Hobby Year 2023 in retrospect and plans for 2024

 

Singing the Song of Ice and Fire

Pretty nuts... So I thought, that last year's (2022) 150 game sessions and 79 of the Song was a lot, but 2023 must be a record breaking year: I played 194 times and 134 out of those were Song!

Read on to learn about my hobby year higlights!

Warfare 2021

After a couple years break, I was fortunate to be able to travel to a Wargames Show again - just before the Omicron variant of Covid messed things up again! So we dared beyond the borders of EU, all the way to the misty and far far away Island of Britain! Warfare was now arranged in a new location, I guess to make it safer. My experience from 2017 was very good, so I was really looking forward to this!

Salute 2019 Part 1.

Meeting friends, shopping and general goodiness

It was my second time in Salute (last years report here) this year and once again I was part of Dalauppror's team in preparing and presenting a demo game. I will post a separate "report" on that project. This post is about everything else in Salute.

Besides running a game and shopping, Salute is an event where I have the opportunity to meet face2face people and friends from my "international wargaming network". In this picture I'm shaking hands with Andy Lyons, whom is organising Saga World Cup this year. I'm organising qualifications in Finland. Read on to see what else was there to see, meet and buy.

Salute 2018

My first time

I've been to Hamburger Tactica three times (it's a great show) and ones to Warfare, but 

so far had dodged visiting Salute, possibly because the image I had in mind about it: rushed and crowded shopping event, where one can't join in on games (something I've really enjoyed in Tactica). Now I was part of  Dalauppror's international team making a display game of a Great Northern War: Battle of Stäket 1719 (there will be a separate blog post on this project). This motivated me to go and simultaneously my wife and one of my three daughters came to see the marvels of London. 

How convenient!

Visiting Reading and Warfare 2017 -show

Wargames Tourism

Took the opportunity to combine business and pleasure and traveled to UK / Reading 

on Saturday afternoon to attend Warfare 2017 Wargames Show 

Definitive highlight of the day was to have long chat and a demo about Saga 2.0 with 

Grippingbeast's chief Chum Andy. Very interesting changes coming to Saga I must say!

Read on to learn what else happened!

Hamburger Tactica Day 2: Gaming with Friends

I woke up early to reach Tactica by nine, I had booked a slot for a Congo game at 9:00. On normal home Sundays I'd still be sleeping at nine... So committed.

I was even more happy when Micke joined the game as my team mate against two German fellows.

Hamburger Tactica - day 0: Lubeck

This time 4 out 5 from our Tactica-team headed towards

Lubeck instead of doing the @routine tour of Hamburg, as we have done quite a few times already. Change is nice!

UPDTED: Day 2. Visiting Little Wars in Stockholm - The Army Museum

The second day of Nopat-Club's "class trip" to Stockholm contained a visit to Sweden's Army Museum. An excellent museum and an obvious choice for a wargamer. After several hours in the museum we settled down to "fika" with our host for the day Micke aka Dalauppror and played a demo game of "La Belle Alliance aka Waterloo 1815" we have brought as a gift for The Little Wars.

Read on to see pictures from the museum and some comments on them.

Re-enacting: Viking Market and battle in Pukkisaari

Viking market

Visited, as I've done many times before again. Nice battle re-enactment and nice handicrafts.

GNW: tools for the Great Northern War

Essentials for a Campaign?

Armies are being prepared (= painted), plans and schedules are being drafted (doodle) and Regiment Commander are equipping themselves with both strategic and  tactical resources...

Great book about Charles XII's army "Karoliner". In Swedish, but that's not a problem. Got the book from a fellow blogger Dalauppor, whom was so kind, that he actually went around and looked for this book in old book stores! Wow! Very much appreciated!

I'm Spartacus!

Visiting Gladiator Exhibition in Espoo City Museum WeeGee

My Medieval 2015

Time to wrap up 2015

What a great year now behind us! I was fortunate enough to visit several Medieval related places and events during 2015 with family and friends. Here are few highlights...