*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 03:55:39 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??  (Read 10717 times)

Offline AndrewBeasley

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1228
Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« on: June 18, 2022, 04:43:38 PM »

OK a bit of background.


Been a gamer / collector for 40+ years and not been a regular player for years.


Some bits sold / some given away - mainly the cream of the crop leaving me with bits I thought I may be interested in.


I do suffer from mental health issues and find it hard to remember rules / meet people and am trying to force what I have into games I may be interested in but to be honest its getting more of a problem (either scenery or part set of troops).


Life wise, I'm looking more at Döstädning than trying to find a new things but I wonder if it all goes and I just buy a few troops (painted) it would work or would the 'oh nice, shiny' syndrome hit?


So my question is - have you ever started again FROM SCRATCH??

Offline Inkpaduta

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Mastermind
  • *
  • Posts: 1323
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2022, 05:52:09 PM »
No I haven't. But part of me wishes I could. I would do things much differently.
Staying in just one scale. Focusing on just a few periods or eras. I realized that I have
done twenty five lines of figures, all various periods and scales, that I have gotten rid of
over time because they were more impulse buys than anything else. Yet still have numerous
periods and scales left.

Offline Elbows

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9451
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2022, 05:58:16 PM »
Wargaming is one of my three main hobbies, and one of the only ones I can afford at the moment.

I spend "most" of my time designing games, painting models and playing games.  However, a couple times a year I do find myself wondering why we - as a group - engage in a hobby which is often so much work.  I do think to myself, "Man, how much money and spare time would I have if I didn't do this hobby...".

Then I wonder if I'd enjoy the hobby as much if I did, as you suggest, just skip all the stuff and invest in smaller commission painted forces for games.  I honestly couldn't tell you.  I don't enjoy painting...but I love the result, if that makes sense.  I like finishing something and having something unique, but I don't paint for fun.  It's not terribly relaxing for me, etc.  I'm not in it for the art.

While I will never quit wargaming, I have compressed my goals towards a small handful of projects to which I dedicate myself, heavily.  My friends would agree I don't do anything "half assed".  I have killed off most of my impetuousness from my youth - something I see most of my 20-30 year old friends struggling with (i.e. they BUY everything...paint half and play with none of it).

I have finally decided to ditch all of my 40K stuff which is a real load off.  I hate having a ton of minis for a game I can't stand.  I even tried to get myself to play some 2nd edition, which was fun enough, but not something I play enough to warrant having minis on hand.  So I'm selling off a massive 40K collection and it feels great.  I'm increasingly unimpressed with Games Workshop, so it's fun to kinda break up with that pscyho girlfriend.

I do heavily endorse being honest with yourself.  I know some people here advocate "never throw anything away!".  I'm the opposite.  Be honest with yourself.  For every box of models I ask myself:  1) Do I have the enthusiasm to actually build and paint this.  2) Do I have the enthusiasm to actually build and paint...all of this, one or two armies worth.  3) Do I ever plan on actually playing this game?  Do my friends play it?  Hell, do I even enjoy the game?

Life is short; don't waste time collecting stuff you won't paint, or painting stuff you won't ever play (again unless the art or zen-nature of painting is what you enjoy, obviously).

I have a friend who legitimately concerns the rest of our group; as he more or less has the hoarding mental issue.  He collects a staggering amount of stuff, to a point where it is financially detrimental to him, and he's just stockpiling half-built/half-painted stuff.  He serves as a kind of warning to the rest of us; have some hobby discipline.

I think, if you don't "love" the hobby aspect, I think streamlining and simply buying some 2nd hand or commissioned painted forces for a handful of games you enjoy is a very legitimate way to enjoy wargaming.
2024 Painted Miniatures: 166
('23: 159, '22: 214, '21: 148, '20: 207, '19: 123, '18: 98, '17: 226, '16: 233, '15: 32, '14: 116)

https://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com
Find us at TurnStyle Games on Facebook!

Offline AKULA

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 6231
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2022, 07:05:42 PM »
Life is short; don't waste time collecting stuff you won't paint, or painting stuff you won't ever play (again unless the art or zen-nature of painting is what you enjoy, obviously).

Wise wise words…one day I may even follow them  :)

Have tried trimming the projects, and then branched out again….cut off one head, two more shall take its place…Hail Hydra.

This time (it’s slightly) different… my projects are now falling into two camps…those I want to enjoy painting/building myself, and others that I just want to get on a table (well…maybe at some point)….the latter consist largely of buying in painted minis, possibly rebasing.


Offline Belligerentparrot

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 480
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2022, 08:23:41 PM »
In answer to your question, Andrew: kind of, yeah. Long answer then short answer incoming!

When I got back into the hobby after a misspent early adulthood, I have only had one *project* as it were - the thing that really sparks my imagination is building a world (and *lots* of skirmish factions for it) based loosely off Rogue Trader era Imperium and the sci-fi that influenced it. I originally got quite a long way to completing this by collecting and converting old GW lead. But around 6 or so years ago I sold off almost all of that, and started almost from scratch. The new GW plastics are pretty much like Lego in that you can build whatever you want out of combinations of them - that made building the factions I wanted for my world both easier (I never want to cut up metal minis again!) and much more creatively rewarding.

So, short answer: I'd say yeah, do it, but only if you're really clear in your head why you're doing it. In my case, I saw a very clear reason to, which was particular to what I find most rewarding in the hobby anyway. 

Offline 3Fingers2

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 155
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2022, 08:32:55 PM »
I had a massive clear out when I split with my wife due to lack of space and needing the cash .
I have only bought few things rules etc, but those projects have stalled but with postage costs it’s not really viable to sell big hardback rule books .
I am tempted to have one last push clearing it all the miniatures and loose weapons etc fit in a small plastic toolbox . Then there is the frostgrave and death in dark continent rules.
I am tempted to start doing Dark future again though mainly for converting the cars .

Offline Psychlic Bob

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 76
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2022, 09:26:39 PM »
Like you my mental health issues caught up with me about 15 years ago (my son and I both had a diagnosis of Aspergers). Prior to this I had been very active on the 15mm DBM competition circuit and was beginning to write for one of the larger figure producers. Was winning painting prizes etc. Then I just stopped, All my drive disappeared. Sold everything (even my prize-winning stuff) for a ton of cash. Did nothing for 2 years.
Kept in touch with some of the decent people I had known but socialising was a no-no.
Realised I still loved painting about 7 years ago and started collecting 28mm and slowly got back into collecting. Luckily I came across ADLG and a few of the skirmish-level games (the Rampant series, Frostgrave etc) so I could play the odd game with trusted friends. This coincided with me assisting someone to set up a club specifically for people with MH issues and I have eased back into playing in friendly competitions but I will never make it back to previous levels.
I love this hobby and 99.99% of the people in it/

Offline tikitang

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 604
  • A shadow out of time...
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2022, 10:08:42 PM »
Yeah, I do this on a fairly regular basis.

Every idea I ever have concerning wargaming projects (which frequently grow into expensive purchases of many miniatures and terrain) inevitably comes crashing down in flames. When this occurs, sometimes I sell things, but most of the time I sweep everything into the bin, as I cannot be bothered to go through with the effort of selling and all that entails. The most important thing when "project collapse" (as I call it) occurs, I find, is not making the money back, but the psychological sense of purging what came before. My tabletop hobby journey seems to be a continuous, Ouroboros-esque cycle of creation and self-consuming destruction.

Sometimes I think this should be read as a sign that this hobby is not for me and I should try something different, and yet there's something about the concept of model soldiers, dice and rules which just keeps pulling me back. Each time this happens, though, I try to make the next project smaller, tighter and less ambitious than before. I have another one on the go just now and I'm just hoping I can keep this one ticking over without it turning into the usual cycle as described above! 
« Last Edit: June 19, 2022, 12:35:07 PM by tikitang »
https://a-descent-into-the-maelstrom.blogspot.com/


"The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything."

- Chuck Palahniuk

Offline Jacksarge

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 350
    • Jacksarge Painting
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2022, 02:55:16 AM »
I really appreciate the honest answers in this thread, I can relate to a lot of it. Many times throughout my decades of engagement with this hobby I have let go a bunch of the stuff I had collected, sometimes all of it, either by selling, giving it away or throwing it away. Like the original poster, mental health issues make stuff a real challenge, I cannot hold complex rules in my head and I'm fed up with the butterfly syndrome that leads nowhere but incomplete projects & lost enthusiasm. My main pleasure in the hobby these days is painting, I've always enjoyed the creative & visual side of this hobby. I also enjoy the history & narrative fun that games can (sometimes) give, but geographical & social isolation makes this untenable so I've had to give up on that idea. Some folks have the enthusiasm & motivation for solo gaming, I don't have that.
The hobby should serve you, the danger is, like many other pursuits, that we can end up being a slave to it - it masters us, whether that takes the form of OCD, hoarding, overspending etc. I used to work in a field that helped people with addictions, and trust me, the human ability to deceive oneself & others runs very deep.
Holding it loosely & finding simple enjoyment in it is what I hope to do & avoid some of the dead end turns I've taken before.

Offline War Monkey

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1320
    • Silo1313
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2022, 02:58:11 AM »
I lost everything not once but twice, both times I had built up massive collections of figures and collectables and here I am doing it again why because I love it! It is what I enjoy doing.
Just remember "If the Enemy is in range, so are YOU!

http://silo1313.blogspot.com/

Offline beefcake

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 7413
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2022, 03:26:52 AM »
In my early 20's I sold off the majority of my stuff, thinking "this stuff is for kids" then regretted that a few years later as I got back into it. I kept a few things I really liked but the majority was gone.
No I have way too much stuff and having had a huge amount stored for a good long time it has made me think do I miss all this stuff and the answer is, YES. I want all my minis back so I can look at them and decide what to paint next despite he fact that I will probably only ever paint 10% of my stuff, Will I downsize, I guess so. Just a paint to sell things off. I can't be bothered with the packing safely etc of everything.


Offline tikitang

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 604
  • A shadow out of time...
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2022, 06:46:12 AM »
The hobby should serve you, the danger is, like many other pursuits, that we can end up being a slave to it - it masters us, whether that takes the form of OCD, hoarding, overspending etc. I used to work in a field that helped people with addictions, and trust me, the human ability to deceive oneself & others runs very deep. Holding it loosely & finding simple enjoyment in it is what I hope to do & avoid some of the dead end turns I've taken before.

This really hits the nail on the head for me. In my previous post I didn't really address the reasons for "project collapse", just acknowledged it happened, but it's all connected to the above issues. There comes a point in every project I begin where, once the initial excitement of starting something new begins to plateau, I begin to feel 'mastered' by it, and it's the realisation of this that triggers the collapse. Sometimes it doesn't even get that far: sometimes it's simply that the enthusiasm grinds to a halt even before I feel I'm being 'mastered'.

It also doesn't help that I'm fairly socially isolated (not in terms of geography -- I live in a capital city -- but just that I have never been great at making and keeping friends) so a lack of "group dynamics" means that the only thing that sustains my interest is...my own interest. I used to have a real passion for solo-gaming, about a decade ago (before I had kids), but as I've got busier with work and fatherhood responsibilities, my solo-gaming drive has almost completely dried up. There may come a point where my kids get enthused about tabletop hobbies, but so far I've had little success in that regard (the cyclical project collapse syndrome hasn't helped on that front!)

« Last Edit: June 19, 2022, 12:13:01 PM by tikitang »

Offline Onebigriver

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1856
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2022, 09:46:30 AM »
Went through bit of a rough time in my early 30s so decided to sell my (mostly GW) miniatures games (except for Space Hulk - I would never part with Space Hulk) and use the money to visit a friend in America. Soon after I returned home I started collecting mini's again but this time round from lots of different genres and manufacturers. It felt good clearing the decks, I did something worthwhile with the cash, but soon wanted to collect again.
Waiter, my soup is giggling.

Online has.been

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8232
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2022, 10:57:45 AM »
At first (this phase lasted from when I started ages 11 until late 20s) I HAD to
keep EVERYTHING! Then I (slowly) began to realize that while my desire for
'stuff' was infinite, storage space was finite.

I have had several really big clear outs. These have normally followed a couple
of years after big growth spurts.
e.g. Club did 25mm Sudan. When the Campaign finished I bought the armies
from the others. Played with the large collection for a few years then sold it on.
Few years later did the same in 10mm.
Similar happened with Aztec 28mm, ECW (Cleared the decks of all the Minifig &
Hinchcliffe 25mm by giving over 20 file-boxes full to a School Wargames club,
so I could start with fewer 28mm) Napoleonics, again got rid of a LOT of 25mm
Minifigs so I could move on to fewer 28mm.
When DBA first hit our club it really helped to melt the lead mountain, but after
a while I sold on 45 (yes forty-five) 25mm DBA armies.

In short I follow the advise of a wise friend (thanks Dave Brookes) 'If it has sat
on the shelf unused for years, get rid of it.' also 'Don't consider wht it would cost
to replace it, price it to GO'
I now am working towards having enough figures, scenery, rules etc. to be able
to put on a game at short notice. I am at that stage with some of my favorites,
but not all. This will not stop be getting excited with new projects, maybe that is
why I am still doing this after half a century.

Offline Gibby

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2352
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2022, 12:05:51 PM »
I've had two major clearouts on here before - one of them was this year. I've still managed to end up with a load of new stuff since then, though my impulse control is WAY better than it used to be. I am someone who has enthusiasm for a lot of ideas, but who lacks the discipline to realise most of them. Not helped by the next shiny idea being on the horizon. Gotta say, the desire to clear out literally everything and start over from scratch is something I can sympathise with. I'm of the character where lots of "clutter" or "to do projects" really can weigh on my mind.

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
22 Replies
8193 Views
Last post February 11, 2011, 04:47:47 PM
by Commander Vyper
4 Replies
8425 Views
Last post July 11, 2016, 02:22:53 PM
by leonmallett
10 Replies
3063 Views
Last post August 31, 2016, 01:49:40 PM
by snitcythedog
246 Replies
42898 Views
Last post January 25, 2021, 09:52:59 PM
by Sir_Theo
11 Replies
1595 Views
Last post October 05, 2022, 08:49:30 PM
by Golgotha