"Losing interest in wargames" Topic

Hello, my first experience with miniatures goes back to Battletech in the mid-80s. From there I got into 40K and from there into historical games. I have gathered a large collection of miniatures. I have a lot of good memories playing with friends.

Recently, however, I find myself less and less interested. I have figures on my workbench that I have no motivation to finish. Nothing sparks my interest anymore.

Right now I could probably throw all my minis into a dumpster and I would not care. I'm seeing them more as a waste of space than my passion.

My question to you, good people of TMP, is this normal? Is there a way to get through this?

Thank you for reading.

Yes, it's normal, everybody feels like this at one time or another. My solution was to do something else altogether for a while, but still hang onto my miniatures. I ran role-playing games for a long time and then came back to the minis when work and family commitments meant that it was no longer an option to keep the role-playing group going regularly enough to hold a decent campaign – it had just had its time. These things seem to go in phases…

First off, send me all the minis you want to ditch! :)
Secondly, put up all your supplies and miniatures (besides the ones you'll send me) and TAKE A BREAK!
I've had this happen to me about three times in the last 35 years, and taking breaks from painting, etc. helped me to get back into the hobby with as much fervor as my first time! One break lasted almost four years!
All my best on this!

Slumps do happen and could be the affect of different priorities in your life. I tend to get too many projects on the burner and don't know where to start, and tend to not do anything for a bit. I throw in a favorite movie, "Last of the Mohicans", Master and Commander", "Cromwell", The Longest Day", "The Thirteenth Warrior" or whatever, and typically snaps me be back in to getting back into the hobby and prioritizing my projects.

Hope this helps.

P.

Sure, I thinks it happens to most people at one time or another. put it aside for a while, do other things, don't sell off stuff you'll miss a few years from now, and the itch will likely return after a while.

Of course a radically different set of rules, a new period or genre, a new opponent(s) etc can also help, but right now it sounds like you just need to do something different for a bit. No big deal; life is short – enjoy it!

Don't throw your stuff in the dumpster. I did that a couple of years ago. At some point you will wish you hadn't.

I go through periods like that every few months. In my case, it is due in large part to the fact that I game mostly solo. As has been suggested, take a break, watch movies, read books. In my case when I need a break, I will build terrain as well as the other suggestions.

I agree with above, just deliberately walk away for a period of time and do something else--maybe another form of gaming, maybe golf. If in a couple of years you still have no interest to return to gaming, then dispose of the bulk of your collection but hang into a core selection of figures/rules/supplies. You might change your mind several years later and you will not want to start from absolute scratch--think of it as your "miniatures hope chest."

And if you do sell your collection, do so locally if you can, so that if you ever change your mind you will at least guarantee yourself someone to game with.

Yes, it is a totally normal feeling.

I'd recommend keeping everything that you have 'game-ready' i.e. painted armies, terrain, rulebooks for stuff you actually have in your collection. Ditch the other stuff if you like.

Regards

Totally normal. I haven't touched a wargames figure for around six years when I burned out, and moved onto RC racing for a change. I still have my lead pile though as I still have the residual interest. I know I'll get back into it 'one day' whenever that might be.

Completely normal…believe it or not, I've been brainstorming over the idea to sell any and all rights, along with all the minis, terrain, scenery, etc…for "Bongolesia"….

Whoever bought it would have a helluva haul…..

I agree with the comments above. It is completely normal. I find that having three or four core gaming interests helps – I can keep coming back to them, then a couple of 'butterfly' interests which may not become core, but have tempted me for one reason or another.

Try taking a break from the whole gaming thing. I find that building a plastic model kit usually does the trick.

I hope that things change.

Tony

I've gone through this a couple of times, loose interest in painting and gaming. I just left it alone for awhile. Usually coming back with fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

I've been there. Sold a bunch of my painted mini's and mini's I have planned on painting, thought I was done gaming forever. 3 years later, I am back in full swing, wishing I had kept everything I sold.

Actually… yes: throw them all out. Seriously. Or give them away or sell them on Ebay.

Do it. Seriously.

If you find that you never miss them, then you'll know you did the right thing.

But if you find yourself wanting to get back into the hobby, then you'll have the fun and excitement of doing it all from scratch again, with totally new figures, a new project, new games and rules, etc.

It'll make it all new again. It will be a whole new hobby, with all the fun and excitement that entails, as you plan some new project and work toward some new goal.

I've done this a few times in my life, and the rediscovery has always been joyful.

Yes, I think that's pretty normal. It's certainly happened to me…

We all loose the motivation sometimes and want to trash everything…or almost everything! Over 30 years of wargaming I've felt like that maybe three of four times, and usually its been as a result of looking at the stock of accumulated books and rules, terrain, unpainted figures and half-finished projects and thinking…"Oh what the heck have I done….what on earth am I doing?"

My solution, like a lot of other people's it seems, is to simply box it all up and store it somewhere out of sight. A shed or outhouse works perfectly for that. If a couple of years go by without you thinking of it, or looking at it, that's maybe the time to think about passing or selling part of it on. But don't rush to do that, as hobbies have a way of coming back around to us through life.

Above all, Battle Phlox, my very best wishes to you. I hope it works out well, and you come back to this great hobby refreshed. But if not, take care and good luck, Sir!

I don't know whether it's normal or not, but I don't think it's ever happened to me. Not that that helps you any.

My take: pack the stuff up and stow it out of sight. Chase women or sky dive or whatever floats your boat. If you have no interest in the figures and hobby in a year or two, sell the stuff on Ebay or here.

But if you want to get back into it and you've ditched the stuff…

Maybe even ditch some but keep whatever was your favorite.

I drifted away from the hobby a couple times, once to chase women when I hit my teens and again many years later to grieve a loved one. But if you don't feel it now, stow the stuff and do something else.

Just walk away for a bit, and return when the mood takes you – I lost the spark best part of two years ago, last year played two games all year and painted nothing, but just recently have begun to get fired up again and dusted my hobby off as it were – these things happen, and usually pass. If I'd slung everything out, right now I would be a *very* unhappy man – store it out of sight if you must, but throwing it all out in a fit of pique may be a cathartic moment, but will like as not haunt you in a major fashion later….

There are other questions that need to be answered by you, such as have your interest changed? Meaning, have you found something different gives you the same joy as what wargaming did? You could be developing an interest in another hobby.

Remember, your involvement in wargaming has changed through the years, Battletech, 40K, historicals, etc. What led to those changes.

Another question not asked, is has your gaming group changed? Your lack of interest maybe due to others whom have gamed with moving on to other things in life. The interest maybe more in the associations you have gaming than with the miniatures.

"The finality of throwing all your work into the dumpster is like a suicide note!"

Well, obviously I'm still here.

I stopped anything to do with wargaming for fifteen years. I just stuck everything in the loft and made model kits, did charcoal drawings of young ladies and took up running. Then in 1995 a friend gave me a metal Warhammer Dwarf cannon and I was off again…

I have been wargaming with models and dice for 45 years. There have been a lot of slumps in that period. I used to pack everything away and forget about it for a while – sometimes years at a time, then something piques my interest and I am off again. I am also a roleplayer and that sometimes took precedence over figure gaming.

One thing I am glad I never did though, was get rid of anything in the last 25 years. I made that mistake when I was in a depressed state after a break up in the 80s. Kept my metal Napoleonics but gave away half a dozen plastic 1/72nd armies, my Npaoleonic ships, all my Judge Dredd flats.

Regretted it when I got to the UK and saw the new cool plastics that were coming on the market, the extra cool 1/1200 model ships that were now available and the Foundry and Citadel JD figures that were stocked at GW Shepard's Bush.

I used to study Tai-Chi it helped me relax then it started to cause me some stress trying to get to class on time, finding time to practice ect. I stepped away for awhile and let myself do other things and then went back with a different perspective. Same thing happened with bike riding I just took a year off from riding now I back into it.

If you lost the spark just pack it away go and do other things that you like and down the road get back into gaming.

Not knowing the seriousness of your meloncholi I'd consider Thee 1derdull Wiznard of Od's input.

Hope you work it out.

did charcoal drawings of young ladies

WAIT!!!

THIS was an option!?

Why didn't someone TELL me?

Thirty plus years of little lead guys and I…could have been….

Yep, loss of interest is normal, judging by the folks I know, take a break and your interest will regenerate, I am sure. Keep your old figs though, just in case!

The disposable society mentality, a product of rampant consumer-capitalism, is the major reason this planet's in such an ecological mess.

I'll never understand how people can so unthinkingly add to the vast waste burden that's despoiling this planet.

Manufactured goods, such as the artifacts of our hobby, require huge inputs of materials and energy to produce, and the production processes themselves generate waste.

So, don't 'throw your stuff in the dumpster'; if you really have no further use for your toys sell them or give them away so others can benefit from the materials and energy that went into producing them, not to mention the work you yourself have put in to render them usable.

To coin a phrase: dumpsters are for dumbsters.

Sometimes life just intervenes. Lost all interest for four years. Basement full of stuff. Thought to clean it all out but wasn't even motivated to do that. Suddenly got interested again and off and running. Almost everybody posting is telling you it happened to them too. Look for the shiny at the end of the tunnel.

If it's just miniatures and stuff that you've lost interest in then, well, everyone needs other interests. I'd probably go with the idea of boxing the stuff up for a bit rather than throwing it into the dumpster – if you change your mind in a couple of months boy you'll feel dumb !

Sometimes I game a lot, sometimes I game a little. I've had a couple of extended periods (like a couple of years) when I virtually stopped thinking about games (my only contacts with gaming were Lone Warrior and MWAN). So, it's ok to do other stuff. Hobbies are meant to be fun. If you come back – great, if you don't then it was fun while it lasted .

When I was unemployed, I lost interest in the hobby and sold off or threw away almost everything. I regretted it a year or two later. After my heart attack and the resulting depression, I nearly threw everything in the dumpster but this time lock stock and barrel. I'm glad I just took a break and let them sit a bit. I've got maybe 1 hour or 2 of "free" time a week now and painting really helps me relax now. It's therapeutic.

You have probably heard enough of this by now, but don't throw things away hastily. I had a nice copy of Pony Wars that I threw away in a fit of tidiness and regret it to this day--those rules are very hard to find. As so many have said above: take a break and enjoy other things; if you have an attic, stuff a few boxes of stuff up there and see where you are in two or three years. And always remember hobbies should be fun and not a source of commitment or guilt. IF it doesn't feel right throw everything to charity or e-bay--after two or three years. Hang in there and good luck!

Trim your collection.

Too much lead can induce inertia and paralysis, especially if you never get around to painting enough from each range to actually play a game.

I gave away 34 pounds of lead and plastic a few years ago and that allowed me to focus on a few periods that I actually play.

As above, yes it is perfectly normal, I had a ten year break from figure gaming back in the late 80s and 90s, but I was very glad I hadn't dumped my stuff.

Also, clearing out projects you are never going to start or finish can be helpful. Too much stuff to do can be somewhat oppressive.

Yes, I've had slumps. Just coming out of one now. Best thing to do is to pack away the figures and look for something else to inspire you. For me it was fishing. I'd always loved it, and I just got more interested. Now the wargaming is coming back, and it may do for you as well. Which is why you should not throw everything away.

However I echo "Thee 1derdull Wiznard of Od" said. Maybe you should also talk to someone about how you are feeling. Can't hurt. I've been there and it was the best thing I did.

Cheers,
JohnG

What I do is to change often subject -from fantasy to ancient to WW2 to sciFi to 30 YW – and miniature size – from 28 to 20 to 10 mmm – and switching from painting figures to playing or building with HirstArst. It is actually never the same and never boring. The disadvantage is that it takes ages to end a project!

Losing interest is normal. Its not a sign of depression unless accompanied by the other symptoms. Just pack it away and at some time in the future you will take them out again and feel the ol' buzz.

If you are bored with painting , why not switch to playing boardgames or magazine games ? There are many of the old Avalon Hill/Victory Games still available on ebay. Most of them can be played solo also ( by playing both sides ) if you don't have an opponent.

Trim down the collection to a couple of core interests.
A hobby can turn into a demanding monster, with goals that cannot be achieved.At that point the temptation is to ditch everything. That may not be what you really want.
De-cluttering is good for the soul, and makes what remains easier to manage, instead of IT controlling YOU.

You can then enjoy tinkering with some favourites, and perfecting them, and also reading about other periods without feeling compelled to recreate them in miniature.

I have had a year of minimal interest in painting, largely because I have enough toys to play when the lads get together.

I had a clear out about 2 years ago and refocussed on my preferred periods and that was generally a good idea.

Tidy up, get it into a smaller space and then wait it out.

I will say however without my friends I would likely pack it all in, but a lot of that is due to very little free time right now due to work and family.

There was a moment one Sunday morning last September, driving back from a disappointing con experience, where I dang near dropped the tailgate on the truck and let the "crap" fall off….with a "good riddance" maniacal laugh.

I'd be intensely heartbroken now if I had.

I do think you should visit your doctor to check whether you are showing signs of clinical depression.

I had similar feelings about three years ago, and was advised I was becoming depressed. So, I quit my job – which I realised the the major cause of my depression – and am now working part-time self-employed, not earning as much, but a lot less stressed.

I realised I was never going to finish some projects, or reread/use many of my books, wargame rules and boardgames. I sold most of them, and now focus on small, achievable projects based upon the Morschauser-style, Portable Wargame rules on Bob Cordery's Wargaming Miscellany blog. I've largely abandoned historical armies for black-powder era ImagiNations and simple, Old-School style rules, and am enjoying my hobby time much more.

I hope you find a solution that works for you.

Dear Battle Phlox

Serious question. How old are you?

You might be going through a "change of life" stage where your mind and personality shift, which mandates a shift in interest. Maybe it's Warhammer and 40K that no longer floats your boat. Drop back, take some time off and analyze what you liked about it and why you no longer like it any more.