Thursday 9 January 2014

Why be happy with what you have...

...when you can be unhappy with what you want ?

Or maybe you're asking to yourself : "why the hell is he trying to force some cheap philosophy in a modelling and wargaming blog?"

Please let me explain myself a little bit here and I'm pretty sure you will find some disturbing resemblance with your own case (unless you've already reached the Nirvana state of wargamers/modellists...).

Little time ago, I made a trade on the oldhammer forum with a valuable member (dare I say friend). We swaped chaos renegades and my partner had the delicate attention to join some spare models with what was agreed. This happens and it makes this hobby journey all the better but I already wrote about how our community can be rewarding sometimes.
What I want to tell you is that this very nice gesture has put some gigantic gears into motion. It's like the butterfly/storm concept appplied to my modelling.

Here is what I found with my good ol' chaos renegade :


Some of you will only see a bunch of plastic Heroquest fimirs while some others won't even recognise what they are. But I know some of you are already thinking "Oh my God, no! Poor him"
And if you're one of the latter, you're right.
As soon as I had them I felt like basing them and giving them a proper weapon to replace the broken ones. But doing this, I unconsciously  based them in a way I could rank them...


Why? Why would I need to rank models I don't want to make a unit of?, Why don't I just paint them for fun and as a token of gratitude towards my partner?
Well I tell you this is the beginning of the end ...

There is quick and easy test to know if you're cursed with this same disease. look at your models from above :

A) You see this :

OK, everything's fine for now, just don't look at them this way for too long. You don't want to catch anything bad.


B) you see this :

in which case I'm afraid you're pretty much f***ed. 
Note that if you see both green and blue shapes, you're in an advanced state of the curse (if you see more then I believe you can't be saved).
 
The last state of the curse is when this also pops to you mind and you're considering the 5-60 limit.

But what's the matter with seeing the green and blue shapes (or the warhammer armies extract) ? 

Well, let me put this another way, what is the matter with just painting 3 models and moving on to something else once you're done? Why not just stick to ONE project and move one to another when it's done?

Even when you're not adding new projects, the temptation is near :

I got the disciples of the red redemption from a cousin some time ago but didn't start painting them because it didn't feel right at the time.

 What is wrong with this lovely regiment of renown delicately sculpted by the great Jes Goodwin?
Nothing, except if you're looking from above...



Same problem here, I can't keep myself from seeing this instead :


I tried to add 3 flagellants to complete the rank but the scale doesn't work. I need some more redemptionists.

Why would I care, I don't even play. My last game of Warhammer was more than 3 years ago. I know I want my models to be "playable" and that is a thing, but why would I want the units to be the biggest I can? The time, energy and money it takes is crazy and almost pointless... I already know painting 15 examples of the very same model will be boring at some point but I already bought some more to have my 20 men strong unit.

I could blame GW and other brands for the "always more" philosophy behind all of this but the truth is I'm the only responsible here because of my lack of will...
It's nobodiy's fault but mine...
Bah, the only problem with this is that it tends to make me waste some time, energy and money. Now that I've realised that there is such a problem I think I know I can slow things a bit and I should probably move on to some skirmish projects and just be happy with the respectable collection I already have. I have to say there has been a revelation for me.

I really admire people who can focus on a aspect of their hobby which makes them have a very strong personnallity, I'm thinking about people like Don Hans, or Jeff Vader to name a few. 

I really want to learn from them so that I can take modles like these :


without being afraid to look at them from above.
Or being able to look at this page without my paypal account glowing red hot :



I'm pretty sure all the fuss about skirmish and small team games with revival of confrontation, necromunda, Realm of Chaos warbands or even newer games come sfrom this. The will to control our own hobby ant lead it into manageable and achievable projects. This is great, we will see more fniished projects and that we'll get less "hobby burn outs" this way.


 Hopefully, I'm in a good modelling mood at the moment (and even in a very good general mood with the birth of my newborn son ^^) so I feel like giving some old friends the attention they seek :


I'm working on both of them at the same time because I want to see how it affects my painting to work on both an evil and good character in once. I also get to work on many red nuances in once which is a great way to learn how to diversify my painting without always using the same tricks.
Even if it doesn't show in this crappy smartphone shot, I'm trying different ways to paint my reds with either high dark/light contrast or pink Vs ornage highlights. It gives me the opportunity to work on some colour theory principles too so you'll whatever comes out of this.


The grav-attack has also benefitted from useful comments and I made some plastic card lips and added exhausts. I'll soon start the smoothing part and add textures, leaving the sculpt of propellers for the end since I still don't know what I really want to do...

The deo stick is slowly disappearing behind the green stuff and details...



16 comments:

  1. I am sorry I read this post, now I want to assemble a big unit of Fimir AND a chaos dwarf ally contingent! I guess I am a stage 3.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You moving on to stage 4 or going back to normal only depends on the quantity of lead you will have in the next 24h...
      This is the kind of disease you either cure or feed...

      Delete
  2. Fimir and Chaos Dwarves eh?.. Been there and done that heh I'm stage 4. Also I tryed just playing a skirmish game (Necromunda) It didn't stop the collecting and keep everything small, I just bought most of the range instead hehe

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know you're in the final stages on both points (not to mention yu collect squats and genestealers on top of that) and you seem to do just fine !
      Thank you for ruining my only hope to find peace in small scaled projects !

      Delete
  3. I know exactly what you mean!!! I mostly collect Rogue Trader stuff and Sci-Fi, so in my case things work a bit different.

    Like when I sometimes get my hands on a few RT Chaos Renegades I chose to give them to my friend, because as long as I have non of them I don't feel the urge to collect them, but if I have a couple of them I want a unit, then an army, then all of them fram A-Z... And so it works with most of this stuff.

    I do also collect an Oldhammer Dwarf army though and I started out just wanting one unit, paint that and then get the next, paint that and so forth... Instead I ended up with several hundred dwarfs and non of them painted yet.

    :D

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I got the rogue trader fever by getting my first adventurers and then I ended wanting every iron claw space pirate and every adventurer possible...
      I once got a fimir Meargh I traded right away, just because I knew I'd be tempted to start an army if I had a leader...

      I'm glad we're not alone !

      (oh and if you have any spare RT chaos renegade, I'm just a few models away from completing the set and getting of this particular virus... ^^ )

      Thanks

      Delete
  4. Hahaha, I bet we all know that feeling! One mini at first, then another, maybe a couple more... Then you need to add some other unit and you end up with a full ranked army!
    I've experienced that myself with RT, to a point in wich I am no longer sure of what do I have or not. And then I see a random couple of minis of anything and think 'Gee, it would be nice to complete two or three squads of this and have a small army...'
    Can't say but good luck, Asslessman! At least you will have some spare time during the following non-sleeping nights trying to cradle your baby! Hope everything goes well!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I like your half-full glass approach of it !
      After all if the only real problems we have are that we have too much models and too much hobby projects, we can consider oursleves lucky.

      Thanks Suber.

      Delete
  5. I was just wondering about your progeny - I saw in one of your posts somewhere about returning from hospital, which got me thinking that your family must have grown somewhat. So - firstly, a hearty set of congratulations to you (cos although you didn't do the labour, you did submit the design), your good wife and indeed, both your youngest and (now) eldest! I'm thrilled to hear about it and I trust that all is well with everyone involved. May God bless you and your family!

    Secondly, well done on getting some hobby time in so soon afterwards! I don't know how the hell you managed that (what with all the games, writing and kendo besides...), but well done!

    Thirdly, as regards the virtual unit you see shortly after you assemble some figures - really thought I was the only one! I'm glad someone else is automatically thinking about neat blocks of twenty, with full command. The best method I've had to cope is to change the shape of my 'logical' unit - instead of four ranks of five, I imagine two ranks of seven, which reduces the load a little, but still seems pretty respectable. I can then mature to three ranks of six and finally graduate to four ranks of five.

    I also rationalise this to the supply/demand conundrum faced by military commanders throughout the ages - they would love to have more heavy cavalry/cannon/attack helicopters, but they must just make do with what they have. It would be nice to have twenty disciples, but if you've got twelve, you have to use twelve. It changes how you play (and collect) :)

    I find that as long as somewhere in the army I can produce a solid unit, I don't mind that the rest of the composition is a little 'flaky'.

    Also, you're doing well with your realms of chaos forces (especially Khorne), because the minimum unit sized are quite achievable. Following this approach, you only have six more chaos dwarves to go (as opposed to fifty eight - I know that's what you were thinking...).

    Anyway, super article - enjoyed that very much, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks a lot on fehalf of my growing family for your warm thoughts !
      Sinc enature left me with no milk source (other than fridge), I'm tied to bathing and taking care of my 3yo daughter which leaves me about half to a full hour per day. Lot sof things can be done with 1 hour a day !
      I know I don't want to field 60 Chaos dwarf (or do I?) but having a unit of every possible entry is always an idea I have hard time to get rid of...
      The question about the redemptionists is over since I'm about to receive some reinforcements. The thing is, the main reason why I want square units is just because I'm a maniac and I can't stand incomplete ranks...
      That said, with your explanation about suppplies, there is something which suits me fine and which would help me get over this.
      Thank you for this comment, it's the best kind of reward to a post.

      Delete
  6. Beware the single fimir model. I started out that way, now I'm knee deep in them. There's just something that demands you turn those couple of models into a unit. I'm sure it's a disorder of some description.

    Chaos dwarves too, I just can't seem to stop collecting them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I said to Jonas, I traded my meargh to avoid being tempted but some years ago, I even gave my HQ fimirs because their description in WHFRP felt a little too compelling... Now I have to show I have will and paint them before any reinfocments come (and then give them away !).

      Thanks.

      Delete
  7. It's in the genes, our lead mountains are doomed to grow and reach ever heavenward, just like their geographical counterparts that rise with the inexorable shifting of tectonic plates.

    Glad the new BOJ is doing well.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. NIce Paul ! I think I'll keep that one for the missus : "You know honey, it's like Evolution and tectonics, there's no stopping it !"
      Thanks a lot

      Delete
  8. This is exactly how the fimir plague spread to me. Digging out a single heroquest model... then an impulse bid on ebay for a gang of those hq models... Beware!

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    1. I actually nearly got infected by the fimir virus in my late teens becaus eth edescription in WHFRP was so good, hopefully, booze and girls got me a little distracted and when I got back serisouly in the hobby I was strong enough to resist... Let's hope I keep this strength... :D

      Thanks

      Delete

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