Why did a “2023 in Review Part II” post appear across your feed/search from this little hobby blog? I realize that my review post only captured models painted. Sadly, I omitted the heart of this hobby for me…games played and time with friends. This mini post will capture all the non-painting wins I experienced this year. Like the high number of models painted, this was also a banner year for other accomplishments.

I play in a large (14-16 coaches) Blood Bowl league that consistently meets every other Wednesday. I’ve attended four Blood Bowl tournaments, and performed the best I ever have when it mattered most… the largest BB tournament on US soil… Chaos Cup 2023 in Orlando, Fl. I placed #13 out of over 200. I got in my first games of BattleTech Alpha Strike and Classic (surprisingly, I think I prefer Classic), Ronin, DungeonBowl, Gutter Bowl, and Gaslands (finally!). I played many games of Blitz Bowl and Pokemon against my son. Was able to fly out, or host, games with dear friends scattered across the country for gaming to include running a small BB 7s tournament at the house. And not minis related, but the family was finally able to travel to Japan… which became a large inspiration for my Ronin village. Additionally, I was able to get my post-apoc minis published in an issue of Wargames Illustrated (#428 August 2023 – pic above). The same issue also had articles from Daniel Mersey, Rick Priestly, and the Perry twins. For kicks, I can joke with my friends that those illuminaries of the hobby are “WI contemporaries of mine” hehehehe.

All in all, at 48, I’ve probably had the best year in this hobby that I’ve ever experienced. I’m excited for 2024 and hope I can make the 2023 results the start of a trend!