Last year was a bust so let’s do better in 2026

Hobby Goals

These are ones I feel are going to be easily accomplished by trying to engage more with the community both through the podcast and my local gaming groups.

I have the past couple of months been posting every week in Friday Night Wargames of Hartlepool Gamers to ask what hobby people have been up to, and I think it’s helping with engagement in the group

So what are they gonna be!

Paint More Models

I mean pretty much self explanatory, here is the list of my models painted from last year, so let’s do a bit more and work on that pile of potential

Play More Games

Simple as that just play a bit more, try and play at least once every other week either at Durham Raiders or Hartlepool Gamers, and I really want to play some Bolt Action, and I am gonna bully Graham to play with me too, and some Trench Crusade would be good too

Focus on a Select Few Armies

I do like variety, it’s after all the spice of life, but there are a few armies I want to laser focus on and really develop, so let’s look at those

Astra Militarium

For 40K I really want to get these up and running as a full army with a decent variety of units available to me, I have a good selection of Death Korps of Krieg to work on first, and after that I want to go into the Cadians

The Combat Patrol subscription will be getting me an old Cadian Combat Patrol, and I will be grabbing some extra copies of it to bulk out the force

I also specifically want to add the following to the force

  • Chimera x 5
  • Taurox
  • Hellhound x 2
  • Scout Sentinel
  • Castellan x 2
  • Ministorum Priest

And that kinda ties in with this

Solar Auxilia

My Solar Auxilia list really worked ok in 2.0, but in 3.0 it’s got a lot of issues, and the main one is boots on the ground.

So I have as you will se below grabbed a Combat Force, and I can see me getting at least another two of them to really bulk out the force with Senitnels, Leman Russ tanks (which tie into the Astra Militarium) and Lasrifle Sections

I currently have a Stormhammer in the painting table that Graham gave me for my birthday

Leman Russ Tanks

This is for both of the above, because I share these tanks between both forces, but I want to add another Demolisher, two Executioners and a couple of Battle Cannon tanks

I am also going to add some Basilisks too, which will be Solar Auxilia ones, cause they look cooler

Germans

I am really wanting to play Bolt Action this year, I already have a decent sized early war force, which I am planning on expanding with the following bits

  • Opal Blitz
  • Panzer I
  • Panzer II
  • Panzer III
  • Krupp Protze
  • Stug III
  • Sd.Kfz 251/1 Ausf C x 2

And u want to develop a later war army as well, for which I have already printed off a Luchs

Stormcast Eternals

I kinda want to sort out my Stormcast Eternals into a useable army, most of it is painted, up I just need to separate out the Legends stuff from the current stuff and make it into an army I can field without having to have too many proxies

Paint a Baneblade

It kinda ties in to the above for both the Solar Auxilia and Astra Militarium, it’s kinda this one model that has for years been a sort of white whale and I really want to paint one, I am kinda thinking of grabbing one for a store birthday or similar to get some freebies too

This won’t be a Shadowsword or a Hellhammer, just a plain basic Baneblade (although I will if I can do some magnetisation to allow it to change up what it is)

Video Game Goals

I want to complete the following 10 games, you can follow along with this GeekList here!

  1. Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster (Steam)
  2. Easy Red (Steam)
  3. Easy Red 2 (Stream
  4. Assassin’s Creed Origins (Xbox)
  5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Xbox)
  6. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles India (Xbox)
  7. Star Wars: Squadrons (Steam)
  8. What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam)
  9. Firewatch (Steam)
  10. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Steam)

And I have this backup trio of

  1. Control: Ultimate Edition (Steam)
  2. Robocop: Rogue City (Steam)
  3. Immortals Fenyx Rising (Steam)

Stream More

I started streaming to get better at talking and thus better at the podcast, so I want to do more so I can improve my talking on Edge of Empire.

My AIO Broke!

Pretty much this, the AIO, or rather the hub that controls it, broke, so it wasn’t working at all, which sucks

So I decided to replace it with an air cooler, for which there really is only one choice, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120, for which I specifically bought the Digital version which has a screen displaying temperatures on it, simply because that was same day delivery.

I also had to get a fan hub because the AIO hub controlled all my other fans

Anyway I got the new cooler fitted and its fits ok, but alas I lost all my fans RGB due to the AIO hub having also been the RGB controller

What I Am Modelling

My first model of the year was for my Celestial Vindicators, a Lord Vigilant on Gryph-Stalker

I then finished off two units of Tzzangors to complete the Thousand Sons Combat Patrol

And a Strike Squad for the Grey Knights

Then I painted this Hellbrute for my True Sons

So what’s next for me?

  1. Blood Angels Land Speeders
  2. Cthonian Beserks
  3. Tech-Thralls x 20
  4. Lord-Terminos, Reclusians x 3 & Memorians x 2 
  5. Hearthkyn Pioneers x 3
  6. Death Korps of Krieg Heavy Weapons Team x 8
  7. Havocs x 10
  8. Einhyr Hearthguard x 5
  9. Guardian Defenders x 10
  10. Myrmidon Destructors

What I Am Reading

Not actually picked up my book this week, but I have been listening to Demolisher by Andy Clark.

What Video Games I am Playing

I have been playing a ton of Shadow of the Tomb Raider

I have also been streaming some Easy Red, which is so bad, its actually pretty good!

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Steam)

Unwelcome Guests

Get rid of the pillagers outside of Kuwaq Yaku		03/01/2026
Hearts and Minds

Retrieve Manko’s Necklace		03/01/2026
Zoologist

Collect 20 critters		04/01/2026
First Blood

Perform a Stealth Takedown from a mud-covered wall		04/01/2026
Tables Turned

Kill 5 enemies while they are searching for Lara		04/01/2026
Underwater Archeologist

Collect 5 underwater Artifacts		04/01/2026
Up to the Challenge

Complete 5 Challenges		04/01/2026
The Underworld

Get out of the Cenote alive		04/01/2026
New Heights

Complete a climb after finding the Overhang Climbing Gear		04/01/2026
That’s a Knife!

Fully upgrade the knife		08/01/2026
I Believe Hakan Fly

Rescue Hakan from the cultists		08/01/2026
Family Ties

Free Unuratu from prison		08/01/2026
Like a Shadow

Stealth Takedown 25 enemies		09/01/2026
Playing with Fire

Burn 2 enemies simultaneously		09/01/2026
Heart of the Serpent

Find the mission of San Juan		09/01/2026

Easy Red (Steam)

First steps

Learn how to play		05/01/2026
X

Kill 10 soldiers		05/01/2026

What Tabletop Games I am Playing

I played my Combat Patrol game against Jacks Imperial Knights, which I lost, quite badly!

My Scions just didn’t have the tools to deal with Knights

What I Am Spending

I got myself a Solar Auxilia Combat Force to expand that army!

I bought some game in the dying hours of the Steam Winter Sale