Do you focus your gaming and why or why not?

[Anonymous]

The stereotype war gamer is a period/genre butterfly. {raises hand}

As I start to reduce my armies in anticipation of retirement I find I struggle with focus (much better than in the past though.)

1) I find Fantasy really tough to transition even though I have mostly 25 mm sized 1970s/early 1980s Dwarves (over 400 waiting for paint) plus a fair number of goblins to oppose them plus minor groups of Elves, Gnomes, halflings, etc. almost entirely in the LOTR books style gaming. This might be the last holdout of anything over 18 mm in height in my collection. Nothing I have found in in 15/18 mm has the same “flavor” that draws me enough to sell off the “big” figures… Not making headway here…

2) In Science Fiction I still find myself hanging on to a handful of GZG spaceships plus Starguard Power Armor and Galactic Grenadiers in 25 mm, and Stan Johansen 28+ mm aliens from Space Marines (Pre-GW) even as I try and transition to 15/8 mm for skirmish (6 mm covers combined arms battles quite nicely.) Nostalgia? Or because I like the colorful old school rules (not ever honestly going to play them again.) Why the problem when I have 15/18 mm SF figures (including Galactic Grenadier stuff) in sufficient numbers for large skirmishes/small infantry battles?

3) VSF I am moving from 25+ mm to 15/18 mm [except for Tarzan and Mowgli companies for In Her Majesty’s Name] slowly but steadily. One victory for me!

4) Supers are slowly evolving, the biggest problem is getting the larger figures on Ebay. I count that as a victory in the near future

5) Historicals is a mixed bag: there are currently no Soldados de Cuera or Presidials (that I know of) for 1680 – 1820 Spanish North America in 15/18 mm so no progress in changing scales there but the Khurasan WSS figures might push my “Horse and Musket” era armies in the right direction, I no longer have anything post 1910 that is larger than 15/18 mm so that is good; there are 25 mm colonials I need to dispose of/replace, and I have only a few 25+ mm medieval/ancients remaining to sell (not being replaced currently and not likely to be replaced in 15 mm at this time or the near future.) A draw so far?

I know some of you are one size/scale driven or one era/genre focused but does anyone else who is reducing the spread of their armies have problems evolving their figures to a more focused format/collection? How are you overcoming the “Ooh, shiny…” syndrome?

[kyoteblue]

I do not know this “focus” word…

[Altius]

I used to try to have something in all genres and scales. I didn’t realize I was doing it, I just bought whatever caught my eye.

Eventually, I realized I can’t have all of it, and I get more enjoyment from having a complete, well-painted set from a few periods than an incomplete, unpainted pile of lead comprising dozens of periods. I guess you could call that focus.

Where there is fire, we will carry gasoline

[Shandy]

Time, space and money – or better, the lack of those – make me focus quite easily. I’ve got a couple of core periods and scales and plan projects quite meticulously, so the ‘oh shiny’ syndrome normally doesn’t grab me. Also, waiting helps a lot- I can get excited quickly, but most of the time, the excitement  is gone after a week or two.

My blog: http://wargamingraft.wordpress.com

[grizzlymc]

I have a will of IRON

 

I only do 1/300 except for naval 1/3000

 

But I covet zulus, sovs, boneyonics, trivcorncornonics, wwii spearhead, wwi spearhead, wwiii spearhead, CoC, age of sail, wwi naval, 1930s France v Italy, 1970s Chile, fpw, apw, raw, great war 1870, Vietnam, colonial.

Focus, yeah, no probs

[Not Connard Sage]

Put your iron willy away Grizz. No-one wants to see it.

Having requited my passion for all things Boney, my affections have been transferred to the 18th century. Mostly WSS.

 

Working so far

 

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Altius]

I’ve got mostly ancient/dark age (28mm), as well as Mexican-American War (28mm), Russian Civil War (28mm) and some modern/near future (15mm and 28mm). Still a wide footprint, but I’ve managed to divest myself of a lot of unfinished periods and scales.

Where there is fire, we will carry gasoline

[kyoteblue]

I have Cavemen to Space Marines but all in 15mm. That way all my terrain works together .

[Sparker]

Butterfly! I can’t even decide on a scale, let alone a period! Naps, SYW, WOTR, Ancients, Cold War, Rhodesian Bush War, Nap Naval,Arab Isreali. And, taking WW2 as an example, I have scales ranging from 6mil to 28mil….No, no discipline here!

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[Ivan Sorensen]

15mm though with some excursions into 6mm and 10mm.

 

Not a ton of interest in gaming that doesn’t involve guns so it’s WW2, cold war and scifi. I have interest in WW1 and RCW from a historical perspective but haven’t found rules I really liked.

[willz]

I have been trying to reduce my figure collection for several years now.   Its all about time, space and money I wanted to concentrate on 3 periods.

18th century, WW2 and Medieval I have had reasonable success but the problem is that there are so many excellent figures / vehicles from 6mm to 60mm being released its very hard to resist.  I do write a wants lists for war-game shows and generally stick to it, though as always temptation some times gets in the way.

[Cameronian]

I focus on everything! Period, scale, the lot.  Attempted to reduce scope in light of advancing age and infirmity by compiling a ‘bucket list’.  Started out with about six items of project completions and a couple of new ones.  Currently stands at 5 completions and 19 new ones – DOH!

'The time has come" The walrus said. "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings."

[Steve Burt]

I definitely don’t focus on one period, so I have painted collections for Biblical, Classical, Dark Age, English Civil War, French & Indian War, Pirates, Napoleonic, Napoleonic Naval, American Civil War, Old West, Zulu War, WW1 air, WW1 Naval, WW2 Land (all theatres), WW2 Naval, WW2 air. The figures are all 20mm or 28mm.

The problems with having so many figures for so many periods is that years can go by without a particular collection being touched. My ACW figures hadn’t seen the table for quite a while till Longstreet came out this year, for instance. The Zulu War guys have been unused for at least 10 years.

So many periods – too little time!

[Mick A]

I keep trying to convince myself not to start a new period but then the ‘ooh, shiny’ part of my brain kicks in…

[Patrice]

Altius wrote:

having a complete, well-painted set from a few periods than an incomplete, unpainted pile of lead comprising dozens of periods

Oooooh this is a very interesting idea. I should consider it. But unfortunately for me I am not wise enough for that.

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[Steve Johnson]

I dont’/can’t focus on one period. However I game almost exclusively in 10mm, with the odd move to 28mm for skirmish games.

[Henry Hyde]

I am focusing ruthlessly.

I now only have the 18th century in four scales, Napoleonics in only three, WWII in a mere two sizes, ancients in three, fantasy in two. I am triumphant with the ECW, in a mere single scale (old 25mm Minifigs)and ACW (10mm Pendraken, having cleared out Perry 28s).

Of course, the other way of appearing focused in to have painted very few of some of these periods, so they remain nicely hidden in boxes, giving visitors a pleasingly misguided impression.

I have kept sci-fi very simple so far, as I have nothing at all.

 

Yet.

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[Cerdic]

Yes! I focus ruthlessly on the job in h…….ooh cake!…..

 

 

Err, where was I? Yes. I do everything in either 6mm or 28mm. Or both.

I tend to do large armies in 6mm for big battles, and 28’s for big skirmishes. If I see some nice 28’s I often get a few even if I have no immediate use for them!

http://28mmreview.blogspot.co.uk

[John D Salt]

Pretty much all my unbuilt and unpainted plastic is 1/76th WW2. I have a lot of boxes of ancients for when I can finally get into DBA with toy soldiers, but it works fine with counters. Most of my board wargaming is WW2 or later. My current spasmodic attempts at game design are focused on 20th century low-level infantry combat, minor tactics in the Cold War, and the British Pacific Fleet’s raid on Palembang. I may soon re-visit my fascination with North Atlantc convoy battles, especially HX-228 and ONS-5, and the air defence of the UK and the Nordic countries in October 1962.

All the best,

John.

[Spurious]

Yes.

And no.

Whilst gaming a whole bunch of things, I try to focus on just a couple of games at once, and limit what I do within those. But even that meanders as I wander up and down the scales I use, even within the same era/genre or even game system. Rarely though do I get into something on an impulse buy, restricted finances for gaming kinda demands that I exercise my will there.

But what really gets me is time, since I like to have terrain to use with a specific game, I end up spending a lot of time I’d otherwise use for finishing up the forces required on building the relevant terrain, and that kinda drags things out and causes the old overlapping projects problem far more than anything else.

[McLaddie]

More focus, or bifocals as I get older.  Got rid of the Warhammer armies when the boys went off to college, and then my Ancient armies in 15mm, AWI and ACW in 20mm, and now only have Colonial Sudan in 28mm, Napoleonics in 15mm and 6mm, 1859 in 6mm, 1870 in rice cernals [2mm], SYW in 15mm, Hungarian Revolution in 54mm, and yet, couldn’t help myself from getting into the Spanish Civil War with 15mm–at least Chain of Command doesn’t require a lot of figures….  I have succeeded with iron resolve [large bottle] to avoid the World Wars, Modern, Medieval and science fiction… so far. I’m hoping for more time now that I’ve retired… sort of.

 

[grizzlymc]

John

Are you planning to publish your UK air defence Oct 62, and do you anticipate being able to stretch the mechanics forward and backward in time?

Likewise, what are you planning to use for BPF in Indonesia?

[WOLFSHANZA]

Focus ?…is that like the other unknown concept of moderation ? Whatever’s shiny at the time in 15/18 or 25/28, like KB from cavemen to space and beyond ! 🙂 Seems like when ah finish an army, we don’t play that anymore ? <sigh> Figure that if ah live long enuff, it’ll come around again ? LOL

Paul

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