The start of the year saw me playing a hell of a lot of 40k and my first play in a organised tournament with the Sutton Immortals. My Grey Knights project has been an enjoyable one and one I am still trying to finish off! All my Grey Knights are done but its the Inquisitorial Warbands that take the time to do simply because they capture my imagination and I keep kit-bashing henchmen. The second half of 2013 saw my interest in 40k cool somewhat which was down to two main factors. The first being that I have tried lots of different game systems this year and have taken up 2 new main hobbies in Dropzone Commander and the X-Wing miniatures game. The second reason is a combination of not enjoying playing 40k due to the majority of 40k players seemingly being only interested in 'win-listing' and GW's marketing tactics only encouraging this in the majority of their customers. Now let me make something clear here, I am still going to be playing 40k and there will be plenty of 40k coverage on Games-Knight in the future. I am massive fan of the 40k universe and I still fully intend to bring a massive 40k campaign to the blog in the future. The trick to 40k these days is to find the right people to play with. 40k for me has always been about playing with the miniature you want in your collection and fighting out exciting. narrative driven battles and campaigns. I find that there are very few 40k players of this mind set left in the hobby and have been replaced by players who are only interested in putting an army list together that takes away a level playing field before a single dice has been rolled.
Despite the disappointment with 40k this year I have had lots of great things to enjoy about my hobby. For one my painting has improved. I am more confident and don't balk at painting anything these days, not even 10mm miniatures! I have played a lot of different game systems this year and lots of different board games which I have enjoyed thoroughly. Board games have made a huge come back in 2013 and this is a trend I am sure will continue in 2014. Discovering Star Wars The Card Games LCG was another highlight for me and remains one of my favourite games. LCG's have also grown in popularity and again I am sure this is another trend that will continue into 2014.
My discovery of Dropzone Commander was without a doubt my favourite hobby moment this year. The 2 player starter set really got me excited as did delving into a new game system and universe to play in. There will be plenty more Dropzone Commander content in the coming months here at Games-Knight picking up where we left off. I will be showcasing painted UCM and Scourge armies and sharing a campaign systems idea which you can play purely with the contents of the 2 player starter set.
Along with Dropzone Commander I have also become a massive fan of the X-Wing Miniatures game from Fantasy Flight. I am a little late to the party with this game but I will be sharing my journey into this game system with you all here on Games-Knight in the months to come. If you are an older gamer like myself and don't have time for painting miniatures or complex game mechanics then make sure you check out the X-Wing Miniatures content as this game will certainly appeal to you!
So that is my year in gaming but what of the gaming year in general? Well its safe to say there is lot more diversity in the gaming industry now and GW are not having it all there own way. Mantic Games go from strength to strength as the release of their latest game system 'Deadzone' reached fever pitch proportions at the start of December. For me personally Dropzone Commander was game of the year but in the eyes of the industry I think Deadzone has stolen the show and will be big game in 2014. Games like War Machine and Malifaux also grow in popularity along with Dust Tactics, Infinity, Flames of War and Mercs.
2014 promises to be a very exciting year hobby wise. A new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles is due which should see a new box set released. The X-Wing Miniatures game will be introducing capital ships in its wave 5 releases. Dropzone Commander will have a new faction out next year in the form of the human resistance fighters along with new rules enabling you to ally them with an existing UCM army. Kickstarter will be bringing us the AVP board game which is something I am looking forward too immensely, I am also hoping the legal issue Game Zone are encountering with there revamp of HeroQuest are resolved and we see the 25th anniversary project come to fruition.
So what can you look forward to seeing on Games-Knight in 2014? Plenty! There will be content on 40k, DZC, X-Wing Miniatures, Top Trumps and lots of miniature showcases, kit bashing ideas, campaign ideas and the usual game reviews.
So with that I wish you all a Merry Xmas and a very happy new year. Have agreta holiday peeps and I will see all next year. Ciaran.
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