Tuesday 23 June 2015

the plan for the future

So the blog has been pretty darn quiet.

My new job, trying to get fit, playing airsoft and now being dragged out of football retirement to step back into goal....well it has all taken it's toll on my hobby time.

Anyone who knows me, reads this blog or my twitter, knows i am a bit of a hobby butterfly.
But that doesn't mean i don't crave the beautiful army or nice completed project like everyone else.

But recently it's been worse than ever. Fleeting visits to a new bolt action army, various games and a return to try marines. But none of them have really bitten in much. Even worse at times i have even questioned my place in wargaming and thought long and hard about just walking away.

But those reflections like any in life bring more questions than answers.
The biggest one though was.
Why don't i enjoy my hobby anymore?.

It's a hell of a question isn't it.

I spent the last couple of weeks dwelling on it. Looking for various answers from various angles.
I don't get nearly enough gaming time and that plays a fair part. But that's down to choice of games. I broke away from GW a while back and unless your blessed with fair sized multi game venues, you have already taken a step into the wilderness. Another aspect of this has been my work preventing me attending the best of the clubs in the area and being able to play what had been my main game 'Bolt Action'.

The other answer lies deeper within the hobbyist in me.
I just haven't been enjoying my painting....not for a really long time. I have rode along on the eddies and flows of whats cool and in turn lost the love of painting by painting things that just don't appeal deep down.

For the foreseeable future i don't see the gaming situation changing. But it will because in finding and answering the questions i have drawn myself  up a bit of a plan.

Gaming will come, it will come in the shape of 40k. Why? well it's the single most prevalent game locally, it still has a lot of appeal and lets face it, from the kid within to the adult without...its where a majority of us discovered wargaming.
I'm making an active decision to avoid most major forums and the inherent GW hatred they seem to spew into the web, in the past it has really eroded my hobby love and the future plan doesn't want ot need them 'negative vibes'.

So the hobbyist...how to address it. Well simple really.
I looked over my photobucket gallery, pondered over various pics, reflected on the models i enjoyed painting, the ones i liked the look of and what i didn't.

And in a rather shocking revelation to myself. I discovered that in about 3 years of painting (if not more) aside from my Bolt Action British paras, The only model i really recall enjoying painting.....AND being happy with at the end.

Was a Tau Empire XV104 Riptide.

I thought about the whys and what for on the project and realised i put more time and effort not only into the painting, but the pose, base and dynamic of the model, than any model in recent memory.

So i set to thunking on it some more.
Looked at the models, thought about the fluff and the options. Thought about a plan of taking a project forward and set myself a bit of a plan.
It's nothing exciting, it wont make GW a billion dollars and it won't break the bank. It's simple in it's elegance and purity.

Purchase 1 box a month. No mater how big or small. (no battleforce type boxes though).
The paint that box over the spare time i have that month. If it isn't finished, no purchase the next month.

It's simple because it eliminates one of my flaws. Looking at a massive army and getting daunted, then disgruntled and then bored by the large array of grey plastic.

So that's the plan folks. It's not earth shattering, it's not even something new to most hobbyists out there. But hopefully, given time. It will see me back in the fold and gaming once more.

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