"Leave the hobby moment..." Topic

Have you ever had that moment? The moment when you are fed up and you are going to sale everything on ebay and get of the hobby. What precipitated it and how did you react?

1. Yes I have that moment all the time but I never act on it.

2. Yes I had that moment but I took a nap and felt better afterward.

3. Yes I have had that moment but I had a stiff drink and I felt better.

4. I had that moment and actually did leave the hobby and never looked back.

5. I had that moment and sold off everything but came back a few years later.

6. I have that moment from time to time but I cool off and think better of it.

7. Never had that moment.

No, have dropped it a few times for months in my life but that painting jones comes back after being to long away.

5. The hobby for me has many moments of a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction and also moments of great frustration.

6.

My moment is usually when I go to all the trouble of researching and writing up the scenario. Spend months getting the correct figures, building terrain and sending out invitations.

Setting up the terrain and providing the figures. Then despite assurances few if any show up. The only worst thing I can think of, is nobody signing up for your game at a convention. But it's very close.

My moment can last a few days but I eventually get over it. Maybe the next time I won't.

7

I've gone from Board Wargames to computer wargames to miniature wargames and round and round over the years but it is all one hobby to me.

7

I have never had that moment, I have however decided that I possess way too much gear and agonize over what must go.

7

2

7. Where would I go?

6.

Had a couple of years sometime back where I virtually stopped all hobby activities (bar a couple of magazines – Lone Warrior & MWAN kept me in touch !)

Never sold everything off – but I came pretty close. Glad I didn't.

7.

6

When I lost control of my hands, couldn't walk and, on top of that, my meds were making my eyes unable to focus on small things. But you guys talked me out of it and now I'm on the mend.

Thanks y'all!

Dan

7. Not taking it too seriously to start with helps. Besides I'm too cheap to sell everything at a loss and it sounds like too much work.

6, for me too, I sometimes look at my lead/plastic mountain and think 'What have you done?'

7.

7, but I do periodically get depressed over lack of sales or opponents.

7. I'm a lifer.

2

7

7
Though I have given up on some periods or projects and sold them off, it was never a total departure.

7 for me as well.

And if 4 were the answer for anyone, it's highly unlikely that he would be posting here.

5 – Specifically talking about the miniatures-side of the hobby. My life was quite chaotic and peripatetic and the logistics of miniatures gaming was just too annoying, so I got rid of my stuff and concentrated on board games and later on PC games.

7. But I've had longish breaks for various reasons and sometimes it's been difficult to motivate myself back into it.

7. Never thought about getting out of the hobby but I've had times of passivity, let's say.

I'm more likely to sell stuff when I'm engrossed actually. I like to focus on a couple of projects, re-evaluate and decide to sell off and fund new periods.

When I'm a bit….meh…I tend to sit on projects
, and allow my mojo to come back.

Good question.
Don't forget that the folks who have had that "moment" at a serious level are probably not here any longer. So there are possibly quite a few who are not represented in this ? There are also the "door slammers" who re-appear under a different name or on a different forum.
I suspect the "break" is often when opponents move away or die.I have lost about ten opponents due to death (not all this year) and another 10 or so who have moved away( probably to avoid me!).

6 I am now looking at my hobby more seriously about what I need vs what I have & am trying to move out lots of unneeded miniatures etc.

7

7

6 I had the moment after a move away from a group of guys I knew well. Really thought I would give it up. Eventually found a new group and we've been friends ever since. That was 40 years ago.

6 I had the moment after a move away from a group of guys I knew well. Really thought I would give it up. Eventually found a new group and we've been friends ever since. That was 40!years ago.

7

Somewhere between 6 & 7 … and besides at my age what else am I going to do ? Being retired on Disability. I can only spend so much time at the Y !

Not really a choice for me in that list. 5'ish maybe.

I've had the feeling, took some breaks and sold some stuff, but never cleared the decks completely. After a decade and a half of waffling invovlement, being involved in an active bi-weekly club has kept me pretty solidly involved for the past 7 years. The fact that we play a variety of games but nothing too expensive has kept things interesting and accessible.

6 and sometimes 2.

Walking the Road of Modeling is a trip, isn't it.

I'm out for months every year because hunting requires all of my spare time.

6-ish.

I currently don't really have a space to store or work on models at the moment. My ailing mother has had to move in with us and due to a lease and several other factors she lives in the awkward section of our living room that used to be my office and minis workshop.

Our landlord is kind enough to let us use a portion of the machine room that houses all the water heaters and purifiers for the well water as storage. It used to be an apartment for the previous landlord but he can't rent it because of all the machinery. The previous landlord used to be the town building inspector so this isn't even the weirdest thing about the building. I used to do some work down there but the landlord has a serious concern that if the building inspector comes around he'll think someone is living there so it's off limits for minis painting until he's done with some repairs. He's a great landlord, not charging us for the storage space so I can't risk him getting in trouble.

I gave up for a little while, but I've slowly been doing some work when I can.

7

Martin Goddard has a great point. The hobby has a very social element to it. My war game buddy's have been dropping like Pickets charge the last 5 years!!
Also if a person left they are probably not reading TMP?

Regards
Russ Dunaway

7.

The issue with the survey may be that people who sold everything and left are not checking TMP.

I've had the moment a few times. Primarily when a real war hits awful close to home and the weirdness of what we do sort of hits me.

It takes a minute but I remember we humans LOVE war, despite all our blather against it. We memorialize it in film, literature, toys, politics, metaphor, and sports. It is one of our defining characteristics as a species.

So then I'm okay with making war and death entertainment again.

7 – never even thought about it, even during the 10 years without more than the odd game and very little time or cash.

I realize that people who left the hobby are more than likely not on TMP but I wanted the option there. Just pick another one and move on.

I also realize that if a person is on TMP they are more likely to pick 7.

4 looks very tempting at the moment.

Boxed all the wargaming stuff after 30 years while I got into model railways. That lasted 5 years and two layouts.Then 15 years ago I unboxed most of it again and started 3 new periods. The railway stuff is now the stuff boxed up.

1.5

7. I'm in it till I am mentally or physically unable to do so.

Thanks.

5