I originally put together this post as a contribution to the Paint All the Minis website, as I did for my last post. Last time, I provided a copy-and-paste direct from my blog, and it worked OK, but the site's format really needed a few more editing steps to present a quality layout and photo resolution. I really can't afford the extra time to the necessary steps on my side, so I think I'm going to bow out of that initiative. But, hey, we gave it a go to see if it would work out. Best to learn early on.
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| Work In Progress. A Dust model to proxy for Konflikt '47. |
So here are the photos of works-in-progress that I provided for the post. And I offered a topic of conversation as well -- one person's decision-making process for an "omni-hobbyer"!
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| Work In Progress. Stark Sworn Swords for Song of Ice and Fire. The primer came out gritty, and the figures are very dark. Not too pleased with them, actually. |
I have drifted among a multitude of games and figure ranges as a hobby butterfly. For each of them, some aspect or another attracts me, but rarely has something checked all my boxes. So now I just revel in the thrill of the hunt itself, and I accumulate an absurd amount of rulebooks and models -- confident that I will...someday...read, paint, and play all of them!
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| They probably look better from behind. Which is nice, because that's the angle that I will see them on the tabletop! Overexposure to the light helps see the colors a little better. They look pretty grim, in real life. |
With far too many projects and games beckoning for attention, I have settled on a method to tackle it all and avoid feeling overwhelmed. I keep several assembly/painting projects going simultaneously, and I decide which one to work on for any given session based on some mix of the following three things, in no particular order:
1. What my game-group is playing
My game-group consists of omni-hobbyers, too, as it so happens. They typically concentrate primarily on one game that has caught the group's fancy, but they maintain a few games in rotation. For example, right now, the new hotness is Gaslands, but we keep Konflikt '47 and Frostgrave in the mix. In the background we have Kings of War, Song of Ice and Fire, Bolt Action, and Ghost Archipelago. Once in a while, I'll toss something into the mix, like Pulp Alley or Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game.
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| Many projects on-the-go! The container shows figures for Burrows & Badgers. I'm especially looking forward to trying out that game! |
2. What I expect my next, upcoming event or game to be
I may need to add a unit to an army for an escalation league; paint a bust or diorama for a painting competition; paint a gift for a friend; prepare for a game at a convention; make some terrain for a scenario; etc. There are a lot of upcoming events, either near-term or far ahead in the schedule, for which I need to plan. But I try to avoid pressuring myself for these events. I can lower my painting standard, or I can forego an event entirely and bow out of it (making sure first that it doesn't inconvenience anyone else).
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| A close-up of my first paint-job for Burrows & Badgers. |
3. What I'm in the mood to do
Sometimes, you just have to follow your urges. What is calling out to you? Sometimes it's something that is sitting in the current project list, and sometimes it's something that is far in the backlog. Sometimes, it's a new purchase, and you want to hit it while the fire is hot. Conversely, I'll put a project aside for a while, if it is no longer calling to me.
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| Pyg Bushwhackers, painted for a scuttled venture into Company of Iron. When a figure range falls to the wayside, I have the convenient option that I can always use figures for my own game, Mini Mayhem! |
So there you have it. The rambling thoughts of a rambling omni-hobbyer. How do you decide what to work on?
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| Defeated in the last game, but they will be returning with a vengeance! I need to paint more Mordor forces for pick-up games at Adepticon. Plus, there is some pick-up of the new release of the game in the Southeast region (Nashville, Atlanta, Ashville, et al). One of the key organizers visited Huntsville to play a game at our Game Day. Maybe it will spark more local interest as well! |
