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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Mr. White on November 06, 2019, 03:13:18 AM

Title: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Mr. White on November 06, 2019, 03:13:18 AM
Has anyone bought up and painted all the minis for a game your group will be playing? Could be anything. Blood Bowl, Frostgrave, Gaslands, Warcry.

Anyone find themselves with friends who will game, but don’t buy or paint? All the upfront work on you.

If you’ve been here...how’d it work out? Still fulfilling to some degree?
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Etrangere1 on November 06, 2019, 06:18:40 AM
I definitely fall into that category.

I have done so for both AWI and War of the Roses settings.

I also generally end up umpiring, unless someone can't make it.

I still find it fulfilling though.

I assemble / paint miniatures as a way of actively relaxing.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: ced1106 on November 06, 2019, 06:50:11 AM
Pimping Gloomhaven (it's mostly standees). Finally putting to use miniatures I bought years ago.

Fulfilling in the sense that any painting makes you a better painter, and I finally have an excuse to buy those miniatures I wanted! :P
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Gabbi on November 06, 2019, 07:41:07 AM
It depends... for "regular" gaming, i.e. where we decide on a ruleset, everybody picks a faction an build an army, no. Each person is usually responsible of his own army. I may paint the occasional piece for someone else, or give someone a model to paint for me, just to break the monotony of painting one army in the same color scheme.

I can, however, paint all the models for games that are somewhat "finished". I have bought and painted all the models I have for Rumbleslam, but that's a boardgame more than a miniature game. You can see a few here: https://gabbigames.wordpress.com/tag/rumbleslam/

I also have modified and painted enough cars for Gaslands to supply 3 or 4 players, and I plan to do more. But some friends who especially enjoyed the game decided to make their own, at some point.

Also, I'm in the process of painting, as a side-project, some squad of sci-fi models for multiplayer games, atm I think I'll use Fistful of Lead. The idea is to make stat cards for them, and keep the game with the models as a "kinda of boardgame", ready to be put on the table when there's a chance to play a game (odd number of players, main game ended early, etc).
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: black hat miniatures on November 06, 2019, 08:41:54 AM
Nowadays I paint both sides for anything I do so I have a complete collection I can play with outside the club as well as on club nights.

I am starting to drift away from what most of the other people in the club do anyway as they are still using 15mm for a lot of periods and I have moved up to 20mm minimum...

Mike
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: N.C.S.E on November 06, 2019, 10:04:10 AM
As a completionist, I work on the assumption I'll be providing both sides.
Interest in my area doesn't normally run far enough to justify people buying and painting VSF or 3mm or 28mm WW1 or specific 15mm units for CoC. Hence I assume I have to provide them, and enjoy the experience of it. When its all my stuff, the victory is putting stuff down on the table, so I don't mind if I win or lose in those situations.

It's very liberating actually. I get more competitive if I'm using other people's, if it's both or half mine, I don't care. :)
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Dentatus on November 06, 2019, 01:53:14 PM
I host our weekly sessions, providing all the terrain and minis for our games, so that's my default setting. I have a decent selection that covers a variety of genres and settings, which means we're usually all set. I'm at a point in life where I can offer that and I'm happy to do so. The rest of the guys, not so much.

That said, someone wants to introduce a new game or setting not in my collection, that's on them.

If I'm going to run a demo at a local game day or after-school program, I arrive with everything painted, prepped, and ready to go.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Elbows on November 06, 2019, 03:41:54 PM
Yes, but then I also write half of the rules for games we play too!

I fell in with a group of older gamers after college who introduced me to the way I now hobby.  Firstly; painted miniatures only.  Do your part to not let the game atmosphere down.  Secondly; if you want to play something...you host it.  That means, terrain, miniatures, etc.  This allows everyone to play more games without buying into an arms race for each game (which is kind of a weird thing that's not terribly commonplace outside of large games like 40K).

If you love a game about a particular genre or time period...you host it, and if others like it they're welcome to partake and if they want to buy into the game as well, even better.

So if I host an Old West game, I provide the table, dice, rules, miniatures, etc.  All painted and ready to roll. Just show up - and bring snacks.  Same for dungeon crawling, or gladiators, etc.

The easiest way to introduce anyone to wargaming is to provide everything and simply let them try it.  It's too expensive and time-consuming of a hobby to just say "hey do you want to try this out?  Spend $150 and 20-40 hours and we'll give it a go!".

Also allows people who are not interested in joining the hobby to still play a game every now and then.  My brother has long been up for playing games, but he's never ever had the itch to join in collecting/painting, etc.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Mr. White on November 06, 2019, 04:47:12 PM
Thanks for all the feedback.

I think I’m about to undergo this with Blitz Bowl. I’m a BloodBowl fan going back almost 30years. I’m at a point now though where BB proper and a league just isn’t feasible. Plus, I know people I enjoy gaming with, but they don’t have interest in collecting and painting. Blitz Bowl seems like a solution to allow me to hobby in a universe I enjoy while also being able to get the fast playing games in.

I despaired at first, but your words here have been encouraging.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: robh on November 06, 2019, 05:28:42 PM
Another yes from me.  I paint both sides (all sides?) for every gaming collection I do.
Never used to until emigrating to Spain, but moved out here with a lorry full of armies and scenery which I could not use as I only had one side and no opponents. I am primarily a 15mm or 6mm gamer and the local club are 20mm fanatics.

Since then there has been some crossover but I now paint anything necessary for the games to make sure the game can happen.  I am happy to leave my stuff in its boxes if someone does turn up with their own Mordheim or IHMN warband but generally I provide everything.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Inkpaduta on November 06, 2019, 05:52:47 PM
Yes. That has pretty much my gaming experience. I can always find people to play but I do the painting and put on the games.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Cat on November 06, 2019, 08:35:42 PM
I paint up two or more sides for games for decades, works just fine here.  In one small group of friends, most of them don't enjoy painting like I do, and we all enjoy each others company and the gaming.
 
At the club, we all tend to specialise and each provide all, or most, of the figures for different games.  That's also a good way to ensure that all the needed figures make it to the club for the scheduled game and things aren't thrown for a loop if one player (and their needed figures) can't make it in that day.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: tin shed gamer on November 06, 2019, 09:32:36 PM
Another Yes.
Done so for around thirty year's. Especially since my local club seem incapable of believing you can buy 28mm without committing a cardinal sin.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Daniel36 on November 07, 2019, 12:57:26 PM
Pretty much. Or at least... I try. I painted a LOT of Mordheim models, both mine and from others, and painted up a lot of Frostgrave models and I am also working on all of the Necromunda gangs. But nowadays it's for the day my sons are old enough to play games with me. I kinda left the "scene".
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Marine0846 on November 07, 2019, 03:22:25 PM
I enjoy playing a lot of periods.
So I try to paint both sides.
Usually I paint enough figures to play a 2 vs 2 player game.
They seem to enjoy the games.
Most of the time nobody else is interested in painting that period.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: has.been on November 07, 2019, 04:47:10 PM
I now I try to have 'matched pairs' so that I can put on a game if my opponent
either can't  bring his troops or doesn't (yet) have any for that period/scale.

In the past I have helped others:-
Painted a whole division of 15mm Confederates for another club member.
They were to be used in an upcoming campaign. He moved before the campaign started;
Donated a load of figures to kick start a campaign. People took the figures, most
did nothing with them;
Made scenery for a campaign, only to see it never used;
Designed an entire fantasy world, to be used for a fantasy campaign that everybody
said they wanted to play in. Result 2 games in 12 months. I gave the detailed map to
the one player who had instigated both battles.

Does the above stop me 'helping' others?... No.
Does it make me a little bit more cautious?.... Yes.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: 6milPhil on November 07, 2019, 06:58:37 PM
Yep all the time, it's 6mil mainly so no great difficulty to any part of it.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Historiker on November 07, 2019, 07:10:42 PM
I currently have two very different gaming groups or circles and handle both according to their composition.

The first group are traditional tabletop wargamers and in that case all of us organize and paint our armies individually and only meet up to play.

The other group is very much a boardgame group with a few people being interested in playing miniature games. For this group I had to accept that I would basically build and paint everything. Since we play skirmish games that is no big deal however and I actually enjoy creating the full table and showing off (my mediocre painting skills).
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Bearwoodman on November 09, 2019, 11:39:53 AM
I play fantasy/sci-fi games with a couple of friends (and their children) who both enjoy the painting and modelling part of the hobby. As a result we each assemble our own forces (barring the occaisional loan of a painted figure or two to the opposion to fit the circumstances or scenario).

I am feeling increasingly inclined to try a historical game, however, and have purchased the Chain of Command rules. My friends have up to now shown no particular interest so my plan is to produce both sides and so they can give it a go without having to commit money or time. If my plan works they will become hooked and start recruiting their own platoon. If it fails then I will keep painting the occaisional WW2 figure or vehicle as a change from the usual subject matter, but the rules will probably just gather dust!
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: dadlamassu on November 09, 2019, 11:57:43 AM
Definitely.  Our group is small and two of us host almost all our games at our homes so the to of us do all the work.  That said, it is not unusual for other players to bring along a new game that neither of us do. 

Ever since I started (with one exception) I have bought, built and painted all of the combatants, terrain etc that is needed for our games with our children, grandchildren and club members.  This means I have a huge and varied collection.  I now have several collections that I would not otherwise have had - zombies, survivors, Martians, assorted aliens, the Hobbit etc.

Now our eldest son is keen on 28mm WW2 (Bolt Action and Chain of Command) and he buys the models, I build paint and store them just no while he is deployed on operational tours. 
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: syrinx0 on November 10, 2019, 01:40:01 AM
For a long time I was one of the guys who just showed up and used the painted miniatures available. Then I started painting and now have quite a few painted armies at our club.   
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: lethallee61 on November 10, 2019, 02:09:25 AM
Yes - but to the point where it's now lead to me having to give up the hobby because I just can't do it any more.

I love my gaming mates - we always have a great time when we get together, but I've lost count of the number of times I've wasted hundreds of hours (and many hundreds of dollars) trying to paint up sufficient forces to allow us to venture into an area that I'm personally interested in (Pulp, Old West. NWF, ACW), instead of just following along with the current popular group projects (Games Workshop, Flames of War, WWI etc).

It's not just the miniatures that you need to paint, it's also all of the accompanying terrain that makes it so expensive and time-consuming. With failing eyesight and a smaller income due to age, I just can't do it anymore.

So yes I have - but it's now actually destroyed the hobby for me.
Title: Re: Painting all the minis for the group
Post by: Sterling Moose on November 10, 2019, 09:26:56 PM
I used to move location every 2 to 3 years so could never guarantee being able to field my army if there was no opponent doing the same period/scale.  I would buy and paint up both sides.  These days I'm in one location but get to game so little that there is no motivation to paint anything   :(