I must admit that this is one of the strangest and hardest of these pieces that I have had to put together.   The format of the end of year Baccus posts is usually very formulaic; I review the bleeding obvious in terms of the bits and pieces we have actually released over the last 12 months, gloss over the stuff that we didn't get out and then proceed to weave a positive dream about the magnificent year ahead of such Goveian proportions that it would cause a government minister to blush in shame in terms of its positive distortion of reality.    This year has been…different…

2020 started out really quite well.  We had our newly refurbished workshop finally coming to fruition allowing for expanded production.  For once, I was not only confident that everything predicted for release would become available, but there was every chance that we would actually exceed our targets, enabling me to be typing a particularly smug piece right now.   In the last weeks of February and early March we were inviting applicants to attend interview with the aim of adding to the production and administration staff.

Then came Covid.

Oh.

Dear.

Me.

Overnight, our newly designed space-efficient production area became a potential death trap in terms of transmission risk.   We halted the recruitment process in its tracks as adding more bodies to a crowded area was not a good idea.   Staff had to be furloughed, put on short hours, and moved to shift work all of which played havoc with our production capacity.   At the same time, the world became full of bored wargamers, stuck at home and demanding little men to paint, collect and play games.    So, we ended up with a massively reduced capacity to supply a suddenly increased demand for what we made.   The end-result has been the terrible situation that we found ourselves in of only being able to have to shopping cart open for a handful of days since March.  

Throughout all of this period, our primary objective has been to keep staff and their families safe.   The age and health profile of staff and their loved ones has made us painfully aware of the term, ‘vulnerable’ and our first duty has been to them.   We have gradually improved the physical environment to make it more bio-secure, but the physical limits imposed by the available space and nature of the work means that we cannot possibly work at anything like full capacity.   

On top of all of this the UK show circuit disappeared including the Joy of Six, which had been shaping up to be a cracking event.   So, yes, 2020 was not the best twelve months of anyone’s life.

However, despite all of the above, there are some positives to extract from the slough of despond that was 2020.    The BIG dilemma that we have faced with new releases, was how could we release things when customers could not actually buy them because the cart was closed at the time of release?    So, let us move on to what we actually managed in terms of new releases and measure them against what was predicted.

Starting off with the Great War:

The Serbs that we promised last year will shortly be available and behind them we have a full range of Belgians, dog-towed machine gun and all.   We will expand a couple of existing ranges by bringing out Highlanders for the British and some Stormtroopers for the Germans.   Extra tank models will also be forthcoming.

So how did we do?   Well, the Serbs were released, albeit in the latter part of the year.   As yet, there is no sign of any of the others.   However, that is not the end of the story and let’s say that there is definitely more to come in 2021.

There will be no Great Northern War redesign as the very talented sculptor will have his hands full with another project, however by way of recompense you will very shortly be able to purchase some fine figures for the Scanian War, all of which, will double up very nicely as Swedish troops for the early stages of the GNW.

Actually, we didn’t do too badly here.   The Scanian War figures were released and very popular they were too. Given that they will also double nicely for the Swedes of 1700, I will also claim that they are the first step in the redesign of the GNW range.

As for ‘another project’, that was Pony Wars, and the first group of releases are now out, with many more in the pipeline. 

This has been a hugely popular subject.  It helps that Martin took his brief very seriously and has encapsulated Hollywood into these very little models!

The Feudal European range will continue the great work started by the Crusades figures with the release of some dismounted men at arms, English, Scots and Welsh troops.

Yes, we got these chaps out and the have proved to be a very much-welcomed addition to the range, as, combined with the Crusades codes already in existence, they’ve opened up a large period of potential gaming in 12th and 13th western Europe.

The WW2 range will continue to expand steadily.   Lots of late war German vehicles and kit with the aim of getting some higher formation packs in place to match those that we’ve already done for the British.   There will be more British bits and pieces to come and lots of tanks.   American kit will surface in the latter part of the year and we may even be looking at something Russian by this time in 2021. 

I will have to admit that this is the one area of predicted releases that suffered the most.   Covid restrictions meant that Andrew, our designer and mould-maker had only restricted access to the workshop and mould press for much of the year.   Our planned release schedule was shredded and we only were able to release models in fits and starts rather than the smooth and consistent flow that we had worked on.   So, no more higher formation packs and no real coherence to the releases.   Having said that, we did get a considerable number of codes on release, and what we have produced out has been popular generating huge amounts of queries and emails demanding more of the same.  

It’s been rumoured for quite a while that I intend to get the ‘Pony Wars’ rules reprinted.   Well, that project is finally going ahead.  

And it has indeed gone ahead.   Covid once again stepped in to delay things, as I have had my hands full with the regular Baccus stuff, so there was not the time to devote to the project that I would have wished.   However, the rules are now all but completed and bar some tidying up are ready to go to the printers early in the new year.

Under the circumstances, the releases that we did get out weren’t too shabby at all.   To be honest, even if we had got more out, you would not have been able to order them anyway as the cart has been closed for most of the year!

For the record, we may only have had our shopping cart open for 11 days since March, but in that time we have actually processed more orders than in the equivalent period in 2019.   We have done this with fewer staff hours available to us and with massive physical limitations on our operation.   This has only been achieved by a massive effort on the part of the Baccus team and I would like to publicly show my appreciation to Nick, John, Tony, and Lindy for going above and beyond to enable us to keep up as well as we have.

This year also saw the retirement of the Igor from Baccus for health reasons.    He joined the company fifteen years ago and in that time has not only cast millions of little men in use all around the world, but also made a major contribution to the growth and direction of the company, if only by shooting down my more wobbly ideas in a fusillade of well-aimed and forthright logic!

So what can you expect in 2021?   Ah, the BIG question.

The first point to make is that following the last twelve months, the thing that you can most expect is the unexpected.    In a ‘normal’ year I would qualify my predictions by saying that things might be subject to change and delay.   Take those conditions as read and then throw in both Covid and Brexit and I would say that the chances of what follows actually coming to pass is akin to expecting a blind and drink driver going the wrong way up a motorway getting from London to Durham unscathed, unprosecuted and on time.

Let us try this chronologically by subject, rather than by intended release date.

The Ancients ranges have been sidelined for a while, but we are currently trialing three new sculptors, and if things happen as they should, some old favorites are facing a resculpt and some new ranges may be added.  

We now jump forward a long, long way to the early 1700s.   The Great Northern War ranges will be undergoing a major overhaul.   Existing codes will be replaced by up to date superb sculpts and those items on offer expanded.   Work has started on the Swedes, which will be the first range to be overhauled, with the Russians next in the queue.   The Cossacks will be getting their own discrete range, then the Poles, and finally the Turks.   This will be a seriously big project and is expected to take a couple of years to complete.

The American Civil War range will get some minor tweaking as the existing artillery pieces and materiel codes will be replaced with newer versions and some new models added.  In fact this process has already started as this picture demonstrates.

Before moving on from the period, there is one more bit of news to confirm.  At long, long, long last we have finally cracked the process of producing split rail fences.   If I were to nominate the single most sought-after item over the years, this would top the list.   I think the appearance of ACW24 early in 2021 will be most welcome.

Staying close in terms of time and place, if not historical accuracy, there is a lot more to come from Pony Wars.    The major players are already out there in the forms of US cavalry, Indians and settlers, but there is a LOT more to come.    Over the next few months all the extras that are needed will be making an appearance; Indian Scouts, stagecoaches, Pony Express Riders, wagons of all shapes and sizes, teepees, railroad workers and the Lone Ranger himself.    We are even introducing a magnificently modelled period steam train and rolling stock plus the track system to go with it.   As a spin-off we will also be producing a train set suitable for ACW scenarios.   There are actually more bits planned, but I think that you get the picture.

And talking of Pony Wars, the rules themselves will be published early in the 2021.     These will be full colour, hardback and include a double deck of laminated cards.    They will be a real piece of wargames history brought up to modern production standards.

Getting back to a more gritty reality, the releases for the Great War will continue.    The release of the Belgians will mark the last nationality that we intend to cover.   However, that is not the end – not by any means.   Following a great deal of lobbying, both late and early war Scots troops in kilts will be released.    To offer a bit of balance, the Germans will get their infamous Stormtroopers.    Then we get to work on the tanks.   The picture below sets our intentions, and these are only the models that we have completed to date.   There is still a good deal of work to do to the Great War range.

Which brings us on the Second World War.   Having had our planned released schedule for 2020 completely trashed, I should perhaps be more restrained for predictions for 2021.  But where is the fun in that?     Let’s start off with the Germans.   Releases will range from the small, (Kettenkrad) to the large (Elefant) with lots in between.   We will be releasing formation packs for all arms of service including Fallschirmjaeger and all the bits needed to start campaigning the latter months of the Eastern front.   

The British army will finally get its armoured arm fully equipped along with armoured formation packs.   

The Americans will finally turn up to the show.  Their artillery is already done and will be the first to be released, but armour, half tracks, trucks and tows are well into development.

To round all of the above out, our eyes are firmly turned eastwards.   Much of the German equipment for this Ostfront is already completed or in progress, and the first batch of Russian infantry moulds is nearing completion.    The initial range of artillery is ready to roll and work is advanced on vehicles.

And finally, there will be a gradual improvement of existing codes and additions to our Equipment ranges.

Ambitious?  Of course.   Can we do it?   Remains to be seen, doesn’t it?

There are big questions and huge challenges facing the UK as a whole and Baccus in particular over the next few months.   The big hope is that the programme of vaccination will enable us, at some point, to return to some vague semblance of ‘normality’ in terms of staffing and production.    Given the current state of play with this dreadful virus, it is definitely going to get worse before it gets better.    Offering a completely different set of challenges is the aftermath of Brexit and impositions it places upon us and our customers in the EU.   As ever, can I ask you all to please have patience while we work through the difficulties that these events place on us.

On a more optimistic note, we are planning for Joy of Six 2021 to go ahead.   This will be held on Sunday July 4th  at the usual venue of Sheffield Hallam University.   More details will be forthcoming early in 2021.

For the moment the shopping cart remains closed until we clear out the existing orders.   We expect to be able to reopen in January.   We are formulating a strategy to enable us to get to a more regular cycle of supply, and that will be revealed nearer to the time.

Which brings us to the usual bit where I say, ‘Thank you’, to all those people; those who work for, with and around Baccus; those who support us by buying what we sell and without whom we could never exist; those who play games with our little men; those who attend the Joy of Six and those who just collect and game with 6mm figures no matter what their make or origin.  It is a pleasure to be associated with each and every one of you.  (If this all sounds familiar, I cut and pasted this from last year’s message, but it was true then, it is true now and I couldn’t write it better again.)

On behalf of the Team Baccus may I wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous 2021.

Thanks for this update.
To be aligned with your title, regarding that infamous 2020's year and all it's plagues I would think about something like this for 2021...

"... this is not the end,
this is not even the begining of the end,
But this is the end  of the begining..."

Let's move forward (and reopen cart when safely possible ;-))
Best for your projects, thoughts to Igor and his health, and have all an happy new year.

Hear... Hear...Hear!

Happy NY all

I am greatly looking forward to Joy this year.

Nice words, and thanks for all the fish... I only joined the 6mm crasiness this year!

Thank you for providing me with another excuse for another project in 2020; and another nation for my Napoleonics in 2021.

Best Regards to you and your team, i may even take the 4 hour road trip to Joy of 6 as well (and then 4 hours back again!)

all the best for this new "special" year

An excellent review of a very difficult year. At least one good thing came out of it for me - it was the final push I needed to get me to upsticks and leave the island. Now living in the Netherlands I have not felt so relaxed and happy in such a very long time. Such a different approach to life over here. The year has also finally convinced me to dip my feet into the Wild West. Always been a massive fan of Westerns, but not yet come across any range to tempt me in until............now. However I shall wait until Baccus is on a more even keel before mithering with orders, but it does give me a great feeling of something to look forward to. Best wishes for 2021.

Andy

Thank you for these future products which seem very interesting!

Especially those from WWI that we are looking forward to!

With these superb new tanks ... We are seriously considering making Our Armies of this period!

:-)

We renew to you Our Best Wishes for 2021 which cannot ... must not be worse than 2020!

:-)

Hoping that 2021 will be better for all!

LIke the new ranges/plans proposed for this year. Very tempting as always.

Interesting to hear about the resculpting and potential addition to the Ancient period ranges. Now the question remains. Do I await potential new Punic War sculpts or purchase some of those lovely figures already avaliable?

... and then there's the Pony Wars option.

Happy New Year all.

Indeed - a very odd year. Unfortunately I'm too sure 2021 will be much better for most of it.

Looking forward to the additions to the Ancients ranges (especially the Roman Western auxiliary archer). Can I ask that you hold off deleting existing figures until we've had a chance for last orders please.

Thanks for all your efforts. Best wishes to all for this year.