Full Spectrum Dominance: Full Spectrum Dominance 2014

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND READERS - 2014 HAS BEEN A GREAT FIRST YEAR FOR THE BLOG, AND IN THIS POST WE LOOK OVER SOME OF THE MAIN EVENTS

JANUARY
This month saw the launch of the blog and some furious photography from my Good Friend Ben. Only a couple of posts were made as the blog appeared late in the month, but the main focus was on the Prussian Empire in Dystopian Wars - my first, largest and probably favourite fleet in the game.

The Naval Battle Group for the Prussian Empire - a fleet I did not choose for a game I did not play, but a fine gift

FEBRUARY
This month saw things kicking off in a big way, with the first two Battle Reports and posts detailing the Federated States of America, Kingdom of Denmark, Black Wolf Mercenaries and the Prussian Empire - including the mighty Supercarrier and a guide on how to paint them. A big month for the blog!

A work of insanity, but totally worth it

This easy recipe has been used for almost all of my fleets

The Kingdom of Denmark and the Black Company were two fleets with very different styles of play

The Federated States of America were painted for my Good Friend Ben

MARCH
This month was dominated by a new fleet for Dystopian Wars, the Honourable Eclipse Company, and also detailed the two fleets of Australia. A popular post was the discussion of tiny flyers, but it was the Battle Report at the end of the month that remains one of my favourite posts.

This battle also saw the Objective Markers used for the first time, and was a lot of fun

The simple grey of the Australian fleet was actually very difficult to paint, transitioning up the high hull plate from a deep green that barely shows through

Funnily enough for a fleet comprised of almost entirely Aerial units, the Honourable Eclipse Company gave me the opportunity to paint a great deal of sea

Tiny flyers - a lot more fun to paint than you'd expect - you just need to find a scheme you're happy with and a colour for the rims

APRIL
This month saw a great deal of focus on the new Honourable Eclipse Company and some Merchant Navy ships I had painted up to add to the terrain collection, as well as the League of Italian States. The Battle Reports continued to focus on the Prussian Empire as my friend Mike began his collection, while rumours emerged this month about the Second Edition of Dystopian Wars and the Third Edition of Infinity, so excitement was building for summer!

The Greenland Campaign was an enjoyable way to tie together the Battle Reports

Infinity offers something slightly more high-tech than Dystopian Wars!

Beautifully ornate, the League of Italian States remain a fleet I need to finish off

Never used in a game except as inert terrain pieces, I am still pleased with the colourful Merchant Navy and look to add to the collection in the coming year

MAY
Terrain was the name of the game for the early weeks of May, building up and showing off the various pieces I had put together for gaming on the open sea. The later half of the month saw my interest in Infinity grow, as friend Winner Dave challenged me to a Beginner's Escalation League, while Dystopian Wars Second Edition appeared on the doorstep and also required some attention!

The rusted derricks and gun platforms remain my favourite pieces of terrain for Dystopian Wars

Many of the pieces were cobbled together from different kits and even train sets

The official harbour and dock sets from Spartan were too good to miss

Desert islands bring the potential for something slightly more equatorial

Now for something completely different! The return to Infinity was a shock to the system

Digging out the old terrain was nice, though, and in recent months I have begun painting and adding even more

The release of Operation: Shadow Hunter brought Dystopian Wars into the limelight

What a tome!

JUNE
The early days of summer were overtaken by the release of Operation: Shadow Hunter and my desire to get the Federated States of America painted to add to my friend Ben's fleet, as well as play with them in the concluding battles of our narrative series, the Greenland Campaign. Largely successful, this month also saw the process of learning and playing Second Edition kick into full swing, enabling a great end to the Greenland Campaign and some posts to conclude everything.

Submarines brought the FSA into the new edition with a bang

The full fleet for Operation: Shadow Hunter

Work in Progress on the Heavy Battleship, next to its predecessors

The mysterious Wani also got some attention

The American fleet sails to the finale of the Greenland Campaign

JULY
The Chinese Federation and the Prussian Empire got their chance this month, as I updated my Prussian fleet with the new ships and the Chinese Federation finally appeared on the gaming table. My friend Craig also appeared in his first Battle Report, as I finished painting the Covenant of Antarctica for him in a bold red colour scheme. In other gaming, Infinity continued to expand - Winner Dave and myself attended our first Infinity Tournament! Quite an experience that revealed the scene to me.