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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Mr. White on January 05, 2021, 03:42:47 PM

Title: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Mr. White on January 05, 2021, 03:42:47 PM
When you get into a game, do you just paint the army/gang/warband/faction that you plan to play or do you paint up multiple for others to use?

Whenever i get into a game, I tend to want to have at least two sides, and terrain, so I can play with non-painters, casual friends. It feels weird for me to have models in my collection without an opponent or a table to battle on. I also like to have the flexibility to be able to run the games at home and not have to depend on other locations and scheduling. Unfortunately, it means it takes me a lot longer to get a game to a playable state because I'm doing terrain and at minimum two forces...
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: warlord frod on January 05, 2021, 04:04:00 PM
With only a few exceptions I have always painted two opposing armies so that I can get friends to play. I wish I lived near folks who would paint an army so I did not have to do this but that is not the case. :?
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Tom Reed on January 05, 2021, 04:55:42 PM
I always try to build paint at least two sides anymore. A bunch of the guys got burnt too many times for us to let that happen anymore.  Years and years ago we had some really great Seven Years War battles...until the guy who owned the French sold them to someone out of state.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Cat on January 05, 2021, 05:28:59 PM
How many have they got?  I tend to build up forces to host large convention and club games, so my initial thinking usually starts with enough for 8 players at least; and if I can work in more than '2' sides, the better.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: has.been on January 05, 2021, 05:34:54 PM
Similar. Burnt too many times by not having both sides.
One club campaign, ACW, failed when all the Confederate
players left (different reasons) before we even played one game.
I try to have at least a matched pair, e.g. Republican Romans &
Carthaginians for DBA.
It is also possible to have various forces that can be allied or opposition,
e.g. Sepoys in Indian Mutiny could be with the British, Loyal, or
opposing the British, Mutineers.
In AK47 I have three 'forces'  Army, Navy & Air Force, (eventually I will add
a forth, Marines).  They can fight each other or I can mix & match, e.g. drop
the tanks from the army & substitute the Navy's armoured cars or the
Air Force's recoilless rifle equipped jeeps.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Elbows on January 05, 2021, 06:14:42 PM
If it's a "popular" game amongst my group, I start with one...then I often try to have a second one on hand in case interest disappears, or I want to play something different.  If it's a game I write/host...then I paint everything.

I was fortunate enough to cut my teeth in a group of hobbyists who introduced me to the idea of "hosting" a game.  While the group assembled every Thursday...if you had a game you wanted to play, you provided everything - other players just showed up.  That meant everyone could play everything.  If it so happened that other people were interested in the same game/genre/setting and they added stuff...even better.

If I run Old West, I'm providing everything.  If you have cowboys you want to bring along, even better.

If I run my dungeon crawl, I'm providing everything.  If you have fantasy minis/heroes that you want to bring...even better, etc.

I currently only have one army for 15mm WW2, but I'll rectify that eventually.  For 40K/sci-fi I have two armies which can oppose each other.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Mick_in_Switzerland on January 05, 2021, 06:23:46 PM
I always do two opposing forces.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Inkpaduta on January 05, 2021, 06:48:28 PM
For most of my gaming career I have played with people who do not paint or collect figures.
So I am the one that does the buying and painting. Overall I don't mind this is my hobby after all,
but it has been very nice the few times I have actually had wargamers in the group who also buy and paint.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: AKULA on January 05, 2021, 07:29:31 PM
Painting armies for Game of Thrones...

...think I’ve probably got about 15 different armies/Houses/forces on the go currently.

Plans for more though

 :D
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: BZ on January 05, 2021, 07:35:10 PM
I play with my family, so I (or more and more often we) make 2, but sometimes 4 sides. But if I were alone with this hobby, I still would make at least 2, just to have more chance to play with anybody, and also to have more options for myself.
I guess, if You dont play some very popular system (unfortunately in my area this means almost always GW), You will need more armies to play... Either solo, or with somebody, who is interested but new.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: dadlamassu on January 05, 2021, 08:01:24 PM
I have always built at least two forces for any period that I play.  Only once did I raise one side and that was for a demonstration game of Waterloo in about 1970, I kept the figures and only recently sold them.  Our small club meets in either my house or a friend's  one and has done since the early 1970s with the only breaks being my operational deployments and the current Covid restrictions.  We, two, are the ones who put on the games and provide everything - scenario, troops, terrain, rules - everything in fact (including tea and biscuits).  This has stood me in good stead as when children came along I had most of the forces until they caught the "Warhammer" bug.  Now more that half a century later I am providing the forces for the grandchildren's games. And again I have most of the stuff needed. 
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: fred on January 05, 2021, 08:04:03 PM
It depends. In our group everyone builds and collects armies.

So for some games I only have 1 force. But it rarely stays that way...

For 10mm Fantasy I think I had 15+ armies at the last count - which is probably a bit excessive. But I keep adding to them!

As said above with Covid and remote gaming it is proving very useful to have multiple forces available so that I can put on a game for remote players.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Antonio J Carrasco on January 05, 2021, 08:21:34 PM
Both.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: FramFramson on January 05, 2021, 08:36:31 PM
"All of them"  lol

Only half kidding, really. For example, I have painted hundreds of figures for Pulp Alley (though none recently, sigh), including specific full leagues with fixed rosters, league cores and partial leagues which can have variable membership, in-between figures who can serve as bystanders or temporary league filler, and dedicated bystanders.

For my old Mage Knight collection, I really did end up collecting armies for all the factions.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: pixelgeek on January 06, 2021, 12:56:24 AM
My Perry WotR figures are going to do double duty as human troops in Oathmark so I will be building two Billhooks forces as part of that process. I doubt the Elves I fight will mind a mix of liveries.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: pixelgeek on January 06, 2021, 12:57:29 AM
For 10mm Fantasy I think I had 15+ armies at the last count - which is probably a bit excessive.

Excessive? How?  :D
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: fusilierdan on January 06, 2021, 01:05:36 AM
I usually paint both sides. I have a few projects at the moment that have only one side done but the plan is to rectify that.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: SotF on January 06, 2021, 02:51:44 AM
It often depends upon the requirements to play the game and how interested I am in the game.

With Warhammer Fantasy, back when it was being played locally, I only had one army because it was relatively expensive to buy them and took a lot of time to paint up, especially since I liked Vampire Counts. I'd considered a second army, but local interest died when Age of Sigmar came out, and didn't have the modivation to hunt down the second army I wanted...though, technically, I had two different vampire armies since I had a customized one for the vampire pirates list, but the restrictions on it meant that I could only use it as a detachment size. I'd wanted to do a Brettonian force as a second army with some wood elves as a detachment there.

I have a small 40k force that was, I believe 3rd edition that was more of something that used very small point forces as a lunch thing that I only have my Imperial force that was more of a Marines with Inquisition leadership thing that's now impossible due to the lack of a heroes of the Imperium thing. Didn't expand the force due to it needing to be transportable at the time along with a major lack of funds and time at that point.

I've got a commando squad for a minis skirmish game that a few friends at the shop had put together, I built it up over time, also had a couple other factions squads for it...it was an oddball thing with a more X-Com type feel with the government facing off with aliens, demons, vampires, werewolves, cults, and a lot of other things.

Of Gods and Mortals was one where I got a force together, but the others stopped playing (That was more of a compromise between the historical and the fantasy players with what they wanted to have opponents for.

With Ronin, I have a couple different Buntai. Rogue Stars is one where I have several, but that's mainly because I used the WotC prepainted star wars minis for it after that game ended.

(A)SoB&H is the one that's gotten the most of my attention, I've got a pile of forces, partially because it crosses over with my D&D minis.

I did have 2 SW Legion forces, then the dog managed to get into my rebels, costing me about half the force that I haven't replaced yet...haven't really done much more with my Imperials now.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: N.C.S.E on January 06, 2021, 05:45:27 AM
Both sides for me.
I enjoy hosting and enjoy having creative control (tm) over what sort of thing we're playing in. It's not so much about locking people out (if they have the other side, awesome!), but more that I can say: "these are the precise things they had at this time and place, so we're playing under those kinds of conditions." Getting all the research I've done down onto the table is part of the fun. My interests are also often niche enough that I have to assume I'm on my own in doing a period.

Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: v_lazy_dragon on January 06, 2021, 07:35:24 AM
Both sides - my interests are so niche I have given up finding anyone with matching forces. That said, some overlap with my  main gaming buddies collection; but then we just tend to collect/paint what we fancy and pool resources for a game (often both contributing stuff to each side)
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Jemima Fawr on January 06, 2021, 10:00:50 AM
I generally always paint 'both' sides (which in many cases can be a lot more than just two armies) for the reasons mentioned above.  As a registered misanthrope, there are also occasions when other armies do exist in my locality, but they belong to someone I simply don't want to play wargames with...  :D

Most irritating of all is when one of 'those people' latches on to a project that I've started, starts building armies and enthusing about it... That can get awkward...  ::)
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Vis Bellica on January 06, 2021, 11:44:08 AM
Both sides for me too, which can be frustrating sometimes as I want my figures to fight other people's figures rather than more of my own: feels too much like civil war!
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: fred on January 06, 2021, 09:21:17 PM
Excessive? How?  :D

Oh well, as long as you think its not excessive, then I’m fine with that! I’ll regard it as just a starting point then!
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: swiftnick on January 06, 2021, 09:27:47 PM
Usually both sides plus extras.
When the club did game of thrones I did Greyjoys, Tully's and Lannisters.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: AKULA on January 06, 2021, 10:34:33 PM
Usually both sides plus extras.
When the club did game of thrones I did Greyjoys, Tully's and Lannisters.

Ooh...pictures please.


 :)
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: swiftnick on January 06, 2021, 11:46:03 PM
Already put the pics up when I did them.
Actually should dig them out again. Never finished the lannisters and the second manderley force.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Harry Faversham on January 07, 2021, 12:26:19 AM
Both sides every time, that way you a reliant on nobody. This daft way of doing things is now paying dividends, as I drift rudderless, into Billy-no-Mates wargaming.

:'(
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: FierceKitty on January 07, 2021, 02:45:52 AM
Usually more than two sides, but always at least one opponent. This was my policy even when I lived in Europe, and in South Africa, which has a lively wargaming scene; all the more necessary now I live in Thailand. My wife is my main wargames partner anyway, so there would always have to be a range of choices in the house.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: RSDean on January 07, 2021, 01:01:34 PM
At least two, with the exception of club skirmish campaign games (e.g. Frostgrave) in which I’ve generally just done the figures I needed to play, since they are few and can generally be absorbed into the larger pool of skirmish game figures.

I’ve also absrobed a certain amount of DBA/HotT influence, so I tend to feel like “six” is a good number of sides for a compressed bsattle game, enough to build a viable campaign settimg.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: metalface13 on January 10, 2021, 12:54:47 AM
I'm the outlier, I just paint stuff for myself. I don't really have many non-gamer friends that I try to bring into the hobby. My kids are pretty young (8 and 5) so I've only introduced them to wargames a little bit. That's going to change when I introduce them to Rangers of Shadow Deep. I digress, but for the most part I'm just painting stuff for myself to play games with others. I have two exceptions to that, as I have multiple Blood Bowl teams painted and I have two armies for Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, but only one of those is painted so far.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: The Great Mahoo on January 13, 2021, 04:13:07 AM
When I was big into the hobby fresh out of college, we had a good gaming group and mostly everyone provided their own armies/gangs/etc for what we played. With playing long enough, I ended up expanding to multiple armies just to help give me variety, but we would all let others play our armies if someone wanted to try them.

Nowadays, life has gotten in the way and I am just back into collecting and painting over the last 6 months or so.  I don't get to play much, but do it solo, so I get to collect and paint up everything myself.  MAybe one day I'll have time and opportunity to get back into a gaming club once stay-at-home restrictions are less and what not, and can go back to being social in my games again.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Elenderil on January 15, 2021, 11:45:11 AM
Way back when I only painted one side, then I found that I was often restricted to non historical opponents as no one had the right opposition available.  This was made worse by the cost of 25mm figures and poor student finances!  now I use smaller scales so it isn't expensive to create two or more armies as matched pairs plus as others have said in these days of enforced isolation without having both sides I can't play any games.  It helps that i enjoy painting.

Currently I have 6mm armies for Late Imperial Romans with opposition from Early Sassanid Persians plus Dacian/Carpi.  I'm working on adding a Hunnic and Gothic DBA army with Early Franks in mind as well.  I have Middle Anglo-Saxon, Strathclyde Welsh, Welsh, Pictish, Scots Irish and Viking for the Viking Age period and i'm extending my Early Byzantine's to give options for the Sassanid Army to fight.

I'm just a sad old completist!
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: eilif on January 17, 2021, 01:33:36 AM
Genrally try to have two sides for any game I want to play.   It helps that in the club we used to use alot of generic rulesets so I generally wasn't buying figures that would only see use in one game.
10mm Sci-fi
28mm Fantasy Skirmish
28mm Sci-Fi
28mm Mecha
28mm Post Apoc
28mm Fantasy Platoon
40k
NEcromunda (almost all the gangs...)
etc,etc..
Wasn't always necessary within the club since most folks bought figures for most projects. but we always tried to have enough figures to lend to any visitor.

The only exception I can think of for not owning two armies is Konflikt 47, and if we'd kept playing that I would probably have finished up my Brits and started a Finn force.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Colonel Tubby on January 17, 2021, 02:00:34 PM
I was intend to complete both sides, that way I can play solo or throw down a quick game if a friend comes around (at least pre-Covid)

Completion tends more depends on the type of game! Skirmish or large scale battle.

The completed armies that spring too mind for large skirmish games that I have completed are the English & French (Lion Rampant) with a half-complete Scottish and a British & Pathan for NWF (TMWWBK).

For larger games I only have a 1/4 done Union army (Black Powder) and a nearly complete late war British for WW2 but no opposition for either (yet!)

In most other cases I have both sides (painted or ready to be)!
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Ben Waterhouse on January 18, 2021, 02:21:53 PM
Both, as I am a solo player.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Moriarty on February 14, 2021, 12:50:47 PM
So, it seems ‘both’ is a common answer, but I wonder if this then has a knock-on effect regards the size of the forces? Does the need/want to provide ‘both ends’ mean smaller battles?

With DBA et al, the small number of minis needed is a help. But my 18th century armies are only about a dozen battalions a side, because I do both Austrian and Ottoman. Is this a blessing, or a curse?
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: fred on February 14, 2021, 01:42:49 PM
So, it seems ‘both’ is a common answer, but I wonder if this then has a knock-on effect regards the size of the forces? Does the need/want to provide ‘both ends’ mean smaller battles?

Unfortunately not!

Over time the forces all seem to approach ‘large’ in number. There are definitely armies that are bigger than their opponents due to a preference in collecting one side. Eg. My WWII British are probably double the quantity of Germans. But that’s not to say I don’t have plenty of Germans.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Vanvlak on February 14, 2021, 02:46:23 PM
I usually do the front, the back, the left-hand side and the right-hand side, as well as the top - if the bottom means the bottom side of the base, I don't do those. For some vehicles I also do the inside besides the outside.

Oh.
Not what you meant.
 ;D
No sides! I buy multiple sides in most cases (except historical, where I end up getting one or maybe two), and never finish any.... well, not in years, anyway.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: dadlamassu on February 14, 2021, 02:57:33 PM
So, it seems ‘both’ is a common answer, but I wonder if this then has a knock-on effect regards the size of the forces? Does the need/want to provide ‘both ends’ mean smaller battles?

Definitely not.  Some armies do end up larger than others and that is sometimes due to representing a variety of units/troop types or because one side is composed of historically larger numbers or is of lower quality .  For example my Gauls outnumber my Romans and are often found adding numbers to my somewhat smaller Ancient British army when needed.  My Ancient Germans as well as making up a small army serve as mercenaries in the Gallic army and as foederati for the Romans.  My Zulu army is considerably larger than the opposing Imperial forces.  For WW2 my British, German and Soviet armies are all "large" and about the same size. This pattern is also found in my Modern (Fictional) Africa, AWI, fantasy, Indian Mutiny, Darkest Africa, Pulp, post apocalypse etc.
The only ones that seem to stay "small" are those that were built for a show or a passing interest - Jacobites - Redcoats, Pirates, Stargate,  Doctor Who, WWW2. 

Game size is more limited by space.  My older armies tend to be the largest as back then I had an 8 feet x 6 feet table set up until the family came along and we needed the space.  So the table was temporary one propped on the kitchen table until a few years ago when I was able to have a wargames room again but the room size limited the table to 6 feet x 4 feet.  Thus some early armies are too large to deploy on the new table table. 
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Cat on February 14, 2021, 04:20:27 PM
So, it seems ‘both’ is a common answer, but I wonder if this then has a knock-on effect regards the size of the forces? Does the need/want to provide ‘both ends’ mean smaller battles?

With DBA et al, the small number of minis needed is a help.

Nope, not around here.  Even with DBA, our club plays big battles with 3 or more army multiples per side about as often as we play regular small single army battles.  My most basic builds are pairs of historical opponents to cover all the time periods.  The largest force I have painted up is 5x Polybian Roman. 

My preferred collecting strategy focuses on providing 8 diffferent sides for tight historical themes.  That way I can bring those to a convention to host an historical mini-tournament with armies provided, and players are welcome to bring their own army if they have one that fits the theme.  The starting block of 8 is also built with an eye towards armies that can serve as allies with each other for big battles, and then central armies in the set can be built to a double + ally.  For the Punic Wars period, the number of sides available is well above 8, and with 5 triple armies for big battle with various ally options available.

The smaller armies certainly makes it more tempting to start new additions and allows them to begin hitting the tabletop sooner; so that is a big enticement.  But invariably leads to "and then I could add...."
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Emir of Askaristan on February 14, 2021, 05:01:50 PM
Usually both or to put it better one side and one of its opponents or its opponent in a theatre. This can often expand to other theatres or campaigns

For example
SYW British and French for the Caribbean....not Flanders. Now adding Spanish.
Late 16thC Scots civil war .....adding Irish
Ancient Indians and Macedonians - with enough to do expand to cover Seleucid and Pyhrric armies
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Mindenbrush on February 15, 2021, 01:17:42 PM
Both sides as I put on games at HMGS conventions and enough figures for 6 players as that is the size of the group I regularly play with.
The exceptions will be Chain of Command as it is one on one, Clash of Spears and Barons War will only be my warband/retinue.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: warlord frod on February 16, 2021, 03:02:12 PM
Maybe the better question here is by painting and collecting both sides of a conflict do you find yourself collecting only one or two historical periods. At one point in time I took pride in the fact that I had a game option covering just about any period of military history (board game or miniature collection) I certainly could not have done that if I stuck to miniature games. Do you find yourself collecting one or two periods and a variety of rule sets for the said period or are any of you crazy enough to be building large armies for dozens of periods of conflict (If so are you independently wealthy or a super fast painter  lol lol lol)
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Cat on February 16, 2021, 03:26:43 PM
Maybe the better question here is by painting and collecting both sides of a conflict do you find yourself collecting only one or two historical periods.

Nope!  I've been at this for a very long time; and have a basement that overfloweth with many armies for many periods.  Still in progress of the Herculean task of cleaning and reörganising said basement to make room for some new projects and expanding some old ones.
: 3
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: fred on February 16, 2021, 05:36:02 PM
There is always another period to dabble in! Most of my figures are 10mm, so they are cheaper and paint quicker. But you tend to end up with more of them!

While WWII and Fantasy are my two main ‘eras’ with lots of different forces, I have lots of other interests, where I often do just have the two protagonists. Some of these keep growing, others are stationary (I hesitate to use finished, as new rules or something will re-trigger the interest).
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Grumpy Gnome on March 06, 2021, 07:59:34 AM
One of the frustrations that risks overwhelming me is the necessity to generally paint all sides in all games. Every time my wife finds some free time to help out is a relief but our gaming is not her only hobby interest.

And with not only the current international health crisis but our physical location we are hardly in a position to have numerous opponents with various opposing forces.

I recall what it was like in my younger days only having to deal with my favorite figures and leaving others to make enemies as well as terrain. That has its own pros and cons. There is a lot to be said for your own comprehensive world building.

My wife keeps reminding me though that it is the journey not the destination that really matters.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Elbows on March 08, 2021, 06:52:50 PM
Yeah, I think we can all agree that the very best case scenario is having a small group of like-minded people who have a similar level of motivation and what I call "hobby stamina" or "game stamina".

Finding a player who is interested in fully painted scenery/figures/terrain, etc. and is willing to put in a decent chunk of time to have a solid game is a rarity.  I have a decent local hobby group, but 90% of the guys are the typical mid-20's gamer-spaz types.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Spinal Tap on March 09, 2021, 07:28:18 AM
I have lots of friends who play board games but only one who has an interest in wargames, with a caveat that it needs to be skirmish level.

He has no interest in building/painting miniatures, terrain or scenery nor buying copies of the rules.

To be honest if I didn't arrange games he could happily go the rest of his life playing his 100's of board games and keeping his classic car running.

Consequently I play games that lend themselves to solo/co-op most often and he plays them sometimes. The only time we go head to head has been with FFoL Galactic Heroes.

I have just bought the Fistful of Lead Core and Gothic Rules plus the In Her Majesty's Name and will be spending most of this year putting a few alternate gangs together in VSF and Gothic plus making a couple of different terrain tables.

So in answer, I'll be painting at least 3 different combinations of opponents so we can have varied games.

If he loses interest and I cant find any other players then I have plenty of solo rules I can adapt to the minis/setting.

Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: has.been on March 09, 2021, 09:25:53 AM
Where-abouts are you Spinal Tap?
Post Covid restrictions you might be able to find more opponents.
Our little group has become bigger due to:-
Mentions on LAF (Two new fellows) and Chatting to workmates (another
closet gamer).
Give it a try, what have you got to loose?
People are, I'm sure, more likely to travel for a game (post Covid).
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: tomrommel1 on March 09, 2021, 10:31:41 AM
As I don't have any regular gaming friend living near enough to my hometown, I have to play solo most of the time. So at least two sides are the norm for me.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Pijlie on March 09, 2021, 10:42:13 AM
I usually collect and paint at least two sides. Although there are a few exceptions where the other side seemed numerous and dependable enough to paoint just one.

I only start on things I find interesting enough myself and finding other players is a secondary priority. Hence the paint-both-sides apporach. It also gives me the opportunity to play games with occasional opponents. Then again I live in one of the most densely populated areas in the world and finding another player within an hour's drive has really never been a problem.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Spinal Tap on March 09, 2021, 10:58:49 AM
Where-abouts are you Spinal Tap?
Post Covid restrictions you might be able to find more opponents.
Our little group has become bigger due to:-
Mentions on LAF (Two new fellows) and Chatting to workmates (another
closet gamer).
Give it a try, what have you got to loose?
People are, I'm sure, more likely to travel for a game (post Covid).

Near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

There are a couple of clubs near me but both are linked to GW oriented shops so play Warhammer stuff which I'm not keen on.

I'm told there's a group in Halifax with wider tastes so will be looking to join once Covid takes a back seat.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Leftblank on March 09, 2021, 11:12:45 AM
I live in one of the most densely populated areas in the world and finding another player within an hour's drive has really never been a problem.

I live within an hour's drive of Pijlie :-) so finding another player is never a problem. I paint both sides, though, because often the opponent plays the same rules (for example, Blücher) but in a different scale. Besides, painting is fun and it allows me to introduce newbies or casual players.
I focus. I started my hobby with several small 15mm Ancients DBA-armies but later I restricted myself to Early Imperial Romans and barbarians. My renaissance 15mm P&S armies are universal, muskets and pikes in many colours, but I only paint and collect League of Augsburg miniatures.  My main 6mm Napoleonic theatre is 1814 France, thus French/Prussian, but slowly extending to Austrian and Russian allied troops.
WW2 is Arnhem theatre, Americans, UK and German troops.

Otherwise you're never finished.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: jon_1066 on March 09, 2021, 11:32:00 AM
One of the frustrations that risks overwhelming me is the necessity to generally paint all sides in all games. Every time my wife finds some free time to help out is a relief but our gaming is not her only hobby interest.

And with not only the current international health crisis but our physical location we are hardly in a position to have numerous opponents with various opposing forces.

I recall what it was like in my younger days only having to deal with my favorite figures and leaving others to make enemies as well as terrain. That has its own pros and cons. There is a lot to be said for your own comprehensive world building.

My wife keeps reminding me though that it is the journey not the destination that really matters.

Good advice from the wife there.  Enjoy the process of painting and don't focus on the final goal.

Also way to go getting a spouse who will play a game with you and also occasionally paint stuff!  Living the dream. 

I have found having a series of small manageable steps was the way to go.  eg my 6 mm Naps I started off with cardboard bases for the units and focused on getting some scenery together.  I then chose a small scale battle of the 1809 campaign and have gradually painted up forces and scenery allowing me to get larger and larger battles on the table.  I have enough painted figures for most of the battles in the 1809 Danube campaign except the three biggest battles of Eggmuhl, Aspern and Wagram.  Of those only Aspern will fit on the table at my chosen ground scale so I'm pretty happy with how things have gone. 

My latest mission is to get a couple of Blood Bowl sides painted up.  These are nice figures to paint, a good change from 6 mm Naps, very limited in number (only 12-14 per side) so a nice distraction without being overwhelming.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: has.been on March 09, 2021, 01:11:54 PM
Quote
Near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

There are a couple of clubs near me but both are linked to GW oriented shops so play Warhammer stuff which I'm not keen on.

I'm told there's a group in Halifax with wider tastes so will be looking to join once Covid takes a back seat.

I have a similar experience living in Rugby. When I finally tracked down the Rugby club it felt
like the scene in Blues Brothers.
"What kind of music (Wargaming) do you have here?"
"Oh we have BOTH kinds, we have Country AND Western! (40 K  AND  30 K !)
Still managed to find fine fellows. Of our informal group of nine,
two were pick ups from LAF,  five are ex local club members (3 different clubs),
one worked along side my Father for a week & wanted to find out about Wargaming
and... well me.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Spinal Tap on March 09, 2021, 01:22:05 PM
I have a similar experience living in Rugby. When I finally tracked down the Rugby club it felt
like the scene in Blues Brothers.
"What kind of music (Wargaming) do you have here?"
"Oh we have BOTH kinds, we have Country AND Western! (40 K  AND  30 K !)
Still managed to find fine fellows. Of our informal group of nine,
two were pick ups from LAF,  five are ex local club members (3 different clubs),
one worked along side my Father for a week & wanted to find out about Wargaming
and... well me.


 : lol lol lol

That's a bit surreal too, I was only watching The Blues Brothers again yesterday.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: has.been on March 09, 2021, 08:44:29 PM
"The Penguin!"  WHAP!!!!!!! lol lol lol lol
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Elbows on March 10, 2021, 08:34:39 PM
Also, I think it's worth noting that even if an area has a specific crowd - many of those people might be worth "saving". :D

While I enjoyed the start of 8th edition 40K (coming back from 3rd edition), I no longer play it - but by joining a local 40K group locally, I found a group of fellow minded gamers.  We now do various skirmish games, play D&D together, do Old West, Battlegroup WW2, we game online, do RPGs by Discord, go shooting together, etc.

Now that's a small group "picked" from the larger 40K crowd, but a lot of people who play 40K would be interested in other stuff - sometimes they're even more passionate about other stuff, they're just stuck with 40K since a lot of people don't play anything beyond the GW grasp.
Title: Re: How many sides do you build and paint?
Post by: Mr. White on March 16, 2021, 06:19:23 PM
I have found that sometimes, when joining a local game group, they don't see the same game or setting through the same lens I do. Or sometimes, maybe we have different levels for what we tolerate in social settings. For those reasons, I like to have multiple sides ready on hand because I've found I'd rather play with a non-painter/gamer who's more agreeable to hang out with rather than spend my luxury time around folks that I don't jive with, but who happen to buy the same models/books as I.