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Author Topic: Downsizing Due to Age  (Read 7129 times)

Offline Unlucky General

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #30 on: July 31, 2020, 08:59:58 AM »
Lords above ... NO. Maintain your rage comrades! I'm near 54 and am waiting for my retirement to launch at it like never before. The only thing holding me back is pesky career and family guff.

I'm planing to upscale residences next year and as far as I'm concerned I'm buying a wargames hall with a residence wrapped around it.

On a slightly more sober note, fellow gamers may value parts of my collection but my family will have no idea or use for it and the 'value' will be zero on the moment of my demize. I did shed my extensive magazine collection three years ago - into the skip. I realised it represented an emotional and historical investment over time but had held no genuine residual value.

I paint and build constantly and I create volumes of stuff. It does create space issues. My own father (82) has a particular issue with his own peculiar collections - including a 12' tall pipe organ and a pianola with a library of scrolls. He threatens me that if I'm not nice to him he'll leave me the lot in his will.

I plan on being buried - entombed and surrounded with my armies like an emperor with my own terracotta army.

Rage against the night!

Offline vodkafan

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #31 on: July 31, 2020, 01:43:29 PM »
Since growing older only means a growing distance between one's fysical age (in my case 74) and one's mental age (I estimate somewhere below thirty ;-)) I have chosen to seduce possible heirs - my grandchildren. So I have painted approximately eighty WW II US soldiers, including a tank, and am now finishing about as many Germans as opponents (with a large cannon). All 1/72 plastic. He already took the Americans to school to proudly show them. He is eight years old, his brother is ten. I am sure I can get them to the dark side !

It's going to break your heart when they hit their teens and drift away from wargames! But on the other hand they are probably going to remember those priceless times they had with grandad. So it's time well spent.
My own grown up children constantly surprise me with memories of odd times I spent with them doing things which I don't remember as being really memorable or important at the time but they say are really profound recollections for them. 
I am going to build a wargames army, a big beautiful wargames army, and Mexico is going to pay for it.

2019 Painting Challenge :
figures bought: 500+
figures painted: 57
9 vehicles painted
4 terrain pieces scratchbuilt

Offline FierceKitty

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #32 on: August 01, 2020, 01:47:41 AM »
61 next month; wouldn't dream of parting with my lead entourage. In fact, just starting a Dacian/Sarmatian alliance army. Positively the last new force, however, unless I can't resist WOTR, Lepanto fleets, 17th century imperial Germans, Tibettans, Hittites, or T'ang (if anybody ever makes those last in 10mm), and maybe Normans. Oh, and Hussites look sooo good....
The laws of probability do not apply to my dice in wargames or to my finesses in bridge.

Offline Jacksarge

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #33 on: August 01, 2020, 03:11:48 AM »
Downsizing is definitely going to depend on your circumstances, family & friends. I have an adult son who has built his own collection of miniatures & may have some use for my stuff when I'm gone - but at the very least he knows it's worth something. If my wife & I had to move into a smaller house then I would probably have to part with more stuff, either that or replicate it all in micro scales  :)
From time to time I sell stuff on or give it away as I lose interest in something, and often haven't used the miniatures or books for years. It can be a relief to lighten the load, and if I make back a few $ I could choose to invest in something new that does interest me.

Offline Muzfish4

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #34 on: August 02, 2020, 01:36:06 AM »
I can't see me downsizing in the next decade or more as I'm looking to retire from full time work (probably keep a part time gig of one sort or another going just to interact with the rest of the world) in six or seven years time. At that stage I'll hope to be gaming regularly and making a small indentation on the lead (and plastic and resin) mountain.

My two young lads are both enjoying their painting and gaming so hopefully they'll be able to divide them when I go to Lead Valhalla. As noted above, they'll probably drop out of this in teens and twenties (as I did) but it'll all be there when they're a bit settled and are ready to get back into it. Even if they don't, well, they'll still have memories of gaming and painting together which is great.

I still drop some cash on new shiny things and make a half-baked start to projects that peter out but always with the possibility of being restarted down the line.

Offline syrinx0

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #35 on: August 03, 2020, 03:14:59 AM »
I plan on being buried - entombed and surrounded with my armies like an emperor with my own terracotta army.

My wife would probably be fine with that.  Not sure it would all fit though.  lol
2024: B: 0; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline FramFramson

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #36 on: August 03, 2020, 06:14:36 PM »
"We're gonna need a bigger coffin!"


I joined my gun with pirate swords, and sailed the seas of cyberspace.

Offline FifteensAway

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #37 on: August 05, 2020, 05:33:22 AM »
Knocking on 63 (less than a month to go) with retirement in less than 16 months if all goes as planned.  Trying to be rid of stuff but it is a hard barrier to cross. 

I have been more successful with focusing on 3 primary collections: American War for Independence, Old West/Pony Wars, and my Slightly Cracked Colonials (a bit of African Exploration, a bit of German East Africa - hopefully - a bit of Boxer Rebellion and more with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs kept to Earth). 

Challenge is those three collections probably near 14,000 total pieces which is a bit less than half of what I own - and I have been buying more stuff lately (to finish things off mostly, plus German East Africa to wrap up my last collection).  Person, animal, or 'vehicle' (like guns) all count as one.  Maybe all told 34,000 pieces in the collection! 

Like others, I hope to be vastly more productive in retirement.  But I also recognize that with everything painted plus terrain I'd need at least twice the space I'm currently utilizing for storage.  The space is there but the wife would be very put out if I tried to use it as in put out on the street (not a desirable option  lol)!

And the often undiscussed element.  If I had all of my collections fully painted, all the buildings and scenery finished, and I was fully retired, how would I find time to play all the periods, at least fourteen, as well as maintain an interest group of like-minded gamers?   

The collecting was fun and worthwhile for me personally, expense notwithstanding, but reality does need to rear its head to retain a semblance of sanity.  Though some say that boat has long ago sailed!  :D

Offline mcfonz

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #38 on: August 05, 2020, 04:35:05 PM »
Perhaps it is age, but I think it is more down to circumstances.

My was recently found unwell with leukaemia and is not expected to live longer than 2yrs. Now, whilst we are now thankful for every minute we have with him, I am also reflecting upon some of his circumstances and similarities with my own.

He has a lot of stuff, and I mean, a lot. And most of it isn't hugely useful to me or my sister. 20+ fishing rods and reels, fly tying gear etc. Amongst other things. Now he lives 400 miles away and sadly has neglected to look after his home so much of the stuff there will have to be binned. And it's going to be difficult for us to sort out easily really so no doubt, some items of note will probably be lost in the maelstrom.

I had already started a cull on my gaming room, but the discovery of rising damp has ushered in a much more ruthless approach.

At 38, I need to redress my approach and focus more. A lot of projects that I never started on or never finished are going to go. I have passed on my old white dwarf collection to my sisters fiance. Any odds and ends that fit with gaming friends armies have been passed onto them.

I have a new resolve to not hoard such huge piles of unpainted stuff that I will have lost interest in by the time I get round to painting them. I still don't have a good enough range of terrain and space is taken up by armies I haven't used or won't be using.

Sometimes life has a way of asking you what you are waiting for? What do you plan to do? What do you want?
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Offline Blackwolf

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #39 on: August 05, 2020, 09:49:26 PM »
Sad to hear Mcfonz. If I was in England I'd help you out,long standing fly fisherman,tier,guide and teacher. 
May the Wolf  Walk With You
http://greywolf1066.blogspot.com.au/

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Offline Cypher226

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #40 on: August 06, 2020, 03:53:07 PM »
I'm probably the younger end of the age range here along with Mcfonz, but my attitude to parting with stuff is hardening.  I've finally managed to get the missus to acknowledge the scale of the rpg book collection is vast while we play either homebrew or one of a very small number of settings, so for example the d&d 3-3.5 stuff is to be cleared and replaced with a much smaller number of d&d5 books - which will occupy much less shelf space. Still vacillating on Vampire though, lots of memories tied up in those books.

In turn I'm downsizing my 40k stuff to Custodes, Mechanicus and one more to be determined (probably bad guys), and going to clear out a ton of other stuff that will likely never see paint or the table.  Other than that it'll be skirmish games/up to company size only in the future I think.

Watch the Bazaar in the next few weeks....

Offline _Si_

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #41 on: August 06, 2020, 04:52:52 PM »
I'm only 41 (feel 71 if that counts?) but hell no, accruing new stuff with fury! He who dies with the most toys wins, right?

Feels like we need a Widows Support Group. Everyone gets a little card to carry on their person (next to the donor card). "If I pop my clogs, please visit LAF and they'll tell you the truth about how much everything really cost. Sorry".

My missus is under strict instructions not to dispose of anything without talking to my gaming buddy. At least he'll be able to figure out where to ask the right questions. 

Offline thebinmann

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #42 on: August 06, 2020, 05:34:22 PM »
It's quite a load off sometimes, to rehome something you feel guilty for not ever painting.

This, but for me it's that I don't use them/look at them. I guess I'm inspired by American Pickers and Fight Club... and of course the Hoarder Next Door and my wife....


Offline Tactalvanic

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #43 on: August 06, 2020, 09:47:17 PM »
To be fair, I have been reading away here, and with recent events, and helping clear my parents home, and 51 tomorrow and....

Nope, still not parting with anything. Unless I suddenly have to part with Everything...

That aside, and having to clear parents house being sobering, seeing all their life and our memories of them in the things and furniture was sobering and saddening to, can't just save it all, or keep it or give it to other members of family. Key things yes, but so much stuff just had to go.

Sigh. yeah. but my horded mountain, not yet. even the unpainted, sometimes, like today, been a long 40 hours of work stress (issues, so had to work on it). finished, brain buzzing,tired but no sleep yet, picked a box from the shelf, opened it, almost like a book going through the lead in it, even that helps the stress away.


Maybe one day, reduce, I certainly have bought far less this year, and I have several family members who would take some of it. Yeah one day, but not yet.

Meantime need a little shelf-space just there for some stuff from my Mum. And then to bed and better things tomorrow.

Offline tim at frontline

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Re: Downsizing Due to Age
« Reply #44 on: August 08, 2020, 10:19:54 PM »
Don't intend to down size for any reason. I've already thought out who in my club will be bequeathed what armies. The rest the wife can sell off, she has a good idea of the value and we have friends that will make sure she's not ripped off. That's the plan anyway, then again perhaps she'll be glad to see the back of it all. Of course there's Frontline to sell as well as I have no intention of retiring (for now ). 

 

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