I've done a big shed clean over my school holidays. Although I'm a pretty energetic painter (though 2025 was not great) and my project "drawers" - each unfinished task resides in a removable drawer - has reduced from 32(!) to 10, I've found a few big incomplete projects - big being 50 or more 28mm equivalent models.
Some date back 10 years. So why have these been ignored when I've painted thousands of models?
To avoid more boxes of unpainted plastique, I've asked myself: What makes me complete a project?
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1. Do I find assembling/painting the minis satisfying? Do I have enough for a decent game?
Whilst I hate Warmachine as a game, I find the sculpts weirdly fun and quirky to paint. I've played about 5 games, have no desire to ever play again, but own perhaps 300 minis across 5-6 factions.
My ECW plastics are not compelling. Designed for rank n flank, they are kinda samey and bland. My Perry samurai are great but have an unpleasant amount of small detail. Infinity models make me feel inadequate. I hate painting lots of flesh and sandals are lame.
My Robotech are horrifically complex to assemble and you need to build all 3 flight modes (i.e. 3 models to represent one on the table)... but I loved kitbashing Hot Wheels for Gaslands.
While I get ease of storage and cost reasons, some scales are just too small to be fun. Some are in a weird spot - my force is too small (Imperialis Aeronautica) but they are OOP so it's not worth adding to them.
Furthermore, while the odd hero is fine, I dislike 3D prints forming the core of my force. They're just too fragile and explode-y when dropped. So anything relying solely on resin is out.
2. Do I have terrain and fun/acceptable rules?
Without either, it ain't going to get any playtime. I'm too old to enjoy tissueboxes for buildings and books under a sheet for a hill. Without plausible too-scale terrain, a game ain't getting on the table.
If the terrain is difficult/complex or pricey to source - then that game is on hold, indefinitely.
I know pdfs on a iPad are probably sensible and the way of the future, but if I don't have a hard copy of a rulebook to browse on the toilet to study at my leisure, the chance I actually play the game drops to only a few percent. Also, charging $20-30 for a digital copy means there are many good games I just refuse to buy. 1490 Doom caught my eye but... $80AUD for a few pdfs? Come on.
Poor rules can also slow me up. I love Battletech but enjoy neither original or Alpha Strike rules, and I struggle with indie rules that don't follow the lore/universe. I was super excited about Trench Crusade but are kinda underwhelmed by the rules and the models sit unpainted....
3. Does the project capture my imagination in some way?
I roll my eyes at blue Space Marines but can picture mini-submarines dogfighting like Korean War jets in undersea trenches at 300kph. I find regular WW2 infantry dull, and Napoleonics lines immeasurably more so, but love the French Indian Wars so much... ...I added velociraptors to it. Necromunda is not cool, just a grubby cringe 80s Judge Dredd rip-off. I love MTBs speeding in a shower of spray hammering away with automatic cannons.While I love Biggles, WW1 biplane models are boring.
This is where I'll step in and make homebrew rules if needed. If no one has made Hellgate:London in 28mm I'll just have to do my own thing with Infinity Nomads and GW Khorne, right? If there is no game where sci fi stormtroopers get possessed by demons? Fine. No one has vikings fighting zombies in frozen buried skyscrapers in a post-apoc future? OK then.
4. Cost
This is pretty obvious, but I'd say it's less absolute cost, and more: "can I try it cheaply and add to it in increments." I'd love to play Titanicus, but as I'd need to buy both forces we're talking $500 upfront. My home-made Tankmunda games with 15mm tanks cost $100 for a dozen tanks per side, and each new tank costs ~$10 not $70-100. I've probably got $500 of tanks now, but I have dozens and dozens collected and painted over years of gradual acquisitions. So anything with a big buy-in (most stuff GW) is out. $220 for something like Bloodbowl (regarded as cheap in GW circles) is significant chunk of hobby cash. If I need to buy another $150 of minis to make a game shine/work, we're heading into sunk cost fallacy territory. Aussie postage is a killer too. When a $100 game costs $50 postage there's a big impact on the per-mini cost. If it's from USA, I probably will never own it. I've been been printing PDF rules but the cost there is not cheap either - it's a hard no if a freaking pdf I have to print and bind myself is $20 or more....
So how am I overcoming inertia?
I've been going through incomplete projects and listing the barriers.
No good rules? I've recently been printing out pdf rules of free or OOP rules and covering/binding them. These are not random but targetted at sets of minis or projects that are unfinished, to encourage enthusiasm and remove a barrier to play.
No suitable terrain? I'm trying to identify most "needed" terrain to enable the most game systems and scales. I'm using found materials and MDF to keep cost down and throwing out old terrain that is no longer fit for purpose. It's amazing how good, suitable terrain inspires you to play. E.g. if I make small scale coastal islands and ports I can re-ignite my modern jet rules, age of sail and coastal forces with one fell swoop. A good forest will be good for most skirmish wargames. My current medieval ruins/undercity will be good for grimdark necromancers, Weird War II cultists as well as dwarves... I enjoy my Tankmunda homebrew rules but having better, non-cardboard terrain will encourage more playtesting...
Is the project cool? Are the minis fun to paint? I'm struggling with some - like ancient Greeks as I'm not a fan of sandals and togas - so I'm holding off. E.g. the Nolan movie Odysseus may boost my interest. As long as I've got storage (downsized from 7 to 5 shed bays but I'm still good) selling is a bit of a no-no - as my son would loooove any donations and given my small town location there's not a lot of swap-buy-sell. My son is not an enthusiastic painter sadly, so donating them doesn't clear my backlog though...
Cost. This is just by focussing on free terrain or rules - like my rubber mat ruins or the freebies in the photo above, and avoid big boxes or premium brands. For example, I can play Bloodbowl for $130 not $220 if I print my own rules, avoid the box set and just buy two teams of my choice. Or reviving old (2012!) projects like Quar - the new free rules printed out and bound for under $10 reinvigorates a big set of unused minis. Another focus is more big generic plastic box sets like by Wargames Atlantic or Frostgrave where I can use the boxes for a range of projects i.e. I bought a packet of Victrix vikings for both LOTR Dunlendings and my vikings vs zombies homebrew.
I'm also trying to be selective in my purchases - by applying the above criteria to any prospective purchases i.e. do I have rules or terrain for it already? Do the minis look fun to paint or is there (at least) a manageable number of them? Is there a low buy-in with the ability to incrementally expand? Can I avoid overseas P&P.
Do you have an old project that beats my 2012 Quar? What's your biggest incomplete project? And is there a "must have" set of free/cheap rules you've tried lately? What about recommended multi-use terrain type for those wanting to get away from 40K corner ruins?
I'm happy to play with "greys" so my incomplete projects don't feel incomplete to me. I have a modular terrain board I started around a decade ago that had a great start but with kids and moves hasn't gone anywhere!
ReplyDeleteDo you have only one terrain board? Or do you rely on others terrain/go to a club?
DeleteI have 5-6 terrain boards and I regard that as a barrier (i.e. not enough) so I'm curious if you make do with only one board.
-eM
I have a bunch of scatter and individual pieces that fit the various genres I game in. My favorite part of the art of miniatures is terrain, so I use to scratch build a ton. I wanted to challenge myself and do a ruined fantasy city with 12"x12" blocks... I started the project but didn't get anywhere close to finishing.
DeleteThe biggest issue that kills a project for me is lack of models. I have hundreds of concepts to design and build on. However, what often determines if a project goes forward is if there are models I want to paint available on the market. Often the miniatures I can source drive the games that get done.
ReplyDeleteMen of Bronze/Wars of the Republic was because I wanted to paint Victrix models. Castles in the Sky was because Aeronefs looked cool. Meanwhile, games like Cold-War Submarines and Land Ironclads sit in development hell because there are no decent models easily available for these games.
I do not have old painting projects sitting around. Instead, I have old rules projects digitally sitting around partially finished. They go back to the turn-of-the-century in some cases. They never even got to the miniature stage because I start with the rules on my projects. I usually write those before I pick up a mini.
Eric Farrington - EF
Lack of models is interesting. For me it's more cost - I'd love to make a Titanfall 28mm game (and STLs exist) but I'm not interested in $50 a model. Titanicus would be $500 for a few forces. I think I've just learned to avoid exotic topics as I was much broader in scope a decade ago.
DeleteI often buy minis with dual roles in mind i.e. I got some Frostgrave cultists for Mordhiem AND my own homebrew rules. I got Mantic dwarves for sci fi skirmish AND a Deep Rock Galactic RPG-y game.
-eM
Something that helps me is my Net $0 policy for the hobby. I want my hobby to be economically self-sustaining. I may not make money on my game design, but I am not going to lose money either!
DeleteTherefore, I do not buy a model unless the rules are to a point where they are ready to be sold. Most of my playtesting is with proxies, paper templates, etc. That means the Miniatures are part of the post-production work. Buying them and painting them are the last step in the process, Whenever possible I will gravitate to games that I all ready have miniatures for.
Eric Farrigton - EF
Yo juego mucho con stands, puedes dibujar tú mismo tus minis o imprimir imágenes de internet. Fácil de almacenar, barato y útil. Cambiar de facción en Mordheim te cuesta imprimir un a4, esto con peanas custom (tipo Gloomhaven) te ahorra rastrear puntos de vida, colocar tokens y mil probabilidades.
DeleteEn muchos juegos, no se evoluciona por las figuras, yo lo llamo "síndrome del objeto brillante".
MM
Shiny object syndrome is why I play!
DeleteI often get asked if I like D&D or RPGs.
"No"
"Too nerdy?"
"Too much talking, not enough toys!"
-eM
Buena respuesta
DeleteI compulsively collect, assemble and half-paint models because it's what catches my eye.
DeleteI do have a problem, and no I cannot stop whenever I want. I have a huge pile of minis that's not even assembled (in my defense, an also large numbers of minis are completely assembled and awaiting painting on my table. Also in my defense I always buy minis with a project in mind, never "just because"... it's just that I have so many projects in mind...)
I've found out the time to sit down and paint minis is almost nonexistent once one grows up, becomes a parent, has to seriously work, etc. Even playing (with unpainted minis) is easier than painting.
My oldest army project are my 40k 2nd Edition Eldar from 1995. Some models are painted, some are at least primed and some are still silver or grey since 25-30 years. Back then, I had much more fun playing than painting. That's why I never finished them.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest incomplete project is Kursk 1943 in 15mm. I got as far as building all infantry and most of the support weapons and tanks but have only painted the infantry and a few heavy weapons. Still have a lot of tanks in front of me (25-30 German tanks and more than 30 Russian tanks). Currently, I am looking for motivation to paint 10 T-34.
When I think of multi-use terrain, I mostly think about natural features like woods, hills and rivers. They can even be somehow scale agnostic. A small tree for 28mm miniatures can be a large tree for 15mm miniatures, etc. Buildings are often coupled to a specific period or setting, but for example a Russian village with mostly wooden buildings could be used for Napoleonics and WW2 Eastern Front.
I also like multi-use miniatures, even though you could argue that every miniature can be multi-use. A German grenadier is always a German grenadier, regardless of the ruleset used. Even for 40k, there are alternative rulesets (OPR and all Nordic Weasel Games inspired by Rogue Trader/2nd Edition). I even heard that people use games like Pulp Alley for 40k gaming. So, basically you are only limited by your fantasy to repurpose your miniatures.
I do not start out intending to multi-use, but most of my models end up being multi-use anyway. A guy with a gun is a guy with a gun. A guy on a horse is a cavalry model. Mutant monsters can be used in Sci-fi, Wierd War, Horror, and Fantasy pretty easy.
DeleteEric Farrigton - EF
Mostly, I also don´t have an intend to use a miniature for multiple systems when I buy it. It is normally linked to a specific army project for a specific system. For historical miniatures, this is different. When I buy 15mm or 28mm WW2 miniatures, I will set them up in a way that I can use them in multiple systems.
DeleteI also have a large unfinished WW2 project (though mine is Stalingrad). I'm very interested in WW2 wargaming but the fact remains painting so many troops of similar colors is not fun. A dozen, sure. But hundreds of them sucks out the joy of living.
DeleteI am also struggling to stay motivated to paint WW2 miniatures. Maybe you have to change between troop categories, e.g. paint a squad of infantry, then paint a vehicle, then a heavy weapon team and then go back to another squad. This way, you would at least change a little bit between infantry and vehicle color schemes.
DeleteI currently struggle to paint vehicle at all as the Germans have the most complex camouflage schemes. Soviet vehicles are much more simple but they are also much more boring to paint.
This post was informative, honest and engaging. Thanks for writing it. I have no complete projects. Yep zilch. My oldest being 1970’s (seven years wars metals). Being a drifter/butterfly I have never had “projects” until Covid when I started a Norman Saxon collection but it’s not finished although it’s met some basic needs. Then I started on 1848 revolutions and then jumped to 1859 French/piedmont v Austrians. Then I found Schleswig Holstein 1848 where I could recycle some of my never used napoleonics and acw figures. Of course some uniforms were obscure - who’d have thought tapered shakoes plus Prussian style tunics would be so unpopular with manufacturers. My scale is 20-25mm or 1/72. Then scenery wise I use cloth sometimes with wood and towels beneath. It gives maximum flexibility for me and is easy on my eye. Buildings are limited to 18th century ish so they can still be around 200 years later. I have the odd fortress elements for ancient and medieval but they are ornamental. I picked up a big collection of fantastic homemade trees at a bring and buy. I got lucky, the guy just wanted rid- it was something like twenty quid for fifty trees. Money wise I opted for 20-25mm for cheap railway scenery products and of course plastic injection soldiers (about 50 figures for £10 tops). It’s still a mass produced established scale so manufacturers costs/prices tend to be lower. While I am completely digital in my outlook and activity I pursue my hobby as an “analogue idea” - solid figures, books, physicality - model making etc. Rules wise - I am a history book collector so I have a ridiculous number, physically bought at shows. English civil war rules dominate-but no armies!!!!!! PDF solution never worked for me so the one set I did buy was printed out. Despite having and using rules I write my own or modify published ones for home use. Inspiration comes from books(usually secondhand) fiction and non fiction less so cinema or tv while being able to visit medieval sites in the uk is a big motivator yet it has not translated into medieval armies!!! Best of luck and thanks for sharing - as they say it’s the journey and not the destination - that drives my wargaming although I could do with a few more station stops that would equate to some truly completed armies. The final test must be - are you happy with your hobby? If not change it.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! It's a hobby - not a job.
DeleteEric's $0 net spend sounds horrible to me - I only makes rules for myself and tends to donate toys not sell them - but equally, my "no new minis til you've painted the equivalent amount of old ones" is probably just as oppressive to a non-painter!
In the end, it's what's fun. The expense is relative. I object to a GW box set price, but think nothing of dropping $200 on a skateboard and another might spend that on a night out...
I've been kitbashing a lot lately and it's made me re-evaluate my 'pile of shame' to 'useful torso/head/limb donors!'
-eM
Yeah, same here: it's a hobby, not a job. And a hobby I've devoted so many years of my life I'd say it defines me by now. It's what I love, put simply.
DeleteI cannot place constraints on it. I've long accepted it's unlikely I'll finish many armies/factions for my games... but as long as I enjoy what little progress I manage, occasionally play a game or two with my unfinished warrants and yes, I get to buy more stuff, I'm happy.
I don't need or want to burden my family with a mountain of stuff when I downsize or pass, so I've been actively thinning the herd for, selling off that which doesn't bring me joy, and just keeping the "best of the best" for myself. Prior to that, I had gotten down from an annual budget to "$0 net spend". Right now, I still have more than enough stuff to last the rest of my life, so I just don't feel the need to acquire more.
ReplyDelete- GG
My building/spending focus has shifted from "new shiny thing" to "getting use out of what I have" i.e. building and buying terrain to inspire me to get say samurai on the table. I try to restrict myself to one new shiny per year and instead get 3-4 old projects off the ground or played with...
Delete..Technically I don't NEED anything... but stopping cold turkey doesn't sound very fun... :-/
-eM
I am currently switching into the "getting use out of what I have" phase, as I am sitting on a big pile of unfinished or never started projects. 15mm WW2 alone could keep me busy for the rest of my life (I have or want to have two or even more opposing factions for Eastern Front: Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Kursk, Bagration, Spring Awakening and Berlin; Western Front: D-Day, Normandy Breakout, Market Garden, West wall, Battle of the Bulge; North Afrika: El Alamein 1 and 2). Unfortunately, so much shiny stuff is released that it is hard for me to resist. When Battlefront does release their Barbarossa stuff at the end of 2026, I will capitulate and just buy everything…
DeleteI've split my projects into:
Delete"Needs minis" <- low priority cos $
"Needs to assemble/paint minis" that I have
"Needs terrain"
"Needs rules/better rules" - aka homebrew
"Needs inspiration" - come up with some backstory for them
-eM
Buying is low priority but how do you prioritize the rest?
Delete"Buying is low priority but how do you prioritize the rest? "
DeleteAhahahahaha. "Prioritize"
I switch between projects based on what game I've played/movie I've seen/box of minis I tripped over cleaning the shed.
My job I live by a very predictable (school) timetable which I take very seriously (kid's futures and all that) so I feel free to finish/don't finish projects...
At the moment I have 15mm tankmunbda terrain being worked on, a homebrew fantasy skirmish with rules half written/set up in my office, and
I've packed away Alpha Strike despite painting minis and test playing some home rules. Weird wild west did not get finished but the minis and terrain are out, awaiting test-play.
I'm currently thinking of a BLKOUT/Necromunda/Infinity hybrid using the simpler rulesets and have a range of rules including Reality's Edge out (not recommended but has lots of ideas) and have brought out my Nomads to finally paint.
I just like to work out what I need to get playing and work at removing the barriers. It could be as simple as my French Indian tree terrain is shedding so I note "buy hairspray and test if it stops it."
-eM
Sounds somewhat similar to me. In regards to hobby projects I often compare myself to a squirrel, which is hopping around between spots on the ground without any noticable pattern.
Delete