When Is 'Enough'?

June 09, 2024

Hi all...

Well, we are hopefully approaching the final week of the internal renovations - AT LAST!

Then we just need to endure having the three gardens turned into the Somme, and thenceforth into wonderful, low maintenance areas. But at least we can have our home back, and feel somewhat in control again. £35,000 gone - just like that...

I have been wondering when, as gamers, we reach the point where we have 'enough'. I don't think that there's a specific point in your gaming career, but I do believe that when you find yourself sort of scratching around for something to collect, that may be the signal that you have reached the end of acquiring stuff.

My own big thing, my 'drug of choice' if you like, has become 28mm fantasy, about 75% of which is vintage metal. I am fortunate that I have a LOT that I picked up when it was cheap and you could literally buy any model either over the counter at our GW branch or from mail order. Even better, if you had a 'tame' GW staffer, you got a LOT more for your money. The in-store 'deal of the week' could also sometimes throw up entire units for a fraction of the normal cost.

I had my own shopping basket at my local store, when it became apparent that I simply walked in every week, with a truly bulging pocket full of cash from painting whilst at school, and without caring, bought every model in a code, from the 'figure bar' or (and here was where the basket came in) simply sweeping the contents of a given rail of blisters from said rail, and several others.

It was when we began the work here, that we cleared a large storage area under the house - blessedly dry and temperate - and I discovered just how much I had hoarded 35-40 years ago, and not bothered touching, until I decided that my calling was my massive Good Vs Evil project after making fantasy an 'also ran' project for the last 25 years or so.

This year has seen me throw an eye-watering (if not sphincter clenching) amount at my project to get it finished.

You see, I cut my teeth at that impressionable age in my life on pictures in magazines of games by the Player's Guild and Joe Dever, with stupid amounts of figures on a lovely table. And I thought 'C'est moi!'

However, life got in the way and I cycled through a lot of stuff and hung on to more than I care to think about. Finally, when I realised in 2020 that I actually saved money by simply paying a painter to paint my stuff, my path became clear. I was to recreate those great games, but do so in an even more magnificent way. I did deals, met dark figures in even darker alleys and got most of what I needed to finish assorted units.

Now, I need about 20 models to finish off units, and then I think I'll have enough.

I'm not in any way falling out of love with gaming, but I know that I'll have all I need for gaming happiness, subject to my painter getting the last 2000 or so, painted.

I once believed that you could never have enough, but experience has taught me that each army has a 'Goldilocks' point at which it is basically al you need. This has become more and more apparent as I have worked on the Good Vs Evil project and the army sized contingents have rolled in from my painter. It's great to think that not only can I pretty much fight any large battle I want, but also, pitch two smaller armies against other in a more traditional game format.

I don't use army lists anymore. Even fantasy has 'canon' organisations and after 45 years I think I have a good handle on what they are. So, I build armies with character... Hordes of Orcs, but then 8-10 wyvern riders to add a splash of terrorising colour to the massed ranks of rabble. It's a great way to game because the army you collect starts to have a life of it's own. Your own bank roll for a given project can itself determine when you stop with a given force. You regroup your funds, steady yourself and off you go again with another race. I was very lucky that I was able to get hold of 1000 or so human and Orcs, ready painted at bargain basement prices. This in turn, got me looking at where to go with my hobby and in fact got me really enthusiastic about fantasy again.

My 'enough' was getting forces for all the various armies in the old Forces Of Fantasy box set, and being able to pay my painter in advance, And in all honesty, I've not found anything else which has given me the sense of an itch in need of scratching.

Anyway, before I go, if you have any of the following figures sat around in your pile, in good repair, I'm interested in buying them:

This is my definitive visual wants list: