200,000 posts and a short retrospective

Introduction
Well, here I am at 200,000 and time for a short retrospective. i never thought I would get to 200, let alone 200,000!

It took nearly four years to get to 100,000 and only 22 months to get the next 100,000. I won’t go over the same ground as when I got to 100,000 and just really cover the last 22 months. Hits per month have been fairly consistent over the last two years months (3500-4000 per month) so I expect it will take about two years to get to 300,000.

Stats
Comments are about 500 on 140 posts. I respond to most comments but that still means I get about 1.5 comments not by me per post. Same as at 100,000. I have looked back over the last 5 years and I post about once a fortnight on average.  Sometimes I make posts quicker, or miss a few months but 24-28 posts per year seemed to be what I do. I cannot see an increase to this, at least for the next few years.

Most popular posts/pages (via Google Analytics, not Blogger):

1. WW2 rules ramblings and draft rules
2. Starfire with miniatures game
3. Take Cover!! WW2 rules review
4. Peter Sides ancient Scenarios list
5. Rally Round the King: Persians V Romans
6. Irregular Miniatures Ancients Rules Review
7. Ancient Battlelines Clash (rules)
8. WW2 1943 Eastern Front Take Cover report
9. Callinicum refight with Mighty Armies Ancients
10. Wars Ancient rules overview and battle report - Persians Vs Romans

Don't use Google Analytics if you love your blogger stats! While you can do far more analysis and detailed drill downs on blog data via Analytics, the hits are only about 50% (or are for me) than reported by blogger due to not recording bot or known spammers.

Similar to at 100,000, except for two:

• The Starfire game is really high and had only been posted for bout 6 months back then, so seems to be popular.  I am in the middle of playing 5 more Starfire games so will see how that goes when posted.
• The Peter Sides ancient scenarios list I had only started about 6-12 momths before the 100,000th post - it was early days for that too. 

Gaming overview
I have lost my way from original intent of the blog that was do some testing of various ancient rules.  I got sidetracked into writing my own solo friendly rules and began testing them about 3 years ago.

I did some WW2 during the first 100,000 but in the last few years also got sidetracked into writing my own WW2 rules (spot the pattern).

So, the last two years has been spent doing very little ancient wargaming but I played a lot of WW2, mostly solo but not always.

This year, I have been spurred to dig out very old minis for some games:

• Cold War (1980 vintage British and I acquired Soviet opponents via eBay)
• Medieval naval warfare in the channel  (also from 1980, played but not posted)
• 15mm SF skirmish (1988 SF figures I got from a friend)
• Bit more Starfire (recent miniatures acquisition but have been playing the game since the ziplocked bag version in the 80’s). I am halfway through a 5 game mini-campaign, not yet posted.

My best friend (also a gamer) moved back to Brisbane at the start of the year and we got in a few face to face games of Command and Colors: Ancients, and then he moved 3000 km away again :-(

But the "distractions" are nearly over.  I am back to ancients as of this month and concentrating on getting my own rules and programmed opponent ready.  I also have had ready for a while four ancient rulesets to try out but have been waiting for the ancient mojo to return. The only other side project I want to keep going with is 6mm WW2 my own rules.  I sure there will be other things that will come along, such as 20mm WW2 with a friend’s son (whom I have played a few games with already).

I re-started wargaming after many years with 2'x2' figure gaming in map drawers so my small children would not disturb them. That was 5 1/2  years ago and my children are now 9 and 7, don’t mind the odd game, and I can leave a game out and know it will not get touched.  But I now have nowhere to setup a larger game table!  The map drawers are so very useful for having multiple projects on the go and I am loving 2'x2' gaming.  I can see continuing with 2'x2' gaming for many more years.  By the way, the games successfully enjoyed by my children have been Warhammer Quest, Songs of Blades and Heroes, Neil Thomas’s One Hour Wargaming, and my 7 year old son is showing interest in WW2 20mm gaming.

Song of Blades and Heroes with children (only one wanted to be in the picture).

Final words
Hopefully over the next few years look forward to a lot more ancient battle reports interspersed with 6mm and 20mm WW2 and the odd completely different project.

I still game mostly solo, and the club here meets on the weekends and that does not fit in with the family :-( If the opportunity arises for FTF, I will be there.

As mentioned in the 100,00th post, the gaming blogging community is still going strong and I cannot imagine a gaming life without it.  When I started blogging I did not dream how wonderful it would be and I am grateful and glad to be a part of it.  Thanks to all out there that continue to read gaming blogs, comment on them and/or write their own. Gaming is just that much better with you around.