...and not as I do.
I wrote a piece a while back about doing wargames projects. You can access my thoughts here, and I think they are still valid.
My central point was that you shouldn't buy new stuff until you have finished the stuff you're working on. That way you are incentivised to finish your current army. I also made the point about avoiding behaviours that lead you to buy stuff that is never going to get painted.
One of the push backs I had was that it was essential to buy all the nice stuff you see before they stop making it anymore.
I've never really had this problem with the sort of figures I buy and also how I plan my purchases. Currently I'm buying and painting 20mm plastics, mostly from Hat, and they produce piles of the stuff.
The broad aims of my current project are wider than just producing an Assyrian Army. What I'm looking at doing is producing a collection of figures in 20mm plastic painted and based consistently that bridge as far as is possible from the Sumerians to Hannibal. Units can increasingly be utilised in different armies as the periods overlap and the armies grow. This means I've got some gaps in my current armies as allied contingents (eg Thracians) need to be expanded to make viable armies. Same for non-Roman Italian Republican period forces.
But it looks like I may have already missed the boat.in some areas. I need arabs, - they bang up against pretty much everyone in the Middle East after all. So far in the 20mm plastic box market place there's one packet, - Caesar's Biblical Era Camel Riders and Bedouin. And they seem to be pretty much unobtainable.
So this leads me to my next project. It's a major army with lots of useful troop types in it and is supported by a few nice boxes. However these are a few years old and it looks like they've gone out of production.
Some boxes are still available from suppliers, but there aren't many. So I'm left with a dilemma. Do I dive in now and buy a load up, breaking my cardinal rule of army painting? Or trust that they, or something similar, will be avaialble in a year or so's time. What's more, I haven't done the proper research yet, so I'll have to hoover up enough boxes to ensure I have enough for all the various permutations.
Which is the bigger crime here, hypocrisy or missing out on a slightly vague goal?
On the other hand, my contract is due up shortly and I may be out of work for a while so I'll have some time on my hands.
Or I could start work on something completely different.
I wrote a piece a while back about doing wargames projects. You can access my thoughts here, and I think they are still valid.
My central point was that you shouldn't buy new stuff until you have finished the stuff you're working on. That way you are incentivised to finish your current army. I also made the point about avoiding behaviours that lead you to buy stuff that is never going to get painted.
One of the push backs I had was that it was essential to buy all the nice stuff you see before they stop making it anymore.
I've never really had this problem with the sort of figures I buy and also how I plan my purchases. Currently I'm buying and painting 20mm plastics, mostly from Hat, and they produce piles of the stuff.
The broad aims of my current project are wider than just producing an Assyrian Army. What I'm looking at doing is producing a collection of figures in 20mm plastic painted and based consistently that bridge as far as is possible from the Sumerians to Hannibal. Units can increasingly be utilised in different armies as the periods overlap and the armies grow. This means I've got some gaps in my current armies as allied contingents (eg Thracians) need to be expanded to make viable armies. Same for non-Roman Italian Republican period forces.
So this leads me to my next project. It's a major army with lots of useful troop types in it and is supported by a few nice boxes. However these are a few years old and it looks like they've gone out of production.
Some boxes are still available from suppliers, but there aren't many. So I'm left with a dilemma. Do I dive in now and buy a load up, breaking my cardinal rule of army painting? Or trust that they, or something similar, will be avaialble in a year or so's time. What's more, I haven't done the proper research yet, so I'll have to hoover up enough boxes to ensure I have enough for all the various permutations.
Which is the bigger crime here, hypocrisy or missing out on a slightly vague goal?
On the other hand, my contract is due up shortly and I may be out of work for a while so I'll have some time on my hands.
Or I could start work on something completely different.
There is no crime here, it's your hobby and you can enjoy it however you want to.
ReplyDeleteI've currently gone out on a limb and bought a load of Steve Jackson Games Ogre Miniatures to complete my collection. I can't really afford to spend the money either, but here's the thing; you only live once and you might as well try and enjoy it.
I know it isn't a crime, - I just don't want to break a winning pattern.
DeleteHowever, I often only need a slight piece of encouragement to do something.....
Essentially the only difference between ancient Arabs and modern Arabs is whether or not they have firearms . . . my point being that if you buy them, they will be usable for almost all of history.
ReplyDeleteSo go for it, sir. Buy them boys now.
-- Jeff
The Arabs aren't the problem. I can't fix them, - they're sold out. It's another army which I have cleverly avoided mentioning as there's so few boxes about.
DeleteI'd suggest that one should never let the process become the enemy of the objective. It's a dispute I have not infrequently with lawyers and anti money-laundering "experts", where the process too often becomes the ultimate objective.
ReplyDeleteIn your case, if the delays inherent in the process (whether internal or external) mean that you will not achieve the objective, then either the process is faulty, or the objective needs to be rethought.
However your objective sound praiseworthy ... so I'd say go on ... go on! ... just one teensy-weensy army ... or two ... you know you want to *bwahahahahaha*
Agree with you, - I, too, have had fun with AML and been the MLRO for my division. The process is what keeps you out of jail, of course, but a risk based approach is essential to do things sensibly.
DeleteIn this case I think the risk based approach says buy the figures as the risk of them not being available is greater than the risk of them not being painted.
As long as I don't then buy another army.....
I cracked. I went and ordered half a dozen boxes of Zvezda Persians (Italeri production run).
ReplyDeleteAnd loads of other stuff to make up the numbers to get free postage.
Wouldn't have done that if I'd gone to Salute.