Finding Joy in the Past Year

 “Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”

— Jane Austen

I’m slow in my New Year’s appreciations, given how numerous holiday preparations and celebrations in November and December consume my life. That said, I wanted to look back at 2024 to remind myself of the highlights that brought joy to me amid occasional heartache and disappointment...and in the face of the anxieties, hardships, and challenges I — and the world — face in 2025. The Jane Austen quote I used in my last blog post encouraged my usually pessimistic self to reflect on positive events that uplifted us throughout 2024. It comes as no surprise they’re mostly related to games, books, and history. I’m hoping these memories sustain and inspire me through the difficult times ahead.

I suppose I should note my meager “accomplishments” this year; milestones by which our society measures our usefulness and worth from the standpoint of accumulating money and fame within the context of a career and other “official” activities our society finds acceptable. In November I finally published my easy skirmish wargaming rules, Skirmish Kids, with resources for fighting historical and genre engagements. I gave a talk and demonstration at the local history museum on “historical strategy gaming.” I developed other game projects that have yet to see the light of day, notably my Mageblight Hills system-neutral medieval fantasy roleplaying game setting and a few too-early-to-discuss wargame ideas. And, of course, I wasted way too much time writing 44 blog entries, easily more than 44,000 words of generally thoughtful adventure gaming hobby commentary here at Hobby Games Recce. But accomplishments don’t always have the uplifting effect as memories of positive events enjoyed for their own sake.

Our year included some routine activities that always give us much-anticipated breaks. Certainly new books and games offered their own diversion, entertainment, and enlightenment. My son found time away from his digital devices for a few games, including Kurt Vonnegut’s GHQ, Reiner Knizia’s Hannibal vs Rome, Air, Land & Sea, and 300: Earth & Water. We ran some miniature wargames at the two Williamsburg game conventions we typically attend, along with some sight-seeing at Colonial Williamsburg. We made our usual summertime day trips to various historical sites: the French and Indian War muster at Fort Frederick, MD; the National Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center; and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Our family even indulged in an overnight spring break trip that included Fort Necessity, Fort Ligonier, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

Looking at a map one might think Culpeper is very close to DC. I’d love to spend more time there walking the museums, contemplating monuments, and discovering hidden gems throughout the city. But, in fact, DC is a 2.5-hour trip by road and rail to get downtown...for us quite an effort for a day trip and one we don’t make often. Two events this past year lured us into the city. In April we learned of a unique program at the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA, formerly the Freer & Sackler Galleries). The Art of the Benshi showcased performers from Japan bringing “silent” Japanese films to life with both music and voice. Silent films traditionally used musical accompaniment, with intertitles providing the narrative and character dialogue. Benshi “movie orators” give voice to the on-screen characters, their thoughts, and even narrate some of the action, all in boldly entertaining delivery. This was a remarkable experience both in early film history and in a cultural performance.

I could not miss author Clare Mulley’s talk at the International Spy Museum in early December, an event launching the American edition of her latest book, a biography of a World War II Polish resistance fighter, Agent Zo. Mulley’s earlier books thoroughly fascinated me with their deeper examination of women in World War II: Krystyna Skarbek (a.k.a. Christine Granville) in The Spy Who Loved and Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg in The Women Who Flew for Hitler. I’d seen Mulley promoting her book on social media and listened to the Warsaw Uprising Day By Day podcast to which she contributed. Making the trek into DC for the evening talk give me an opportunity to explore more of the NMAA on my own (including the incredible Tibetan Buddhist Shrine exhibit) and spend the afternoon immersing myself in the International Spy Museum (which I’ve featured before). In her talk Mulley provided an overview of Agent Zo’s early years, highlighted several episodes from her covert service, and discussed her own research into this suppressed history of female resistance against Nazi occupation. Afterwards I bought a copy of Agent Zo, which Mulley graciously autographed in an all-too-brief encounter (though she was talking with everyone who attended the packed event and signing piles of books). Hearing Mulley speak in person about Agent Zo infuses listeners with her enthusiasm for her work. (You can watch her talk on the International Spy Museum YouTube channel.) It was an inspiring prelude to finally reading the book, a thoroughly captivating biography in its intensity and scope.

This summer we had occasion to travel to the Midwest, where we visited relatives in Indianapolis, toured U-505 at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and made a trek to Madison, WI. I had two reasons to visit Wisconsin: spend some time with my old friend Wayne and make the pilgrimage to Noble Knight Games. Wayne met us at Noble Knight Games and introduced us to the staff. I’d already arranged for a trade, so while staffers were double-checking that, we got a tour of the absolutely huge warehouse of games and the workspace dedicated to evaluating and cataloging incoming trades. Everyone compares it to the final warehouse scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark...and they’re all spot on. We spent some time shopping in the store, though I concluded my visit by making and collecting an order using credit from the games I’d traded (and yes...I left with more games than I brought to trade). I’ve praised Noble Knight Games before. The warehouse operation does a great service for the adventure gaming hobby by connecting interested gamers with often out-of-print, hard-to-find products. For those in Madison, the store provides plenty of space to peruse games and a huge in-store play area cultivating a vibrant gamer community.

Me and my son outside
Noble Knight Games.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with Wayne, who took us on a tour of interesting sights in Madison, including lunch and beer at Mr. Brews (alas, the location recently closed abruptly), two other game stores (one of the numerous I’m Board locations and Pegasus Games, inspiration for Dork Tower’s Pegasaurus Games), and a cheese-shopping expedition to Brennan’s Market, all topped off with dinner at Great Dane Pub & Brewing. We really enjoyed Madison and wished we had more time to spend there. With a dense concentration of amazing game stores and excellent restaurants, it seemed like a very bike-friendly, laid-back city (something those of us from the East Coast find rare and strange...yet appealing), made all the better with an affable local guide and a good friend.

Nobody’s certain what the new year holds, either on a personal or worldwide scale. We can only prepare ourselves to meet our challenges and pivot to adapt to a rapidly changing reality. We all have our strategies for coping; remembering happier times remains one of mine. Such memories remind me what I enjoy most — brief escapist moments to calm down or refocus — and offer suggestions for ways to relieve stress when needed. As with history, sometimes we must reflect back on the past to move forward into the future with renewed energy and greater clarity.

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.”

— Jeremy Irons