Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Game Plan 2025 - Q4

As we careen into the Fourth Quarter of 2025, it is time once again to take stock of what I've been up to for the last three months and think a bit a bout what I might do over the next three... 

Q3 In Review

First, looking back at the things I laid out in Game Plan 2024 - Q3 and how successful I was at each... 


Q3 GAMES

The Plan was to play some games... 

I played some games! ✅

According to my tally on Board Game Geek, I played a total of 21 games in the Third Quarter:

  • 12x Warhammer Age Of Sigmar (Fourth Edition): Spearhead
  • 5x Warhammer Quest: Cursed City
  • 4x Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound

Not a LOT... but not NOTHING!? For some more details on how this all fit into the plan, continue reading! 


Warhammer Quest

As planned we DID (finally!) finish off the initial Quest in Warhammer Quest: Cursed City. It took a little over half a year and almost thirty game sessions! Lots of fun was had... ✅

Then we took a little break - partly because I needed some time to finish up a few miniatures, but then also because Amanda and Morgan were off on a vacation to England for three weeks for the second half of July/first half of August... Then things got a little busy through the end of August and beginning of September with Finnegan returning to classes and Morgan starting university! 

In September we DID get back to playing Cursed City and started up the Night Wars campaign! we're almost a third of the way through and should easily finish it up by the end of the year! 


Role-Playing Games 

I'd really wanted to get going on a new Role-Playing Game campaign by the end of the Quarter. 

Initially I'd thought that might be Wrath & Glory as it seemed like my interests were shifting back towards Warhammer 40,000... I'd suggested running a few one-shots through the summer and maybe getting am ongoing campaign running in the fall... That didn't happened ❌

Then (as explained further below) that all shifted within a week or two and by mid-July I was once more obsessed with Age of Sigmar and thinking about Soulbound again... but.. with the Champions of Death book!?

After a few fits and starts, we DID get a game going (What We Do in the Realm of Shadows)... but then Orion got a job that took her out of town for two out of every three weeks... So far we have only played FOUR sessions (well... a "Session Zero" of making characters and introducing the campaign, plus three proper game-playing sessions, but it's been a lot of fun!  ✅


World War Two - Bolt Action

It was a bit of a surprise to have started playing Bolt Action again in the First Quarter. Despite the slow down in games and painting in the Second Quarter, I did hope things might pick up again in the third quarter and so included it in the Quarterly Game Plan. I have an idea for a skirmish campaign involving some of Orion's Hungarians - when she gets enough done - and then I imagined there will be a lot of campaigning on the Eastern Front with them! 

Orion got busy painting all the new Space Wolves (and refurbishing older ones)... I got busy with Age of Sigmar stuff...  and Bolt Action kind of got shelved for now... ❌


Warhamer 40,000

I'd suddenly gotten very keen on playing 40K again at the very end of the Second Quarter and thought it might be the main focus of my gaming and hobby related endeavours through Q3. I even bought a Chaos Daemons Combat Patrol - to try out the Combat Patrol mode of play, but also to have some extra random wandering Daemons for Crusade: Armageddon, which I'd also picked up at the end of the Second Quarter with plans to play a Crusade Campaign with my Emperor's Children (and maybe try and get a Ynarri/Drukhari force together for Amanda to possibly join in!?)... 

But then... while painting said Daemons... I got thinking about my Age of Sigmar Blades of Khorne army that they could also be used in... and Age of Sigmar in general... More about that in the Age of Sigmar section below (and Role-playing section above...?).

In the end, did not play a single game of 40K... nor did I paint any miniatures specifically for 40K (other than the Chaos Daemons... which can be used in both games...). ❌


Other Warhammer Games - Age of Sigmar/Underworlds/Soulbound/etc.

I did note that I hadn't entirely written ALL OF THE OTHER WARHAMMER games... I was STILL playing Warhammer Quest, so some part of my brain is still invested in the Age of Sigmar setting at least somewhat!? All it took was painting some Khorne Daemons for 40K to have my brain spin off on another Age of Sigmar tangent... Games set in the Age of Sigmar ended up being the ONLY games played!?

As mentioned above we continued with Warhammer Quest: Cursed City (Age of Sigmar setting game) and got a campaign of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound (the role-playing game) going again. But the game I played the most of, over the last three months, was Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Spearhead. 

For the tabletop game, I ended up picking up the Blades of Khorne Battletome (which happened to be announced right when I was painting the Daemons of Khorne - ostensibly for a Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Daemons Combat Patrol) and then a few things to fill out the Blades of Khorne army and then the new Spearhead: Sand & Bone set that had been released earlier in the year!? 

Over the summer I started playing Spearhead again. Mostly with Orion and John from the Warhammer store, but I also got Amanda to try it out. I ended up playing TWELVE games this quarter! ✅

I spent a lot of time thinking about Paths to Glory... but never got a campaign started. This was mostly I was trying to stay focused on Spearhead - to learn the basic rules of the game better and try out different forces and to keep myself motivated to paint up ALL THE SPEARHEAD ARMIES I own!? 

Did not end up playing any Warhammer Underworlds, despite some briefly renewed interest when the new box was announced. ❌


Board Games 

As with the previous two Quarters of 2025, I'd hoped to get some Board Games going on again... and that just didn't happen. Amanda may have played some games with friends when she went off for a weekend at a cabin with some friends...? ❌


Solo Miniature Games 

As ever, I often think about the assorted solo-gaming projects I've started (Paras in Normandy, Pulp Adventure, Five Parsecs from Home, Devilry Afoote)- some YEARS AGO - and I thought it would be fun to carry on with some of those.. But realistically, I hadn't been playing any of them for some time... largely because I was getting in enough games with other actual humans!? So I figured I'd just keep those in my back pocket for, in case any of the current active in-person campaigns I was actually playing with those others fizzled or went on hiatus for a bit... ❌




Q3 MINIATURES

The Plan was to paint some miniatures... 

I painted some miniatures! ✅

As I've mentioned, I initially thought it would all be Warhammer 40,000 miniatures... but then I very quickly pivoted to painting Age of Sigmar stuff again!?

According to my 2025 Painted versus Purchased tally, I painted:

28mm foot

28mm mounted (or beasties)

28mm Terrain bits and Endless Spells

Totals: 109x28mm Foot, 11x28mm Mounted or similar sized Beasties, 16x28mm Terrain bits and Endless Spells

This finished off a 40K Combat Patrol (Chaos Daemons) and TWO Spearhead Armies (Blades of Khorne - Fangs of the Blood God and Stormcast Eternals - Vigilant Brotherhood). I am VERY close to finishing two more (Soulblight Gravelords Bloodcrave Hunt and Nighthaunt Cursed Shacklehorde)


I did also acquire a few new things, however... 

28mm Foot


28mm Mounted


28mm Terrain and such


Overall, productivity saw an increase again in Q3 - at least over the second quarter, where I'd only managed to get 50 foot painted... Though not quite as productive as the first quarter - where I managed to paint 199 foot miniatures, 4 mounted and TEN vehicles and tanks!? Part way through this quarter I surpassed (most of) my totals for last year 286 x 28mm Foot, 19 x 28mm Mounted/Beasties. 7 x Verhicles/Monsters, 34 x Small Terrain Bits/Tokens (it was a lot of very small tokens!) and have already painted more miniatures than 2022 and 2023 COMBINED!? 

While I was briefly in the red, due to a few larger purchases... but end the Quarter mostly in the black. ✅

(In ONE category, I'm still a bit behind - Monsters and Vehicles- largely due to a significant number of WW2 tanks being acquired in the first half of the year, surpassing the rate of construction and painting! ❌)


World War Two - Bolt Action

I had hoped I might return to painting WW2 things, as I have a LOT of things I was wanting to paint - largely based on plans and projects (and stuff purchased) during the first quarter of the year... But as game playing tapered off in Q2, so to did interest in painting the things... ❌


Warhammer 40,000

As mentioned above, at the tail end of Q2 I was feeling like interests were shifting and 40K might be a focus for Q3... I had some big plans to paint up a Chaos Daemons Combat Patrol and then finish up enough stuff for an Emperor's Children starter Crusade force AND a Ynarri/Drukhari Crusade Force!? ❌

While I DID get the Chaos Daemons Combat Patrol finished! That got me thinking about Age of Sigmar... and things went in a different direction!! ✅

 

Age of Sigmar (including Warhammer Quest, etc)

In terms of plans for the Quarter, I knew I definitely would be painting up Radukar the Beast and the Fell Bats needed for Cursed City: Night Wars... and figured that would probably be it... unless after Night Wars I decided to finish up the last of the stuff needed for Silver Tower to play that... 

But, as mentioned above, while painting some Khorne Daemons ostensibly for 40K, I started thinking about my Blades of Khorne army for Age of Sigmar... and then, that very week, they announced the new Blades of Khorne Battletome and a new Spearhead army...  So I picked up the one unit I needed (Claws of Karanak) to finish the new Spearhead army (as I had all the other elements) and a Skull Altar and the Judgements of Khorne Endless Spells er... INVOCATIONS...!? Then I also picked up an older, discontinued Lord of Khorne on a Juggernaut - which I could use as an Avil of Apotheosis Character in a Paths to Glory campaign. 

I finished off Claws of Karanak - and with it a fourth Spearhead Army - The Fangs of the Blood God . I also assembled and painted up the Skull Altar and some of the Judgements of Khorne (Hexgorger Skulls) and the Lord of Khorne on Juggernaut so I was ready to play Paths to Glory, whenever we got around to it. I also got a few more Khorne odds and ends painted up - a Mighty Lord of Khorne (on foot) with a Flesh Hound pet, a Bloodsecrator, a Bloodstoker and five Skullreapers...

I had decided that while Amanda and Morgan were away on vacation, to make plans and play more Spearhead. And I did that! In the process, I picked up the newer Sand & Bones set and painted up the terrain for that! 

I also finished painting up the Stormcast Eternals needed for the Vigilant Brotherhood Spearhead army. 

I knocked out Radukar the Beast and Fell Bats - moslty for Warhammer Quest: Cursed City - Night Wars - but they can also be used in a Soulblight Gravelords army. 

I tried to work on the Soulblight Gravelords spearhead army - and maybe even finish off ALL the Soulblight Gravelords stuff I had... but momentum was slowing on those. I did get the Deathrattle Skeletons and some Deadwalker Zombies finished. 

Later in the quarter I picked up the Maggotkin of Nurgle - Bleak Host Spearhead army and pre-ordered the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set - which includes another Spearhead force. 

Just for funsies I painted up a few character/heroes; a Hag Priestess that was originally purchased some time ago for one of Finnegan's characters in Soulbound, a Grave Guard/White King for Finnegan's CURRENT character in Soulbound, a Curseling just for something different to do, a Knight-Questor because I happened to be working on other Anvils of the Heldenhammer, an Auric Runesmiter because I purchased it at the Warhammer Store Anniversary Event last year and felt I should really finish it before buying ANOTHER special commemortative mini for this year's Warhammer Store Anniversary Event...

In addition to the miniature for Finnegan's Character, I picked up and painted an entire unit of Plaguebearers for an adventure I was planning... despite knowing I was probably going to be picking up the Maggotkin Spearhead army later in the Quarter, which also includes Plaguebearers... but I initially though we'd be playing that adventure BEFORE I'd be picking up the Spearhead army... and then because of the slow down of the campaign... we have yet to make use of them... Ah well... now I'll have MORE Plaguebearers for that encounter!!

✅


GAME PLAN 2025 - Q4

And here is the plan (or rather "guidelines"... or maybe "intentions" based on best guesses... or... hopes...? "pipe-dreams"!?)


GAMES

Assuming I'm still alive... I plan to play some games...


Warhammer Quest

We've been playing Warhammer Quest fairly steadily for over a year now, first with Shadows over Hammerhal, then with Cursed City and, most recently, Cursed City: Night Wars...  I feel like it's safe to assume this will continue... unless everyone (in the game) suddenly dies... 

It is very likely that we will finish up the Night Wars campaign by the end of the year. What will we do when that's done!?

It has been a few years since Cursed City was released, I kind of hope there's a NEW Warhammer Quest this year... It COULD happen. They often seem to be released in the fall (for xmas time!). I hope it's another Age of Sigmar fantasy one... but Blackstone Fortress was very popular, so I could see them doing another 40K one... or maybe an Warhammer Old Worlde one... If it were a 40K themed game, I might have to pass... I have SO MUCH STUFF for Blackstone Fortress that we never got to playing through. 

If we do finish Night Wars and there isn't a new one, we do still have Silver Tower we could play through. 

We do still have Blackstone Fortress as well, that I would like to finish off at some point! I'm reluctant to say we'd go back to playing Blackstone Fortress, however, (or some other new 40K Warhammer Quest) as it might precipitate a shift back to interest in Warhammer 40K... and... I REALLY want to stay focused on Age of Sigmar for a bit more - just so I can get some of these miniatures I've acquired PAINTED!! 


Age of Sigmar

I have a feeling this it going to be the most played game again this Quarter. Very likely it will also be mostly games of Spearhead.  

While there is a part of me that would really, REALLY LOVE to get a Path to Glory campaign going...  I kind of feel like I'd  like to stay focused on playing Spearhead for the rest of the year - this will hopefully keep me focused and motivated to paint up all the wildly different forces I've collected for the game and give me a chance to try them out and really nail down what might be fun to play in a Path to Glory campaign.


Role-Playing Games 

Hopefully we'll be able to continue with What We Do in the Realm of Shadows! As we'll only be playing one out of every three weeks... MAYBE... It could take us the rest of the year to wrap this up... 

Once we are, there is a Soulbound: Champions of Chaos book that's supposed to come out... sometime.. They announced it years ago, but in the last few months hinted that it's getting closer to completion. I think it could be fun to play. I imagine it ending up somewhat like Pierre Mortel's Neverchosen comic.

Finnegan suggested he end-game/final conflict of a Champions of Chaos campaign should be to end up fighting the characters from the current Champions of Death campaign! This made me laugh... A LOT! 


Other Warhammer Games ? 

Warhammer Underworlds - Honestly, I feel completely out of the loop with what's going on with Warhammer Underworlds these days... There have been a few new decks and warbands released and I have not picked up any of them... The new core box looks super fun with the Helsmith's of Hashut... but I don't know if I can even be bothered. I'll probably pick up the new Warbands of Spitewood card set - as I OWN every single one of the warbands in all four re-release boxes (though I think only half of them are painted...?), so it would be nice to at least have their current cards... just in case.. 

Warhammer 40,000 - At SOME point i'll probably flip back to this... work on the Aeldari and Guard and Emperor's Children. I really liked the look of the Armageddon Crusade Campaign and think that could be really fun to play through. Do I think I'm going to get to that THIS Quarter...? I doubt it... perhaps in 2026? (or maybe 2027 when the new edition comes out? 


Other Miniature Wargames?

Bolt Action - Had a lot of plans and ideas earlier this year... Could it happen again? I don't know... Maybe if Orion suddenly finished painting all her Hungarians! 

Other Games - I occasionally wonder about other games - any of the Ganesha Games, games by Den Mercy (new edition of Dragon Rampant this Quarter!), One Hour Wargames, etc... There are so many that I dream about and have ideas for constantly. At one point in the last few months I was costing out DBA armies in 6mm... I've kind of missed playing that... but like the idea of returning to it on a smaller scale, so it can be played on a kitchen table - or even a coffee table! But I think that's got to stay on the backburner for now. I just don't think I have the time or energy to play other things and keep multiple rule sets in my head at the same time.


Solo Miniature Games 

It would be fun to continue any or all of the solo game campaigns I've started... (Paras in Normandy, Pulp Adventure. Five Parsecs from Home. Devilry Afoote Campaign). But that doesn't seem to be a thing I'm doing at the moment, so I'll just continue to keep those in my back pocket for now, in case any of the current active in-person campaigns Im actually playing with others fizzle... 


Board Games 

I mean... I like the idea of playing board games again (other than Warhammer Quest - or the other Warhammer board games). Given the last few quarters, though... I don't know... 


MINIATURES

What will I get up to PAINTING the next few months...? Well if the plan for the past quarter is anything to go by, there is almost no point in even trying to guess!? 

As always, it will be likely dictated by the games I end up playing. As outlined above 

Age of Sigmar 

(Including Warhammer Quest, Warhammer Underworlds, Soulbound, etc)

I think Age of Sigmar will likely be the primary focus of this quarter. The priority will probably be the Spearhead Armies - finishing up the ones that I already have... 

I don't think there's a lot I plan to buy. Possibly, once I'd done the Helsmith's of Hashut Helforge Host (Spearhead army) I might treat myself to a few new units for that faction - one unit at a time, as I finish the ones I have - a Daemonsmith, an Ashen Elder, some Bull Centaurs... maybe even a Deathshrieker Rocket Battery (to fill out one of the Regiments of Renown that could be fielded with any of my other Chaos armies!) 

Spearhead Armies Still to Do:

(I have a separate page where I have up-to-date information on the progress of these forces, along with links to all the battle reports I've used them in. You can find that here: Age of Sigmar - Spearhead Armies)


Soulblight Gravelords - Bloodcrave Hunt

  • 1x Vampire Lord (General) - Done! 
  • 3x Vargheists - Still to do...
  • 5x Blood Knights - Still to do...
  • 20x Deathrattle Skeletons - Done! 


Nighthaunt - Cursed Shacklehorde

This one is SO CLOSE... just need some Dreadscythe Harridans...

  • 1x Spirit Torment (General) - Done! 
  • 2x Chainghasts - Done! 
  • 10x Dreadscythe Harridans - Done! 
  • 10x Bladegheist Revenants - Done! 
  • 2x Dreadblade Harrows - Need to Get! 


Helsmith's of Hashut - Helforge Host

  • 1x War Despot  - Still to do...
  • 5x Infernal Cohort with Spears (and hobgrot gong carrier) - Still to do...
  • 5x Infernal Cohort with Spears  - Still to do...
  • 1x Dominator Engine - Still to do...
  • 1x Tormentor Bombard - Still to do...


Maggotkin of Nurgle - Bleak Host 

  • 1x Spoilpox Scrivener (General)  - Still to do...
  • 1x Pusgoyle Blightlord - Still to do...
  • 1x Pusgoyle Blightlord - Still to do...
  • 5x Putrid Blightkings - Still to do... 
  • 5x Plaguebearers - Done! 
  • 5x Plaguebearers - Done! 


Daughters of Khaine - Heartflayer Troupe

  • 1x Melusai Ironscale (General) - Done! 
  • 10x Witch Aelves - Still to do...
  • 5x Blood Stalkers - Still to do...
  • 5x Doomfire Warlocks - Still to do...


Lumineth Realmlords - Glittering Phalanx

  • 1x Scinari Cathallar (General) - Need to Get! 
  • 5x Vanari Bladelords - Still to do...
  • 10x Vanari Auralan Wardens - Still to do...
  • 10x Vanari Auralan Sentinels - Still to do...


Disciples of Tzeentch - Fluxblade Coven 

  • 1x Magister on Disc of Tzeentch (General)  - Still to do...
  • 3x Screamers of Tzeentch - Done! 
  • 3x Flamers of Tzeentch - Need to Get! 
  • 10x Tzaangors - Still to do...
  • 10x Kairic Acolytes - Still to do...

Slaves to Darkness - Darkoath Raiders

  • 1x Darkoath Warqueen (General) - Still to do...
  • 5x Darkoath Fellriders - Still to do...
  • 10x Darkoath Savagers - Still to do...
  • 10x Darkoath Marauders - Still to do...


Skaven - Gnawfeast Pack

  • 1x Clawlord on Gnaw-beast (General) - Still to do...
  • 1x Grey Seer - Still to do...
  • 1x Warlock Engineer - Still to do...
  • 10x Clanrats - Still to do...
  • 10x Clanrats - Still to do...
  • 3x Rat Ogors - Still to do...

If I could get FOUR (or maybe FIVE!?) of these finished up by the end of the year, I'd be pretty happy. The Nighthaunt one shouldn't be too hard to finish up (once I get my hands on some Dreadscythe Harridans!) and I'm halfway done the Soulblight Gravelords... The Helsmiths of Hashut and Maggotkin of Nurgle are likely ones I'll finish up... and then...? Maybe Daughters of Khaine (as those are ones Amanda has indicated that she would probably like to play!) 


Other Miniatures

There could be a few things I paint that are NOT for Age of Sigmar... just for fun... but I don't really have a PLAN to do any such things. 

I have a lot of WW2 stuff for Bolt Action forces still in little boxes scattered around the workbench... lots of other little fun bits and characters for a wild variety of skirmish games. 

I COULD get COMPLETELY distracted and go off on some entirely different tangent for the rest of the year...!? Bolt Action? 40K? Great War? Other fantasy Skirmish 


What do YOU have planned, hobby-wise (or... otherwise?) for the rest of the year!? 

OR what do you think would be the most bonkers thing for me to get distracted by in the next three months!?

Let me know in the comments!?

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