What would you do if you had to start over?

[Imp522]

I'm curious as to what others would do if they suddenly didn't have their collection
Start Over, move on to different hobby, something else?

[rebelyell2006]

Assuming that renter's insurance will cover my miniatures, I'd replace what I lost.  Otherwise, I'd start over but limit myself to fewer eras (and probably just 15mm or smaller minis), and place a greater emphasis on materials and supplies.  My greatest bottleneck in painting is not having the right paints or running out of basing materials.

[Elbows]

Not entirely sure.  I've thought about it a few times.  Thought about selling everything and moving on.  I just like creating games too much.  It's tough that it takes up some much money/time/space.

I have other hobbies, but I'd probably stick with it.  I've converted over to specializing in a few projects, so I'd keep that up...avoid big armies etc.

[Drachenklinge]

I like to believe that I'd stick with it, as well. But I sure would concentrate on skirmish systems, since I realized that I just do not want to paint hundreds of minis (again) before starting to play - and I don't like to play with unpainted minis.
However, there still would be some dwarfs in it, too.

I said "like to believe", because I do not really want to know what it feels like to loose every miniature in one go (nor anything else at all for that matter) and I don't know how I would "cope" with that.
Maybe I'd hate to ever see a mini again.  

However, I am grateful that it is not the case, and my "millions" of minis (and other things) are still with me.  

[Elbows]

I read the original post more as "what if you never started".  If, by some freak accident I lost all of my current stuff...I probably wouldn't start over.  I don't have any kind of insurance and even money can't replace the time spent on painting figures or making custom terrain.  It would definitely feel like too big of a gut punch to start over.

I'd probably concentrate on other hobbies.  Maybe in a few years I could start back into it, but losing years and years of work would be really upsetting.  That's one of the big risks with this hobby I think.  While we could probably sell stuff off and make a decent chunk of change - you can't replace the hundreds of hours spent painting/assembling/etc. 

[Arlequín]

I actually did that. Due to life and job changes a few years ago, I had to travel light and sold or threw out everything I had. I did not have a huge collection, a couple or three painted armies, various assorted RP figures and a lead mountain, largely made up of impulse buys at shows; the typical impedimenta of the wargamer. I wasn't happy about it at first, but once I got into it I realised how much crap I'd 'collected' that I would never actually use.

A couple of decades on I was able to begin to get back into it finally, but my approach had changed. I plan more and don't buy on impulse, I only actually buy figures created by a very limited range of sculptors and if I add to that list it is never 'sight unseen' or from photos. I tend to play 'skirmish' style games (less than a company's worth of figures) and in a small number of periods. I don't have anything with me currently, but what I do have could be shipped in a single crate.

In short I am now more discerning in what I buy and I immerse myself deeper in the periods I game as far as research goes. I still have numerous flights of fancy for new periods, but once I get into the research part it either grows and blooms, or withers and dies, before the credit card has come out to buy more stuff. My lead mountain exists mentally, but physically it's still still sitting on the stock shelves of the people who make the figures, rather than on shelves and in boxes with me.

[Vanvlak]

Replace it.
I'm incorrigible  

[Gunbird]

I'd probably give up completely and move back to Photography.

[Tactalvanic]

Start smaller, and stay there, small hills instead of mountains.

fewer projects, smaller with far more likelihood of finishing some

[Daniel36]

I recently traded the last of my Warhammer stuff. So while not technically starting over, I now have a very manageble pile of unpainted skirmish stuff and I am actually chipping away at it at a fairly good rate.

If I ever get back into army-wide wargaming, it will be 10mm.

[Daniel36]

Doube Post, sorry...

[robh]

Assuming I could afford to replace a collection, I would commission painted 6mm armies for gaming (Napoleonics and WW2) and return to painting larger scale (54mm/75mm) display figures.

[Dr. Zombie]

I would make a purchase and painting plan. Draw up detailed lists of what I want to buy and in what order. I would promise myself to only buy something new once I have painted my last purchase.

I would then proceed to completely ignore all of the above and just buy all sorts of random stuff and hoard it away and only seldom actually finish anything.

I know this as I have actually done it...

[Daeothar]

I assume you mean after one's house burns down or is hit by a meteor or something?

I actually do have insurance, but I'm pretty sure it would not cover everything I have in my collection right now, especially if you'd add in all the terrain and books that go with the games.

But I'd probably get on with it as soon as possible, regardless of what I'd eventually be refunded. I've always been an optimistic kind of fellow, so I'd probably see it as an opportunity to make a fresh start without all the assorted side projects that lie in limbo for decades. Besides; I like my hobby too much to let a little thing like losing everything stop me...

However, I would seriously lament the loss of my current collection, which has been growing for over 25 years now. Paintjobs, conversions and sculpts aside (which are all my own and have all been to my highest possible standards (at the time)), there must be quite a few minis in there that are nigh on impossible to replace due to rarity and/or price. Yeah; grief would be felt for sure.


If you however mean that I'd be able to jump back in time to the moment when the madness started, then yes; I'd probably do a few things differently:
- I'd immediately transfer from enamel paints to acrylic instead of muddling on for a couple of years with that horrible medium
- I'd probably spend a (bit?) less cash on drinks and general partying and invest all that in those minis that would still be dirt cheap at the time, but are rare and very wanted today, obviously keeping them in their packaging and stored away for future sale
- and most importantly; I'd hand myself a note warning me against ever selling my first army (Dark Angels beakies), no matter how badly I thought I'd need the beer money...

[Onebigriver]

I cleared the decks about 8 years ago except for Space Hulk 1st edition & a few odds & sods & it paid for a holiday to the US. It felt good (the holiday & the clearance).

I would like to say I was more disciplined in my starting projects & collecting figures once I returned, but would be a lie.

For a few years after, an addiction to Ebay (the happy times - cheap postage, 99p starting bids) together with visiting too many topics on forums ( ) resulted in lots of part projects and a diverse collection of mini's.

I can't see myself clearing the decks again (except for dire financial emergency) & I'm content working through the lead & plastic mountains & getting projects finished with the minimum of outlay & acquisition.