Tuesday 4 April 2017

Blog Birthday! And Some Arbitrary Milestones!

Hello all,


As I mentioned yesterday, today is the 2nd Birthday of my blog :) and today I'm going to just prattle on about that for a while! Before though, a quick reminder that if you head over to yesterdays post through this 'ere link, then you can put yourself in with a chance to snag some Tartaros Terminator armour!

Time Flies.... Backwards!?

My! Two years has gone quickly, and much hobby has been done in that time. I've had armies come and go at some rate of knots, but the major change in both my hobby and my blogging over these two years, in particular the second year, has been a shift to focusing on the Horus Heresy. 


I'm currently dipping my toe back into the foetid pool of 40k ;) with the dirtiest army around (Mmm cheese), but my main hobby inclination is most definitely 30k and the Heresy. See I even capitalise it because it commands so much respect. 

I've got several Heresy armies completed or near completed and some that are still in boxes!! To date I have:

~4000 points of Mechanicum (90% Complete)

3000 points of Solar Auxilia (100% Complete)

2500 points of Shattered Legion (90% Complete)

2500 points of Imperial Militia (10% Complete)

~1000 points of Sisters of Silence (0% Complete)


I'm really excited to nearly have three whole armies complete and ready for the table in some big games of Heresy! Though out of all of my armies I have precisely ZERO flyers! I've never really got on with them, even when I've tried to go all out in that respect. Ho-hum, maybe I'll change it up in the coming year!

The Other Game...

Couldn't find any pics of my Empire so I thought I'd just stick this here....

In a box beneath my bed lurks... THE EMPIRE! No, not that one, Darth whatever can stay in his own world thank you kindly. I mean the Age of Sigmar kind. Though  mine is actually modelled using the old world. 

I have played a few games of Age of Sigmar and find it a really enjoyable game that doesn't have the depth or complexity of the 40k ruleset, whilst still being rewarding to play. I have really painted this army to a minimum standard thus far and when I feel I've got less of a back log of high priority models to paint then I will be getting back to it. I bought a 2000 point army, mostly second hand in bits, for around £150 so it hasn't been a massive investment compared to, well, anything forgeworld based. 


These Aren't Even Mine!


I've also got my finger in the big old pie of commission painting this year, which has had its ups and downs I must say. Though this has very much been mostly ups! I took too much on at one point, but it was good in many ways to find my limit and feel the way from there. I now only have one commission on, which is  HUGE Dark Angels project for a lovely gent named Russ. I'm having April off to make some good headway into my own projects and then May onwards will see the First Legion return with a serious amount of vengeance! 


Bloggery Stuff and Milestones

The Blog itself has never been better I think, both in terms of my hobby output and all you wonderful people who keep me on the straight and narrow and push my limits in the friendliest of ways. There continues to be a strong up swell of great blogs out there to my mind, something I want to compile in the coming weeks as an easy to use resource for new comers to the labyrinthine world of wargaming blogs. 

In terms of numbers, I hit 300'000 views a while ago and I'm sitting on about 330'000 now, coupled with over 3000 comments, 200ish followers over several platforms and soon to be 500 posts! I feel proud of that, even if it does feel a bit egotistical at times. I certainly don't think those numbers can really tell you the quality of a blog, but I like them all the same :)

I am keen to get back into reviewing things, but the wordier aspects of blogging become more tiring as my Thesis work piles up, and my solace comes in the painting and modelling side increasingly so. I feel a little more discipline would go a long way. I am always keen to try and give back to a community that must give out so many work hours in advice and encouragement that it b(l)oggles the mind!

I've also enjoyed the opportunity to showcase my armies a few times on YouTube now, with Winters SEO a short trip away from me. I have more games planned with him, Geeks Wargaming and Table Top Tactics in the coming months so that should be a space to watch hopefully!


The Long March Onward

So as you may have guessed from my emphatic enthusiasm above, I have no plans to stop or slow down really. The only limits, as they are for all of us, are time and money! I hope you have enjoyed a little indulgence on my half to babble on, and that the babbling keeps you coming back, even if just occasionally to say hi :)

That's all from me today, so make yourself scarce and go and paint something :)

Peace out,

Rob


16 comments:

  1. Congrats again Rob! It's been great to see the blog grow over the past 2 years and the whole host of great projects you have to keep you going.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ditto Mike! I'm looking forward to wishing your blog a happy birthday and marveling in how awesome and massive its become :)

      Delete
  2. You should be proud of those numbers, you are putting in a lot of effort and it is being returned. Bravo.

    Always fun to see more stuff from you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rory, I think I might give it a little too much time and effort sometimes but I haven't been dumped yet :P

      Delete
  3. Great stuff Rob, and a thoroughly nice bloke too. Happy milestones!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations! You've always got excellent stuff on here, I'm glad you're still going strong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks man, its a real shame we're separated by the Atlantic! I'd love to get a game in with you!

      Delete
  5. Congratulations Rob. It has been a real pleasure watching this blog grow. It has been worthy of your massive viewing figures. I always enjoy reading what you post. Hope to catch up with you in person again soon :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I would love to have a game against you and your wolves or true kin mate :) I'll have to wiggle being in your neck of the woods at some point.

      Always nice to hear from you and Nick and see your respective blogs as well, Harkens back to the Dark City and simpler times :P (also reminds me how far my painting has come!)

      Delete
  6. Congrats Rob, I guess it's symbolic of what you've achieved here that when you said it was the blog's second birthday I was surprised that it was 'only' 2 years old - it feels to me like it's always been there (even if I am jealous that your figures exceed mine despite my blog being two years older).

    Keep up the good work, and don't give up on 40k! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well I think not having to hide my toys and placate children certainly helps! You and Naf have been such an incredible source of inspiration and guidance for the blog and my painting, its really hard to over state :)

      Delete
  7. Congratulations! I love living vicariously through your 30K posts; that's the kind of collection I would have loved to have had, if I hadn't start collecting other stuff such a long time ago :-) The Deathwing Knights you painted are really inspiring, so much so that I bought my own squad. Let's see if I can get their maces looking as fiery as yours...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OOOH yes, you will do such good deathwing!

      And now you have no excuse not to join the 30k Legions ;)

      Delete