Monday 18 May 2020

An antidote to extreme flitting

Last week saw me begin a number of figures for painting , for example the 54mm Ruslanders and then the 40mm semi flat sailors and Askari. Great enthusiasm turned to I couldn’t bear to continue. My tendency to butterfly flitting from project to project to the nth degree. I think on reflection it is a product of lockdown which seems to do odd things to folk and effect them differently. A general unsettled feeling and this has gone into my painting and to a lesser extent my solo gaming.

So a fight back began yesterday in the form of that cliche tiny tickable targets. This week I am only going a few figures that can be used for skirmish gaming or the Portable Wargame. It also means that I hopefully won’t get jaded so quickly. I began yesterday with some Vendel orcs/goblins and Olog Hai  trolls, enough for a few Portable Wargame units or for skirmishes.
The plan is to paint a few, game a little and so on. No great hobby adventures but tiny tickable targets. This way I hope to beat the listlessness and move forward. The second hobby target is to tweak the Portable Wargame fantasy rules a little. For example reflect the accuracy of hobbits when throwing stones or firing bows and their ability to move quietly and hide. 
Finally a shot of the current game set up as the action comes to a crucial point.

16 comments:

  1. Baby steps, marginal gains etc are the way forward!
    As soon as I sit down to paint a few figures I start thinking of some completely different ones I want to paint.

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    1. A P.S. to Mark (Man of Tin) - for some reason I am completely unable to comment on your blog (grrr!) so here's a proxy comment (sorry Tradgardmastare!) - Great looking game Mark!

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    2. Thanks to MJT - I too have this comment problem on some others blogs and not others. Cheers!

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    3. Thanks for the advice, I will try that.

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  2. Alan
    Don't regard it as wasted time. All that you have been doing over the last few difficult weeks is creatively playing around with ideas and 'doodling' with paints, figures, bases and your brilliant portable small game set ups.

    It's the hands on gaming version of a scrapbook, doodle pad, note book of ideas, some of which you might not come back to for weeks / months. No problem, as long as you can store and retrieve them all.

    If in doubt, base and undercoat, paint etc etc as this gives you more choice or a head start when you decide what you want to play that day / week. It is as acceptable to put unpainted or half painted figures as it is perfectly painted figures on your own table.

    Mini targets are a fine thing to do. Less likely to get bogged down. Then move on. Each small achievement should be rewarded with tea, etc.

    Life will be easier when your regular live gaming with others returns as well. Mark Man of TIN

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    1. A very positive view of looking at things and one which has helped me to think of in a much better light. Note book of ideas indeed.

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  3. Hi Alan- Those Wolves look very menacing- I hope the Hobbits can fend them off...I like your Hobbits- a great collection. Cheers. KEV.

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    1. The hobbits are pleasing figures, they are doing ok so far ...

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  4. It’s all progress Alan. Better to do or start a few than none at all. And after all it is your hobby so doing what you feel like doing at the time is OK.

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  5. I have long since embraced my 'wargaming butterfly' - it's who I am !

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  6. Tradgardmastare,

    It seems as if the feeling of ennui I wrote about last week has hit you as well. I think that doing little bits as and when you feel like it is the right way forward ... and in no time at all, you’ll find that you’ve got far more done than you expected to achieve.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. I will look back at what you wrote. As and when sounds good to me.

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  8. Variable interest levels seem inevitable. I just try to go with the flow, and not worry if painting seems to be falling behind, as long as I have some interest in some aspect of the hobby. If all the aspects trough at the same time, it’s time to go take a walk...

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