Old doubts grow quiet, loosening their hold.
We carry echoes of the words we said,
But set our gaze on mornings edged in gold.
The clock breathes out, releases what has been,
Its chime a promise more than something old.
Ahead, unmarked, the days wait, clear and clean,
With room for courage, gentler, bright, and bold.
We step together where the future starts,
And find new light still warming patient hearts.
*****
It's 2026, a new year, and hopefully a better year all around for everyone.
Last year, 2025, started hopefully, then slowly dissolved into a long drawn out mess with work and family health issues* taking up time from May onwards.
With the start of a New Year, it's often the point where people say about "New Year, New Me/Army/Project" and then talk about their future plans for the year, etc etc.
I'm aiming for a few small "achievable " things for this year, keeping things simple:
I have Three personal goals for the year:
Goal 1:
To make time to visit Element Games Stockport more often and socialise with my friend group there, and by extension play more games of stuff.
Just really play more games.
To that end I am thinking of picking up Talisman next time I go over there, so I can throw that down without too much set up and we can rip through a game.
They are getting into Bloodbowl, which has never grabbed me, but I can get Lion/Dragon Rampant going easily enough, and we've all been bitten by The Old World bug recently...
Speaking of The Old World...
Goal 2:
So, mid December when I visited, we played The Old World, and I have a 1,500 point Warrior of Chaos army built for the same on square bases!
This is only a small section of it, but i have more Chaos Warriors in the wings.
The second goal for the year is to get this all painted up to my tabletop standard, and get it working well on the battlefield.
This is a top project because it's a game which I KNOW I will be able to get games of, whenever I go to Element.
Goal 3:
The third goal, is my Samurai project.
I've faced the fact that the way things are going time wise I won't be able to get the Hail Caesar project off the ground, so I've made the decision to downsize to my favourite rules, Lion Rampant, and drop into Dragon Rampant if I want to field the more mystical Japanese bits I can 3D Print.
Above in the picture is a full size force for Lion Rampant, I just need to print off a suitable Commander figure.
I already have enough troops to put together an opposing force, and all my Sohei can easily be dropped into the game as well.
I would like to get somewhere with this as its a project that's been on and off again for the better part of two years now, and I've an itch to get some gaming in with them.
Bonus Goals:
So the last few things are just projects which have been on the workbench for a while which I would like to see finished.
The first of which is another Platoon and autocannon squad for Frasers Death Korps of Krieg army:
I think these goals are reasonable and more to the point practically achievable** given i don't know what is going to happen time wise this year.
Let's have a good 2026, and I'll post soon.
Until next time, have nice day....
*without too much detail, things aren't back where they were family wise. Personally I hopefully, seem to have fought off most of the Black Dog's influence which dragged me through November and December.
**I could have run through a list of stuff I want to start and would be new projects:
The Red Book of the Elf King and Troll Wars by Lucid Eye.
A 3D printed Leonin force for Dragon Rampant.
Horus Heresy forces.
Crusader and Muslim forces for Lion Rampant.
Warmachine Cygnar, Khador, Llael and Trollblood forces.
Most of this stuff I already have, but no point piling on projects, instead of finishing ones in motion.
