... aaand, back I am

So much for the need of a reset, uh? My last blog post dates August 31, 2011. It has been a long, long time since I last wrote anything in this blog. In truth, I was on regularly, mosty to peruse my list of links and keep an eye on all the gaming excitement taking place elsewhere. as for myself, full time papa-hood and full time job really suppressed much of my already sparse hobby time; when one hour here and there became available, I ended up spending it on painting figures and enjoying the hobby rather than writing about it! (The good news is, as soon as I get back to my camera, there will be plenty of eye candies to share!) Hopefully my days of being MIA are coming to an end! First of all, all is clear to be back at Historicon! I am planning on arriving around noon on Friday, until Sunday morning. That should make two (TWO!) intense days of shopping and playing, and I look forward to arrange some impromptu dinner on Friday and/or Saturday with friends old and new. I'll make sure that "DestoFante" will appear on my name tag - if you happened to be on this blog, and will be at the show, please stop by and say hi! I really can't wait to be back at Historicon after my 2011 no-show. Second, I really look forward to return to blogging on a regular basis. I miss the discipline and introspection that blogging about my projects provides, but most of all I missed the warmth interaction with the virtual community here. Finally, on the gaming front, I spent most of the last year working, almost exclusively, on "Age of Reason" project. It started small, you may remember -- first in dipping my toe in the Marlburian period, than switching to the WAS/SYW period, but just to complete a couple dozen units of Austrians and Prussians to playtest Sam Mustafa's Might and Reason (the idea was to do Mollwitz, which is a fairly parsimonious battle in terms of troops.) Fast forward two years, and I now have a full cabinet... Prussian and Austrian armies have grown in size, and were joined by... British/Hannoverians, French, Saxons, Bavarians, Palatinate, Hesse-Kassel, and a handful of Reichsarmee battalions... mission creep, anyone? ;-) Next, I am planning on returning to my Imagination (I already have extensive notes, that kept me company during business traveling in the last couple of years), as well as, finally, fighting that original battle of Mollwitz. In fact, I'd like to fight it not once but four times, testing and comparing some of my favorite rulesets, old and new: Piquet/Cartouche, Maurice, Die Fighting, and Might and Reason. These rules that have intrigued me the most in recent years. But, most importantly: I want to make sure it will not be another 11 months before my next post!