Posted in: Card Games, Games, Games Workshop, Magic: The Gathering, Miniatures, Tabletop, Wizards of the Coast, Wyrd Games | Tagged: 2020, Age of Sigmar, card games, Games Workshop, magic, Malifaux, miniatures, Tabletop, Tabletop Games, wizards of the coast, Wyrd Games

Opinion: Josh's Tabletop Gaming Resolutions for 2020

I know that a bunch of my colleagues here at Bleeding Cool have made a bunch of "best of 2019" posts, and "resolutions for 2020" posts, and I want to weigh in with a list of things I could do better on, and improve in, come the new year. This list revolves around tabletop gaming and hobbyist must's.

However, my biggest hardship when developing lists like those is that it's tough for me to formulate questions or lists off the top of my head (although, with a bit of time in advance, I'd be pretty solid!). So, I admit that I took a few liberties in this particular article with regards to coming up with resolutions. The tabletop gaming site Bell of Lost Souls actually did a decent list of resolutions for wargamers for this year, and I may have pilfered a few of their list topics- Okay, okay, I took all of them. However, I did also formulate responses to these resolutions and all by myself at that! I feel special.

With that, here is my response list to the BoLS resolution list for the year 2020:

1. Play one game a week minimum. This kind of thing is the most attainable part of the hobby for me, in that I am definitely able to play things like Magic: The Gathering from the comfort of my own home through Magic: The Gathering: Arena and similar interfaces (and yes, I'm counting card games as tabletop for the purposes of this list of resolutions). Next! Verdict: Can do!
2. Enforce the "only one unpainted unit in your army" rule. This… This is a more dicey resolution for me than the one above. I do like to paint my miniatures – don't get me wrong – but I'm literally just getting myself into Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (my first demo game will be today!), and I only have my Great Unclean One and Nurgling Swarms painted fully (heck, the Nurglings being fully painted is very arguable). This is a resolution that I'm likely to break on the second day of the year. Verdict: No can do!
3. Try to regularly play two or three different systems this year. For me, the keyword here is "try". I can definitely try to do that – I most certainly would like to do it, as well. Whether or not I will be able to do that with regularity is tough. I play Magic, I'm getting into Age of Sigmar… I may have to take further inventory of my present gaming prowess to figure out if I have to take up another game. Hmm. Verdict: Can do!
4. Once per quarter, play another game. This is something I can do. It may even help me attain resolution #3! I'm just curious as to what games will be out for me to try. As with most things in life, time will tell! Verdict: Can do!
5. Face the wall of unpainted purchases. I'm pretty much at a point where all I have to paint is my current Nurgle queue in Age of Sigmar (so three Plague Drones, ten Plaguebearers, and a Poxbringer – plus some goodies I'll be reviewing for you later this month, if all goes to plan!), as well as some miniatures I've acquired for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I have wanted to get back off the ground for a while. It's a pretty small painting queue, but it's there. Verdict: Can do!

   

    

6. Only buy one new unit for every top-priority unit you paint, to a maximum of three. This particular resolution is dang-near impossible if I am to continue to review things for Bleeding Cool, just because I haven't got the full semblance of an army for Age of Sigmar yet, and so in order to give battle reports and the like, I'll need to purchase more. Verdict: No can do!
7. Paint enough quality terrain for one table for use at home. This is sort of a tough one for me. On the one hand, I can paint a ton of terrain for home, but on the other hand, I don't really tend to play wargames at home (this is primarily a role-playing game household at best – see resolution #5 for the point on my Dungeons & Dragons campaign). I'd be happy to skirt around this resolution by either using the terrain for D&D or by donating painted terrain to my local gaming stores for use in wargaming if I achieve this resolution, but it also feels like a lot of hoops to jump. Verdict: No can do!
8. Organize your hobby table. I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to keeping my art space tidy. Sometimes it looks like I'm not painting anything at my table at all, even as soon as a mere half-hour after the fact! This resolution, for me, is a piece of cake. For other people, I can understand if you're having trouble keeping neat. Painting walls do form and accrue some intimidating size. Just get it done, and then throw out the newspaper tarps, clean your water cup, and wash your brushes. You'll thank me later. Verdict: Can do!
9. Recruit at least one player or demo with at least one player. I am usually the one to be demoed for, but if I meet someone who is interested in getting into any one of my hobbies, I'm more than happy to teach new players. The trouble for me is that I'm relatively new to the area where I'm living and so I don't know who's new and who isn't. I'd rather not make a gaffe, to be honest. Verdict: No can do!
10. Go to two tournaments and/or events organized by local gaming stores this year. I have achieved this resolution in the past despite being sort of new. I am sure that this can be done again. After all, if nothing else, it's a great way to make new friends and rivals to the games you play, and sometimes it can be lucrative as well. Verdict: Can do!
11. Diversify your content creation. Why am I putting this one here? Well, this is more a personal list of resolutions for the new year, and as tabletop gaming is the whole reason I'm with Bleeding Cool, I figure I ought to make this point before I forget. I write a ton about Magic: The Gathering. Like, a lot. But, I've been told I ought to look into diversifying my repertoire. As such, that's on my list of resolutions. Don't worry, though, I'll still be writing Magic content – just expect to see other things as well this year. Verdict: Can do!

What do you think? Can you do these things with any sense of relative ease? Can I do the things I said I can't (or vice-versa)? Let me know! I'm eager to see what you think. Place your (theoretical) bets in the comments!

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