If You Couldn't Play, Would You Still Collect?

[Blank Dave]

Pretty much as the title says.

 

I know right now, a lot of us can't play due to pandemic restrictions and such.  But the collecting and painting continues in hopes for better days.

 

Here's my 'problem'.

 

I'm a care giver.  On the weekends I get to 'look after' my Mom. (Be sure she doesn't have any accidents, eats and gets her meds.  General keep an eye on her.  She's almost 90 BTW)  Plus the nearest game stores are about an hour away.  Given driving time, game time, and prerequisite socializing time, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her unattended.  And dragging her along would just be mean.  Our house doesn't really have the space to accommodate a game table, and she gets antsy with strangers in the house.  And week nights are out, as I don't really have the time.

 

So, if you found yourself unable to get out and play, would you still be bothered buying and painting up your little toy soldiers?

 

Part of me really wants to do it, but the practical sides says it's just a waste of time and money since actually using them isn't in the foreseeable future.

 

Thanks,

Dave

[Marshal Loss]

Commiserate with your circumstances as I was in a similar situation myself for a while. In those days I still bought and painted models but it was more for pleasure and to keep myself sane, with lots of one-off projects, as opposed to actively building an army. The right answer for you depends on whether you paint to play or if playing is often a byproduct of painting. If you enjoy modelling & painting for its own sake, don't stop. We all need hobbies.

 

I'd also recommend looking into other games that can be played quickly or which don't require much space (e.g. WH: Underworlds, and there are lots of great non-GW games as well). There are inevitably going to be more opportunities to play a game that can be run in a lunchbreak as opposed to one which demands a whole afternoon.

 

Best of luck with your situation

[Grotsmasha]

I guess it's all about perspective, and your motivations. I, for example, really only enjoy the Painting/Modelling side of the Hobby, and haven't played actual 40k since 2nd Ed, so not gaming isn't an issue for me. It seems as though, for you, the modelling/painting is a means to an end for Gaming, and you see it as a chore. What I mean is, the next game was your motivation to paint new models/units. So perhaps finding an alternate source of Hobby Mojo is required. This could be popping on a Lore video on Youtube while you paint, listening to a Black Library Audio Book, or reading a 40k novel.

Once you get going, and you see your progress as the complete models start to add up, it also becomes it's own motivation, you can see your progress, your army is coming together.

Now, I'm going to toot my own horn here for a second but, down in the WIP forum, I have a thread, The 12 Months of Hobby Challenge where the target is one model per month. The goal is to keep you motivated, and to keep your Hobby going, by interacting regularly with some familiar faces...errr.....Avatars?

 

Cheers,

Jono

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Definitely... it’s what a lot of us are doing now anyways .

[Valkia the Bloody]

Yes. Yes, I totally would.

Right now I definitely am, since with COVID, the club has been closed for months.

 

I get a lot of enjoyment out of collecting, building and painting my forces, coming up with background for them.

Sitting down, painting, while listening to some audio books is kind of my happy place.

It has gotten me through several rough patches in my life.

 

For me, doing this is more than "playing with plastic soldiers".

It is very therapeutic, it helps me focus, it makes me do something creative and it gives you accomplishment.

Plus, having joined a painting group on Facebook and this forum, it also lets me interact with like-minded people all over the world.

I also can learn from others and admire the work of others.

 

I know that there are worse issues on this world, and looking after your mum is a serious and vital duty.

I can understand that one gets the feeling that one "needs to grow up".

I have tried that.

I always have come back to my little men.

I am by now past caring if other people mock me for it.

 

So the answer for you is-

If it brings you joy, just carry on.

Because then it is not time and money wasted, quite the opposite.

How can time and money be wasted on something you enjoy?

If life only consists of being serious and doing things that other people tell you are "worthy", why even bother?

 

It is also okay to take a break, I have already taken several, and sold 6 armies because I thought I was "over it".

 

I wish you and your mum all the best!

Edited August 8, 2020 by Valkia the Bloody

[RandyB]

Yes, I would.

 

And my condolences for your situation. If hobbying, even absent gaming, is a healthy outlet, use it as such. Let gaming fall away if need be, because it will always be there later - the game isn't going away.

[mughi3]

Not in the manner of playing the game, it would become more like my collection of UC gundam kits. i only buy the ones i want to spend time on as display pieces. 

 

There would be no need to invest in squads for an army but a particular model here and there would still be on the list...like the primarch collection from 30K  or my heresey lobs version of the emperor (effectively a psychic reaver titan in 3rd edition with his old WD rules). 

Edited August 8, 2020 by mughi3

[Daynga-Zone]

Personally I probably wouldn’t. While I love doing conversions and building, the payoff for me is seeing my models across the table from someone else before/during a game and the social aspect of the game is the most important for me. I like the lore and such so if I couldn’t play I’d just read the occasional 40k book and look at other’s models on social media. I suspect I’d occasionally get the itch to do some modeling of my own, but without getting to use them in a game my drive to finish them would diminish quickly.

 

There are quite a few people I know or know of that do it entirely to build and paint the models though and that’s perfectly acceptable if you derive enjoyment from that.

[MARK0SIAN]

I spend way more time collecting and painting than playing anyway. The collecting and painting are fun in themselves so I would still do it even if I knew I couldn’t play. The only thing that would change would be that I wouldn’t care about collecting the units to make a legal army and would probably dabble in several different factions that I don’t currently play.

[Ahistorian]

I used to think the answer was no, but I was housebound on sick leave for six months before lockdown started and the answer was a resounding "yes, it keeps me sane".

Props to you for helping your mam out so much too.

[NovemberIX]

Respect for you fulfilling your filial duty and helping care for a parent, it is often thankless and even somewhat lonely. but ultimately fulfilling duty. I collected and painted for about 3-4 years before I ever played a game and honestly is was pretty enjoyable, though admittedly it was when I gamed that I began to have a deeper appreciation for each miniature and their specific story. Because of "situations" I've only gotten in two or three games in the last year, even though I do have a gaming table and all the what not.

 

One thing I will say, nothing about this hobby is practical, except maybe for some of the skills we pick up, but that lack of practicality doesn't diminish the fundamental importance of doing a thing that you enjoy. So as long as you still have fun painting and modelling, then go for it, take a break when it's not as fun, come back when it is, and at some point in the future, you might even have a chance to get a game or two in.

[BitsHammer]

Thanks to work I couldn't get games in during 8th, but I still collected models and worked on my painting. 

 

For some people feel the game itself is the only hobby, but I'm in the camp that the hobby is what you make it and the game doesn't have to be all of it.

[m0nolith]

Yeah probably.

Painting is by a wide margin the main aspect of this hobby for me, mainly because of the time I spend doing it in comparison.

But then again, gaming is such a fantastic bonus. But thats me, what really matters is how you see this hobby OP.

 

Many of the best miniature painters paint and collect models simply for the love of it. There is a creative joy when it comes to painting and finishing something you see yourself reflected in. There’s a beauty in working hard on something, finishing it, and then being happy with what you achieved there.

 

Its ok to see it as a waste of time, but I would ask how is it any more of a waste of time than say television, video games or whatever. For some this is their creative outlet, for others simply a hobby, for many it’s both. If it brings you happiness then why not keep doing it. If it doesn’t, then why force yourself to endure it.

 

We’re all different people here and we all have different reasons why we’re part of this hobby, You need to decide for yourself if it’s a waste of time.

Keep in mind nothing here is absolute. If you want to take a break for now, you can. Your modes aren’t going anywhere.

[Osteoclast]

I still haven't actually played; bit of social anxiety and all. Was going to try some pickup games or something at the local GW but then COVID hit.Even if I never do, I still greatly enjoy collecting and painting my models, flawed as they end up being, and its a great way for me to relax and fiddle around. Heck, the mild distraction of painting or assembling even helps me with watching anime or other shows.

[battle captain corpus]

I’ve always found that different elements of hobby wax and wane anyway. I go through painting periods, then lots of gaming then onto assembling.

Current circumstances are different for us all. My normal gaming group hasn’t met for a long time now but we keep in touch and push each other to new goals and projects.

If gaming is an important element to you then I would maybe try challenging yourself to find part about painting/assembling that you can add a competitive edge to? Deadlines, challenges maybe etc? Maybe starts new blog in the sub forums or begin recording your favourite games and add some narrative?

Stay the path brother. Even in the darkest corners of the galaxy you can still see the Emperors light after all. ;)

 

BCC

[Firedrake Cordova]

Part of me really wants to do it, but the practical sides says it's just a waste of time and money since actually using them isn't in the foreseeable future.

So, the question is really one of, "do you enjoy collecting, modelling, and painting models?".  If the answer if "yes", then even if you're not using them to play games with, it's not a waste of money, as you're still deriving enjoyment and entertainment from them.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Firedrake Cordova

[Emicus]

Yes.

[GreenScorpion]

For me it has always been more about building/converting (and a bit of painting obviously) than actually playing.

Imagining the fluff is something I also do, especially when I can't actually build miniatures like now.

 

One thing I like to do I am on vacation is to build a few miniatures with my mother and although her eyesight at close range is getting worse, I prepare the parts for her to assemble and she actually enjoys it. We built a few of the Blackstone Fortress miniatures last Christmas (the last time I actually had holidays :D :| :( ).

 

If you enjoy building them it could also be that you could share that with your mother, perhaps something bigger and easier for her to deal with, especially push fit stuff.

[D3L]

I've not "played" since 2003, so, yeah, I guess

[Canadian_F_H]

Well. I let myself out of the hobby shortly after the launch of 4th and returned during 7th. And when I returned I was essentially only a hobbyist and only played a handful of games.

 

It wasn't until after 8th edition came out and an old friend dragged me back in via the Horus heresy.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Canadian_F_H

[Grand Master Laertes]

The simple answer? Yes, I haven't played since 7th edition, and still I kept buying and painting models.

 

The longest answer: I have different approaches in the two situations. When I have time to play I focus on adding new units to my army and painting them fast, in time for the next game. When I don't play I collect and paint whatever catches my fantasy, even if I don't plan to ever collect that faction, trying to learn new techniques and improve my skills.

[Chaoself]

Yes but probably with a lower production and more of a butterfly approach painting whatever I fancy and not thinking about army lists and/or concepts. :)

[Bryan Blaire]

Yes, but at this point I'm basically painting armies to play Kill Team. :lol:

[Gnosis]

The last 3 years I didn't have much time to play due to work... and now that I actually have free time.. Covid came and destroyed everything... tragic. Now my goal is to paint all my unpainted models and when the pandemic goes away I will play more  .

 

If I had the money I would pay a nurse or some sort of care-taker for elderly to take care of my mom some afternoons per week..

 

This is the only way that you can actually get out, play warhammer, socialize, go for drinks, go for work at night.

[Trokair]

As you will no doubt have gathered by now, for most of us the answer is yes. I have at various points not been able to play for extended stretches of time (hello 4th edition are you new?) but I still did some converting and painting. In those years my hobby tends to shift to what models speak to me, do I really want to build/convert/paint. I probably also spend more time delving into the lore and the books at times when actual games are hard to come by.

 

 

I don’t think anybody has mentioned it, but if you want to stay in the hobby but cannot play the physical game have you looked at the computer games? Dawn of War for example, and if you are playing against the computer you can always pause and come back later if needed.