However, that has caused me to do some serious pondering about the future of the hobby for me over the next year. It's put the kibosh on my plans to attend Adepticon this year which I'm pretty bummed out about, and to be honest until such time as I find a new job, I cannot afford to pour any more money into the hobby (every extraneous penny needs to go into savings, just in case). There will be no new purchases for me for a while - In point of fact I'm resigning myself to selling off a great deal of my collection to help build up a bit of a buffer just in case the job search takes longer than I'm hoping it will. Expect to see some blatant self advertising over the next couple months as I get things organized!
Does this mean I'm going to quit hobbying altogether? Heck no. There's boxes upon boxes of stuff in the Closet of Doom, enough to keep me occupied for the next several years, and the painting shelves are still chock full of half completed projects that are crying out for attention - such as Leviathan Crusader which has gotten the first lick of paint recently. I am also awaiting a few Kickstarter rewards to arrive over the next few months, with OGRE and the Bug Hunt Corridors scheduled to arrive in the July timeframe (which means I can still feel like I'm getting some 'new' stuff from time to time). I've been turning my attention back to the Ad-Mech as well, with a couple kits getting the initial reds laid down on them as shown below. There's always more guard to work on too, as well as a half dozen other half-baked projects. It's not like I'm going to run out of hobby stuff any time soon!
A buddy of mine and I have also been discussing trying out some new game systems with an eye for gaming on a budget. Even as fully fledged working adults, GW's price schemes have really gone beyond tenable. We're planning on giving Mercs a try (assuming the stuff that we ordered a month or so ago ever arrives), where the cost for entry into the system is less than a hundred bucks, rulebook and all the minis you need inclusive. It seems like a fun system and I like the idea of doing some squad level/necromunda style gaming for a while.
So, over the next few months I'm hoping to actually get some old projects finished up, and you can expect to see some further (gasp) non-40k content on here in the future. Heresy!
Bummer about the job. I got laid off from my very first job ever and then i have changed jobs a bunch in my career since(not always by choice). The company i work for now has been bought and sold so many times in the past 8 years i have no idea how i've remained employed this long. It's good to have a surplus of hobby stuff to keep you from buying more. It will also help keep your spirits up during the search! Nessesity is the mother of invention so have fun with that and good luck on the job hunt!
ReplyDeleteBlimey. Sorry to hear about all the job fiasco, at least it looks like there's a bit of warning to prepare yourself.
ReplyDelete40K always has a special place in my hobby time, just because I've been doing it for so long. But over the last few months I've tried out a few new projects and got a whole load on fresh enjoyment out of it, so if it opens the horizons it can only be a good thing.
And blogging is free! (For now at least)
Sorry to hear about your job.
ReplyDeleteHave you had a look at ramshackle games nuclear renaissance?
Free pdf rulebook. Small scale. Pretty much free reign as far as painting and modelling goes.
Btw I dont work for them or anything, its just been tickling my hobby tastebuds as a cheap gw alternative.
Sorry about the financing situation. I do like your take on it and the new Admech looks stunning. I hope that we will keep seeing you stuff about the net. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWell, it goes without saying that I hope that your job situation will eventually work out. I, for one, will keep my fingers crossed ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for your hobby plans, maybe it's good to consolidate sometimes, and to have an incentive of actually getting something finished instead of picking uo new "plastic crack" all the time (a vice of which I myself am more than guilty...).
Interesting points about trying systems with a lower entry cost and/or model count: You may also want to take a look at GW's specialist systems then: The rulebooks can usually just be downloaded freely, and you'll be able to build all the models you need to start from the contents of your "cupboard of doom". It's also a great way to get a fresh hobby perspective: I am currently building an Orc team for Blood Bowl, and I can't recall when I have ever enjoyed myself as much while painting stuff ;-)
Anyway, best of luck to you and keep those updates coming!
Well, impending layoff in a couple months at least offers you the chance to prepare like you've written. Sucks arse tho.
ReplyDeleteLook up 5150 Star Army by TwoHourWargames if you want to try something else. The rules are simple and fun and very much different from 40K, yet you will still be able to use those 40K minis in your collection to play.
Good luck sir!
@Zab: I appreciate it - there's plenty of hobby goodness to keep me entertained during the job search!
ReplyDelete@Colonel Scipio: Aye, I have a bit of breathing room and I'm fairly confident I'll be able to find something new. I have to admit, I'm quite looking forward to giving Mercs a go and we played a little OGRE Miniatures yesterday - it's been refreshing to break out of the mold for a bit!
@Phil Morris: Indeed I have! I've purchased a number of minis from Ramshackle of the years, they are a great company!
@Agis: Thanks very much! There's plenty of hobby stuff coming up - quite looking forward to digging in to the Ad-Mech again!
@KrautScientist: Absolutely, some consolidation is definitely in order. I did a quick bit of spelunking through the major strata in the Closet of Doom and found darn near an entire Ork army, a reasonable allies-sized bunch of Craftworld Eldar, several Heresy Era units (World Eaters and Emperor's Children), plus the Guard and the Ad-Mech and a smattering of Chaos. The last thing I ought to be doing is adding to the madness. Hah!
As far as the specialist games, I'm a huge fan. We get together and have a Necromunda weekend with 4-5 guys a couple times a year - it is hands down my favorite way to play 40k, to be honest!
I appreciate the kind words, everyone - thanks very much!
@Dai: Interesting, hadn't heard of 5150 before - I'll check it out! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGood luck for the future!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your job situation. I've been there, too so if there's anything I can do let me know.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, a lot of different 40k minis can be used for a lot of other games, so hopefully not all of your nice collection will be going to eBay.
Good luck on all this my friend, hope you find something else soon!
ReplyDelete@Col. Ackland: Thanks mate!
ReplyDelete@#2501: I appreciate it. Definitely looking forward to actually being forced to finish the half dozen projects that have been piling up in the Closet of Doom!
@jugger: Thanks, already pounding the e-pavement for something new!