Back after far too long...

As I feared would happen, it has been a few months since my last blog post. A hobby slowdown, few games and some ups and downs at work left me out of the habit of putting something together or spending a few minutes a day thinking about what to post. I've gotten some neat hobby stuff done, but haven't much written about it. 

Captured British tank for FoW:Great War

I thought I’d give it another shot and try to keep it up for longer this time. There’s always a new idea or topic that I can write about and while my updates will likely be shorter than before, I hope to make them more consistent.

Today I wanted to write about getting back into a game after you haven’t played it in awhile. Like most gamers, I tend to cycle through games from time to time. Sometimes I’ll see a movie that reminds me of an old game or I’ll see it being played at the gaming store. Whatever the reason, a little flame of excitement is reignited.  

 

Painted this after playing some World of Warships.

I think, “wouldn’t it be neat to play some more of X or paint a model of Y?” and next thing you know I’m sitting on website of the game maker seeing what toys they’ve come up with.

Sometimes, it all feels comfortable and it’s easy to get back into things. I stopped playing Flames of War for nearly three years before picking it back up a year ago. During that time a lot had happened to Flames of War. I’d stopped in version 2 when the only plastic models were from PSC. Coming back to the game in version 3 wasn’t that difficult, however. The rules were relatively the same, World War II isn’t going to change and the models were basically the same. Things were a bit better here and there, but it felt like I was playing Flames of War.

Recently I got the 28mm bug. I have some 40k and Infinity sitting on my gaming shelves and I thought how nice it would be to paint something big (not 15mm) that I could put amazing detail into. My first thought was to Warhammer 40k.

I made the mistake of watching a throwaway Starship Troopers film on Netflix. Now I want to paint futuristic stuff!

I looked on the GW website at the shiny new models and read dakkadakka to see how the game was going. As much as various obligations have pushed me into being more of a hobbyist than a gamer these days, I wanted to make sure I could enjoy the few games I might play. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much I would enjoy.

A few of my Ultramarines.

It has become a game of huge monster and robots rather than of armies. I had seen wraithknights and knights around before and had even fielded a knight from time to time. However, there was always an army behind it. Now I saw games with a handful of giant models that the heroic footsoldiers I wanted to play with couldn't even hurt.

 

What Warhammer 40k feels like these days.

Worse even, but 40k had just gotten too expensive. I know all games are expensive and I didn’t get into the hobby to be cheap about my toys, but I’ve found myself increasingly at the breaking point. I can’t justify GW prices to myself or my wife. There is too much out there at too high a quality for me to want to pay what is being asked.

My knight.

Since 40k just wouldn’t work out, Infinity was the next candidate. I find myself saying to this day that infinity is the best ruleset I’ve ever played. Even if I'm terrible at the game, I have a good time and it always feels right to me. It feels like I’m running and gunning with a spec-ops team on some futuristic mission far more. I also love some of the models. They are individual works of art with fantastic theme and futuristic but not silly design.

An added bonus for infinity is that I held onto two painted forces from when I used to play, so I would have models to strip and repaint rather than only buying new toys. My painting has gotten much more patient and my technique better since I painted them before, so it would be fun to re-invent my old force.

 

Some of my Ariadna Caledonians

I went on the Infinity website and started looking around. I know there’s a new rulebook, but luckily Corvis Belli has their rules (and army maker) free to download. Score! However, when I got to the online store and looked at what they had come out with in the year or two since I stopped playing, I got worried.

Rather than release too many new models, they had updated so many models from the armies I played. Don’t get me wrong, my old models were still usable. It’s just that the new designs were so impressive. CB has done an amazing job on their new models.

 

Corvis Belli's old Naffatuns compared to....

Corvis Belli's new Naffatuns

I went to the miniatures room and took out my Haqqislam. I divided the force into two piles: models that were up to date and those that weren’t. It was about 50:50. CB’s re-do of the Ghulams meant that all of my fodder was looking tired and old while my heavy infantry just got an exceptional makeover.

I still had enough “up to date” stuff to make an interesting force, so in the stripping solution that pile is going. I hope that I can satisfy my 28mm desire with these models and limit the amount of new items I buy. I’m still neck deep in Flames of War miniatures and don’t exactly have the spare hobby funds for a new game.

This may be my favorite "time" in the hobby. I have a new rulebook to digest and ponder. Favorite weapons and tactics have to change and the fluff surrounding my force has evolved. I can catch up on a year of discussion and gallery posts on the forums. I can connect with a few new gaming guys and play more games than when I'm bogged down into a game. I get to paint something new, try new techniques and create a force I can be proud of. At the same time, it still feels comfortable. I know the basics, the forces, the missions and generally what to expect. Rather than the mystery and uncertainty of a new game, it's like I'm connecting again with an old friend.