"What would you do different knowing what you know now?" Topic

Make more money so I could buy more figures… Will

Me too Will. I'd have to if I had a redheaded girlfriend. Bob

1. Never buy from Black Tree Designs – Just search on TMP for the various threads on their failure to supply figures which are paid for!

2. Defenitely buy and use Vallejo Model Colours, before I bought a lot of other paints for historic minis, as said by others.

3. Buy, good quality sable hair brushes, and a propper artists brush soap to wash them in. Big out lay at the start, but they last for years.

4. Get a good daylight lamp, to allow you to paint. Infact get two, so you can have contrasting light angles for best exposure.

5. Win the UK national lottery to afford all the models I wish I had.

6. Got into playing WW2, using "Rules of Engagement" earlier.

Buy gallons of Ral Partha or IWM black paint and white paint because both give terrific coverage and both are now out of production.

On the minis side of things, I would stick to one or two periods and never dabble in anything else. I would have resisted the siren song of that black hole of wargaming: Napoleonics! Not once, but twice!

I never would have bought figures for any historical period if I found myself saying, "I will only buy enough to play this period as a skirmish game". Yea, right.

Got into minatures sooner. Stayed away with boardgames such as ASL and fighting wings because miniatures was too geeky, time consuming to paint and cost too much.
I made the switch 4 years ago and could not be happier.
My wife on the other hand…

Joe

Platoonforward.blogspot.com

28mm

54mm and never look back.
Never sell any 54mm item.
Always buy 54mm items and anything that can be converted to 54mm.
Keep in a revered place Joseph Morchauser's book Miniature Wargames. Right next to all of Don's books.

Always look for a first edition copy of Little Wars by HG Wells. (Grailquest).

Actually this is all very bad advice but I am livin' it.
And I love it.

Would have convinced my then-girlfriend (now wife) to move from DFW to where I was (close to Austin) instead of the other way around, as the Austin gaming scene is more stable than that of DFW. Working on correcting this now.

Not been talked into periods by my friends where I buy figures and they don't, then we never play the game or the period, so I am stuck with an army and no opponent.

Fought for more space in the house for my stuff rather than 1 closet or out in the garage in boxes so I could see my stuff.

Not just jumped on stuff I saw on eBay or at the flea market and bought because it looked good at the time, but when I got it home I realized I either didn't like it, could have done it better myself, or will never need it as I already have 6 armies of it.

A common figure scale means common terrain to be shared among periods. Not all of the buildings transition, but much of the vegetation and other things do.

Figure detail and casting has so improved over the years that 10 or 12mm would probably be a good choice. For me, it was 15mm and 6mm that has worked out fine, even the terrain can be managed together. 15 is definitely a well provided for scale with great sci-fi potential.

Build both forces for whatever period you are planning. I was stuck with my 15mm British Peninsular army based for Empire in 1985 when my friend moved away, taking his French with him. I always now build a "game" by making sure I have the terrain, figs, and rules to run what I want to run.

Finally, choose a good set firest.

Jim

I would also add:

Been kinder to people who were just curious about what I, or the group, was doing with all those little toy soldiers.

Spent more time with family and people and less with my lead friends, though the lead friends don't seem to mind being ignored from time to time.

Moved to New Zealand when I could. :(

Isn't it funny how the common themes of this thread tend to be "find one project, one scale, and stick to it until it is done", "don't sell XXX to buy YYY" and "find a good woman who tolerates your hobby" – well, I have the third covered, now I just need to master the first two elements!

If I knew what I knew now.

Never ever trust a Lawyer with your money, any control over your worldly goods, business affairs etc.

Concentrate on and finish projects. I was too much of a magpie collector buying anything that struck my fancy, and as a result I got very little actually done. I have been selling off a lot of not started and barely started projects.

Lions Den--I've got the 54mm bug too! I just bought the better part of 500 painted ACW figs off a guy! Plus I have my 54mm WWII and 54mm AWI armies that I am working on.

I would throw away all the unpainted stuff I have held onto, and I would hold onto all the unpainted stuff I've thrown away, as I don't want to paint any of the stuff I have now, and want all the stuff I've thrown away.

After 23ish years of mini gaming, read my thoughts on self-enforced organization here:
TMP link

Littlearmies, I thought I had that covered too. Just found out this year I didn't after all.

I would simply have started earlier…

Only buy ranges when they are almost complete at least for the basic troops. I've been stung too many times.

1. Get into playing "Rules of Engagement" earlier.
2. Stop buying anything from Black Tree Designs
3. Buy some of mongrel miniatures, before they went out of business.
4. Buy an airbrush sooner, for my 28mm WW2 vehciles.

If I knew then what I know now ?

I would have done all my historical gaming in 1/72nd plastics, knowing that the other ranges I wanted would be along "soon". That would have saved ending up with 6mm, 15mm, 25mm, 28mm figures. Although I might have still bought the 6mm.

I'd have bought up a lot more Minifigs ME and SS range figures with the money I saved not buying metal historicals. Then my middle earth armies would have a more consistent look.

I'd have got a copy of every Metagames Microgame.

I would haven't tried to paint to a higher than wargaming standard as it takes too long.

I knew THEN that I should pick a period and stick to it – but I didn't listen. What a fool !

"I'd have bought up a lot more Minifigs ME"
Reminds me I keep meaning to put mine up on EBay.

But back on topic.
Buy only Front Rank, which didn't exist when I started and pay asian painters who didn't exist either to paint my non-existent Front Rank figures.

I'd buy the whole of the Minifigs Valley of the Four Winds range when it came out instead of trying to track it down on eBay.

Murphy wrote:

Realize that "ALL SPI games have the same contradicting loop error" and that it makes the game unplayable.

You baffle me strangely. Can you explain what this "contradicting loop error" is, please?

All the best,

John.

If I knew then what I knew now I wouldn't have time to wargame – a 40 year old brain in a 20 year old body, surrounded by 20 year old girls

Not stuck with just the one wargames group for so many years. I have had many great games with them but in recent years I have really enjoyed playing a greater variety of rules , periods and opponents.

The internet makes it easier now of course

Id have approached this hobby from a strictly solo/selfish perspective – buying what I wanted, painting and mounting as I desired, building what terrain I wanted and taking as long as I desired… THEN if any of the guys wanted to play, GREAT! But if not, well I enjoyed the experience regardless.

Ive spend far too much time and money, and wasted tons of each,trying to keep everybody happy except myself.

Every purchase, for better or worse, is a lesson.

Every painted figure, no matter how poorly it turned out, is practice.

Every attempt at writing a rules set, is movement toward an even better one.

A good lesson for anyone is that no matter how well the figures are painted, if the the terrain is poorly done, the overall game won't look very good.

One BIG reason why most gaming terrain fails is that the ground cloth is the wrong color – buy them in natural earth tones, ALWAYS.

Play Crouch from the start, with Gerrard in the hole.
Recall Gordon Banks.
Tie the Italian to the dugout bench, and give the coaching staff shin pads for their biceps.
Ban vuvuzelas, and any other plastic ripoffs from the kazoo stable of aural torture.
Get rid of Lawrenson and Hansen, and find Keegan some crayons to play with in the corner.
Oh yes, and welcome the Yanks to a REAL world sporting championship at long last.
I think that about covers it.

Aaaaaah, I see my mistake now ……..
Read the title, leap in without even a set of waterwings, and then read the first entry AFTERWARDS.
Still, I feel my effort will hold up to serious and knowledgeable criticism …. :)