How often do you have a big clear out of your games room?

[AKULA]

Assuming you’ve got a dedicated gaming space, are you a tidy soul or is it beginning to resemble the garbage planet from Thor:Ragnarok?

 

I’ll be honest when I’ve got a bit of spare time I’d rather do some painting than go to the dump, so my games room is beginning to look a bit ....”cluttered”.... by which, I mean there is disturbing evidence of the quantities of resin, plastic and lead that I’ve accumulated this year - if I ever get raided by the authorities (ie my missus pops her head through the door), then I could be facing a lengthy sentence.

The end result is that I’m probably going to have to spend this weekend’s hobby time having a bit of a clear out, but I might combine it with having a bit of a rejig of the furniture to try and maximise my use of the available space.

[levied troop]

I think my hobby isn’t actually wargaming, it’s sorting and organising boxes of toys.
And I spent the last hour scrubbing my painting desk. Sheer heaven

[has.been]

I saw a Victorian re-enactor visibly shake with wrath when the interviewer asked
'How do you live with such a cluttered room?'
'Madam!' he declared, 'We prefer to say the room has density!'

My wargames room has almost achieved TOTAL density.
I do have clear outs every now & then. This is aided by:-
a) Selling stuff off, though the money created is often used to buy new 'stuff'.
b) Trade at table events like at Hammerhead, fewer (none) at the present.
c) Giving old/unused/unloved away. Four plastic fold-up crates of such are now
    in my garage, awaiting the restarting of our school's Wargames club.
d) The possibility of obtaining a small shed to sit just outside of my room.
    The plan is to use it to store scenery & therefore clear more space in the room.

[Karadek]

I've been collecting since 1991, and it hasn't happened yet. So not too often, I'd say.

[AndrewBeasley]

No room now but about every two years I go through bits.

Problem is I've been cleaning and selling bits for the last year and I'm still finding bits around that I 'stored' safely where I could find them...  Maybe one big tidy over the run up to Christmas would be best :-)

[Coenus Scaldingus]

Moving house is a great opportunity to get things sorted. And the only moment I've so far ever taken the time to really sort things out - though one has to start early, as it can easily take a fair while!

I saw a Victorian re-enactor visibly shake with wrath when the interviewer asked
'How do you live with such a cluttered room?'
'Madam!' he declared, 'We prefer to say the room has density!'

There's a line I'll be sure to remember. 

[Harry Faversham]

I kicked off in 1968 and I'm still getting around to my first clearout.

 

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

Density!  I like that! 

Mine has achieved black hole status, based on the rate it draws things in. 

I need to do a clear out so I can actually game properly again.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

My nom de plume is getting more and more relevant. I’ve had to move from my dedicated gaming room (I’d rather have it back than have a spare room for someone else to sleep once in a blue moon but I’m not in charge it seems) to share (a corner is sharing accordingly) my wife’s workroom and have a space about 2/5ths of the original space I had previously. Most is in very useful boxes and are stacked up to create a proper little mountain. It has made my hobby difficult and inaccessible and to be honest I’m probably going to have to just get rid of a large portion of my hobby treasures but it’s making me sad as I had plans for everything I have. So if you want a large and highly converted original metal and prettied-up plastic squat force for 40k, nearly all of Man’o’war, a collection of converted and re-sculpted inq28/Necromunda forces or big swathes of epic I may be able to help  . Being retired at a young age my only hobby funds come from what I can sell so maybe if I can find some people to take my hobby nonsense I could afford to finish the few projects I intend to keep (although the urge to just give up and get rid of everything seems to always be lurking in the background).

BALM

[fred]

I've not done this clear out thing. Currently most of my gaming stuff is in the conservatory, and as we are getting it re-roofed soon, I feel that I am at least going to have to get everything out and moved somewhere else. Which may well generate some clearing out. But I am an habitual hoarder of things.

We moved some boxes out from the top of a wardrobe recently, and in it I found various gaming stuff from when I was a school - which is the best part of 30 years ago. Still haven't decided what I am doing with any of them yet.

I think it is the balance of density between storage, stockpiles and access. Too much stuff that you can't get too is just annoying. But having things organised so you can get to the stuff you often want, while having the treasures at the back is good. I did this type of organising a few years ago, and it defiantly helped. But entropy has occurred since then...

[AKULA]

Some very interesting answers   

Well, I’ve “sort of” had a clear out this weekend... no actual miniatures have left the premises, but several bin bags of packaging, and a whole pile of empty cardboard boxes have been recycled to hide the evidence of recent purchases 

I’ve also removed several storage units with the equivalent of 12 foot of shelf space from my room entirely ... while this might seem a little crazy (you can’t have enough storage right?) it allowed me to extend the length of my games table by another 2’ which in turn will generate about 20 cubic feet of storage underneath.

The figures etc from the storage units will go into Useful Boxes under the new table. The storage units themselves are going to find their way into the house, together with a whole bunch of military history books...the shelves that the books were on, are nice big units which are ideal for storing terrain items, so the whole rejig has achieved the following:

- more table space
- more storage space
- the impression (to my missus) that I’ve had a clear out without actually have sacrificed any of the little people that inhabit my games room.

Still very messy as lots to put away in their new homes, but I might try and take a few photos during the week if any is interested?

[SteveBurt]

I have fairly regular clear outs. Painted everything unpainted a few years back and now don't buy stuff till I have the last lot painted. Sold off many books, sets of rules stuff that I will never use again. Figures I only sell when replacing them with something better - for instance my old 20mm Zulu War stuff was this year 'upgraded' to 28mm.

[Dr. Zombie]

I try to force myself to do at least 30 minutes of hobby or hobby adjacent stuff every day. To keep everything moving. And on the days where I simply cannot be bothered to paint anything I clean up a bit in stead. I sorta does the job or at least it motivates me to paint. So win - win.

[mcfonz]

Yup. A mess. Well, less so now.

Again, due to RL stuff, I didn't want to leave my mess to anyone so it's been sorted out. I had used an old dining table for the gaming table itself, but I have given that to a mate along with the adapted pieces that went on top to make it a 4x4 rather than 3x3.

I replaced it with two bog standard kitchen base units fixed back to back. No doors - well, not yet. And Some ply board attached as the worksurface. I have also moved the TV to be above the gaming table, which also has the xbox one connected to it. This enables atmospheric music to be played or movies to run in the background if so desired. It is also closer to my painting and PC desk. So by switching the table over I have created a lot of neat (as in tidy) storage space underneath. As it is closer to my desk I have been able to put a lot of my miniatures pile into the unit facing my desk along with my bits boxes and crafts materials such as basing stuff and artists acrylics for terrain etc. All I need to do now is swivel on my chair to access them. 

I also sorted through a lot of books and DVD's - I gave a good 50-100 to the kids home I work at freeing up much shelf space. Books did the same. I now have dedicated terrain storage above my desk and I am working on freeing up more space with more stuff I haven't touched in an age. I am liking and enjoying the space more now it is less cluttered and in these strange times my gaming table is even doubling as my work desk.

[Little Odo]

Hmmm, about once every forty years or so