Nick's News: Blog Update 2021
As a first blog post of the new year I thought that I would do a post that listed the 10 different aspects of the hobby that I have identified, and then write a little bit about which aspect I enjoy the most or least, which aspect I currently spend the most time on, and which aspect I want to spend more time on.
The 10 aspects of the hobby are:
1. Collecting
2. Building
3, Painting
4. Gaming
5. Reading Rules
6. Reading Lore
7. List Building
8. Planning
9. Learning
10. Video Gaming
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1. Collecting
Collecting the models and miniatures has always been a major aspect of the hobby for me. Buying up the new releases as soon as they hit the shops is always fun. Too much of it though can lead to a backlog of unmade models and unfinished projects so resisting the temptation to buy up all and any new releases is important. Currently I am almost on top of things..... but I am sure that by spring 2021 my stack of newly arrived boxes will have grown.....
2. Building
Building and Assembly of the models is something I enjoy a lot. It was the first aspect of the hobby that I had experience of - building Airfix model tanks and planes in the 1970s. Glue everwhere and badly fitting parts. I cannot say my skills have progressed much since then, but I find the process therapeutic.
3. Painting
My painting skills are very low standard. I still paint with the same goal that I had from the beginning, which was to get the miniatures tabletop battle ready. I have disliked from the beginning using miniatures that were freshly built or only primed. I cannot recall when the three-colours-minimum became a thing but to me it still is the minimum standard that I would use in a battle.
Even in a WW2 game a tank can be base-coated all one colour, but add a wash and paint some of the metal bits silver and it is battle ready.
My main aim is to get the army looking okay from three feet away. Moy models are never 'finished' as I always consider that I will go back to each one at some point and add a little more detail etc.
4. Gaming
Wargaming, Board Gaming, Tabletop Gaming. These are all terms that I use to describe my hobby to others, but in truth I spend only a fraction of my hobby time actually rolling dice.
I enjoy gaming a lot. When I am collecting/building/painting it is always with a view to how the models will look and perform on the tabletop.
My availability for gaming comes and goes. The desire and enthusiasm are always there in the background. I am however more of a casual gamer and one that prefers narrative to competitive gaming. I've only entered a couple of local tournaments and I've not done well, but that matters not to me, so long as my army gets to take to the field and I get to roll some dice.
5. Reading Rules
The amount of time I spend reading the rules of the game forms quite a high percentage of my hobby time. This is because it is easy to do. If I have a spare ten or fifteen minutes its easy to pick up a rule book and flick through and read up on profiles of units, special rules etc.
I say reading the rules, not learning the rules, because I have found that I can read a rule a dozen times but until I have used it in a game I have not learnt it.
6. Reading Lore
I enjoy reading the background and lore of a game. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical - each army has a background and a history to enjoy and my armies always reflect their fluff and background.
Most of my armies are reflective of a particular aspect of their background. Typically one that I believe that most people will not choose. I am not a big fan of using the generic or typical army the game developer uses to promote the game.
Recently, Warhammer 40,000 has had so much new lore and background that I have been totally unable to keep track. Not only new developments of the storyline but also a huge amount of Horus Heresy material. The vast number of novels to read is overwhelming. I would like to begin to work my way through them but right now I do not have the time.
I find myself picking up older army books and material and dipping into those to read small sections that I may have read years ago or never read at all.
7. List Building
This is something I do quite a lot of. And something I really enjoy doing. I like to use pen and paper initially to record the units I have and how many of each type. Then I will decide if the army needs to be broken down into different detachments. This is usually the case because the collecting and building aspects of the hobby have resulted in a larger collection than originally intended.
Once I have played about with the lists, which are always created to support the background and fluff I have chosen for my army, I will use a digital list building tool to check that my points and my configuration result in a legal and playable force.
As my collection of miniatures for several games systems are quite old and historic, I find a lot of satisfaction in trying to make old armies fit into the latest rules parameters. Its not always possible and when it is necessary to use a 'counts as' for a weapon or a whole model or unit, it does not sit well with me.
8. Planning
Planning the next project is ever present. There is always something in the pipeline. Some projects are only present in my mind and may never go any further. Most projects are part finished projects of old, and the plan is which one to dust off and re-visit next.
As per my painting approach, most projects are never truly finished. There are always new units to add to an army or an update of some sort to do.
I like to set goals each year - projects to start or projects to re-visit. Not too many, and it's fine if a project rolls forward into the following year. But at least having a plan limits the propensity to be a hobby butterfly, just a little.
9. Learning
Whilst for many years the hobby was undertaken in a small vacuum, with very little outside input other than that found in the game itself, or the official publications that the games developer supported, nowadays there are many many ways to learn more from fellow hobbyists.
My own routes into the wider world are through YouTube, Facebook & Twitter. I know Instagram is another great place to learn more but I am not yet a big user of the platform, and there is only so much time in the day.
10. Video Gaming
I would love to have more time to spend on Video Games that are set in the worlds of the Table Top Games. But it has been a long long time since I had spare time to sit at a console or a PC and play.
Maybe, if I make it a priority then I could find the time, but something would have to be sacrificed and at this moment in time I am not going to be able to do that.
Conclusion
It has been a good experience to put down in words where my enjoyment of the hobby lies. There were no surprises because I already knew what aspects I enjoy. The only thing I can do with the information is to use it to focus my time better. A new year means new goals and new armies to create and enjoy.
