So are you a gamer who paints, or a painter who games? Maybe you're both? Frankly does it matter? Of course not! But over the past few weeks this question has been bouncing around in my head for some reason or other, so I thought I'd address this by looking back on my wargaming development. Currently I'd call myself the former, but this hasn't always been the case as you will see.
Well it all started off with Airfix and Matchbox figures and model kits way back in the early 1970's, both HO/OO and 1/32nd scale. Choice was limited, certainly on the kits front, but we made do with what was available and were pretty happy to have enough stuff to play for what we thought was a wargame. Rules were from the Airfix Magazine Guide WWII Wargaming by Bruce Quarrie. I honestly can't remember much about them but we had fun. We didn't paint the figures due to the adhesion issues which we all know about and I think the tanks got some details painted but were left mainly as moulded. So I think it fair to class this period as a gamer who paints.
Then we discovered Thane Tostig, D&D, Chainmail etc and WWII wargaming sort of disappeared into the background. Only a few figures were required and for the time, the animation and detail seemed superb. Being metal meant that the paint actually stuck to the figures, so more time was spent getting them looking nice as hopefully they would get to see plenty of action. Many an evening was spent in the bedroom painting with Humbrol paints and the room stinking of thinners. No wonder I used to get the odd headache! Sadly the games didn't take off but I would see myself at this point as being a painter who gamed, somewhat infrequently it must be said.
Then there was a big gap where I went to Uni (or polytechnic as it was in those days) and then the World of work. Fast forward some 20 odd years and Mordheim appeared on the scene and it really grabbed my attention. The figures were superb and a starter box with the rules, figures and some scenery all included made it simple to re-enter the wargaming World. Playing at a club in those ancient pre-internet days meant that my spare time was used to paint up my warband, doing conversions etc all ready for a club campaign or a one off game the next week. Easy to maintain focus without outside distractions and only one warband to paint. One could argue that at this point I was both a gamer and painter in equal measure, with neither being to the fore too much, but given the amount of time and effort I put into converting and painting the warband, I think a painter who gamed would be a fair summation.
Flames of War appeared on the scene at the club and Mordheim took a back seat, sadly never to re-appear, but I was gaming WWII once again and actually able to paint figures where it didn't chip off at the slightest touch and the range and choice of forces was something that could only have been dreamed of as a teenager. But there's the rub. It was too easy to buy another army due to club discounts with Peter Pig and other retailers, even before the first force was half-way finished. 28mm skirmish arrived too in the form of Rules of Engagement and not long after my switch to 10mm. So suddenly in the space of a few years I had gone from a single Mordheim warband to a multiplicity of scales, forces etc that I simply did not have the time to focus on, whether it being to paint them of to even begin to base them etc. At this stage I think it fair to say I was neither really a gamer nor a painter, as I was struggling to find the time or inclination to do either, given we were raising a young family, my work was very busy given my management role etc.
This carried on in a similar vein for a few years and was then exacerpated but moving to gaming at home with friends on an ad-hoc basis, plus stress at work leading to retail therapy buying of 10mm armies to add to my already quite substantial lead mountain! Both gaming and painting took a hit, with the gaming becoming increasingly infrequent, but at least I was painting more in fits and starts. Certainly a painter who games seems a fair assessment.
Things moved on like this until I became a full-time carer just before Covid and lockdown hit. Like many gamers I took time to take stock of my wonderful hobby and realised that in all honesty my lead mountain was too big and would never be finished. It was the elephant in the attic that I didn't want to talk about, but when I did, it was all rather cathartic. After years of little gaming compared to painting, I realised I want to actually spend more time gaming! This was aided by the fact that despite being retired, it was very hard to find the time to paint without a dedicated painting area, when most of my time was taken up with caring duties or being a house-husband.
Some three years on since Covid arrived, I can safely say that I'm currently a gamer who paints and am very happy with this situation. I find great pleasure in researching and planning a scenario, tweaking it etc and then actually getting it onto the table to play, which to my mind is the reason we paint our figures. Of late campaigns have come more to the fore of my gaming and looking at various posts this month, this seems to be the case for other gamers too.
When the muse is upon me or I have a deadline to hit for a FtF game or show, then I still love to get the paints out. This is certainly the case with my planned France 1940 Campaign, where last night I based a load of figures that, weather permitting I can prime in a few days. Then I am looking forward to painting them so that they can see action on the table. So for me painting is a means to an end rather than the end itself.
I'd love to know your thoughts and where you sit in relation to this question. I can imagine where some other Bloggers sit based upon their posts, but many I have no idea, so look forward to hearing from you if you have the time and inclination to reply.
In other news the France 1940 Campaign is coming along nicely, but I do need to get some new figures painted before the first scenario can kick off. At least the broad outline is sorted and now I need to flesh some ideas out, but this will happen alongside the painting, all being well.
TTFN.
Steve, it always fascinates me to see how others got into the hobby. While I never had Quarrie's WWII rules, his Napoleon's Campaigns was a stable in my early hobby career. Loved the book. Never fully understood those complicated rules. The campaign ideas might be useful.
ReplyDeleteBack to the question...
Before my discovery of remote gaming, I was definitely a painter first and gamer second. Now, I reckon I spend just as much time gaming as painting.
On your upcoming 1940 campaign, nothing provides more painting motivation than needing figures for an upcoming game. Looking forward to it!
I too am always interested in how others started off in the hobby too. My Dad buying the Airfix magazines was a big part of the drift towards wargaming I'm sure. He also built models when he had some spare time, which again was another influence. I have Quarries Napoleon's Campaigns, but I too cannot fathom the rules, which are very much of their time. Certainly not a set for remote gaming!
DeleteRemote gaming has very obviously opened up a whole new World for you and others, but you still manage an impressive painting output at the same time! So far too say you are a mix of both at present.
Hi Steve, I’m also retired and a full time carer. Snap! As a solo gamer I’m a gamer first and a painter through necessity, though I think like you the balance has switched from time to time. My weakness is a sudden burst of enthusiasm for a project followed by an equally rapid loss of interest. I’ve tried to rationalise that recently and have settled on 10mm as my scale of choice followed by periods involving figures in a uniform and limited numbers of cavalry (which I hate painting because it feels like double the work when there’s a bloke AND a ruddy horse). Don’t get me started on Dragoons. I’ve recently embarked on AWI which seems to tick all the boxes but I definitely have a lead pile of shame and at least a dozen unfinished projects stuffed in various boxes. If zoom gaming doesn’t work out I can see myself doing less and less solo stuff in the future (the enthusiasm is waning) and eventually becoming a painter who occasionally games - when he’s finally completed two opposing armies.
ReplyDeleteJBM we have so much in common! I hate painting horses due to all the tack and am guilty of sudden bursts of enthusiasm/interest only for it to disappear like Summer mist. If only I could maintain focus...
DeleteZoom gaming doesn't work for me at present, but never say never and all that. I'm quite happy solo gaming as I have little option otherwise, with the odd FtF game throughout the year. Luckily I have enough forces for both sides to at least get some reasonable games and campaigns in.
Which is why the ACW is the best CW. Don’t even need cav. 😀
DeleteGod, who let HIM. in here...bloody ACW, it's one era I haven't had figures for since I was fourteen and had the Airfix ones!
DeleteOne of the attractions of the ACW is indeed its general lack of cavalry. The same could be said of the APW and FPW of the 1860's-70's, as they rarely made a battlefield appearance due to the effective firepower of the infantry and artillery.
DeleteI think a friend had some of the ACW figures Keith, that always seemed to be the go to figures for conversions in the Airfix magazine. No figures currently? Time to redress this omission;)?
DeleteLol. I’m like a stray dog; feed me once and I’ll come back sniffing around. 😀
DeleteI am rooted in the airfix generation and I painted with Humbrol enamels, used thinners and plastic cements in a confined space and licked paint brushes to a point! (Oh Dear), but in those days, nothing was bad for you …. So it didn’t matter!
ReplyDeleteI suppose my point is that the Humbrol paint was lashed on with one of those cheap nylon brushes with a bushy head (i.e. no point) and so the painting of 1/72 must have looked dreadful …. Though it didn’t to me and so perhaps an entire post could come out of that - how, why and when did we become so precious about our works of art?
Anyway, I am a gamer and a most reluctant painter. I can paint okay, but it would not be too strong to say I resent it, I would much rather game than paint.
Funnily enough Norm, I gave just the weekend been forced through a minor "rationalisation" of my collection of printed material ( had to move the book cupboard in the garage so my wife could lay carotene tiles....yes, she did all the actual work, but I had to unload the books and divide into piles of keepers and others) I think the answer to your question about when we became precious about quality of painting is the mid to late eighties, at the time the quality of metal figure sculpting improved. I base this on looking through some thirty year old wargaming magazines (it sounds incredible to say that, but it's 2023 and they were definitely from the nineties!) and seeing some readers opinion pieces about how terrible it is that only certain figure ranges are acceptable, how some manufacturers are manipulating their buyers by charging higher prices to make it seem their figures are the pinnacle of those available etc etc....I am guessing the writer was a guy in his sixties with boxes of Hintin Hunt, Hinchcliffe and Garrison etc figures that he couldn't give away at the bring and buy sections of wargames shows! Nowadays of course, there is a whole sub genre of gamers " of a certain age" ( mine and a bit older) who love all those single pose, basic sculpt, gloss painted figures....I am not one of them, but I recognise there are many out there!
DeleteI suppose we were happy with getting any paint on our figures back then Norm. Just a shame it didn't stick well, but then we did skirmish game with them on their stands, which didn't help our cause! I remember at the club bemoaning GW's approach in White Dwarf of showing stunningly painted figures all of the time, which certainly put me off painting them:(. To be fair when Paul Sawyer was editor he did have a spot where a gamer from Swindon (I think) did a piece each month using his very simply painted figures, which made the hobby seem much more accessible. This has also been discussed in relation to shows having some games that look like you could easily put them on at home or the club, without investing significant time, effort, resources and money.
DeleteI think you're right there Keith. With the advent of acrylic paints, painting became easier and certainly a lot less toxic for the average gamer. Then of course the companies want to push their products, so need shiny figures in the mags and a step by step process about how to do it. I was glancing at some magazines from a few years ago and they still have these articles in them. It would be nice now and then to showcase gaming standard painting rather than Golden Demon ones, again to make it seem more accessible to newcomers.
DeleteA good observation Keith - there also grew that thing of ‘Don’t bring unpainted miniatures to the table’, not just as general preference thing but with vitriol behind the sentiment, casting down anyone caught offending. Maybe we got caught up somewhere between putting some Airfix toys on the table for some fun to becoming much more serious. I certainly think the aging thing is making me want to dial back a bit to the fun.
DeleteUnpainted figures were a big no-no at my old club, mainly due to snobbishness of some of the members, who were very good painters and had the time to do this. It did take a lot of the fun out of games as they would always have more units to play with than other members. These days I'm certainly keen on keeping the fun aspect high on the hobby front and often am tempted to get some Airifx figures and base them unpainted just for a bit of a nostalgia hit!
DeleteExcellent post Steve. Definitely a gamer who paints. Though alas, I do neither with enough frequency with work and family drawing down on my time and energy.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the thrill has always been the gaming challenge. That said, I do enjoy painting and modelling. It brings it's own form of calm, mindfulness, wellbeing... whatever you want to call it. Perhaps if I had a permanent painting station I would paint more often. I'll just have to wait for a child or two to move out first!
Thanks Richard and I can completely relate to the time and energy thing! Years ago when I didn't have the knowledge nor rules to game solo, painting was my hobby fix each evening, which I did enjoy. But now for me the fun is the game itself as already mentioned. I think we would all like a permanent painting station or games room and once the kids do move out (fingers firmly crossed) then I might get lucky if SWMBO agrees;)!
DeleteI’m definitely a gamer who paints. I don’t enjoy painting for its own sake. If I had the resources I’d never paint anything and just pay someone else to do it. The only thing I really like about painting is the sense of free time and doing something for myself rather than chores.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, I do like making terrain. Probably should of done trains instead. 😀
I'm not sure I would sub out my painting, as I do enjoy it and like to game with figures that I've painted. I think it's part of the whole experience but I do have a friend who happily has subbed this out in the past and has no problem with it at all. Like you, I love making terrain and try to mix it in alongside the painting, so that some figures do at least make it to the table!
DeleteIt's a topic I have seen discussed occasionally before Steve. I really find it hard to define myself, I genuinely think I am a bit of both and I would probably do a lot more solo gaming at home if I had a spare room to do it in, or, my wife was out half the time and I had the kitchen table at my disposal!
ReplyDeleteEven though I have far too many collections of figures...far more than I will ever need to game with...I find it very had to imagine a time when I stop buying and painting more! I quite often spend two to three hours per night, three or four night per week, out in the garage, where at least I DO have a permanent painting station in the form of an ancient 1970's type office desk about five foot by three, with five drawers.
On the flip side, I have always relied on others for a venue. Back in the nineties we had a very large gaming room attached to the commercial premises where Mark of 1866 used to produce several ranges of metal figures ( including Front Rank) under license for the NZ market. Through this venue, I met Julian, and have been lucky enough to have him host me to many games over a period of thirty years I guess ....I even used to go to his place around six pm, play a game till ten or eleven, then head to work to do a midnight to eight am night shift! So, if I have a venue, I am just as much of a gamer as a painter...but there have been periods when venues dry up, and I guess as we all get older, that is likely to become more of an issue...I do expect to eventually become primarily a solo gamer at some point.
Thanks for your thoughts Keith:). I'm impressed by how often and for how long you get to paint! For me after an hour or so I've had enough, but then looking back I do find 10mm more demanding than 28mm just because it is so hard to see the detail at times with my ageing eyes.
DeleteMy old club used to be my regular Friday night outing each week where pretty much a game was arranged in advance on almost as big a table as you wanted. However after a few years the gloss wore off and we found it much nicer and quieter to game at home as and when time became available. Those friends have now moved away, hence my move into solo gaming and I'm lucky that my game easily fit onto the dining room table which is rarely used.
Very interesting discussion piece and comments. As you might expect I am a painter first and last, gaming is a mental exercise based on Imagi-Nations for me only. I get my fun from building vehicles and equipment and painting soldiers and said vehicles and that's all. I do recall my early modelling days of the late sixties and the lack of figures which of course is why I started using screws. If starting nowadays I might be very tempted to use the 6mm MDF figures you have, they are so good. I am fortunate to have always had a dedicated painting space except for a 20 year period in the 80's and 90's when work and family took so much time my armies sat in the loft. The simple fact is that our collective hobby has something for everyone, we are very lucky.....Regards.
ReplyDeleteI think building is part and parcel to the enjoyment of our hobby, at least it is for me being of that Airfix generation. With 3D printing now maybe this is something that will seem strange to the younger generation. As you say, there is something for everyone to enjoy within the broad remit of wargaming, which is lovely to see:).
DeleteGaming? Not enough “by a long chalk”.
ReplyDeletePainting? Not especially my area of expertise. I tend to either buy painted figures (thanks eBay!!) or buy figures and have ‘em painted.
I tend to plan, prepare & organise a lot and … well … errr … then it often tends to fizzle out as I’ve likely spotted another interesting war/campaign and my attentions are diverted elsewhere.
I do have a dedicated wargames room/library but it’s full of boxes of books and figures and any gaming is, by necessity, on a small tabletop. That’s why your 2x2 efforts grabbed my attention.
One day, when I’m fully retired … I’ll get everything finished. Hopefully… 😉
Cheers,
Geoff
A dedicated games room cum library Geoff? If only! I too spend possibly too much time planning, preparing etc for the butterfly to flap its wings and for me to head off in another direction. 'Twas ever thus.
DeleteThe benefit of these 2' x 2' game is that they can be played almost any where, which is a huge benefit as you can attest. So for me half the dining room table is more than enough and so quick and easy to set up and take down.
Great stuff, and the answer is, 'it depends' ;) Just like with everything else in life, I have my phases of each, and even dormant phases where not much happens, but I'm getting more comfortable with that, and don't get as frustrated by a seeing lack of 'progress' in one area or another as I used to.
ReplyDeleteV/R,
Jack
I think we all go through phases and looking back, this was certainly the case for me. Sometimes I get a bit bothered that I haven't painted anything or played a game, but as long as I'm doing something gaming related, I'm pretty happy.
DeleteWell, certainly over my 50+ yearsin the hobby, I have spent far more time painting than gaming, although there were times when gaming dominated, and never a stretch without a game for more than a year. I certainly have "enough" figures by any reasonable measure, but continue to buy and paint more - probably more than a bit of a collector streak. Still, anything i paint I game with, and more gaming definitely seems in the cards lately, even with another 2.5+ years until my planned retirement. Really, to get the most out of our hobby, you have to love games, history, and modeling. The modeling was the least of my original; motivations by far.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot hate relationship with painting at times, possibly due to my having been a full-time modelmaker for a design companys for the best part of 30 years. So at times coming home to paint felt like a bus man's holiday! However with the advent of rapid prototyping, I did begin to enjoy it more as I was doing everything by hand, which I greatly enjoyed.
DeleteI completely agree with you sentiment of games, history and modelling allowing one to get the most out of our wonderful hobby and long may it continue thus!
Good thoughts. I would suppose then I'm more researching then painting and have more joy in noticing if the game more or less unfolds like the historical battle. I just have to paint because I need these or these units for special battles.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is interesting once you've done all the research, the prep etc to see how the game unfolds compared to the actual battle being played. Sometimes there are very similar outcomes, other times completely different.
DeleteAn interesting post Steve, where do I sit I actually discussed this in a slightly boarder context about what I enjoy most about the hobby at the weekend with a non gamer. That is a slightly longer question, so in answer to painter or gamer and I definitely 50/50. Whilst I can’t imagine stopping painting until I can’t hold a brush anymore I don’t think I ever paint for ‘fun’ or just to collect every Figure or vehicle is part of a bigger collection or has some purpose. That said painting is definitely my quiet place where I feel most relaxed and at peace. I am quite comfortable gaming with wooden blocks eg Command and Colors and obviously hexes are now a thing as well. I think the key for me is the aesthetic of the whole setup. Figures don’t need to be painted as long as they create the right overall look. Mixing painted and non painted figures wouldn’t work for me anymore although that has happened in the past. 🙂
ReplyDeleteExplaining wargaming to a non-gamer can be a tricky thing. To avoid long discussions I just said I played with toy soldiers and left it at that;). You make a very good point about the aesthetic whole of the game, which I too find important. A few years ago at Colours there was a wonderful game using some (Australian?) 18mm Teddy Bear soldiers and simple 2D terrain, that made it look like a child's game or Trumpton. Simply wonderful to behold and it worked because a lot of thought had obviously gone into the overall look. So injured Teddy bears had cotton wool coming out of them, the artillery had corks on string etc.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Steve, I would like to think a gamer that paints, but I fear it's the other way round, I have found of late that I have got into a routine of an hour or so a day, mostly when everyone has gone to bed, this allows me to nudge projects along, the rise of the pod cast has allowed me to mix knowledge and painting together. Much lack Matt mentioned it is rather relaxing and a distraction from the real world. Moving to a new club has driven a couple of new projects latching on the enthusiasm of new members and new ideas.
ReplyDeleteI tend to fluctuate between the two, but for a good few years now it has been a gamer who paints (infrequently). I used to paint for an hour in the evening, but lockdown then a fill house again has made that difficult to fit in around the family. When I'm in the mood I do find it relaxing, but hate to rush to fit in painting, much preferring to wait for the muse to be upon me.
Delete