to 123, and that is a true number!

1.2. Figures and models.

This year, I can proudly say that I have been consistent in decluttering my shame drawer. I completed several projects, which meant I didn’t have any miniatures left to paint for those projects. This year, my primary focus was on painting 28mm miniatures and 1/1200-scale ships. I didn’t work on anything else or in other scales. Here’s a more detailed list:

28mm:

Foot figures: 247

Mounted Figures: 60

Artillery: 2

1/1200:

Ships: 33

Accesories: 42

Terrains: 7

Altogether: 391 elements (487 in 2024)

1.3 Games.

Last year, I played a total of 55 games (57 games in 2024). I would have played more, but health issues temporarily sidelined me. I competed in 51, winning 35 and drawing 3. I also umpired 15 games, 11 of which were based on my own scenario. In 18 of the games, I used my own miniatures and models, and in 13 of them, I used my own scenery.

Games by scale:

54mm: 3 games,

28mm: 19 games,

15mm: 4 games,

10mm: 1 game,

6mm: 4 games,

naval: 8 games,

air: 11 games,

board: 5 games.

Last year, I used 27 different rules of the game. The most popular ones were:

1. Blood Red Skies: 6 games.

2. Black Powder: 5 games.

3. Gods of War: Togo: 4 games.

 

The most popular periods were:

1. 2nd World War: 12 games.

2. 1815-1914: 10 games.

3. 1st World War: 7 games.

It is also important to note the return of several previously popular systems, such as Guns of August and Bolt Action, which I believe will continue to be played in the new year.

1.4. Events, museums and shows.

This chapter of my adventure was quite eventful. Firstly, I participated in both of Scotland's biggest wargaming shows. I helped run our game at Caronade and served as a judge at Claymore once again. Additionally, I joined the judging panel for the painting competition on the Polish wargaming forum, Strategie. The most significant event, however, was my joining the committee that manages our SESWC club. 

As for trips, last year, we returned to Italy, where I had the opportunity to explore what Florence has to offer and experience a little of Pisa. I will definitely return to both cities, as there is still so much left to see.

2. 2026.
2.1. Blog.

There have been no significant changes in this area. You can expect weekly game reports, updates on my newly painted models, event summaries, and more.

2.2. Figures and models.

I’m continuing the battle against the shame drawer. Currently, I'm painting Soviet figures and tanks in 28mm scale, and after that, I plan to return to working on my Napoleonic infantry. I need to reach the infantry limit in relation to the artillery pieces I have. I also want to finally paint the Duchy of Warsaw figures, but I intend to use a 54mm scale for those. I have the figures ready, but I just lack the motivation. Additionally, I have German troops in 20mm scale and a few small units in 15mm scale. At the moment, I don’t plan on making any purchases, but we all know how easily that can change.

2.3. Games.

This topic will cover familiar games, unfamiliar games, and those we haven't played in a while.

2.4. Events, museums and shows.

I'm planning to visit both Scottish shows and possibly a few others as well. I'm considering finally checking out Partisan, at least one of them. I might also return for Salute since the famous tapestry is coming to London. It would be great to combine both trips. 

As for my holiday plans, one of them will be the fulfilment of a childhood dream. I hope nothing interferes with that. I’ll be sure to write about all my experiences on my blog to share my impressions with you.

Tripods & Triplanes: The End of a Year Game.

It was the last game of the year, so it didn’t need to be serious. We were in a scenario featuring Tripods and Triplanes, imagining a Martian invasion of Earth shortly after World War I. Our planet's defenders were Imperial German pilots, with some support from a British pilot. Their opponents were three tripods, which were assigned to destroy five targets.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Alasdair Watson

1. Forces.

MARS:

EARTH:

2. The Game.

Tim and I played the roles of Martian creatures, while Alasdair, David, Jimmy, and Mike defended Earth. Tim commanded two smaller tripods, while I took charge of the massive Behemoth. On the opposing side, David, Jimmy, and Mike each controlled a single plane equipped with missiles or heavy guns, while Alasdair led two planes into battle.

The Earth pilots surged toward us with a boldness reminiscent of the legendary Uhlans, their spirits high as they charged forward with unwavering courage. However, the Martians skillfully manoeuvred through the Earth's attack line without taking damage and headed straight for their targets. The Earthlings then turned around and launched an assault from the rear, which made them vulnerable to preemptive black gas attacks that somewhat destabilised their offensive. Meanwhile, the Martians began to destroy the first targets.

The Earthlings changed their tactics and started attacking Tim's smaller tripods, leaving mine alone for a while. This concentrated attack proved effective, resulting in the destruction of one tripod that had been hit several times on its shields. Unfortunately, the Earthlings suffered a loss as one of their pilots, David, was shot down. Meanwhile, I remained undisturbed and destroyed the targets one by one.

Finally, only one target remained, and Tim and I set off to destroy it. A swarm of Earth planes swirled around us, but they weren't causing significant damage. Once the last target was destroyed, I could finally concentrate on shooting down enemy planes, which I must admit I wasn't very good at. I had my eye on one plane in particular: Goering's white aircraft. 

I was a bit late for the game that evening, and when I arrived, Jimmy had already chosen it as his plane, so I decided to join the Martian forces instead. Jimmy naively thought I wouldn’t be able to shoot it down since it was my favourite plane. Nothing could be further from the truth; with my last shot, I successfully brought it down. At that moment, the game ended, resulting in a decisive victory for the creatures from the Red Planet.

As this is the final game of the year and the blog will be taking a break for the holiday season, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday! May you find just the right gifts under the tree and enjoy a relaxing time. Merry Christmas!

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720331036195/

Gangs of Rome.

Last Thursday, Gordon invited us to play Gangs of Rome, a game from Warlord Games that I hadn’t tried before. I was very curious about it. In this game, each player controls a gang, and your opponent commands a rival gang. Typically, there is a mission to complete, which makes the scenario of the game very important. Interestingly, everything you need to know is included in the rulebook, including a painting guide.

SCENARIO: Gordon Smith
UMPIRING: Gordon Smith, Jack Glanville

SCENERY: Gordon Smith

FIGURES & MODELS: Gordon Smith

1. Introduction.

In our game, we observed a trial in which Marcus Tullius Cicero was opposing Caius Verres. Each of them hired two gangs to protect themselves and hinder their opponent's access to the court. My gang and Alasdair were working for Verres, while Ben and Tim were hired by Cicero.

2. The Game.

The rules of the game are straightforward. During each turn, you can perform up to four actions, such as moving, attacking, engaging in melee combat, or using ranged combat, etc. You declare your actions first, and then roll several dice equal to the character's attribute, which typically ranges from 5 to 7 dice.

After rolling, you compare the results against your declared actions. If the number of successful rolls (4 or higher) is equal to or greater than the actions you've declared, your character can be activated. It's important to note the order in which you declare your actions. For instance, if you say, "climb out the window onto the ledge, jump onto the wall, and then do something else." Still, you only roll one success for all three actions; you'll successfully reach the ledge but fail to make it to the wall, which could result in significant damage.

Combat is also quite simple: the attacking side rolls attack dice, while the defending side rolls their defence dice. The rolls are compared, and if the attacker has more successes (4 or higher) than the defender, the attacker inflicts wounds on the defender. Each character has a specific endurance limit; if this limit is exceeded, the character is eliminated from the game. That covers the basic rules.

In our game, my gang confronted Ben's gang while directly protecting Verres. I was able to eliminate most of Ben's gang quickly, but the situation became much more complicated when the crowd and the Roman police got involved. Despite these challenges, we managed to gain ground on Ben's gang, allowing Verres to reach the courthouse safely.

Tim attempted to protect Cicero from Alasdair's attacks. However, his job became significantly more challenging due to the angry mob, which had already slaughtered three of his gang members. This chaos made things easier for Alasdair, who ultimately killed Cicero with a barrage of arrows. As a result, no one could prove Verres' guilt, allowing our gangs to emerge victorious.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/1102295478594449

FLICKR: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720330982380