Gaming in 2024 saw a shift in both frequency and emphasis. While 2023 rang up 103 games played, 2024 managed to count 76 games played. I may have actually shorted myself a game or two in the process by forgetting to make a record on the Scheduled Games page. I got most of the games counted, though. Despite the drop in games played, still, gaming frequency averaged about three games every two weeks. Not too shabby but not at the levels seen over the past three years.
On emphasis, I wound up hosting a lot more in 2024 than in prior years. For a variety of circumstances, remote hosting by others dropped off. While previous years may have seen me participating in more remote games than hosting, 2024 saw me pick up the hosting mantle and host 47 of the 76 games played. That total comes close to averaging about one game per week. This sum is not too shabby either! Whatever the cause of decreased gaming and increased hosting, the balance seems about right and sustainable.
Let's get on with the games played review! In a gaming retrospective, these 76 games were distributed over a variety of rules and periods. I take a look at each area individually.
Rules
In 2023, the 103 games saw 23 different rulesets hitting the table. How about in 2024? Well, the number of rules in use dropped dramatically from 23 to 14. Of course, given that my participation in games of others dropped, this is not surprising. I tend to host games using rules (often my own variant) that I can confidently umpire and direct. The table below shows Counts of Games Played by Rules Choice in 2024 for details.
As in previous years, the Top 3 rules used were my variations on Basic Impetvs (BI) and Fields of Honor (FoH), and Commands & Colors Ancients (CCA). Most of the CCA battles were fought using Scott's armies in 28mm. More than 76% of all games were contained to these three rulesets. Note that all of the Top 3 rules are hex-based.
Basic Impetvs was definitely the favorite ruleset out on the gaming table in 2024. Over 40% of all games played utilized the BI game engine. BI remains popular since I have a number of 28mm armies from different periods that all are designed and based for these rules. Both the last game of 2024 and the first game of 2025 use BI.
Scanning down the list of rules, most rules in use are either self-published or commercial with customized variants. Even Basic Impetvs aficionados might flinch at seeing my BI variant transported to a grid. The gathered collection of gamers mostly leans toward the rules' tinkerers end of the spectrum.
Wargaming Period
What if these total games played are broken out by wargaming period? Were there popular periods in 2024 or were all games offered an equal opportunity for employment?
Memorable Moments
Games played can make a memorable mark for any of a number of reasons. This year, I focus on a general theme of battles fought repeatedly with a variety of participants. Which games saw three or more outings in 2024? This list includes:
Battle of Madonna dell'Olmo: War of Austrian Succession - 3 games.
Battle of Lake Trasimene: 2nd Punic War - 6 games. Battle of Sanguetta: Great Italian Wars - 5 games. Battle of Fornovo: Great Italian Wars - 5 games. Battle of Bassignana: War of Austrian Succession - 5 games. Water Fight: Sumerian Wars - 4 games. Battle of Cheriton: English Civil War - 6 games. Battle of Shiloh: American Civil War - 5 games. Battle of Mikata Ga Hara: Samurai Battles - 4 games. 1st Battle of Azukizaka: Samurai Battles - 4 games. Of course, every game has memorable moments but with repeated playings, one gets a deep understanding of the battle, its likely direction, and possible outcome. 2024 was a very good year at the gaming table.
If you participated in any of these battles or simply read the battle reports, which game stands out to you?
The next time I return to the yearly review, I dig into the Painting Log and see what 2024 held. Did I make my goal of 750 painted figures?
Well, Jon, this makes interesting reading.
ReplyDeleteI had 50 games this year compared to 9 the year before. 2024 was my first full year of retirement and 2023 was a year of moving house and family involvement with hospitals.
I had 11 games on a holiday at my brother's, 7 online with you and friends [a great addition to my year], 1 with my daughter [we intended more perhaps 2025 will see a change as she is my nearest fellow gamer] and the rest were solo.
I used 21 rulesets including Devilry Afoot and Midgard as major new entries. Too Fat Lardies games included Dux Brit [my favourite set], Sharp Practice 2 and Infamy Infamy.
I played 10 periods:
13x 17th century [a range of settings and rules]
10x Dark Ages [ditto]
7x Fantasy [ditto]
5x Italian Wars [the credit or blame is yours, the fun mine]
4x Ancients [one of these was your Sumerians]
4x French Revolution in the Vendee
3x Carlist war
2x SciFi
1x Victorian Civil War
1x Flintloque using Sharp Practice 2
I've not had a Napoleonic Game since 2021 and that was a skirmish. Too many troops for the size of table I use and too many other interests. Perhaps rebasing some from Grand Manner to Sharp Practice would make a difference. This also means that I've not painted anything much for this period in a long while. Other 19th century games seem to have replaced this period except for the more Fantastical Flintloque.
I've not counted but there are many more small to mid skirmish level games than big battles on my lists.
I hope I've not bored you but I thought a response was in order especially as you provided 7 out of my 50, a significant part of my bigger battles, and all my games that weren't solo or co-operative games for two!
Here's to 2025.
Stephen
I may have done Arwen an injustice. As well as a Warhammer game we managed a couple of skirmishes using Five Leagues from the Borderlands.
DeleteWe have high hopes of more Fantasy and some SciFi games in '25.
Stephen
Stephen, you enjoyed a very robust year at the gaming table as well. Good job! Happy to contribute a small proportion of those games. With luck, I will see you back at the table in 2025.
DeleteA good array of games played in 2024 and the suggested periods for the games in 2025 sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteWith you resettled, perhaps we can get out remote gaming back on a semi-regular schedule?
DeleteYes, almost there just trying to get fibre connected to the house.
DeleteA good count. I hooked onto the thought that the more games you have with others, the more different rule systems you engage with. I find exactly that in my face-to-face gaming, plus you are not only gaming with their favourites, but between you, new games being tried enter the mix at greater volume.
ReplyDeleteAs one expands their universe of gamers, it makes sense that the number and variety of games expands as well. This year, while my universe of gamers expanded, my number of games fell since I was hosting a large proportion of the games.
DeleteInteresting retrospective, such a glorious year. So many games fought tooth and nail, with eye candy all about, I would not want to choose a favorite. But in amongst the dust------two games of WW2 air?
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable year at the gaming table, for sure. As noted in my reply to Norm, my group of gamers expanded too. Yes, two WWII aerial games! Both games were hosted by Reject Richard (my opponent in the recent Agnadello battles) as he playtests his WWII aerial combat rules.
DeleteI think more than a game a week is very good going by any count Jon! Nice to see how you games broke down into periods and rules used too. As for the stand out game, I think the one I remember best is Lake Trasimene, probably because it was the easiest terrain and set up to keep in my head!
ReplyDeleteA game a week is a good model to follow allowing time for painting and other hobby activities. Those six Trasimene battles were great fun.
Delete76 games is a very impressive total Jon - I do recall at one point, you were getting in three games a week, but obviously that level of activity was unsustainable - even for you!
ReplyDeleteFantastic range of different periods played, and the figures and terrain always look stunning too.
And to top it all off, the vast majority of your games, you host online for 2-4 other players - so a large number of fellow gamers benefit from your efforts, too!
You have a good memory, Keith! There were some weeks where I was at the table three times in a week. Sustaining two or three games per week is easier to manage when i am not hosting all of them!
DeleteThanks for your encouragement! Let's see how 2025 pans out.
“Not too shabby” is such a glorious understatement that we can call you an Honorary Brit Jon.
ReplyDeleteA great array of games. Well done.
Chris/ Nundanket
Thank you, Chris! You played a regular role in a number of these games. Now, I need to figure out British idioms and pop culture TV references.
Delete76 games! That's what I call "living the dream".
ReplyDeleteAll games have been fantastic but my personal favourites both were at the end of the year Mikata Ga Hara and just in 2024 was our first clash at Agnadello. I should add that for 2025, the second clash at Agnadello will be hard to beat.
You provide a splendid service to the wargaming community Jonathan. Well done.
Thank you for your very kind words, Richard! Our one-on-one games have been hard fought and great fun. The Agnadello game this week will be tough to forget. Terrific action with punch and counterpunch throughout the game and plenty of drama. Your skillful use of the French Gendarmes was the Venetian Army's undoing.
DeleteWell since 95% of all my gaming last year was done remotely at your house I’d best offer up a comment I suppose! lol. Cheriton was my favourite battle (though God knows it was hard to choose) partly because I had a plan that worked, partly because I won and partly because you came excitingly close to frustrating my efforts. It’s always good when a game is so closely contested. Sadly my newly found French opponent has got himself a full time job and has moved away so I’m pinning all my hopes on you for 2025. No pressure. lol.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have not gone back and counted player participation, I bet if I did so, your name would rise to the top. In 2024, we played one-on-one, two-player, three-player, four-player, five-player, and even six-player games! Cheriton was a good fight and my troops almost gained that vital ridge on the Waller's Right.
DeleteThere will be many more opportunities to exercise your skills in 2025. We have a game on deck for Tuesday!
Good stuff, Jon. Let's boost those numbers this year!
ReplyDeleteLet's do it!
Delete76 games in a year, is a dream! Hopefully the Rejects can help you fill out more numbers for this year?
ReplyDeleteI count on The Rejects to fill out the numbers, no doubt!
DeleteThat's still a great number of games played. Quite jealous of the numbers. Favourite for me was Lake Trassimre
ReplyDeleteThanks, Neil! Trasimene seems a popular choice.
DeleteA nice variety among that lot. I think you may have short-changed yourself as you say as I can vaguely recall that there were a couple of games arranged at very short notice which may not appear on your schedule.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right! I try to add each game into the Scheduled Games page but sometimes I may miss one or two.
Delete76 is jaw dropping in my world! I managed... 5? (Which admittedly is a huge improvement on previous years)
ReplyDeleteBeing retired helps though time-wise.
Your ACW games have been my favs tho.
Here's to a full 2025 for you mate.
Thanks, Dai! More ACW games are being planned. Still must pick a battle to fight.
DeleteVery interesting analysis. Equally interesting (and impressive) to me, anyway, is that you must have some good tools for logging and capturing all of this data through the year. Seems to me to be yet another way to engage with the hobby (on top of painting, blogging, and gaming).
ReplyDeleteI find these post-mortem studies interesting as well. For Games Played, I rely upon my Scheduled Games page to pull all of the data out to parse and then analyze. Once set up, the rest is quite easy.
DeleteA good years wargaming there Jonathan and myriad periods. Although I have played with a fair view rule sets my own favourites number a low 5.
ReplyDeleteAs from the chart above, my favorite rulesets number about five as well.
DeleteA great year Jonathan and thank you for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteYou’re welcome!
Delete