"Arghh - Brain Snap!" Topic

OK, another variant on the 'now what do I do?' threads, but I figure a problem shared is a problem halved (etc etc)…

At the end of last year I wrote out a list of outstanding projects and the order in which I intended to complete them. I have largely managed to stick to the plan, but recent gaming events have muddied the waters somewhat:

1. Played a game of WAB a few weeks ago in which my Swiss were shot to pieces by Burgundian Ordonnance archers. I want revenge, and figure a French Ordonnance army might be the instrument of that revenge. Seeing as I already have enough men-at-arms and Swiss infantry, all I need to do is paint 60 or so of the 28mm longbowmen I have in my garage(plus assorted artillery, and maybe a few fleur-de-lis standard bearers) with red surcoats with white crosses…

2. One of the blokes at my local club is starting up a new DBMM comp, and with PB's latest proposed amendments to DBMM one of my favourite 15mm armies, Islamic (ex-Fanatic) Berber, might become viable again. I would just need to finish painting the 100 or so spearmen and 40-odd archers that I undercoated at the start of the year and promptly put away…

3. Read a great book on Pyrrhus a couple of months back and started buying the necessary figures to morph my Seleucids into Epirotes. An exceptionally enjoyable game of WAB a couple of weeks ago (Seleucids v Republican Romans) has helped keep the interest up – but all my lovely new Crusader Oscans have still not seen a lick of paint yet…

Does anybody else have difficulty sticking to their plans, or find their limited gaming/painting time suddenly pulled in multiple directions? If so, any advice, tips or tricks?

Cheers,
Paul.

yes, I suffer from the same affliction. I suspect that most gamers do as well. Perhaps we are all just undiagnosed ADD sufferers?

I have a group of early WWI British and French that are in various stages of primed, partly painted, etc. I really want to get to them because I also enjoy the "Great War" rules by Warhammer Historicals.

Then there are my own Caesarian Romans and Celts that are about half done, but they need to be set aside for a bit whilst I paint a couple hundred Numidian and Germans for our clubs massive Sabis game in late April.

On top of that, I have a bunch of Sash & Saber ACW that need to be gotten to, for more playtesting with the upcoming Warhammer ACW rules.

Now WF has gone and released their Viking hard-plastic set, which will dove nicely with the rules I wrote, so there's another project.

Sigh…

That's on top of trying to bring in more money, and homeschooling the youngest daughter, whilst being a single parent and all the attendant domestic chores which that entails, along with keeping a late 19th century farmhouse in order.

Sigh again…

Could be worse, I suspect. Somehow…

I'm pulled in so many directions I typically end up in a state of paralysis and get nothing dome.

Hi Paul, know what you mean. I cured it by committing to one really massive project in a year, with multiple outings and lots of figures. Since 25mm/28mm ancients and medievals is really my main interest, I'm going to produce as much as I can of at least one side for the Society of Ancients theme battle (Callinicum last year, now Zama). This means that other folks are relying on me to get my act together and keep it that way. TMP and blog conversations also help to keep up the motivation. I reckon I can manage the equivalent of 50 foot figures painted from scratch per month and so far I've done it and that's my target; it is also within my available budget.

In other words, I'm using social pressure to keep me on track!

Other Paul

What I will do is paint a unit for each project in rotation. Keeps the nterest up and all your armies progress together.

Although how in hades did your Swiss get shot to bits by the Burgundians? Just charge home man and push the ordannance archers off the table edge.

It's usually what happens to me…

Thanks gents – good to know I am not on my ownsome :))

TK – I am reasonably confident that I won't be tempted by the new Vikings – in fact I am happy to say my Dark Age Shieldwall hordes are more or less complete. Of course, at the same time I bought a couple of MM Samnite personalities for my 'Pyrrhus Project' I thought I might as well get some Rus archers…so maybe I am not quite done yet :P

79thPA – that is exactly how I feel at the moment. I have a bunch of 28mm Arabs and Turks on my painting table (they have finally made their way up the queue), but it is a real struggle to get motivated. There are a couple of Byzantine and Norman armies at the club but their owners have been busy playing other periods.

Paul – good advice. Trouble is I can't decide which big project – Pyrrhus's Italian campaign (there are 2-3 Republican Roman armies at the club, as well as a couple of Macedonians as well) or Magnesia (I have a pretty decently sized Seleucid army, and a fair-sized pile of unpainted Seleucids as well). Will ask around to gauge the interest levels.

James – also good advice. Would also work well for the 'big project' approach outlined by Paul.
As for the Swiss debacle, it was the second time I had played against this bloke's Burgundians. In the first battle, he had taken more cavalry and artillery (so less archers), and I also had a few hills to screen much of the approach. The artillery was still very effective, but the Gewalthut managed to get into contact virtually unscathed and sent his dismounted men-at-arms (and army general) flying.
This time, I thought I'd save the points on Heavy Armour and buy more pikemen (figuring artillery doesn't care whether you are armoured or not). The open fields and massed longbows (and their better-than-average dice) only meant more dead Swiss :(

Cheers,
Paul.

Like Caliban, I find a big high-pressure project and a blog is the only thing that can help me to retain any kind of focus… normally I'm all over the place!

I can relate. I always seem to have 15-20 projects going on at the same time. A small sampling:
10mm Napoleonic French, Austrian, Russian.
10mm Roman, Greek, Carthaginian, Saxon, Crusader.
10mm ACW Union, Confederate.
10mm Fantasy.
15mm DBA Greek, Roman, Indian, Viking.
15mm FOW American, German, French, Russian.
25mm ACW Union, Confederate.
25mm FIW British, French.
Different types of terrain, etc., etc., etc.

It seems like whatever I am watching at the time is the period I get interested in.
I try to paint 10/15/25mm all at the same time, starting with the 10's, moving to the 15's and finishing the day with the 25's. That way it seems to get easier to paint towards the end of the day.

Yes. Focus, focus, focus….

1066.us

I have this weird issue where I feel like anything I start has to be finished in a week. I've always been someone who prefers painting and collecting to actually playing, so I don't know why I stress myself out about this or that project, but it's been a real problem lately.

I think it's because I've conned my wife into agreeing to play games with me, and I hate to lose the momentum. I need to relax, enjoy the building process, and play when I get everything lined up. Neither she nor I are going anywhere.

I like your options 1 or 3. It gives you something achievable, and it's for a system you already enjoy playing. I'm trying to do the same with my Caesarians and Gauls in 28mm – I was going to build for Tactica, but if I build for Impetus, the armies won't take so long to paint, and the goal is much closer and achievable.

I'm definitely going to take advantage of the notion of rotating units. I don't do that enough, and it might help to keep me going.

Diversity is the enjoyable curse of the hobby.

Part of the problem is that no project is ever really finished.

You might have enough to put on the table but there's also that unit of something different that would give you flexibility or the new range of figures that would be nice in that army or you look at a new rule set that means you need something slightly different.

And all that's before you consider how many new projects you want on the go…….

Oh! and if you ever think you have finished, isn't there something in the lead mountain you've always said you'll do.

attentention defecit … OOOH! Shiny! syndrome…

It's a lifestyle. :)

79th Pa. said it all.

Im terrible about not getting things finished. Drives me mental! So I try and just do small projects which are part of much larger projects….. I do 10 man units and switch to something else.Sure I dont have my full armies completed but I have enough to play and I dont get bored. The above mentioned "OOOH! Shiny! Syndrome" is a serious curse as well. But like my wife says, "you can't die until all of your models are painted". So I'll be around for awhile I suppose…… now back to painting Masai…… always a good diversion and Im near 200 of them presently completed. Then it's back to dwarves, and then to Brettonians then my Barbarians…..then 15mm Saxons…..then who knows….probably 25mm ACW

I recently finished my Vikings I started 20 years ago ….

Nick has me beat, but I've been painting some Gauls my son bought from the Foundry sale 5 years ago I think. (He them swapped me for some Normans – its complicated at times in a house with 2 wargamers)

I've been discovering the joys of a fairly small painting table – whats on the table gets attention at odd minutes, which can add up. It helps that I'm somewhat of an insomniac and often paint a little to relax when I cant sleep. So, I normally have 1 regiment being painted and one being prepped on the table for those odd moments.

Jeremy: 'You might have enough to put on the table but there's also that unit of something different that would give you flexibility or the new range of figures that would be nice in that army or you look at a new rule set that means you need something slightly different.'

Oh yes. I thought I was just about done with the Seleucids…then 1st Corps brought out new 'ooh, shiny' agema and line cataphracts. That of course meant I could look at retiring some OG/Essex ones ;)

Nick – 20 years? Got to be happy with that :) Like imrael, I have a couple of part-completed projects going back 5 years or so (mostly 15mm stuff that I just can't bring myself to sell _or_ complete).

Thanks all. Some great advice that will help me manage my time better. It is kind of reassuring to know that this is a fairly common problem!

Cheers,
Paul.

Old figures never retire. You just look for an army list where you can use all of them!