And the year is almost done.

 It has rushed by like a freight train, hasn't it? 

At the stage of life I'm in the successes that count tend to be those of our children rather than my own. On that score I could not be happier. The children are now all into their teenage years and I am very proud of them. The effort they have made in adapting to a new country, new language and new way of life has been immense. They lost a grandmother who was very dear to them this year, but despite that shock they have worked hard and done exceptionally well in their studies. 

Having turned 50 this year myself I am acutely aware that the years I will be around to guide them are limited. There is a strong sense of wanting to do what I can while I can.

It has been a good year for gaming-related matters. Painting has started again; blogging - while still sporadic - has picked up. Rather more money has been spent on games this year than had been for quite some time. 

The things I can remember buying are:

• Memoir '44 (and something like seven expansions)
• The Lamps are Going Out
• Boots on the Ground
• Fields of Fire
• 300: Earth and Water
• Strength and Honour and the new expansion

There has also been a reasonably steady diet of games played. Some solo battles or solo boardgames, and I would guess monthly meet-ups with SP for games of one sort or another. It has been good.

I had hoped to put together a multiplayer game this year, but I have not been organised enough to do that yet. I do miss the end of year games that I used to put on in Japan for assorted ex-pats: there is not quite as much of a captive audience here, and there is also a slight shying-away from larger gatherings on my part. When I was teaching I was starved of adult company and was therefore more motivated to ensure there was some of it around. Now, dealing daily with people while working in an intense service role, I am less inclined to want to be around others on my days off. The batteries need to be recharged!

And what for the year ahead? I think there will be more Memoir '44. I would also like to write some articles again for Slingshot. I realised recently that I have not written one since 2019! That is too long.

Purchases should drop off. Being a little more judicious about what I buy is important. I almost grabbed a couple of other games last week, but had to ask myself if I would ever play them. The answer was maybe, but probably not. The truth was that I was only thinking about them because they were available. We shall see if this being more sensible lasts!

To close, I'd like to wish everyone who has found their way to this blog this a wonderful Christmas and New Year, along with success and good fortune for 2025.

300: Earth and Water

Between purchases on Amazon for Memoir '44 expansions (yes, I have gone deep down the rabbit hole - free shipping to New Zealand is a big draw!) and picking up various books and things I came across a little game on the Persian invasions of Greece called 300: Earth and Water. 

I have always been interested in these campaigns, right from when I was a youngster reading about Leonidas at the Hot Gates, or Themistocles at Salamis. I think I borrowed the Peter Green book from the library when I was at Intermediate school, and even wrote a poem in an 'epic' style for English class, which amusingly enough relied entirely on a (mis)pronunciation of Thermopylae (Therm-o-PY-lae) for its meter. 

It is a nice package. An attractive mounted map which extends to a little over A4 size, well-produced cards, and coloured wooden cubes and rounds representing armies and fleets make up the playing area and pieces. The rules are only a few pages long, supplemented by some historical commentary.

The cards - just sixteen of them - drive the game and are used either as events or to activate armies or fleets for movement and/or combat. 

There are five campaigns (or turns if you like) during which players purchase armies, fleets and cards to play, play them, and then score points for areas occupied at turn's end. The Persians have greater purchasing power and a larger stock of armies, but the Greeks have advantages in combat and more efficient lines of supply.

The object of the game is to occupy the two enemy home cities or else win on points at the end of the five campaigns. The rules are simple, but offer wide scope for different strategies to be employed by both sides. 

I have played one test game so far, which was won by the Persians. I was just learning the rules and the cards rather than playing optimally, so I wouldn't read anything into the result. 

Once you know what you are doing I think you could easily finish a game in half an hour. If you had the armies in miniature it could work well as a campaign game battle-generator. 

The board at end of my learning game.

I'm quite pleased with it. It is compact, clever, and will require thoughtful play. I hope that the system will be used for other campaigns as well, and it could be used to generate home-made scenarios with a bit of tweaking. 

Now I just have to convince someone to play it with me!