How do you let go?

[Uprising]

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well.  I have been dreading posting this, but I need some help.  I started this hobby more then 10 yrs ago, and since then I have grown a lot from a young teenager to an adulthood.  During that time, I have completed collage, moved serval time, and currently working three jobs (two for others, one is my own business).  I finally was able to settle down at my own property this year, but an issue came since gathering my hobby into one location and reorganized into one room (pictures below).  The problem is twofold: Time, space, and a general lack of enjoying the changes in the setting as of late.  I just finished the reorganizing my collection this weekend, and the thought hit me like a ton of bricks.  Also, as shown below, I have also been playing other games (been enjoying it) but mostly just enjoying the painting / model building aspect. This also does not include other hobbies that are taking up my time, and general life. I have not played 40k since the beginning of 8thed (Prefer skirmish games over army games for the last few years).  I am wondering if anyone has some tips for downsizing models on an emotional level?  I been eBay selling for years, so the logistics aspect is well known to me.  If you want a list of projects, I will post them below.  In my head, I think the best course of action is to downsize (models and book) to a few forces and just paint one project at a time (planning on doing a blog here).  Thank you for reading and have a great day.  

[Marshal Rohr]

Sell the armies, keep the tools, switch to the projects you know you want to do. 

[phandaal]

One thing I notice there, and this is just an observation, is a large amount of models but a relatively small amount of painted models. Judging from your painting setup, it looks like painting is actually something you are interested in doing (as opposed to playing the Grey Tide), but with a backlog like that it probably feels overwhelming. Especially when your interest in the setting is not there to drive your hobby time.

 

You could try setting aside a small core army (or armies) of the models you really like and then selling the rest. As in, a small group of models for the smallest-sized game you might want to play.

 

Then slowly build your collection back up a single unit at a time and make a habit of painting a unit before moving on to building the next one. Then you are free to move around between your different core armies as you go, and you are just working on things for fun instead of obligation.

 

Also, if you like the older version of the setting, then go back to that version. Everything is still there, and you might be surprised at just how many people are interested in playing a wargame with you using something besides Current Edition 40k.

[Tyriks]

I decided to start selling stuff I knew I wasnt gonna get to and I am very glad I did. Once I started it got easier to sell more stuff and my hobby space is closer to being under control (organized, clean, not stressful) than it's ever been. All my armies I dont work on or actively play are going. Even armies I do paint and play, stuff new in box is getting sold with very few exceptions. If I can't sell it, I give it away or throw it out. I've used the money from sales mostly to buy new shelves and tools to help make progress on the stuff I am keeping. I have been painting more (despite having less time) because it's physically easier to do so (and it feels more achievable to make progress). I heavily recommend it.

 

That said - keep the armies you love. Rules will change and you might want to come back. At least wait and make sure you really want to sell it if the army is special to you!

[N1SB]

Brother Uprising, I was your game room is just so beautiful.  If anything, I should be taking advice from you!

 

I have thought about these issues for a long time, though.  I'll just share them with you, in case this discussion helps.

 

 

+++  I like to be ready for war, not the war itself +++

 

 

You mentioned you haven't played since early 8th.  That was the time when I last really enjoyed playing 40k.  A YouTuber mentioned she enjoyed discussing the game more than playing it...it's strange, but I saw her point.  In my case, I simply enjoy have an army that I planned, built, painted...then not being forced to play.

 

I completely keep up with the Balance Updates and new points, and just changed my HQ recently, and I've been playing in our Warhammer Store's Crusade campaign.  I enjoy the aspect of being with our friends, creating this campaign narrative together, but not so much the process of playing 40k 10th ed itself.

 

I mention this because I've found others that feel the same way.  Like if they just enjoy building and painting models, but are not really enjoying 40k currently, why do they still choose 40k models of their factions?  They could be painting just individual models they like!  Yet they always prefer building up their armies.

 

And I do think it's because both they and I enjoy this feeling of being ready for war, if war comes.  I remember a admiral or general explaining his country's military isn't just a war organisation, it's a readiness organisation, and one of things it is uniquely ready for is war.  That's what security feels like.

 

My point here: even if you're not actively playing, just having a ready army is enjoyable in and of itself.

 

 

+++ I like playing the armies my opponents/friends like to play against +++

 

 

It's weird, but I actually enjoy what my enemies like more than what I think I'd like.

 

It happened around 8th.  I had this weird soup army (remember when the Allies system lets us mix things together).  It was combining Renegades and Heretics with Nurgle Daemons, so Nurglings would be driving the tanks and manning the artillery.  The HQ was a single Guardsman infected with Nurgle's Rot.

 

The story was: a lone Guardsman, the sole survivor of a disease that wiped out his division, wanders from base to base warning others of the epidemic.  He does not realise that he himself IS the plague carrier, because like all humans, he sees corruption everywhere except within.  It's a very 40k theme.

 

I was playing a friend, he won, I lost, he even slew the Warlord that is that lone Guardsman, and the IMMEDIATE 1st words out of his mouth as the game ended was, "Okay, this is how he SURVIVED."  Then he explained how his army was trying to capture him, not kill him.

 

It was then I realised he spent the last turn of the game thinking up a story, so that this army could go on.  This was supposed to be my enemy and he cared about my characters than I did.  That's how much he enjoyed my army!

 

I saw Battletech on your shelf.  I don't know if you play Dungeons & Dragons on any other tabletop RPG, which is much more like friends writing a story together.  I've started creating armies along those lines, like I'm a Game/Dungeon Master creating a threat for my friends to play against.

 

So TL;DR here: what armies do your friends like to play against?  Maybe focus on those.  You'll care because they care.

 

 

+++ I'll leave it here for now +++

 

 

I've had other thoughts, but I think these 2 ideas might matter to you:

 

1. Building up an army ready feels good even if you don't play with it
2. Your opponents might have a better idea of what you enjoy than you realise

 

As I said at the start, not really advice, just wondering if you've noticed this, too.

Edited December 10 by N1SB

[gideon stargreave]

Great words @n1sb 

 

personally, I haven’t played since 6th edition, and haven’t played often since 3rd. But I have still enjoyed building warbands, single minis and even armies. In fact the building/ painting side became infinitely more enjoyable once I was free to do it how I want. I don’t need to think about rules, just what seems like a cool army or group of characters or whatever. I can collect whatever minis I like, convert them any old how, and imagine their lore myself. Sure if I ever use them I’ll have to counts as almost everything, but I get to hobby my own way.

in terms of downsizing, I don’t need to so won’t, and when I had to in the past, it was annoying later on to realize I didn’t have those ‘perfect’ minis or bits for a project. 
in short, find a way to make the hobby serve you, rather than serving it. 
good luck, the emperor protects 

[WAR]

So hobby burnout is a real thing.  Time is precious as we get older and have to deal with work life, family life, other hobby life etc.  I have faced burnout many times since I started playing in 1997 from rules changes, other games, lack of time, desire to play, different work scheduled then friends, and other hobbies. During that time I have downsized collections,  sold armies, and just ignored the hobby. Eventually I come back to hobby.  My suggestions keep things you like and focus on those models.

 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Rather than getting rid of whole armies, perhaps downsizing each army? If you have a look at the size of an army from 2nd Edition, it looks a lot smaller than today's armies. If you've got larger armies, maybe reduce them to a Crusade-sized force? That way, you're not losing the army, just making it a manageable size? 

 

That doesn't help with the fact that you're enjoying smaller scale games, but it gives you an option of freeing up some space whilst still "keeping the army".

[Cenobite Terminator]

I’m not playing right now… I don’t particularly like the current rules. Same thing happened back during 7th edition. I did buy the Crusade book this past week and am planning to take a look soon. I feel no pressure to start playing again. I’ll wait until it looks enjoyable again for me. Personally I would like more flavor.

[Grotsmasha]

Have you heard of the coat-hanger trick for clothes? Basically at the beginning of the year, you hang all your clothes with the hanger hooked backwards on the rail, and when you wear something, you put it back with the hanger rotated. At the end of the year, anything still backwards gets donated, passed on etc.

The hobby equivalent of this would be to box your projects, and tape it closed, and write a year on the tape. Choose a time period for hobby projects, 2yrs seems reasonable, and reevaluate then.

 

[Interrogator Stobz]

1. Keep every painted mini. never sell those.

2. Sell everything else. except one unit.

3. Paint it.

4. Buy another.

5. Paint it.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. 

[N1SB]

Actually, I was really thinking about your situation, how you just put together your room.

 

Recently, Brother Evil Eye posted about how he did the opposite, he just packed up his Warhammer stuff as he's moving to a new house.  You see how it kinda mirrors your situation:

 

 

Credit to Brother Firestorm40k...he just pointed out the process of going over all that Warhammer stuff and the stress of moving house might be causing burnout.  Smarter people than me understand how this works, like there's an actual psychology to it; in the same way a body can be tired, the mind can be tired.

 

What I do know is this: that burnout, that tiredness, is often temporary.  You might just need time to rest your mind.  Until then, don't rush into a decision you may regret later.

[Frogian]

18 hours ago, Tyriks said:

That said - keep the armies you love. Rules will change and you might want to come back. At least wait and make sure you really want to sell it if the army is special to you!

The flip side of this is that if its unpainted, then there is nothing to stop you just buying it back. I've recently sold off loads of space marine stuff even though its my main army, because a) i don't want to play more than 2k, so don't really need 7k worth of points, b) i was never likely to get round to painting it anyway, and c) if i decide i really want what i sold i can just go and buy it. still got about 4k pts worth of stuff anyway!

 

So yeah, you might want to come back to it - but if you do, will you need 9 drop pods anyway? 

[DuskRaider]

I honestly feel the same way with the current state of the game and have considered the same. I’ve gone through this before and my advice is this: it’s okay to sell off your collection, but I would recommend holding on to one army (if you have multiple). Pick your favorite… one you’ve enjoyed painting and modeling, if you have one. I say this because you may hit a point where you need an outlet 40K related, even if you don’t have the time or energy to actually play the game.
 

GW may release a really cool new model or something for your favorite faction, and even if you have no intention of playing the game, you still want to paint it up or make something fun out of it. You never know, in a few years you may decide that you want to jump back in and having an army ready to go from the jump makes it easier to get back into it. 
 

I think everyone goes through this if they’re in the hobby long enough and that’s okay. It’ll be here waiting if you decide to change your mind, but in the meantime you need to do what’s best for you. 

[skylerboodie]

9 hours ago, Interrogator Stobz said:

1. Keep every painted mini. never sell those.

2. Sell everything else. except one unit.

3. Paint it.

4. Buy another.

5. Paint it.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. 

 aw man, if i did this i'd have to sell ~95%+ of my minis

[Emperor Ming]

 

Tried a sing along montage?

 

 

[Uprising]

Time to get back to everyone, and I am a bit humbled by the amount of support and comments.  Thank you.  

 

@Marshal Rohr Brutal, blunt, and simple as all Black Templar should be.  Thank you

 

21 hours ago, phandaal said:

One thing I notice there, and this is just an observation, is a large amount of models but a relatively small amount of painted models. Judging from your painting setup, it looks like painting is actually something you are interested in doing (as opposed to playing the Grey Tide), but with a backlog like that it probably feels overwhelming. Especially when your interest in the setting is not there to drive your hobby time.

@phandaal Most of my painted miniature / armies are either in the plastic containers (they are magnetized and great for storage), or in my bedroom within a display case.  I feel having the unpainted models out may inspire me to complete them as I hate unfinished projects.  This might have been my undoing.  The rest of the comment is good advice.  

 

@Tyriks Good advice

 

@N1SB Good advice.  I agree with you.  I done the competitive scene for a bit, and dislike my time.  I enjoy games for time with friends, seeing how thier doing, and the random stories that happen with the dices.  I think one of the biggest issues is since I moved, I do not have a friend group locally anymore.  The best I have is a friend that will travel 5 hrs a few time a year to play Battletech for a weekend. For me personally, I like making art, displays, and a story.  Its not rare for me to throw the rulebooks away, and just assemble the models. With the evil eye thread, you may have a point.  It was a long week.  

 

@gideon stargreave I know your pain.  I sold multiple armies / bits / projects.  Most I do not regret selling, but a few I still miss.  

 

@WAR Good advice

 

@Firedrake Cordova You might be on too something.  Do I really need 500 clanrats (wish I was joking)?  Do I need three companies of marines?  Do I need 400 guardsmen?  Good point.  

 

@Cenobite Terminator Good points and I share your pain.

 

@Grotsmasha Yes I have, ironically, I did it last year with my clothes and other materials in my house.  The only thing left for downsizing is my hobby.  One thing I did not mention (or take pics of) is my ebay space.  I been selling a bit of project this year, and I have currently 4 other armies with other smaller lot currently selling.  Even with the purge currently happening, I still feel I still have to much. 

 

@Interrogator Stobz Good point and idea.  

 

@FrogianGood idea, but I have a policy about buying armies again after I sold them.  Done it way too many times.  

 

@DuskRaider Good advice

 

@skylerboodie I know your pain

 

@Emperor Ming I have two nieces, and discover sing along montage rarely work.  

 

TLDR:  Thank you everyone for the advice.  I really appreciate it.  It is good to know I am not alone in this situation.  So the plan is to rid my current purge list, go through the hobby room again, give it a year, purge again, and start painting / posting WIP blogs again.

 

 

[Dr. Clock]

11 hours ago, Interrogator Stobz said:

1. Keep every painted mini. never sell those.

2. Sell everything else. except one unit.

3. Paint it.

4. Buy another.

5. Paint it.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. 

This is a good solution, if feasible.

 

I think the point I'd take from this overall is that if the mountain of grey is quite clearly many years from being completely painted to your personal standard, there's no particular reason to retain grey plastic, and most especially if there is different grey plastic you will paint that you can replace the older stuff with.

 

I play 40k 2-4 times a month now, and that matches the pace at which I can usually add something to an army to make it a little different from last time. If playing skirmish or RPGs, even better! Those games lend themselves to maximum variety in collecting, which adds to the fun for me. I'm probably 3:1 40k to DnD building and painting overall now, even if alot of the DnD stuff is undercover AoS at times lol.

 

I suppose I basically agree with Stobz that selling almost everything you haven't painted might lighten the load and grant you the space to focus on what you're now more passionate about... with the caveat that building up your ability to consistently finish projects might simply make it less likely that collection creep sets in again.

 

The trick I've learned is honestly not to even build anything I'm not going to paint directly, and not to game with anything I haven't completed. When you're starting out it's natural to get an army completely bought and built to get gaming... but repeating that process anew instead of actually painting your way through the army is often a shortcut to burnout. Psychologically, if it's on the table it can feel 'complete'. Once you've used it that way, it seems easy enough to just leave it grey and move on to adding more grey!.

 

These rules (standards?) for me were hard won over years, so I'm not trying to judge anyone harshly... I only learned to actually get things done consistently through some forced time away from the game and any distractions from my older collection or new releases. I spent 2 years abroad where the only hobby I had was what I could bring with me on an international flight. The minis I did in those years really improved my patience and precision through lack of distraction. That was where I fully developed the habit of painting daily.

 

The next big change was getting back into gaming when I returned, and raising my hobby standards again to fit with local standards. By that point I had a few reasonably complete armies, but the club I connected to helped me raise my aspirations, even though it was not always comfortable. Basically I did not touch any of my minis' bases until I joined that club... so that was the point where I committed to going back and dragging my collection forward to a higher standard, and only buying things I knew I was going to complete to the new standard. Now, I definitely base everything before it hits the table, and have gone back through all the older stuff just to base it.

 

Anyway - hope you figure out a good solution for yourself - it's funny roundabout thing this life of hobby!

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Doghouse]

I'm currently enjoying what I intend to be a very long break from the hobby although I do on occasion stop by here to look in and this topic peaked my interest.

 

I have packed it all away with the exception of my sculpting tools and put it all out of sight because at the end of the day the hobby isn't going to be going away anytime soon. While expensive for the most part the models retain most of their value so if you decide you prefer not having Warhammer in your life you can still sell. 

 

 

[Deus_Ex_Machina]

As Phandaal has noticed there are very few painted models on the shelf. Do the following in regards to swiftly painting stuff:

 

1. Put every unpainted model away in a box/drawer. The pile of shame only prevents you from taking a brush into your hand.

2. Designate either a tank-sized model or a squad of up to ten models as a hobby project and give it a fixed time until it should be completed. 

3. Paint a little bit each day to keep the progress going. This could mean you use a single colour on each model and then quit for the day, if you don´t have much time.

 

To your other concerns:

Put everything you don´t use now in a box and don´t sell it. In maybe ten years you are in a different mood and then you may have more time on your hand to work on those models. Rebuying that stuff in the future will cost an arm and a leg so don´t sell anything now.

 

 

[Marshal Mittens]

The hobby has many aspects. One you can do now is painting those Marines!

 

I started playing when I was like 14, back in 1999 or so. I stopped from like 16 to 18 because of a move and loss of friends whi played, played some in college, stopped for a bit, played but mostly painted for the first tour of my military career, played a lot at my second command, stopped for about 4 years, got back in it for 8th, painted a lot of armies, and now I don't have the hobby space to paint or time with 2 young kids, so my stuff is in storage, but i am excited for my retirement from the military to play again in about 2 years and to work on my forces. Now I just buy things that I want, and save them in my dream pile. 

 

Life has phases. One day you will have more time, and right now you seem to have the space. Some discords are great for painting because you can voice chat with others about the hobby while you paint. Or listen to a podcast. And painting those minis will get you excited to play them . 

[Tawnis]

For me, I was in a very similar situation to you back in 6th edition. I'd played since I was about 10 in 3rd and now I'd moved in with my girlfriend, had a full time job, the friends I used to play with had left the hobby and I wasn't all that fussed on the stagnation in the setting and rules at the time. However, I was so emotionally attached to my collection, I didn't want to part with any of it. So, I packed them all carefully away in boxes and put them into storage, and they sat there for many years. 

 

I was drawn back into the hobby at the very end of 8th edition and when I got back into things and my love for the hobby took off again now that I have a little more money to buy models, and a little more time to paint and play them, I was so happy that I never got rid of my collection and dove right back into things. (I'd done that once before with MTG and had always regretted it).  

 

My advise is that unless you really need the money, put them away for a while and step back form the hobby. In some time, perhaps years or even a decade later, you may regain your enthusiasm for it and be glad you kept everything. 

[Emperor Ming]

I was looking at the new kill team prices, £47.50 for ten striking scorpions, at this rate ill easily let go at some point

 

Converting that into gw Aussie currency value must require a very large abacus. one, two, miss a few, 99, 500 dollar

Edited December 20 by Emperor Ming