Continuing my Megalomaniac tendencies, this is my reflection on 2018 and how I did against my world conquering goals. Check out my 2018 Confessions of a Megalomaniac Wargamer and Amateur Historian for my overly ambitious aspirations.
Summary of the Year
From my perspective it as another slow year. I took a higher level job. My wife is trying to finish her doctorate. The kids are growing and need help with their homework. All of which conspired to limit my gaming time.

Of course, my interests bear little relationship to the Top 20 Pages on Balagan.
#1 Crossfire
Crossfire is still number one in terms of my focus and games, although it had some stiff competition in 2018. We’ve now got a crew of four players who like Crossfire: Chris Harrod, Jamie Wish, our latest recruit Adam Landa, and myself. It helps to have others sharing an interest.
Chris and Jamie continued their Krasny Bor Crossfire Campaign with two players. But only got to finish one game: The Embankment – A Crossfire Battle Report. These longer games were hard to fit in and Jamie’s second child came along to complicate things further.
I updated Mac’s Missions to version 3 and had a great Play Test with Chris. Brett Simpson also contributed a Play Test of Mac’s Crossfire Missions in the Pacific.

Brett is a regular contributor and also sent through Stoney Creek – A Crossfire Scenario and Battle Report in the Pacific. And first time contributor Chuck Noland sent through some great photos of his Crossfire Table.

Not many Crossfire Musings this year but I did suggest Giving FOs and PCs different base sizes in Crossfire. And I did a bit of research on the Rasputitsa – Quagmire on the Eastern Front
I’ve also been collecting and/or painting kit:
- Painting a 15mm knocked out T-34 as a Crossfire objective
- Painting 15mm Jarvis city barricades
- Stalingrad’s famous Barmaley fountain in 15mm
- Grass Tufts or Wargaming with Fairy Door Grass Mats
I already mentioned Brett Simpson’s contributions for the Pacific War:
- Play Test of Mac’s Crossfire Missions in the Pacific
- Stoney Creek – A Crossfire Scenario and Battle Report in the Pacific

I like Brett’s tables. Inspiring. But it was Adam Landa who got me interested in the Burma Campaign and made collecting Japanese a possibility.
- Japanese Leg Battalion – Revised Organisation for Crossfire
- Musing on Japanese HMG in Crossfire
- Musing on Japanese Knee Mortars in Crossfire
Given my official interests Japanese are hard to justify hence A Case Study in Balagan Thinking – How I justify collecting Japanese.
Finally I managed to photograph some of my Armies:
- Steven’s Russian Rifle Battalion for Crossfire
- Steven’s Russian Artillery for Crossfire
- Steven’s Fallschirmjäger Battalion for Crossfire

#2 Portuguese Colonial War
Fogo Cruzado, Crossfire for the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-73), got a bit of attention this year.
I’ve been mulling over the idea of a campaign set in the Portuguese Colonial War and thought about Using Political Tokens for Military-Political Climate in an Insurgency Campaign.
My African Ambush – A Crossfire and Fogo Cruzado Scenario has evolved enough to get published. And we played a couple of play tests: African Ambush 2; African Ambush 3.

In a burst of activity I painted some stuff. Quite a lot of stuff really. I don’t know why but I got into vehicles:
- Painting Recce Vehicles for the Portuguese Colonial War
- Painting the windscreen of a wrecked Portuguese staff car
- Steven’s Convoy for the Portuguese Colonial War

#3 Deep Battle and Operational Level Wargames
2018 started with a big burst of energy on Operational Warfare. My post from late 2017, What Wargaming Rules to use for the Operational Level of War?, generated a lot of interest and since I posted it (23 Sep 2017) has received 3,255 hits and the hits are still going up.
Deep Battle: Soviet Doctrine for Operational Level Warfare
Kharkov 1942 Map for Deep Battle with 20km hexes

I did some Deep Battle Design Notes:
- 1 – Musing on Hex/Square Grids
- 2 – Musing on Operational Game Resolution
- 3 – Musing on Creating Intensity
- 4 – Musing on Logistics and Supply Rules
- 5 – Why Railway Lines are significant for Operational Warfare

And I experimented with operational terrain:
- 2: Making MDF River Sections for 4 Inch Hexes
- 3: Experimenting on a 4 Inch Hex Grid
- 4: Making Felt Rivers, Roads, and Railways for 4 Inch Hexes
- 5: Railways using Gingham Printed Hard Craft Felt
- 6 – Tiny Hills to Fit 4 Inch Hexes
- 7 – What size Hex/Square Grid to use?

#4 Big Base DBA / HOTT
Big Base DBA and Big Base HOTT are now regular features on my gaming table.
For my Biblical / Sea Peoples Wargaming Project I have take some photos of my Steven’s New Kingdom Egyptian Army for Big Base DBA. And my refight of the Battle of Kadesh took a step closer with The Battle of Kadesh in David Rohl’s New Chronology.

Continuing my interest in Arthurian HOTT I posted:
-
< li>Steven’s Arthurian and Reconquista Christian Elements for Big Base HOTT
- Welsh versus Saxons – An Arthurian HOTT Battle Report
- Welsh versus Picts 2 – An Arthurian HOTT Battle Report
And for the Reconquista:
- Revised El Cid DBA Army List – III/35b Feudal Spanish 951-1200AD
- Steven’s “El Cid” Feudal Spanish Army for Big Base DBA
- Sagrajas 1086 – A Big Battle Big Base DBA (BBBBDBA) Scenario
- Sagrajas 1086 – A Big Battle Big Base DBA (BBBBDBA) Battle Report
#5 Minor projects
I’ve been tinkering with a few other projects. Nothing large scale so I’ll lump them all together.
#5.1 Photograph Steven’s Armies
I made some progress on taking photos of my Armies:
- Steven’s New Kingdom Egyptian Army for Big Base DBA
- Steven’s Arthurian and Reconquista Christian Elements for Big Base HOTT
- Steven’s “El Cid” Feudal Spanish Army for Big Base DBA
- My Wishlist for DBA-RRR Big Base Italian War has my Spanish
- Steven’s Russian Rifle Battalion for Crossfire
- Steven’s Russian Artillery for Crossfire
- Steven’s Fallschirmjäger Battalion for Crossfire
- Steven’s Convoy for the Portuguese Colonial War

#5.2 Italian Wars
I predicted that the Italian Wars (1494–1559) would feature in 2018. I did a bit of preparation but nothing major happened. I’m hopeful for 2019.
- My Wishlist for DBA-RRR Big Base Italian War
- Reformatted DBA-RRR French Army List (Italian Wars 1494-1559 AD)
- Reformatted DBA-RRR Spanish Army Lists (Italian Wars 1494-1558 AD)

#5.3 New Zealand Wars
I didn’t spend much time on the New Zealand Wars (1845-72) but did take the opportunity to post Darkest Waikato: New Zealand Wars variant for In the Heart of Africa. Unfortunately In the Heart of Africa is no longer available. Oops.
#5.4 Portuguese in Japan
Samurai figures are soooo pretty. So in a moment of madness I went looking for 15mm Wargaming Figures to use for Samurai armies of the Sengoku period 1467-1603. Having scratched that itch I managed to avoid buying any figures. What a relief.
#5.5 Kids Wargaming
Brett Simpson also shared his Didi’s Wargaming Rules or how to get beaten by a 6 year old.

Neglected projects
Neglected projects with beautifully painted figures in boxes:
- Rise of Rome (264-19 BC)
- 100 Years War (1357-1453) in Spain
- New World DBA (1492-1700)
- Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
- War of Spanish Succession (1701-14)
- Peninsular War (1808-14)
- Liberators (1810-24)
- First Carlist War (1833-40)
- New Zealand Wars (1845-72)
- Spanish Civil War (1936-39)
- Stalingrad (1942-43) and Ruins
And projects that haven’t even got that far:
And I’m still tempted by Berlin featuring the Spanish SS “Unit Ezquerra” (1945).
Happy Christmas and thanks for these posts during the year. Hope the New Year continues in a similar vein.
Dear Steven,
Merry Christmas and great gaming in 2019. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Steven. You’ve inspired my gaming for ten years, and I hope to keep up-to-date on your megalomania for another decade =]