Miniature catastrophe - Major heartbreak.

My name is Shelly and I have a problem. I am addicted to collecting models.


This isn’t such a strange statement for a gamer to come up with. We all know we buy more miniatures than we can paint. Some of us are actually good when it comes to controlling the habit. Others aren’t. You hear it all the time down your local club about the numerous painting projects this guy has or the number of models that guy bought ages ago but still hasn’t used. I use both of these frequently. Like many gamers, I have (or had – read on) several armies/forces from different systems:

Warhammer - Dwarfs
40k - Dark Angels, Imperial Guard and Necrons
Necormunda Ratskin Renegades and Van Saar
Infinity - Yu Jing and Combined Army
Monsterpocalypse - Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes – Monsterpocalypse
Warmachine - Protectorate of Menoth
Malifaux - Outcasts
The sad thing is this hobby can make gamer do really impulsive things as there is always something new to try. Since attending the Cross Gaming Club for the last year and a bit, I have been sucked into new gaming systems. Before that I was a proud and devoted Dark Angel player with an army worth over 11000 points. I won’t detail everything here but it does have a full battle company and many, many tanks. Initially, I was aiming to collect a whole chapter which was obviously inspired by the pictures of the entire Ultramarines chapter featured in White Dwarf. Naturally this would take an enormous amount of time and is definitely more than varied enough to play a simple 2000 point, but achieving that goal would have been so great! Of course there would be a lot of time to devote to the painting of the chapter. Out of my 11000 or so points I would only guess that approximately 15% was fully painted and based, while another 70% was either base coated only or in the middle of being painted. As I’ve said before in previous posts, I don’t have a lot of patience for painting. And this isn’t helped when other ideas/projects come up. And neither does not having a competitive Codex. Under the new rules, it seems that non-regular Space Marine armies have suffered under the new 40k rules. I love my Dark Angels as they are my first army but this left me feeling slightly jaded.
Which is why I decided to wait for the next Codex to come out by starting a side project to spice things up a bit. After looking into (lusting after) both the Necron and Tau armies (this took a lot of thought), I went for the Necrons. The deciding factor was that they would suit my painting style, i.e. very little skill needed. Most of them have just been base coated in Boltgun Metal and then sprayed with Devlan mud or Badab Black. Shoulder pads and face masks have been lightly painted with either Red Gore or a very dark blue mixed with Mithril Silver, and other small details have been picked out (scarab design on the chests and wire from the weapons). By doing this, I would say that 80% of my 6800 point force is fully painted. I am very happy about this. But again I am feeling a bit jaded with them. So with the Necrons facing the same Codex issues, I was happily whisked off into another project.
I fell heavily into Warmachine during the first couple of months of playing at Cross Gaming Club. Watching everyone else play just kinda sucked me in. I took a look and fell head over heels for the Protectorate of Menoth. After a year of more or less using them every week and buying lots of minis solidly each month, I now have a stupidly large force (nearly 200 points with six casters – 7 if you count the epic version of Kreoss). I am still very focused on building on this. Painting has gone mostly ok but I still think that I’ve only painted under 50% of these guys. The good thing about this army is that I haven’t lost interest. Moving into the MKII rules hasn’t dulled what is a great game, I haven’t had a bad experience yet.
Alongside Warmachine, I have also looked at playing Infinity and Malifaux. I have a couple of starter boxes for both games but haven’t really used either, I have only had one game of Malifaux. Neither of these have seen even a sniff of paint. I like the different styles of play of these games and will hope to get some game time soon. At the moment, these starter forces are going to stay starter forces. I am not going to expand just yet.
I also decided to make a go of starting a Dwarf Warhammer army. I’ve always liked the Dwarfs and the first ever GW blister I bought (and painted!) was Dwarf Crossbowmen. I’ve always had a few minis but not enough to make a legal force. I did have at one point a legal force, but lost a full case of minis (which included all sort – Dwarfs, Guard, Dark Angels, even a Lord of Change!) while moving flats one time. So over the last fifteen years or so this small throng has just gathered dust. Plus I’ve never had an opponent to play with and when I started attending the club I had other interests. Just before Christmas last year, I was given an opportunity to get the Dwarfs operational by buying a big box of them of a fellow club goer. This no doubt would have made my throng legal. But then, GW decided to release the 8th edition rules which kinda put me off a little. So they stayed in their box, partially painted by someone else.
One other game I have glossed over is Monsterpocalypse. This appealed to me so much. Where else can you actually play a game that unfolds just like a big monster b-movie? Also, and this was the biggest draw of them all, the minis are all pre-painted plastic! After much hype, I have only played two games. Unfortunately there isn’t a great amount of interest at CGC, so my large force (which I built up alongside my Menoth force) is just sitting on the bench.
This pretty much illustrates my collection and my compulsiveness. I’m sure there are lots of fellow gamers in similar situations. But the compulsiveness came to light after an argument with the wife when she found out how much I had spent over the past year. When put together, the sums that I had spent each and every month prove to be really quite terrifying. For the same amount I could have got myself some driving lessons and a decent used car. It’s not really about the money, but it’s more that I felt I had to hide these purchases from my other half which led to the argument. Anyway as a result of my ‘strike two’, ‘I am trimming the fat’ in my collection. I had a good hard look at what I own and drawn up a list of the armies/forces I will keep (the ones I will use frequently and have a current interest in). The rest (ones that I am quite positively not going to use for some time) will go. I am slowly selling them on eBay a bit at a time. Again, it’s not about recouping some of the money I wasted, but about having only what I need as a gamer. Plus there will be a lot more space at the back of the wardrobe.
So here’s who and what made the cut:

Dwarfs – GONE - I was never going to continue with the Dwarfs anytime soon and it was just a silly pipe dream. They were the first army I really liked and maybe one day I’ll make a good go of collecting my own throng.
Dark Angels – GOING – My first full army with a lot of time invested in them. A lot of good games as well were had. Both DA and Necrons both suffered a little under the new rules, but I think the Necrons will have more chance of being sorted out first.
Imperial Guard – MOSTLY GONE – It was a nice idea, but I don’t think I would really have gone for a full Guard army. I only would have used them as allies, but that would not have been too frequently.
Necrons – STAYING PUT – See DA
Ratskin Renegades and Van Saar – BOTH STAYING PUT – just waiting for the next Necromunda campaign at the club.
Yu Jing and Combined Army – BOTH STAYING PUT – Haven’t started this game yet, but will definitely do so once the current Warmachine/Hordes campaign is over.
Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes – ??? – totally undecided about this lot. I would love to play this game some more, but would also just fancy keeping them as they look really great. This one needs some more thought.
Protectorate of Menoth – DEFINITELY STAYING – this army, and game, has really dug it’s claws into me.
Outcasts – DEFINITELY STAYING – Only just started!

This has a been a heart-breaking but cathartic exercise, but it feels slightly odd as all I’ve ever seemed to have done was horde stuff. I hope now that I can view minis in a more serious way. It’s great to have the flexibility in my forces, but most of the time it’s just surplus to requirements. I still feel the urge to splash out on a new unit or three, but know I have to be a lot more sensible about the hobby. Also, more discipline is needed when it comes to painting/modelling, I should have listened to my wife when she said I should only get more minis when I have painted the first ones! It is only a hobby after all and I can think of other things in my life that should take precedence over this.

My Menoth future

I am quite happy with my Menoth force currently and I have a fairly solid plan of what I wish to add in the future. At least I did until the forces of Menoth book came out. I’ve looked at it, especially the tiered lists for each warcaster, and found myself changing my mind.
I think I will continue with next months plan and get both the Temple Flameguard and new Exemplar Errant unit attachments along with a Castigator. But after that, I was looking at either getting the Exemplar Bastions or Cinerators. Instead, I might get another unit of Zealots due to my purchase of Vindictus and the High Reclaimer this month. They both seem to work best with plenty of infantry (Vindictus especially because of his feat).
I may also look to get another unit of Exemplar Errants. I have found them to be quite useful and will look to be even more useful with their new unit attachment and Seneschal. I do like the idea of an all Exemplar force led by Kreoss.
Before MKII, I was thinking about pairing a Castigator with a unit of Flameguard Cleansers as they could be used as ‘holy hand grenades’ which is seemed just as much fun as Zealots’ grenades all deviating wildly (I do find it fun in a way that is full of character).
I also wanted to get a few Mercenary solos, which I have done by ‘hiring’ Gorman di Wulfe, Doc Killingsworth, Rhupert Carvolo and (when he arrives) Orin Midwinter. I would love to hide Gorman amongst the Zealots. In my last game, I got the Zealots to charge a heavy warjack, and they actually gave it quite a bit of pain. With Gorman in tow, they can take advantage of his Black Oil grenade and let fly with plenty of firebomb goodness. I haven’t had the chance to use Rhupert yet, but I am aware of what he can do. But I am now a little disappointed with Killingsworth under MKII. Under MKI, he would have been a great solo to follow my warcaster around and grant Tough and have the opportunity to heal d6 points of damage. Now it seems that he can only provide these services to Faction models. So he may have to wait until I get the urge to start a Mercenary force or I might just sell him on.
In the far future (or at least before the end of the year), I would really like to start a Skorne force for Hordes. I want something that would be a complete contrast from Menoth, and maybe Skorne will fit in with that. I do like the big Titan warbeasts. Also, they are red and gold which are the same colour as my Menoth (I don't like the idea of Menoth White which is in all the fluff). Additionally, red and gold(en yellow) is the colour of my Praetorian Imperial guard. Maybe I can do my Dwarf throng in red and gold. Why don't I repaint my Necrons red and... no! Forget it! They were hard enough to paint as it was hard enough - one sprayed coat of Boltgun Metal, one cup of tea, one sprayed coat of Devlan Mud wash, another cup of tea, and then find something else to do until I can be bothered to do the details.
Distractions aside, I’ve come up against Hordes armies a few times before and enjoyed the look of them. I remember playing a game against Skorne last year and just almost soiled myself when I saw what I was up against. But I really should put this plan to the back of my mind. As I have several other gaming interests all on the go.

A flurry of activity.

After some absence from gaming, I'm back. But I find myself troubled.

My gaming brain has been led astray by the many gaming systems I wish to involve myself in. This year, I’m starting off with Necromunda as there is a bit of a campaign going on at the club. I was fortunate to be part of it as I started while I was away on my honeymoon. But then someone dropped out. A fellow gamer, Marcus, immediately put my name forward as a replacement. The organisers said yes, but only if I took over the Ratskin gang of the guy who dropped out. I accepted, but was disappointed not to be able to use my Van Saars. So now I’m playing with a totally new gang (but having said that, even if I used my Van Saars’, it would be like playing with a new gang because I haven’t played Necromunda for over a decade). But then the idea struck me, that when the campaign is over I would have to give the gang back to their rightful owner. I would have a small gap in my heart without them. So I did something bad. I went to evilBay and scored myself a lot of Ratskins! This means that I can replace the gang with my own models (maybe change the names) and keep the gang alive. I hope this isn’t a foolish thing to do. At the same time, I am also thinking about beefing up my Van Saars. I am most likely going to add some reinforcements.
Next on the list, is Monsterpocalypse. I have been building up my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes forces at a very steady rate. I now have more monsters to choose from (including a lot of Mega forms and Quantum King Kondo!!!) and a fairly flexible amount of units. I am hoping to get some games in down at the club soon. I now have made the conscious decision to not spend anything on MonPoc until Series 5 is released in a couple of months time. This is because I would like to get back into Warmachine.
Recently I purchase the Warmachine MKII rulebook and Menoth MKII card deck. All I need now to carry on the momentum would be a new warjack or unit. This would be ideal when the Necromunda campaign finishes. But then, this will be undermined by yet another gaming system. Infinity.
I have seen a few games of Infinity being played at the club recently and it looks to be a slightly more tactical game. I’ve been looking at the models for the various forces and have been taken in by either the Combined Army or the Yu Jing (most likely Yu Jing). This would mean getting a starter box and possibly the rulebook (I may just keep with a pdf that I printed). But starting with a new gaming system, means less time for 40K.
I will be adding some Destroyers and Warriors to my already large Necron force. This would be really great, as I like playing with an armada of Destroyers. They can really cause some problems during some games. While on the subject of 40K, I am still waiting for the Dark Angels to get a new lease of life in the shape of a new Codex (hopefully). Until then, I have quite foolishly entertained and old idea to have a small force of Deamonhunters. There have been a couple of deals recently (one at the club and one on evilBay) that I just missed out on, that really could have started this off. So now this idea goes back onto the shelf in the back of my mind. With all of these gaming paths to follow, I almost forgot about Warhammer Fantasy.
At the end of last year, I bought a load of Dwarfs that will make my own small force (heh) into a much larger (and legal) throng. I even bought the rule book as well. Who knows when I‘m going to get the time to learn how to play this amongst other games.

As a result, I just have no idea how this year is going to pan out. I think I have worked out a priority list of what I want to do, but that might be thrown out the window fairly quickly. One thing is for sure, the year will start with Necromunda.

No games over the Holidays, and now no games for a couple of months.

After making several calculations, I can safely say that I will not play a single tabletop game until late February. This is due to my Honeymoon at the start of February and the need to save every penny for a bit of spending money. Having said that, this didn't stop me from buying the 40k and Warhammer rulebooks and a dozen Monsterpocalypse models as soon as payday came around. But this could probably have been spent on going to the club every week.
Now all I can do is go home after my French classes and go through the rulebooks. Which is actually a sensible thing to do as I don't think, in all of my gaming history, I have ever entirely read any set of rules and got them stuck in my head. I might actually win every now and then if I do.

State of Play 2010.

The festive holidays are here, which means a fair bit of must be devoted to family. This, in turn, means a lot less time devoted to gaming. Which is a shame really as I do not want to end the year with a loss (damn those untrustworthy rusty Necrons). Having said this, I think that another game between now and New Year is not going to happen.
So it has to be time to look to the future. In the coming year, I seriously hope to not lose as much and I aslo seriously hope to actually read some rulebooks and get things to stick in my mind. I also hope to take part in another tournament or two. This would most likely be for either Warmachine or 40k (the Tanelorn London Riots was good fun), but I would be open to other themed tourneys. Campaigns at the Cross Gaming Club will be a must and I hope to take part in as many as I can.
As for the collecting side of things, I will be hopefully be making a few purchases here and there:

• I'm not going to add to my Dark Angels. They don't need anything else, unless a new Codex comes out with some spanking new must-have models.
• I want to add some more Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers to my Necrons. Maybe some Warriors as well. I think I have enough Elite units to cope.
• As I have just made a significant Dwarf purchase, I now have a LEGAL force that I can use. New units here and there will be a must.
• My Protectorate of Menoth have what sounds like a cool unit to be released soon, so I may have to get me some of those. I still want a Castigator and a Fire of Salvation, and possibly a new Warcaster too!
• I will definately add to my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes for MonPoc. I will hope to play more games in the New Year.
• One of my friends has a blister of Van Saar Gangers and one of Juves that I'm hoping to take off of his hands. May try and find a Bounty Hunter and/or Scum to add to the fun.

As usual, there isn't going to be much painting being done but a little more effort will be made. I can't wait to get back into the gaming.

Why did I do that for?

Like any other gamer, I play in a few different systems. Actually, it's only since I've been attending Charing Cross Gaming Club that I have branched out into other systems. Before, I was just loyal to 40K with my Dark Angels and Necrons. But now, I play Warmachine with my Menoth, Monsterpocalypse with my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes. In the past, I have also collected Fantasy Dwarfs and Warriors and Daemons of Chaos, but those flirtations never became any thing.
Until now! I managed to get rid of my Chaos horde (all those Warriors, Knights and Horrors) but for some reason kept my Dwarfs. I have seen an opportunity to make my Army of Smaller Persons into an actually legal force. I have never played Fantasy. I had no inclination to play Fantasy. So why did I agree to take on even more Beardy Midgets? I have trouble remembering the rules for 40k and Warmachine. I've just started to take MonPoc a bit more seriously and also don't want to lose touch with Necromunda. So why do I have the urge to start playing with Dwarfs?

I guess I have all of next year...