"So old it can drink" Topic

I was cleaning the game room and I came upon Full Thrust and Dirtside. Miniatures are painted and there are spares.

That got me thinking: at what point do you part with something that hasn't seen daylight for 20-30 years? On the one hand it's painted and could be used but decades of inactivity pretty much means it won't get used. In this case there is space to keep them but that space could also hold modern versions of the same.

It used to be you saved miniatures just in case but these days if you get bit by a Sci Fi bug, print some or buy newer/better plastics

I know the feeling, got rules, minis and half baked projects that I'll get around to…one of these days.

Get then on the board once now. They deserve that.

Unless there is severe space pressure I'd hang on to them – they are veterans. I'd much prefer not to have to buy and paint new figures…

Well….I started collecting 1/72 plastic Airfix Waterloo figs in 1969…played on the floor…them packed them away…school…work…and recently…in the.last 5-10….I have started expanding them for General de Brigade…..so….forever I guess…will never sell them

My Warhammer/ Fantasy chaps did not see the light of day for 20 odd years, a load of Foundry I bought for "Empire" troops formed the base of my Italian Wars armies. Then I started playing Fantasy games and the chaps came out and have come out quite often. My 20mm ACW chaps were in hiding for 10 years, now have been out quite often,

Tally Ho!

I have 28mm D&D figures that haven't seen a game in 40 years. But I keep a log book of my Napoleonic units and purposely make sure they get rotated in games

If you have any interest, I recommend you keep old armies. Formats come full circle, and you can always be the impetus behind a revival. I have armies which hadn't seen the light of day for decades. Now that I'm an empty nester, my career is winding down, and I have much more time to devote to hobbies, I've gotten a lot of use out of some of my old armies. If storage really isn't an issue, hold on to them.

pjm

No single right answers, Louis. But let me raise a few questions.
1) Are they actual playable forces? Both sides with rules and terrain?
2) How good's your Final Disposition plan? If you hold on to them too long, are they likely to end up in a dumpster?
3) Would the age and state of the castings bother you if they were on the table?

If you can and would play with them, and they'll come to no harm on your departure, I'd say keep them and schedule a game.

If they're not a viable force, you'd rather play with something newer and shinier, and there's a decent chance they'll be binned when you miss your saving throw, the time to find them a new home is now.

Everything else is in between.

Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

We recently downsized substantially. Plus, we're empty nesters in our early 60s. Wife and I went through every thing and every box. It's amazing how much we acquired in 20 years at the same house. We got rid of so much we once thought to be precious. If possible, things went to a couple different Thrift stores for orgs specializing in helping people going through tough times.

I kept my miniatures and terrain, which is a small collection anyway. Rules and games I'd never play again went goodbye. I did keep some rulebooks for nostalgia. FYI I kept my Dirtside and Stargrunt rules and chits.

Good advice above.

schedule a game.

I've occasionally gone back to play a 90s game and the mechanics quickly reminded me why it's part of history now.

In the case of Dirtside, one need look no further than Polyversal for a modern alternative. A few other 6mm miniature agnostic games should not be hard to find.

When on a cleaning mission I always think: how much is this worth to me right now? The answer is very often zero so then I think trade in (Noble Knight) or dumpster

"…so then I think trade in (Noble Knight) or dumpster."

A flea market table is another option. Mark it $5 USD--or $1. USD If you're ready to go and it hasn't gone, leave a sheet of paper reading "FREE TO GOOD HOME" on your table. Someone will police it up. Meantime, you'll have had a chance meet and talk with pretty much everyone else at the convention.

Full Thrust is one of those games that one of my groups plays on a regular basis.

I have been collecting 28mm Napoleonics for over 30 years. My collection is quite large but I have yet to play a game with them. Got kicked out of a group, then my family kept me busy. Our new house was not too conducive to gaming either. 7 years ago moved to new area, just as I was starting to find groups gaming Covid hit and I got cancer. I have finally started to find a group and there is still hope for these figures to get out of their boxes and onto a gaming table.

Like Nick I still use some of my old 1:72 waterloo figures. several highlanders have gotten weak ankles and will need support from the ground up to advance again.