Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Archie on 19 August 2014, 06:24:24 PM
-
So I thought it might be fun for us all to share what we really love about this hobby. We are after all involved in a really niche hobby that is unheard of by many outside it.
So lets all geek out together and share what we love.
For myself the thing I love is the adaptability and individuality of the hobby.
I've just spent the last year putting together a Greek styled Amazonian army designed and themed after Wonder Woman's Amazonian army from the six issue comic series "Amazon's Attack"
(Using Foundry's God of Battles rules and currently playing them under the Orc army list although I might be changing that to Sea Elves as I think they might be a closer match gameplay to fluff.)
Projects don't get much more niche than that except of course when I read wargaming magazines and blogs and realise that such a level of specialisation and focus on one thing that just happens to make someone happy is everywhere in the hobby. From Osprey books on individual weapons to people building spaceships that were featured in twenty year old RPG rules. Examples abound.
I do like lots of other parts of the hobby and just the sight of nicely painted figures arrayed on a table can make me smile but what I really love is that adaptability and individuality.
What about you? What do you love?
-
I love the minis, the modelling part, the painting part (alhtough I consider myself an average painter) and ofcourse the social aspect.
Getting together with friends, going off-topic way too much but still manage to get a game played.
Apparently I also like the collecting part *sigh* ::)
-
Seeing my basecoated miniatures come to life after a coat of quickshade.
Chopping up miniatures and adding bits of greenstuff to create new ones.
Digging bits out of the bin and sticking them together to make scenery.
:D
-
I love gaming with good, solid rules, that let me exploit my inner tactician, without turning into discussions over trivial matters. A battle should be decided by WHEN and WHERE you place, and move your troops (and a little luck), NOT by HOW you do it.
I do it all too rarely, because I get distracted by new interesting rulesets, and because I lack a proper player pool to draft opponents from.
Currently also into God of Battles, BIG time! Building a 28mm Lords of Undeath army (mainly from old GW stuff, bought second hand, plus some Mantic zombies I was given by a friend to act as ghouls), proxied armies of 28mm LotR minis, AND a 15mm Thousand Tribes army based on Copplestone barbarians.
-
Painting and collecting is my favorite part of the hobby followed closely by the social aspects of playing.
-
For me; it's the painting,modelling,research on subjects whether historical or not and the great bunch of chaps I have met on this forum :)
-
I love gaming with good, solid rules, that let me exploit my inner tactician, without turning into discussions over trivial matters. A battle should be decided by WHEN and WHERE you place, and move your troops (and a little luck), NOT by HOW you do it.
Yes. :)
I do it all too rarely, because I get distracted by new interesting rulesets, and because I lack a proper player pool to draft opponents from.
Yes. :(
Though I guess we're both not too sorry about checking out new rulesets? ;) I think that's one of my, er... sub-hobbies. A big shelf full of rulebooks to pick and choose from.
What else? Sculpting. I love sculpting, even if I'm not particularly great at it. I did art in school, made a clay sculpture, and wasn't really moved by it. It took the discovery of blisters of green stuff in GW, and the idea of modifying your minis for different looks and even different functions, to make me catch the bug. And I like perusing and collecting putty and tools as much as rulebooks.
Similarly, I wasn't much into history until I started historical gaming. It began with Northumbrian saxons, because they had lots of horses, and it'd be like playing riders of Rohan. ;D But it spread out from there, to where I'll by a book on a historical personality, people or event that I don't really incorporate into my gaming.
Modelling armies, or the idea of modelling armies. I love looking at well-painted forces, especially those on diorama element bases. Problem is I can't get very motivated to do the same myself, for very long.
-
I like to see the finished mini "grow" out of a black undercoat, if that make sense to anyone else.
I also like to build terrain, not bothered about the subject, I like to see it take shape and then undercoated, when all of the different coloured materials used in the construction take on a uniform colour. I haven't done much terrain building lately but I'm currently refurbishing the garage, turning it into a work space so I should be able to do more in the near future.
-
Gaming ;D
New rules :o
Gaming with good opponents 8)
-
I love finding a new period or project then spending hours researching it on line, the searching for the exact figures for what I need. I spend ages planning what to buy for my next project. I always have lots of ideas buzzing in my head and fighting for the right to make it onto the painting table. I always seem to have many more projects planned that I actually buy (and many more bought than I actually paint).
For me it is the excitement of planning a project that gets me going. I love it! And to make it more fun I deliberately pick obscure projects as that makes it more difficult to find just the right figure. I want to do WW2 but rather than doing Normandy or something like that, where figures are common and good manufacturers make whole ranges, I go for Dad's Army/Operation Sealion or Britain's invasion of Vichy Syria because it's going to take more research, and its a real challenge to find the right figures. When I wanted to do a modern day zombie game I set it in Finland. Why? It's harder...who makes zombie survivors in winter gear?
So there it is, in a nut shell. My favourite bit of the hobby is planning, and finding that one perfect figure that is exactly what I needed, or a range of figures that were made for one thing but will be perfect if I just swop their hats, and so on. I prefer that to the painting, and the playing too.
Does that make me weird?
-
<snip>
Does that make me weird?
War Gamer = Weird to those outside the hobby (and many within TBH.) ;) lol :o :) :-* 8)
Gracias,
Glenn
Who learned the "Secret handshake" before his teens...
-
War Gamer = Weird to those outside the hobby (and many within TBH.) ;) lol :o :) :-* 8)
Yep, I guess we al know some weirdo wargamers (unless we're the wackiest of them all, which would make all other rather normal...)
-
The community here is one aspect. People who are helpful and willing to share tips advice, have also met people I regularly chat to outside of the forum too.
Making a model your own by adding paint converting, etc. Everyone in this thread could paint the same model and make it unique to them personally.
I enjoy researching new era's or topics too, not only historical but also fantasy or sci fi settings.
I also like being able to use the same models in a variety of rulesets and games.
-
Most games you buy and play on the manufacturer's terms. You choose (and modify) the rules. You choose the figures, modifying and painting them as you see fit. You choose and make the terrain. You tell a story you want to tell.
GW and their ilk notwithstanding, what I love best about wargames is the fact that they are something you make your own.
You don't spend years desperately hoping some company makes a sequel to a game you loved, or an expansion pack that will support your favourite strategy or team, no, you just put the thing together and to hell with balky manufacturers.
-
Yep, I guess we al know some weirdo wargamers (unless we're the wackiest of them all, which would make all other rather normal...)
Maybe not wackiest... but "niche-iest"?
Gracias,
Glenn
-
I love the crative aspect of the hobby:
Choosing, organizing and painting miniatures, scratch building scenery and painting to a good level, etc.
I like rules too.
Reading how different people simulates a tabletop conflict, different approaches, different dice, activations, etc.
A really interesting thread.
Waiting to read more opinions.
Best wishes.
-
Thinking about this some more I would add that in the early days I loved building huge armies and I still have them but today its skirmish level collections.
I also love putting a great table together with nice terrain and buildings. The look of the game is as important to me as the rules of play. I would never play an army unpainted for example.
-
I also love putting a great table together with nice terrain and buildings. The look of the game is as important to me as the rules of play. I would never play an army unpainted for example.
I would second that.
-
I also love putting a great table together with nice terrain and buildings. The look of the game is as important to me as the rules of play. I would never play an army unpainted for example.
Oh, yes, I love to play games on well-equipped tables (not so much the process of building terrain).
I started out wargaming with unpainted Airfix naps, but over the years I lowered my painting standards for large small-scale armies, so I got stuff painted relatively fast. lol
-
For me it's collecting miniatures and using them to play in worlds that don't exist - yup, I live vicariously through my minis o_o.
Seeing what artists and sculptors come up with in terms of visions of the future and fantastic realms is also a big part of it.
I also enjoy the painting and converting sides, although I seem to be getting worse rather than better at the moment :(
The hobby encompasses a wide range of disciplines and there's always something new to learn and experiment with, so it never gets stale :D
-
Building and Climbing my own personal lead/plastic/resin mountain from the amazing pool of other peoples creativity and imagination, and putting my paint all over it.
Painting.
Having something physical as the final accomplishment thats 'mine' even if its only tabletop average paint-job - tis mine and I did it.
Gaming.
Very much used to enjoy playing on the occasions opponents where available, maybe that will come back again as I get more into it again, and find like minded weirdos nearby.
The value of the hobby as an entertainment and distraction.
The other weirdos - company is always good.
-
Building and Climbing my own personal lead/plastic/resin mountain from the amazing pool of other peoples creativity and imagination, and putting my paint all over it.
Painting.
Having something physical as the final accomplishment thats 'mine' even if its only tabletop average paint-job - tis mine and I did it.
Gaming.
Very much used to enjoy playing on the occasions opponents where available, maybe that will come back again as I get more into it again, and find like minded weirdos nearby.
The value of the hobby as an entertainment and distraction.
The other weirdos - company is always good.
This sums it up quite nicely for me.
-
In descending order of pleasure:
1) 1/600th aircraft - nirvana.
2) Organizing armies/forces/companies on paper for rules/games. I am not talking Min-Max but stylistic representations of "army" types.
3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.
4) The ability of our current "Golden Age of Miniatures" to have the same company/forces/armies in 3/6/15/25+ mm at the same time.
5) The amazing niche eras/genres of miniatures available (snow-ball and icicle armed penguins on Leopard seals "cavalry" and Zorro-chasing Presidials) at this time.
6) Playing war games with rules/mechanics/dice/miniatures using unified mechanics that allow reasonable simulation of historical battles (or SF/Fantasy battles based on historical events) while still being fast and fun. THW and the invention of Polyhedral dice are key but disparate components of this one.
7) Talking with other war gamers about History/Science Fiction/Fantasy War Gaming whether before/during/after actually gaming sessions or at gatherings at local restaurants/homes.
8) The potential breakthrough of 3D Printing of miniatures. When this is a reality it will move up the list.
9) Preparing Terrain pieces for games
10) Painting miniatures.
Gracias,
Glenn
-
For me it's the inspiration people get when they game. People that may not have taken an art class at school suddenly can get a idea, glue and a couple of coffee stirrers and create a wonderful piece of art!! I find that very inspiring!
Seeing what comes out of the imagination of gamers is what I love most about the hobby!
-
3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.
What are those.. about 3 mm high infantry? What ratio man/figure do you use?
-
-Hanging out with my friends. 4 years later after forming a gaming club, I count some of the members as among my closest friends.
-Building Terrain. Probably stemming from my love of LEGO, the building of terrain is possibly my favorite hobby-related activity.
-Miniatures. What more can one say. Miniatures are great. Painting them is still not my favorite activity, but a few years ago (a decade and a half after entering the hobby) I finally discovered painting methods (dipping) that let me achieve a level of painting that I'm happy with in an amount of time that didn't frustrate me. I've painted alot more figures since then!
-Gaming. This didn't used to be as much my favorite, but having finally discovered rulesets that fit my style of play (Fast playing, streamlined, etc) I'm enjoying gaming more than ever.
-
What are those.. about 3 mm high infantry? What ratio man/figure do you use?
When you deal with "Units" instead of figures it doesn't have to be fixed ratio. A "unit" or stand can be a company or a Battalion, or a regiment, or a Brigade, etc...
Gracias,
Glenn
-
Where do I start.
The part I like the most is the painting aspect. Im an average painter but I do enjoy it and recently got a proper start on finishing projects.
Secondly, the modelling side of the hobby is great, with interchangeable parts and my want to sculpt allows me to come up with great ideas for myself.
Lastly, the socialisation side isnt great for me, I have met some great people in the hobby but a lot of the time ive found people quite 'snotty' in stores and not visited a gaming group because of that. Although I would like to.
-
I've found people online can be pretty decent but this isnt a 'social' hobby for me first and foremost. I am going to a club occassionally but to be honest I play who I go with and so interactions with others has been limited.
-
It's the way that the ladies really go for a guy with a well-painted space marine force that's optimised to the current metagame :o
Just don't tell the wife lol
-
Oh alright, the truth...
For me it's building a world in miniature - terrain, building up forces and painting them.
If wargaming didn't exist, I would be into model railways, or dollshousing for my daughters, or even just making dioramas and characters and making stories about them, Bronte-style (that's a little different from Gangnam Style...).
Meeting up with like-minded fellows for a game, a glass of whisky or two and a chat over a finely appointed gaming table is also a grand past-time.
-
Meeting up with like-minded fellows for a game, a glass of whisky or two and a chat over a finely appointed gaming table is also a grand past-time.
This!
I love this hobby, it lets me escape into interactive stories with a brilliantly tactile hobby aspect.
-
I love the good buzz that comes from making something nice, whether it's a painted mini, model or a bit of terrain. Making stuff is satisfying both in the process and in the completion of a piece.
That ties right into 'setting a nice table' and having a good time with some like minded friends. This hobby, at its best, is a healthy mix of working on your own and of collaboration (or at least a shared experience) and that's a real gift for a grumpy bear like me.
-
Ok what about the tingle of sensation when you finally buy that mini that you've wanted for so long. You've read about it on the interweb reviews and thought that it was the greatest mini ever sculptured. You click the link to the company online shop. Send a few moments perusing the catalog till you find said mini. Think long and hard about the fact it cost the price of a footballers weekly wage and decide screw it, it's summertime I don't need to pay for the heating to be on and why do I need to pay the electric bill. Don't need the lights on cause the the suns up for eighteen hours a day. Yeah let's stick it in the shopping bracket and proceed to checkout. Then and only then with all the emotion swimming around you do you realise that a) you need a major credit card to pay for it
b) you'll be paying how much money for postage! Who do they think I am. Steve Jobs
With the shame of a tactical withdraw from the website you just hope to yourself that one day you'll be able to come across them on another website or gaming store and......
Low and behold you come across it in your favorite gaming shop hidden away in the second hand stuff and you let out a squeal of jot only to quickly look around to see if anyone heard you. Also you do the little dance or the air power grab that footballers do when they score.
Only to get it home and end up sticking it with the other stuff that has been gathering dust on the to do shelf for how long?
That what I love about this hobby
-
I like the fact that it totally infects me; I'm thinking about minis, rules, scenarios all the time. I unpack a washing machine, and instead of plumbing it in, I'm looking at the packaging and thinking about terrain... I read a book, and I'm thinking how do I game that?
Whatever I'm up to, the hobby sneaks its tendrils in there somehow...
-
My previous post was thinking in broad strokes, but the-closet-gamer's post got me thinking in specifics. The finding of that item you've been wanting at a flea market, FLGS auction or clearance is one of my favorite things also, but here's another.
One of my favorite things about gaming starts in the resale shop. That perfect toy or piece of a toy appears. No one else would give it a second look, but at first glance you know it would be a perfect piece of terrain with just a bit of work. $3 and a walk to the cashier and it's yours and a few days (or months) later you pull it out of your bin of parts. A frenzy grips you and you begin cutting, gluing adjusting, attaching other parts and toys, and when it's all assembled you look at the hodgepodge quilt of plastic parts and hope.
Then you get out the black spray paint and cover that sucker and something like magic happens. All the funny mismatched colors are gone, and all the disparate elements have become one. The painting that follows and the finished result are great to be sure, but when you've done your work right, that transformation from built to primed is the moment when you know if it is going to work.
-
Ok one more thing I love about this hobby are the dice :-* Who has not bought more dice then they could ever use. Dice bags to carry them in. became convinced we have the lucky set of dice that always give us a good roll and tossed dice we thought were cursed. We have 3 sided to 100 sided dice, dice inside of dice, dice made out of plastic, wood, metal, stone, etc., etc. Directional dice, dice for determining wound location, weather and mood again the list is endless
Come on admit it you all love the dice as much as I do .... right? lol
-
You can never have enough dice !
You always need to carry replacements in case the first batch let you down (and the second, and third...)
;D ;D ;D
-
Come on admit it you all love the dice as much as I do .... right? lol
Word. 8)
-
For me it's building a world in miniature - terrain, building up forces and painting them.
If wargaming didn't exist, I would be into model railways, or dollshousing
This.
-
In descending order of pleasure:
1) 1/600th aircraft - nirvana.
2) Organizing armies/forces/companies on paper for rules/games. I am not talking Min-Max but stylistic representations of "army" types.
3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.
4) The ability of our current "Golden Age of Miniatures" to have the same company/forces/armies in 3/6/15/25+ mm at the same time.
5) The amazing niche eras/genres of miniatures available (snow-ball and icicle armed penguins on Leopard seals "cavalry" and Zorro-chasing Presidials) at this time.
6) Playing war games with rules/mechanics/dice/miniatures using unified mechanics that allow reasonable simulation of historical battles (or SF/Fantasy battles based on historical events) while still being fast and fun. THW and the invention of Polyhedral dice are key but disparate components of this one.
7) Talking with other war gamers about History/Science Fiction/Fantasy War Gaming whether before/during/after actually gaming sessions or at gatherings at local restaurants/homes.
8) The potential breakthrough of 3D Printing of miniatures. When this is a reality it will move up the list.
9) Preparing Terrain pieces for games
10) Painting miniatures.
Gracias,
Glenn
It was pointed out to me years ago that it is "war GAMING" (with 3D counters was added years later by a different person) and that is truly a two word summary for me.
All the above supporting elements of the main thing - the historical based game.
Gracias,
Glenn
-
i enjoy this Hobby very much,however the very very best Part of it is: Unboxing ;D ;D ;D
-
i enjoy this Hobby very much,however the very very best Part of it is: Unboxing ;D ;D ;D
Yeah! lol
-
3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.
Gracias,
Glenn
Just came across this comment randomly and realized that with Oddzial Osmy, one could really do Naps at ... 1:1 ! o_o :o lol
Imagine.
-
Just came across this comment randomly and realized that with Oddzial Osmy, one could really do Naps at ... 1:1 ! o_o :o lol
Imagine.
"Golden AGe of Wargaming"
Pure and Simple.
If you had been 60 in 1960 you would have missed it (or be 114 this year... which might be the same results - :o - depending on your health.)
Gracias,
Glenn
-
I love a lot about this hobby. Collecting all those beautiful things! Building little worlds on the tabletop, straight from my mind's eye into the real world, standing before you. My family that asks me -before throwing something away- if I can use that piece of packaging because I was looking for something to use as a space station wasn't I? Inventing challenging game scenarios that baffle you with their sharp dilemmas and keep you hanging on to the last minute to see who wins. Painting figures which clears my head like nothing else and gives me toys to play with as a bonus. Tinkering with rules until you meet that magical moment where it all falls into place and feels like something real and thrilling. Sharing the experience with people at conventions through participation games and see their first-time joy just like mine blossomed years ago. That moment when w mother of a kid that just played my game asks for the rules so she can play it on his birthday party. Talking with gaming friends and sharing ideas, stuff and good times together. Being able to post on a forum like this.
In the last weeks I encountered a lot of negativity and rudeness in the hobby. So coming upon a thread like this one is a heartwarming experience. Thank you all for making this possible.
-
The absolute vastness of the hobby, not just the period and the scale, the painting, the terrain, the reading of fiction and non-fiction, visiting museums and battle fields, watching reenactors and movies, spending time with other gamers, shows, shopping lists, checking new shinies and rules, LAF, ................ and so on.......
-
<snip>
In the last weeks I encountered a lot of negativity and rudeness in the hobby. So coming upon a thread like this one is a heartwarming experience. Thank you all for making this possible.
That cycles in and out at times. Hold on and let it wash over you without changing you.
Gracias,
Glenn
-
In the last weeks I encountered a lot of negativity and rudeness in the hobby. So coming upon a thread like this one is a heartwarming experience. Thank you all for making this possible.
I hear that, I hear that.
-
Thank you indeed to everyone who replied ... I didn't realise how much I enjoyed about the hobby until I found myself nodding and agreeing with, I think, literally everyones replies lol
-
I like the people, I like the general subject matter, i like working with my hands, I like to try new things and work on getting better at old ones, I like to paint and model and then play and show off, I just like mingling with 'my own' and in this hobby, that's what I've found!
I also look forward to having my own children and showing them off to this world!
-
I also like the fact I get to do lots and lots of imagineering.
I really like painting outdoors in the sun as well.
But mostly I just like thinking about stuff.
Painting outdoors... never tried that.
-
And here I thought it was only mad dogs and Englishmen... ;) lol
-
Great thread. Very positive!
My favourite part of the whole shebang is seeing an amorphous idea slowly emerge from the roiling mists of imagination. That conversion that exactly replicates a character, the hand made scenery that matches just-so your minds eye of how it was, the slow coalescence of history or fiction into tiny reality under your own hands until you step back and nod in satisfaction at a job well done and get to planning the next project. Fantastic stuff! 8)
It's as expressive an art form as any so called 'real' art and you get to act like a little kid while doing so.