Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Thoughts on the hobby

I'm taking time to reflect on the state of the hobby.  My little patch of it.  I spent too much time on a computer this week.  I'm spending my down time painting 28mm 1870 Prussian infantry tonight.  I should have a regiment of 28mm 1870 Prussian infantry done this morning.  I'll take pictures and put them on the blog once I get done with them. 

However, a friend of mine who plays 40K told me about GW's new trade agreements that are going in effect June 15, 2013.  Though I vowed not to buy any GW product, I might just get a Chaos Land Raider and Stormraven Gunship before the new Trade Agreement/Price Increases take affect.  I'll wait until May 2013 to make my mind up.  At this point, there isn't much new WH40K stuff I want to buy.  I made it a point not to buy any new 40K stuff this year.  I'm not really wanting to say too much because I don't know what the backlash will be to people not being able buy GW product online from independent retailers. 

For the record, the new GW website is awful.  As a publicly traded company, they could have designed a much better website than what they have.  And they want people to buy directly from them using it?  If you don't believe me, then go to the GW website and try buying something from it.  I'd rather deal with the new Wargames Foundry website.  It's easier to navigate the GW's American website.  So the sinking of the Gobbo Loveboat continues as people leave WH40K or WHFB for Warmachine/Hordes.  For all its faults, Privateer Press knows how to take care of its customers. 

And I'll admit, I've played a couple of WH40K games with friends.  But I've really pared back my gaming of it.  I'm tired of listening to friends complain about how GW the company sucks and they're ruining 40K in the name of profit, the new codexes aren't play tested, and the lack of release info is driving them crazy.  Again, for the record, I'm on vacation from Games Workshop for a year.  I assume the company will still be around when I get back to assembling and painting my 40K armies in 2014.  I look at my needs.  My biggest expense is figure cases and foam.  I could spent about $800.00 on Battlefoam and Sable bags.  I'm also looking at the following purchases:

$215.00 in 28mm Wargames Foundry Vikings.
$210.00 in 28mm Darkest Africa Masai.
$110.00 in 28mm Eureka Viet Cong infantry.
$120.00 in prepainted 28mm Jungle hooches.
$100.00 in plastic 28mm palm trees.
$40.00 in Wargames Accessories metal bases.
$45.00 in Litko wooden infantry bases.
$160.00 for GW WH40K vehicles.

This is what I have on my figure purchase list for this year.  The 28mm 1870 Prussians are coming along.  The length of this project is killing any desire I have to paint 20mm 1914 armies for the Western Front.  I just don't want to spend my evenings through November 2018 painting 20mm WWI figures.  I'd run out of room in the basement for storage before hand.  I'm seriously looking down the line for making these my final gaming projects:

1)  Completion of 28mm Darkest Africa with the painting of a Masai army.
2)  Fantasy/Semi-Historical Viking army for Warlord to go against my 28mm GW High Elves.  And completion of 28mm High Elve units.
3)  Working on 28mm Vietnam for Force on Force and Ambush Valley platoon level scenarios.
4)  28mm Trojan War Greek and Trojan armies for Warhammer Ancient Battles 1.5.
5)  Completion of WH40K Blood Angel army and purchase of storage materials for the minis.
6)  Painting of of WH40K DA Ravenwing army and purchase of storage cases for the models.
7)  Addition purchases of storage materials for WH40K Chaos Space Marine vehicles, assembling, and painting of said additional vehicles.
8)  Completion of FoW armies for an Operation Market Garden scenario between British paras and Waffen SS infantry companies.

That is where I'm at with my planning.  There's been talk of 28mm Sudan for British Colonials.  I'm resisting that right now.  I've too many other things to complete.  If I attempt to do more, I'll wind up accomplishing nothing...  

3 comments:

  1. I like how you've laid your plan out with dollar amounts an "deadlines". These things are rare with gamers, but when done, you can come out of it with quite a sense of accomplishment.

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  2. Your organization/willpower is much better than mine. I have a couple dozen projects gathering dust for years at a time. Right now I'm painting some 1:600 Russo-Japanese battleships and 25mm Spanish-American War figs. I don't even remember buying the Spanish infantry if that gives you any idea of the size of the lead mountain.

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  3. As far as GW goes it is a good game. If you are having friends that are complaining about the company I would do two things:

    1. Let them know that you are kind of tired of the complaining so they know and won't do it anymore.

    2. Maybe stop complaining about GW yourself. If you are doing it then other people will join in.
    Honesty is the best policy in any case.

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