Reconnecting to your Hobby…
January 31, 2013 by warzan
For all of us there are times in our lives where we for whatever reason start to feel detached from our hobby. It happens very easily too, New Love, New Baby, Change of Job, your favourite gaming company does something that annoys you, Olympics, Footy or F1 Season kicks in etc etc
For me the last few months have been a bit like that, where due to the demands of the projects we've been working on it's been difficult to give the time to 'MY Hobby'. And as a result that sense of detachment sets in and grows.
Yes every now and again I felt a pang to return, but suffered the syndrome of 'where do I start' I have so many games and so much stuff, and then Prof Brian Cox is on the telly and I say ahh I'm tired and will do something about it tomorrow.
There have been a lot of tomorrows this last few months, and sometimes circumstances just don't allow for you to spend the time you want with your hobby - it's ok to take a break, (and it's important to get that message across - IT IS OK TO TAKE A BREAK!) but there will come a time when you want to come back.
For me that feeling has been building during January...
I'm not any less busy, but the move is now mostly complete and both processes and the creativity are starting to flow again these last 4 weeks, and coupled with meeting and working with some fantastic people, the space in my mind and heart (for lack of a better phrase) has opened up to let me reconnect with 'My Hobby'.
So for me personally I have both a huge advantage, being involved in Beasts of War leaves 'the hobby' pretty accessible to me, I can see what's going on and what's coming; but it also has its drawbacks too, where there is just sooo much going on it's difficult to see 'MY Hobby', through the myriad of activity that's happening in the industry on any given day.
My first step back
I have a lot of hobby stuff, that became apparent during the move over here to Essex, our new home is a bit smaller than before and with a new baby ready to arrive any time now, there is no longer such a thing as a 'hobby room' so my first step was to ignore all the stuff I have... I know that if I try to start my journey back there, I will just give up. It's easy to think of your hobby as the stuff you have, but actually what I feel is most important is the people you share it with.
For me that had to start with my partner Andrea, because as hectic as life has been for me over the last few months its been twice as hard for her. I'm in the lucky position that Andrea enjoys the hobby, she is what I would call a nice normal gamer, she's not obsessive about it and just enjoys it for what it's worth. So any hobby time for me would have to include her, and if she wasn't ready then it would just have to wait. You might be asking why 'My Hobby' would depend on another person, and all I can say to that is it's a decision that feels right, we have been through a lot these last years, and I if there is enjoyment to be had, for me... I have to share that with her.
I'm sure many of you can relate to this, while others have a partner who has little or no interest in the hobby, where a different kind of balance must be struck.
Finding the hobby outside of our home
Because our hobby often includes bits and kits and activities that are solo activities, it's easy to slip into a little world of isolation where your only hobby time... is alone time. I really didn't want to fall into that trap, so being fortunate enough to have a whopping big gaming centre below our studios, that was the obvious place to make the first steps back into the hobby. So as I said before I just ignored all my 'things' and just went with the flow.
We literally walked in to the gaming centre with nothing but a desire to try out a few games, with whoever might be there. We had one fixed game planned of Dystopian Wars, but we really were totally open to just trying stuff out.
I posted a topic about it here in the Tabletop Nation forum: //www.beastsofwar.com/groups/tabletop-nation-general-discussion/forum/topic/my-first-nights-gaming-in-ttn-tonight/
It really was just a little post about what I was hoping for, and within 5 mins of posting it I got an offer of a game from @rekshaw (Nick) which was an act of kindness that I will not soon forget although having now met Nick I'm sure he doesn't realise just how kind he was being!
Walking through the Doors of My Hobby Again
Focusing on the people aspect of the hobby rather than the things (for me at least) was the right thing to do, below is my little post the morning after...
It’s always a bit daunting walking into a new environment to game with new people, but the folk attending last night we’re really really friendly. (Between Me, You and this forum, I’m actually quite a shy person who has to take a deep breath before meeting or talking to folk)
So last night I got a great nights gaming in (Andrea too!) and we had a fantastic game of X-Wing, to be fair my opponent @rekshaw made life very easy for us, but it was just so much fun. And I got to poke a bit of fun at Andrea who STILL hasn't seen the Star wars movies. – Top game, Highly Recommended!
We then got in a game of Dystopian Wars against @stuart which was a total blast, Andrea is now hooked on the French fleet by the looks of it, I think the ‘heat lancets’ have stolen her gaming heart! My crowning moment was rolling about 6 6's in a row, which impressed a few folk – but I paid for that run of luck with some very sorry looking rolls in the mid game when those 6's would have counted most! For me the exploding 6's in dystopian wars (as with most games) are a total highlight, and just add so much more flavour to the game in my opinion – I'm definitely a fan and Highly recommend Dystopian wars as a game to pick up, not least because if you like the mechanics it opens up Firestorm Armada etc. to you as well.
Finally I got a game of Magic the Gathering in against Kat which was utterly terrifying! I played a borrowed Green Deck (I'm a fan of the big stuff!) against a horrifically effective Vampire themed deck that put me on the back foot from turn 2. I fought valiantly however you know the game is up when your opponent actually starts to ‘keep you in the game’ just so they can prolong your agony lol yup Kat by name, Cat by Nature!
All in all it was probably the best nights gaming I've had in a long long time, and I would say to any of you who haven’t been as ‘absorbed’ in your hobby for a while and are maybe feeling a little detached from it, to find a local club or venue (or make the trek over here to TTN) and just let your self fall in love with your hobby again. Some times it’s tempting to just live your hobby privately at home but it’s so refreshing to share it with others.
Do you want a way back?
If your reading this and are looking for a way back here are a few tips that might help...
1) It was ok to take a break, and don't be afraid to treat it as a break, if you try to deny it you will only feel worse!
2) When your ready to come back, who do you need to share that with and are they ready? When you share your life with someone, sharing the good things is vital as you often don't have a choice in sharing the hard times. If they are not ready it's probably not going to make your lives any easier to force the situation or leave the other behind. If they don't share an interest in the hobby, how can you balance things so there is a sense of fairness. (There is just no easy answers to this as every gamer who shares their life with someone will tell you!)
3) Don't look for your hobby among your 'things' to begin with, you will likely end up muddled and just see way too many things to do!
4) Find a venue where you can meet other gamers and enjoy the hobby with some other people. If you don't have a venue near by its probably worth making the trip to a good venue or event that's worth the trek. For various reasons some people my not have the choice to go out to other venues, and that is not an easy challenge and all I can suggest is to try and organise something among friends some kind of get together etc.
5) Ring ahead and talk to the venue and explain what your doing and they can hopefully (if they are worth their salt) set you up a demo game and introduce you to some folk on the night.
6) Go with an open mind, and try some different things. It's an opportunity to see the hobby through some other peoples eyes, who knows what you will find.
7) Go for quick games and try to get 2-3 games in on the night, I don't suggest getting bogged down in a 4 - 5 hour single game on your first return.
For everyone else...
1 Golden Rule) Offer a game, don't underestimate the kindness in that, you're helping a fellow gamer and some day you may need the favour returned.
It's great to be able to connect to 'My Hobby' again and yes I'm even starting to look at the things I have and make some tentative plans of what to do next (Tyrannic Wars or the Betrayal anyone?) But what is your take on all of this? Have I missed anything?
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Excellent article.
So nice to know that you are getting back into actually having fun with miniatures and stuff.
Good luck with the dice.
I myself am in the same boat. For the past year I was planning for my wedding and had very little time to do any modeling. Now that I’m married, for the past few months I find myself pulled to restart my true passion, that is painting. It really is hard to pick up where you left off. I was doing a very big traitor guard army. Now I haven’t even looked at them for almost a year! Heck I even was making a codex for the army but have yet to finish it.
With all this unfinished projects I sometimes feel I let myself down. But it’s not the end of my hobby love. As of resent I’m taking baby steps. I’m painting my Super Dungeon Explore box set as its much more manageable than some 200 guard. It seems that the BIG projects will most likely be in stages unlike before. More little things like Blood Bowl teams and skirmish type games than the monster armies.
One step at a time is my new belief.
I left the hobby at 15 (beer, girls hello!) and never touched it for years but rediscovered it about 6 yrs ago at the age of 29 when i moved to a new city for work. Made some fantastic new friends who i have kept to this day and ive always found the hobby helps you do that., shared passions and all that. I didnt touch the hobby at all last year tho as my day job and nite time DJ performances went thru the roof but ive come back to it properly for 2013. Always more of a painter than a gamer and i fing nothing centres my mind better than picking up a brush, putting on a DVD box set and getting stuck in. My life still moves at a million miles an hour but now i make sure i take a few hours a week downtime with the hobby that taught me the true value of patience.
I should also mention, like you Warren I found out when I moved I had loads of models. So much that for every normal box I loaded I had 2 hobby boxes. Leah my wife was in utter shock when we moved. She has no real interest in hobbies but we did find a happy middle ground. She likes what I painted and even suggested we get a glass cabinet to display them all. I’m happy with that type of support as she even knows that sometimes I need to go to the local hobby center just to hang out with the guys.
I’m glad you had a great fun time, you and your missus. Hopefully I can give you a game of something next time you have spare time. 🙂
Great article Warren – it’s a theme which resonates with me a lot…
I should first say congratulations on a new baby! I’m sure many sleepless nights will follow – which will at least give you more potential hobby time to paint new things 🙂
For me the last year has been quite a struggle, what with depression hitting home with the force of a lead pipe to the brain and a sense of isolation creeping in. It’s difficult for me as most of what I do is solitary work – between painting things for my little store (which helps keep me sane as well as giving a little esteem boost whenever I sell anything) and my writing pursuits it’s been tough. I feel like I haven’t achieved anything in the last few years and add to that my back problem (which lost me a nice little part-time job) and the shite job market in general at the moment, it hasn’t made for a happy existence – I’m happy I’m still here to be honest, which is an achievement in itself on many levels.
What I would add is that if you have a lot of stuff it may be worth selling it – I’ve sold a lot and I’ve still tons of stuff in my secondary man cave which I will strip and sell over the next few months and I’ll still have about 4-5 army projects to finish after, along with a Mordheim and Quest project. I know it’s difficult to let go of armies or models in your collection, but if they’ve been idle for years it’s probably worth while moving on and using the money to start a new collection which excites your gaming aspirations.
I think the last few years have seen a great explosion of games to enjoy, be they board games, card games or, of course, war games. For me it’s difficult to choose any one particular game. Luckily many of the games are at a skirmish level, so for £30-40 you can get started with a force. However for me it’s okay for a game to play well but this means little to me compared to the background of a particular game’s setting. I’m adamant that it is this factor alone which has let both 40k and Warhammer (to a lesser extent perhaps) maintain such a strong hold despite all of GW’s dastardly shenanigans.
For me there’s little escaping 40k, for many reasons. Part of it is the sheer amount of time and money I’ve spent investing in it, be it in models, books or even that Ultramarines movie 🙂
Now I’ve panned GW a lot and they’ve done things which have honestly sickened me (well more their aloof attitude and the almost cynical way they seem to tailor their games and products) – yet I still love me a game of 40k. What I’ve found is that by going back to earlier editions of their games I get the gaming and nostalgia fix I crave. For me games are a way of reconnecting with my childhood, freeing my mind of its current burdens and exciting my imagination at the same time.
For me wargaming is not just about playing a tactical game but the main appeal is in creating scenarios or stories out of a battle. The mix between roleplaying game and wargame in a fictional setting is the principle that has made not only GW, but the wargaming industry itself become what it is today – with kickstarter’s and games galore, which I am very thankful for.
It’s hard to reconnect with something without exploring the roots of that first love or intrigue which grabbed you, be it in gaming, food or love itself. For me reconnecting with things has become important, because with depression you tend to lose all interest in pretty much everything to the point of total disillusion, so you try and enjoy simple things all the more as a way of reconnecting with life again.
In wargaming terms this has meant for me older editions of games. I think it’s too easy to try and connect with whatever might be new and exciting and end up feeling cut adrift in the process.
For me just because something is new doesn’t necessarily make it better, look at the many classic cars or old films which are far better than the majority of their kind that exist today – with a certain love in the way they were made that is rarely seen today, even if the end product isn’t as refined. The same applies to games, so I’d say just because a game is old, doesn’t make it redundant.
Personally I love retro games of all kinds, perhaps it’s something you guys might consider at Tabletop Nation? I would love to go out and have an evening of 600pts 2nd Ed games and even for newer player’s to 40k, I think they’d enjoy it. For me I still enjoy older versions of games, as much, if not more, than their latest incarnations. It’s a good way to gain perspective on a game and, for those of a mind, interesting to see how it’s evolved over the years. Not to mention that 2nd Ed 40k and 4th Ed Warhammer are much cheaper to collect for. They weren’t without their problems but these can be easily addressed with a few simple selection rules.
I agree that the best way to get back into gaming is to play games. It sounds stupidly obvious but it’s the truth and it’s something I, for one, need to do far more of. I also agree that balance between games and ‘real life’ is key to get right. I’m a little envious you’ve got a massive gaming venue just downstairs to raid for games and hobby inspiration to be honest…damn you!
This all being said I thank you for the article and I hope at least some of what I said resonates with a few readers (if they read it that is) 😉
Happy gaming guys 🙂
A lot of what you say at the start there is all too familier to me, depression and anxiety have basically crushed all of the motivation out of my life, including my love of gaming.
Overwhelming myself with ideas, usually grand schemes, that I think are awesome one hour then stupid the next really hasn’t helped at all.
Similarly I’ve always ended up overthinking how to get back into the hobby even when I start off with a good plan of action. Small skirmish game so I don’t get overwhelmed sounds good…then I end up looking at a dozen different rules sets trying to figure what I’d want to play, then I’d have to get friends to agree to actually play it and so on.
Playing a GW rules set from when I was younger could really be helpful, the added motivation from the nostalgia factor, combined with a small game size and knowing people who also played them.
It’s something I’m really going to have to have a go at, along with mixing stuff up with board and card games.
As usual there’s stuff in my own head I have to work past to get it all going, but as you say actually playing some games makes continuing to play a lot easier.
Damn first steps always being the hardest.
😀
I find I get burned out painting when looking at everything in my collection that needs to be done. Chain painting is not something I want to do ever again. What helps me is picking up a few little commissions from the local community. I dont ask for much in return and the fact that I give myself a deadline helps me to stay focused on the task. It’s a win/win because I get to paint a fig that I wouldn’t normally buy and someone gets a nice paint job in return.
I feel you mate. I think we all go through painting burn out. Its good to see you found a balance that works for you.
I pretty much all but abandoned the hobby in 2006 after hitting some rather uber financial problems, it was only in Jan 2012 I started buying models again. I have always been a big reader so I try to find fiction relating to wargames, if I find something interesting it normally rekindles my desire to roll some dice again
Great article, your so lucky to have someone to share your passion with.
Well that was a really good article,
Life moves on I don’t think very many of us can just walk away altogether…
…I think gaming is in our DNA, picture our blood cells running around inside of us sporting plasma pistols 🙂
I cant remember the last time I took a break completely, but I do kind of alternate what I do.
I’m fortunate in that having played wargames for 20 plus years, I have armies all painted up and ready to go, and because I only really play with friends at each others homes, and we have migrated to playing 2nd edition 40K (with a few house rules) mostly, I dont suffer from the new shiny syndrome, rule creep and required new units with each new codex.
This means that I can play without painting when my latest project just gets too much, or family time leaves little extra for such things, both happen regularly.
Conversely, I can, and did recently, go three or four months without playing at all , but find time to get a little bit of painting in amongst all the other things, I’m lucky enough to work from home a lot, so I can find half an hour here and there when the wife’s at work etc to do a bit of something.
So, I vary things, paint, play , both, I also make a very distinct point of changing up the painting, I get very frustrated , and bored, of painting up a new army, especially something like space marines or guard, same 2 or three colours on the same shapes endlessly , so I always paint a squad, do something else entirely , I’m currently doing a GW nurgle lord, the plastic one, I dont play WoC, or even warhammer at all these days, but its something different.
I also find that X wing, and board games like Arkham Asylum are also a great way to break up hobby fatigue, as is, to be honest, switching up the wargames, a few games of infinity or necromunda is a completely different experience to endless games of 40K (whatever flavour) , it all goes to keep things fresh.
Thanks for sharing Warren. For some reason, I imagined you in a HUGE chair like Ronny Corbet telling us about your story. hehe
Need to get my arse into gear also, maybe this will help me tomorrow. 🙂
Cheers
Mick
So the producer said… 😉
It seems to have been said already, but excellent article Warren, and it certainly resonates with me.
I’m a solo player, for me the wall arrives with painting. I get some stuff out that I’ve really been looking forward to….. and then I discover that I cant find a style that satisfies, or is (reasonably) easy to do. Everything just sits there for months, and then I have Spring Cleaning moment, when everything goes back into boxes on shelves. 🙁 Then about six months after that, I’ll get something totally different out to paint (usually orks!) and away we go!
Just a fantastic article. I know I got lost in the hobby when we had a large group of players move (either because they finished college or moved to another area for work). It was tough to go back to the days of many demo level games. It’s only been in the last 6 weeks when I’ve decided to just break back into YouTube and do something to really challenge me from a creative standpoint that I now find myself spinning up players as fast as I can to contribute to a series of campaign videos. Sometimes, it’s just breaking out of a mold that allows you to really jump back into a hobby with two feet and no parachute. =)
@doremicom You are absolutely right, ‘the hobby’ has so many aspects to it now (video making for example), sometimes It’s surprising what path you take to get back…
We need a good catchup chat too matey!
Thanks for sharing this insight into yourself.
It is good to know that the BoW team are not all big cheese monsters looking for nothing but cheese in rules, but are actually gamers at heart. This is a great article and I think every gamer has moments like this. I am just returning back to 40k with an idea for a new army from scratch which i have a few units and codex on order from Wayland, so will start looking into them.
Sometimes a break does people good. Time away from something that, let’s all be honest, can take a lot of time so you can do other things in its place. If you return to the hobby, then great. Sometimes you don;t feel the need for months or even years, but in every gamer, there is always a little spark lurking somewhere under the skin. I know I had it when I stopped for a number of years, but always wanted to look in a GW window when walking past.
Great article Warren.
BoW has all sorts of folk involved, so its probably about time we started to show that! mmmmm
This is a brilliant article 🙂 I spent years thinking of returning to 40K but it wasn’t till I met some like minded people at uni that I actually got back into the game and I am completely hooked again! That has now spread to encompass Warmachine and board games in general. I am now much poorer but much happier for it!
Great article. I got back in to the hobby a year or so ago (almost by chance) and I’m lucky enough to have an understanding missus and a (new) group of mates who all play. We go by the collective name of Awesome Wargaming Dudes *ahem*
We play at a mate’s house and cover WHFB and 40k. We tend to have larger games, of two per side, but that’s only because I’m lazy and never seem to get more than 1k in points for my armies.
I’m also close to the Northwest Gaming Centre, but I’ve yet to go along for a games night. I played in a WHFB tournament there last year and finished dead last!
I have tried to play Blood Bowl with my wife, and whilst she gave it a good go she found it too rules-y for rules sake. Fair comment!
I’m waffling. Anyway, great article – may you forever roll sixes, unless you need to pass a Ld test.
Great article. As I’m expecting a new bundle of joy at the end of summer I’m really trying it was great to hear that there are people in the same boat trying to reconcile family and hobby.
Congrats you are in for the most rewarding period of your life (you may already know that of course!)
My daughter has been the best thing to ever happen to me. My only wish is that I could be as great a Dad to her!
Bundle of joy? Is this the fantastic Infinity starter packs you are referring to? 😀
Serious note: Grats dude. All you need to do now is set up a nice little boarding school until they are old enough to roll dice, hehe
Fantastic article Warren. It struck a cord with me and how my gaming community seems to feel over the last few months. Because of this I linked it to the new gaming club we are building out in Milwaukee Wisconsin.
I’d also like to link it on http://www.refreshandreload.com on our Critical Roots column if you would be ok with that.
Please do!
Getting out of the hobby: moving to another country where only one other guy seems to play Warhammer.
Getting back into the hobby: Walking into the BoW store room the first day I went to the office… and never leaving
You’re still in the store room? 😀
It’s great to read about how you got back into the hobby, as I’ve got back into it over the last few years myself after about 10 years of college, uni and working, and then being made redundant four years ago.
After a few years of being unemployed, I began to look to my old wargaming hobby. I missed building and painting minis and so I popped into my local GW store (which is now closed) just to have a look around. Then I spotted the Catachan Jungle Fighters and immediately thought: Rambo! Predator! Major Dutch (Arnie)! And bought a box of them on the spot – no GW staff persuasion needed, lol.
But I still found it hard to find time to fit in my hobby time as being jobless and unable to afford to move out (and being afraid to do so since my folks are getting on in years and whom need my help); plus spending all day looking for a job, leaves me just a few hours in the evening to do anything (and after doing nearly all the dinners each week) which usually ends up being putting on a dvd or gaming on PS3 for a bit before going off to bed.
Even though I have some time in the evening’s, I hate starting something new or painting at that time, as it always takes me an hour or so to get into the creative flow of things, and by that time it’s too late. Normally I try to start something new on a Saturday which gives me more time to work out what I’m going to do with the minis, like poses etc. and then I would feel more at ease at picking them up in the evening for half an hour or so to carry on with them at a later date.
I also suffer from having too many ideas at once, none of which I have forgotten (it’s a blessing and a curse lol). So I’d hunt down all the bits I’d need for new projects and then start them but then fall into the trap of just playing on PS3 in my spare time between doing other errands and chores that have to be done.
Then I got into all these fantastic YouTube channels a couple of years ago, including BoW, which encouraged me to get back into the hobby, and to even start my own channel last year which I thought would help to motivate me to spend more time on my passion of creating things. But I still ended up with models, which although built, are all unpainted.
I’ve also got a stack of boxed minis to paint, but I don’t want to buy anything new until the current stuff is finished.
So I’ve been trying to take inspiration from these other youtubers who manage to fit in their hobby time around their lives, especially like my “hobby hero”, lol, TemplarsCrusade01 who manages to get models made, painted and videoed (not all at the same time lol) early I the morning before he’s off to work!
So his channel has been a great motivator in trying to think how I can organise myself some proper painting and building time to finish them off. At the same time I had been thinking about how I can get a job, which had been a more pressing concern, not least because my father was diagnosed with cancer late last year. And so I’m having to make sure I’m working asap so I can take care of things if my dad’s condition becomes worse.
After failing to find video companies to work at close to home, and not wanting to be a freelance artist due to not knowing when your next commission would be, I noticed that a lot of people were turning their hobbies into a job. I came to realise that being someone who loves to create is who I am; I’m someone who MUST be doing something creative everyday, otherwise I’m just wasting my life away. So between the start of last year and my dad’s diagnosis I decided I could do the same. I have a tonne of friends online who would be interested in my ideas for my area of commissions that I will be specialising in so I know I won’t be short of customers (indeed one friend of mine on here is helping me trial out my ideas – cheers Tom!). Luckily for me, I’d done some storyboards for a friend of mine in the States and he’s due to start filming a short that I created boards for, so working with him would add to my income.
But I’m out of touch with the gaming aspect of the hobby. The only person who I’ve gamed with was my sister back when 2nd Ed Space Hulk came out – and she was really good at it too with the ‘stealers! Recently I had bought her the Deluxe box of Munchkin and we’re trying to find time to play that but since she’s engaged now and always off to her fiancée’s house, and I can’t, and don’t, rely on her to get a game in, so I’ve been doing the modelling side of things instead.
There are wargames clubs I’d like to get in touch with although they aren’t that local, but, for my own preference, I’d like to get things painted first before approaching them. Originally I was dead set on this small force of Inquisitorial Guard/Henchmen I was building, but since the Horus Heresy rulebook and Chaos codex came out, I decided to get a box of Raptors for Christmas (free stuff, yeah!) to build and paint, without too much conversion work; just as a set of minis to get back into the practice of painting with, which would help as marines armour is quicker to paint than all the details I’d added to my henchmen.
Now that there’s going to be a “bring and play” Betrayal tournament at TTN in March, this and my own want of having painted examples of my work for my commission service, is what I’m using to motivate myself to get back into the hobby and get to play some games. And more importantly; make some new friends, as it’s the people you meet and share ideas with and have fun with that matters most. Being on youtube and helps you reach people in the hobby you might not normally have met, and make friends with, but to meet people in person you can game is what I’m missing out on and I’d like to change that this year. 🙂
Great write-up. Love your insight and for being open to what many of us gamers sometimes go through.
Jumping countries are good for both getting in and out of the hobby in the late 90’s I left an active group of mainly roleplayers to move to Dublin and while there for a half a decade there where a few false starts and the odd game when I where home I where as close to inactive as you can be.
Then after a few moves to few other countries, a few years back I had ended up in an office in Milton Keynes, and in a bout of nostalgia where looking at some 6mm ECW figures from Baccus and trying to figure out if that would be the way to do some form of mass combat in a RPG. A coworker , who at that point where a none gamer as well spotted it and got intrigued, which let to some talking and some dipping of the toe on ebay – and a trip to Salute and the first full WHFB army of now 4 or 5 …
Now the roleplayer have become a wargammer and joined the local club, looking at and playing a number of games
As for having babys while doing the hobby stuff I found it great, as working with a screen in front of me all the time, the computer is not as much fun as it used to be … so that been my alone time – but I am sure @warzan will enlighten us about it as well as he have a much better way with words than I do 😉
Excellent article, been there a lot, just starting to get my vibe back. Nothing to add, well written and great to see on the site.
Congrats on the new addition to the family,
I got back into wargaming through my son.
Toy soldiers were always my favourite thing since I can remember. I first played proper wargames when I was 12 but dropped out of the hobby when I was in my late teens, although I did keep up my interest in military, history and collected the odd figures but was not very active in the hobby .
Years later along comes my first born and he seems to have similar interests but likes to play solo on the Play station. I was not too keen for him to sit for hours in front of the screen so I thought I’d introduce him to wargaming.
He was very keen on Lord of the Rings as he had read the book a year earlier at home while he was still at junior school. I gave him the hobbit first which he loved and he wanted more, so i gave him LotR. it was quite amusing as his teacher used to quiz him about the story line as she didn’t believe he’d read it. This was a year before the film came out.
So I took him down to GW and we played LotR and both amassed quite large armies after a while. Then he wanted to get into 40K I was not keen as I was now starting to get interested in historical gaming again but he showed me the Eldar “Look Dad don’t they look like Japanese warriors (sashimono). they are a lot of points each so you don’t need lot’s of them to make an army”.
Years later and many games my not lots of Eldar has grown into about 7000 pts and Dark Angels about the same. I also indulged my appetite for toy soldiers in the wealth and delights of 28mm historical figures at the same time. What with all the choice out there of games models terrain and the internet to connect players together these are very exciting times.
Now my son is at uni studying Physics and hasn’t played a game for a couple of years. i wonder what will rekindle his interest?
Brilliant article Warren. I must admit I’m feeling abit disjointed with the hobby at the moment.
I mainly play GW games – simply because my mates ain’t interested in trying anything else. However with the constant price rises and such, Im starting to think why bother anymore..
It’s ok trying a new system/company, but not when your gaming pals have no interest in playing it.
If you pick up a couple of battlegroups (or the two-player battlebox) for either Warmachine or Hordes you might be able to get them hooked.
Yeah I did, I picked up the 2 player starter they boguht out..alas they didn’t like the game 🙁
I did however!
Part of me ones to try X-Wing now
I can sympathies with you there @solaaris it can be hard going trying to wean friends off of GW. I think you are employing the right tactic I’ve done the same thing by trying to get friends to play a skirmish game of which there are many. I usually supply all the troops and as I don’t need much encouragement to buy lead, i’m quite happy to do so.
If it’s a game I know well, I’ll pit one friend against another and just take the role of umpire/organiser. Eventually you’ll hook someone.
One of my friends, who was our local GW shop manager at the time was very blinkered when it came to other game systems turned out he liked Oriental mythology.
I sent him a link to GCT Bushido he sent off for some figures backed their campaign for the Ito and we are now playing every Monday night.
Keep trying
Thank you for this fantastic article Warren. I started wargaming way back in 2006 with a few friends but after a couple of years they all moved or stopped gaming and I was left on my own. I decided to give up especially cause I was moving to a new school and didn’t want to be scene as ‘that nerd’ again. My parents were very supportive and refused to let me sell my stuff so instead I put it up in the attic and let it all gather dust. Just over a year ago something brought me back to the hobby but most of my ‘hobby time’ has been on my own or on this computer. Being a young gamer, it is hard to get to my LGS or tournaments for games. Today, I’m looking into getting into more tournaments and starting forces for a couple of different games so that most of the time I can find someone to play. I’m looking into buying another battlegroup for Warmahordes so I can introduce them to wargaming. I’ve gotten over being afraid of being ‘that geek’ and accepted that’s just who I am 🙂
Once again thanks for the article, content and inspiration.
easy
(wow reading over this comment I realised how sappish it is. Sorry ’bout that ;))
First of all good luck for the arrival of a new gamer, I mean baby, Warren. 😛
Hope all goes well for you all.
I have ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and also suffer from bouts of depression, so lack of motivation/energy can be all too regular. Thanks to BoW and the posse of posters at least I stay in touch with the hobby if not participating actively.
Its interesting how so many do lip out of the hobby and then back into it.
For me, it was after getting divorced and moving from ones home town to Nottingham, a chance chat with a guy at a magazine stand when one picked up a copy of a wargaming
magazine out of curiosity. That led to A tribes of Legend event at Foundry, and then the God of Battles gaming days. Its more the variety and depth of backgrounds that appeals these days, rather than the big one game company and then the historical group.