The end is near... Farewell

Many might be mildly suprised by what I`m going to type down now, but bear me with me in the process and read along. I`m quitting, or better stated, seriously screwing down, on the Miniatures hobby. It`s over, and for real.

Yes it`s a wall of text, but bear with me as I go along the who`s and why`s.



First of all, this isn`t an overnight decision, but something I`ve been toying around with in my head for a year now, basically since I returned from Salute last year. Here`s the deal namely, bottomline is I have three `major` hobbies, and all three of them require a serious investment.

I really don`t even dare to count how many euros, dollars and pounds I`ve flooded into the economy...

... and I don`t even dare to count AT ALL how many of that was useless.



See, I got like three main hobbies, those being

* Collecting Saint Seiya Myth Clothes. I`m a fan of the first hour (a SERIOUS fan to boot) of the Chevaliers du Zodiaque series and my whole affection with anime flows right out of that cartoon ever since it launched on `Club Dorothee` way back in 1986 - 1987. I was like 8 years old and it had that profound imprinting on my development into the world.



* Wargaming Miniatures. Been doing this for 20 odd years, starting out like so many with Warhammer (1994 or so, it where Chaos Dwarfs... the same one I still field today) and dribbed and drabbed into other games, era`s, wings, whatever you wanna call it since then.



* Magic the Gathering. I was present and already `decked` when the big hype began overhere with Revised Edition. I quit for years after the Tempest block, but it rekindled my intrest slightly over a year ago again as a `filler game` for the last hour or so at the clubhouse. It grew from there again and I entered playing small local tournaments.

So, the Myth clothes are out of the question to stop with, that left either the miniatures or the cards to go...

I had long talks with various people, inside and outside the hobbies the past weekend. I talked with Tom S. from the Far Side for an inside view. Heikki and Tom DG from TSA (who aren`t regular wargame opponents of me, so that gave a good exterior view). I talked to my `BFF` (oi, single does not mean celibate) who doesn`t get the `hobbies` but catches my `psyche` drives. I even talked, of all people, to my mother who thinks it is all for a bunch of coocoo`s and the likes, and still regrets I never took on a `normal` hobby like cooking or football.

The points I threw on the table where these:

* In wargaming amidst my regulars I`m `upper class` material, being an above average to good player managing to win about 75+ percent of my games. This is actually not fun, as you don`t get many challenges on the long road. My Nemesis beats me about 50/50, Tom S and Sgt Looney about 1 in 4... and the rest, really no offense intended guys, I love you all still, is out of my League. Arrogant? Perhaps, but those are the sheer numbers.

* In Magic, I`m a nobody still. I don`t know half the cards or combo`s yet, got a steep learning curve to go still, and turn at around only 33%. Good enough to be a better rookie, but far away from the money shots. And I love this. Masochist? Perhaps, but those are the sheer numbers.

* The people. I kinda like the Outpost community and mentality, they are a bit like lil` moi in their manners of acting and playing, enjoying a drink as well as having just that `no holes barred` approach once seated and paired. This is something fine in my book, play on the edge, be joyfull afterwards. It`s different in wargames, not that that is a bad thing, but, I can`t really put my finger on it, it`s different.



But those aren`t the main reasons, the most important factor that has brought me to the decision is this one:

Wasted Money

Okay, your not doing investments in either hobby, your loosing out in the end after all, and the real investment you do is trying to have a good time, enjoy yourself and be able to relax even in a stressful way. None professional, non homerelated stress is good stress. Okay, you can go over the top in any hobby, but let`s think this as a post for `normal` people now would we.

But the last years have been expensive in Miniature Land and it has all been for naught. The amount of plannings has gone through the roof compared to whatever actually turned out okay, it must be the Warhammer alone that actually took off after hiatusses, but all the rest... zilch, zippo, de nada.

An example, some of the more obscure plans and bought rulebooks, models, etc etc...

* Super System: I have over 500 heroclix, almost 150 repainted already... and have played 1 game with them so far in the span of a year

* Future War Commander: The campaign crashed big time, the game followed swiftly due to just to much rulebending and downright cheating, leaving me feel `urgh` about them

* Anime Tactics: okay, doesn`t count, I bought those rulebooks because I love the range like I do with the Soda Pop models.

* Warhamer 40.000: burn that crap, that isn`t a game, that`s a Space Marine promotional vehicle.

* Uncharted Seas: 1st edition, second edition, painted up fleet... and after 2.5 years still zilch, nothing, done with them. Apart from `sure we`re gonna play it`. I ain`t bothering anymore, the books go, the fleet stays as part of my Chaos Dwarf force for `looks` alone.

* Warhammer: SUCCESS. That I keep playing, and even then, I would never have sold off my beloved Chaos Dwarfs anyways, they are stuck to me like a bee to honey, being the first army ever bought and such.

* ACTA Starfleet: I`m a trekkie, yet can`t seem to get fired up anymore in gaming it. Having played it for years with my own mod for the Bab5 setting, it has waned in intrest. The new rules don`t get me fired up for some reason, and this actually was a good indicator for me that I`m `slipping out` of wargaming.

* Fields of Glory: impulse buy and silly boo-boo on my part. Nothing to blame, out they go again

* Tomorrow`s War and 15mm scifi: I should have actually played the game before buying, in the end as I said in the batrep I`m not to wild on the rules and why I even bought 3 armies is beyong me actually...

and so it goes on and on and on... that`s a lot of investments made for nothing to be honest...

And there is one last thing speaking to the benefit of the Magic cards opposed to the miniatures: space. Sheer, nothing fancy storage space...

So what happens now

Well, let me state one thing clearly, I`m not completely quitting the wargame hobby, nor can TSA pop the champagne because they finally have gotten rid of me. I am however going to build off my collections. Over, I dunno, the next half year or so probably I`ll be busy sorting out and cobbling together all odd things and ends and be looking for adoptive parents for them. And to clean out the library and the dvd closets at first, working my way through the other closets as I go on.

It has been good, it has been fun, but it is all but over nowadays. At times, I even have to force myself to go to the club, not because of people or atmosphere, but just because I don`t feel like going and playing anymore.

So what am I keeping for sure

* My Chaos Dwarfs. And I will be expanding on them as well. Until eternity. I just love these guys and I can easily get a WFB game in if I feel like playing something.

* My Heroclix models. I`m a Marvelista. I have loads of comics for a reason hehehe.

* My Gundams and other soft plastic prepaints to repaint. See Heroclix basically.

* Anima Tactics / Relic Knights. Anime stuff is cool. Period

* Blood Bowl. Still best game ever, and you don`t need whole closets to store and display a few teams.


But I guess that`ll be about it honestly, the rest will, without remorse, be getting the cut and I`ll see where I`ll be going from there on.
Will I ever regret this? Might be, but I doubt it.



Will I close down the blog and all? Of course not, still got plenty to paint, plenty to rant, plenty to report.
What will you do at Salute then? Shopping of course, just more focussed instead of all on impulse.
Will you still love us little wargamers? Ow, come here and give me a hug you little chowchow.

But let`s end this with a fitting song, gather around now and sing along...