Love the video dave! Greggs will never be the same again. Im working my way through my necron army pretty consistently, I do have a mini pipe of shame infront of me, but nothing too intimidating! Appreciate the advice!
Pile of previously well intentioned purchases is a term I hope to get over in the future. No shame in surrounding yourself with stuff you love. A pile of shame should be a term reserved for laundry and dirty plates! Big love, enjoy your hobbying!
@@MSPaints the telegram scammers are spamming your channel mate. Might want to warn your viewers in a future vid as some people do get suckered in by these fake giveaways.
Definitely had an extended patch where the hobby became a habit that was more about the buying than any of the rest of it. Finding my way back to enjoyment of building, painting and playing lately though.
Yeah, same here. For a while, my hobby was tracking down and buying New On Sprue models off of eBay. The endorphin spike of winning a Sunday evening auction became quite an addiction. I've still got most of those sprues, packed up in moving boxes. Turns out no one else wanted to buy them off me, so now I'm stuck with them.
One strategy I've decided on, to avoid or reduce the pile of shame, is to move toward figure-agnostic games. That allows you to use a smaller collection of figures, in multiple games. It also allows you to jump straight into a new game, without the delay that often kills the momentum.
An old gamer's recommendation to newer players: start a gaming club (not necessarily a formal one like y'all have in the UK and Europe, just a group with a regularly scheduled gameday) that plays a previous edition of the game. Doesn't matter if you're playing 40K 2e or 9e, as long as it is a discontinued edition. You don't have to worry about the meta changing every three months if your last gamebook was published during the Bush administration.
This is a great philosophical topic for the hobbyist. Sometime within the last few years, I decided to start calling my collection of unpainted models my "Pile of Opportunities". This change has been vital for my mental health and inspiration for painting more models that I already own, more often than not. This mental process allows me to enjoy the experience and the journey of the hobby instead of seeing it as a chore that needs to be completed. It's a reward and escape for getting my work and chores done each day. I've been involved in this hobby since 1990 and turned 53 earlier this year. I have learned where to draw the line at which games I will play and which factions I'll play in them. This limits the models I'll buy quite a bit. Occasionally, I have purchased a model (or a set) just because I want to paint it, especially now that I have an airbrush. I've already had to get creative about where to store the unpainted and painted models for display, safekeeping, or transporting. If I don't have every model I've purchased over the years painted by the time I leave this earth, I've left instructions in my will for my family members to sell the unpainted models through a local FLGS and donate the proceeds to a favorite charity (minus a cut and first dibs for the store owner for sorting the inventory out). I've also left instructions to donate the painted models, paint sets, brushes, terrain, materials, & whatever models don't sell to a local private high school gaming club. Once that process was in place, I became more free to buy whatever set or model I want, within reason, while I'm still breathing, sharing, teaching, creating, painting, and kicking dirt in this life.
My pile of shame is currently the thing bringing me joy. I fell out of the hobby when I was about 14-15 and where ever I’ve gone in life, I’ve had to carrying around this collection of models I’ve had since I was a child. At points I never had any intention of picking it back up but was too scared of selling my models. They retained their sentimental value the entire time. The pandemic like it did for many, gifted me free time I usually wouldn’t have and over the last few years, especially with the rise of war gaming content on RUclips, it’s been a growing interest in me so when that free time became available, I picked up the hobby again and I’m loving it. I’m now 31, the stuff I’m painting isn’t a complete mess (which is partly why I gave up as a kid), and I’m slowly getting through all this sixth edition WH and even bits and bobs that my dad and uncle handed down from the early 90’s. I’m trying to hold myself to the challenge of getting through as much of what I already have before I buy anything new. The only new stuff I’ve bought is a pack of GW skulls! I am very tempted however to start a nurgle army, so maybe this is where buying too much begins for me haha
Very relatable, helpful, sage advice. Sell things you cannot or will not use. If you’re going to invest in something make sure your heart is really in it, I wanted all the 2nd edition metal genestealer cult sculpts 20yrs ago, I want them now, and I have them, although they haven’t yet been painted, one day the ancient prophecy of my boyhood will be fulfilled.
#3 FOMO is real! I'm only into Middle Earth Strategy Battle and with all their limited time "Made To Order" releases you either cough up the dough or wait several years for it to come around again.
@@SimonMoston I can't really cast too much shade on GW for this as MESBG is pretty niche and it's probably not good business sense to fill a warehouse with 19 different versions of Gandalf. Still, sucks for those that can't afford to drop 💷on the hobby at short notice.
@@tuvaaq Well then, I'll cast shade for the both of us. I've been wanting to run a Grand Army of the South legion since the Gondor supplement dropped, and I really wanted some camels. No-one should have to wait 3 years for camels to return to rotation. And yes, I'm broke after last weeks range rotation haha.
@@SimonMoston when you put it like that I guess it is sh!tty. I don't play, just been collecting Quest of the Ringbearer models and the narrative sculpts that have no impact on the game but yeah I'd be pissed if had to wait on rotation to put together a force for the tabletop or pay scalper prices on eBay.
This last year when I got the itch to buy a kit I instead got out something in my backlog. By October or so I had cleared out all the most useful things in my backlog to the point where it was mostly 1 off, single figure models and some historical kits. It helps when you aren't interested in playing multiple armies. It also helps to understand the difference between what's actually going to have a presence on table top, and what is just engaging in retail therapy. The former is tough for newer dudes to know.
Some great advice mate, I recently made the discovery myself that I was just buying stuff because I thought that will be really cool to build one day. Now I have a cupboard full and still the same small amount of time I get every week to hobby, If I don't buy any more I should be done by 2050 😂.
@@MSPaints They were from a time when GW and Beatties were all I knew about the hobby. Probably mid 90s. In the Sheffield store, it was downstairs (which had a kinda industrial aesthetic), hidden round the corner from the metal. Which pretty much explains my teen years.
I've been selling tons of my POS on Ebay lately and even dipped into some of my painted stuff. My hobby space had become a beacon of misery to me as opposed to a source of joy and inspiration. Now that I'm getting closer to manageable I'm trying to buy on pace with my paint production (and failing gloriously cue the cycle).
Here with an update from the future, we had a new flgs open in my area and day one they had all of the 40k magic the gathering decks on the shelves. Never let fomo get you!
I'm definitely feeling the Pile of Shame at the moment. I'm a fast painter but I need to be in the mood and I haven't always been feeling it at the moment.
7:00 This false scarcity that started with Indomitus and the Sisters box is what pushed me out of the hobby for over a year. If I had to get up hours early before work to join in the F5 war to *maybe* get their product then they weren't getting my business. The benefit to coming back recently is I've sorted all of my pile of shame and am slowly painting things since the original hype I had has faded
To date, this is the best video on this subject matter. You didn't 'shame' the practice of owning a pile of opportunity, like the others did. Thank you!
I hobbied years ago in my teens and 20's and at the time I couldn't financially afford to get too deep into the hobby, so it was rarely an issue. I recently jumped back into the hobby after an extended hiatus and definitely went a bit too all in, overestimating my free time and energy, and now have a closet filled with boxes of unpainted minis for 3-4 armies, and maybe 1k points actually fully painted.
About 3 years ago now I made the decision to minimise any future purchases and start working through my (pretty huge) pile of shame instead. I made myself a rule that if I do buy something new, I have to paint it right away, so it doesn't go on the pile of shame. I've actually made pretty decent progress through my pile and it feels good to see the pile of grey models going down and the display case filling up.
My biggest hobby regret was allowing myself to get roped into playing a CCG. That was a lot of cash that could have been a pile of old models to go with my other pile of even older models because I still have almost everything I bought as a teenager and young adult.
Good commentary mate. If I could add one more it would this this - you do not need every single item to start, enjoy or complete a hobby project. You can have just as much fun with 5 paints and two models as you can with paints and models. Plus if you don't wait you'll get more done and improve faster anyway.
I went a little (a lot) overboard when I got into 40K. I collected four full armies (Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Orks, and Eldar) before I realized I would never be able to paint them all, and my plan to have a fieldable army from every faction was bonkers.
I only recently started in the warhammer hobby, but I have noticed that it really helps if your buying what you think is personally cool. For example I was gifted a boxes of adeptus mechanicus and I just couldnt bring myself to finish painting them, not because i didn't like the models, but because it felt like a choir to paint them
Same with me and Necrons. I bought a 40k Recruit box when I started and painted up the Marines lickiy split. They were a lot of fun. Then I moved onto the Necrons and... enjoyed it a lot less. I had to force myself to get through them and wound up going for a rusty, grimy paint scheme because it meant I could get them done quicker. So I rather quickly discovered the Necrons were not for me.
Personally, my pile is a 'pile of opportunity', it makes me happy knowing I'll paint them at some point (even at times I'm buying things faster than I paint them).
Awesome vid. Tony's ad spots are the best, the only SS ads I watch. The thing that helped reel in my hobby acquisition rate was 3rd party rules. When the folks selling you the rules are not the same folks selling you the minis, a lot of the false urgency goes away.
Quick little tip for Games Workshop products, if its still in a saleable (unopened) condition then just take back and part exchange the box for something you want!!! Stuff they don't sell anymore they may not do but current models they will! I found loads of unopened models and paints I never used and swapped them for my Beast of Chaos army!!! A great way of getting rid of models you don't want or never going to use and get something you do!!!
I been binging your content and commenting on vids from the past 3-6 months today. Dude, love your content. Your outlook is so refreshing. I think i've figured out my balance.For me, to stay building and painting across the board consistently. I have to be working on something that peaks my interest at the time
Always happy to see a new video pop up in my queue. Great advice. I particularly like the tip on doing something else when you get bored of a particular thing. I have two armies that I almost always enjoy building, anything orky and my favorite angry AoS trees. So, if I'm working on my 40k sisters army, I like to buy just a single box or units and build it. But, since I'm not great with anything artistic, they are a massive challenge for me to make them "battle ready" enough that I'm not embarrassed to have them on the tabletop. To keep from getting resentful of that army, I'll switch up with a few Sylvaneth models, or something ork/orruk (don't care, I play both games). Trees and orks are much easier for an amateur to feel comfortable with, and both lend themselves wonderfully to kit bashing and storing extra bits for other projects.
When I started again (previously I was 2nd Edition) it was to capture that old nostalgia. Planned on a couple Terminators and a Land Raider. Couple years on I have 8 unpainted display armies with the entirety of a built in bookcase filled with models. I am near the end of the buying part (once the World Eaters stuff comes out) but if I were to paint 1 model every day, I’d be over 2 years before I am finished. Thankfully I’m at the point now as well where there is genuinely nothing else in the range that I want/need, and if I do get anything new it will be to replace anything that gets made cooler looking in future editions.
A double edged sword is bulk buying an army second hand. On the plus side you can get crazy discounts, but on the negative side you are committing to painting a whole force that is realistically going to be lots of similar stuff.
I'm mainly just a spectator in "the hobby" so I don't really buy models and stuff, but I can relate because I buy WAY more art supplies than I have time to use them.
Great video. Everything you've said has passed my thoughts at some point in the hobby. But I won't lie to myself. It's an addiction. And all the things we couldn't buy as kids because of money we can now as adults. Sometimes. You know. Because bills and kids are also expensive 😅
I have nursed the same collection of models for 20 years, always with the intention of getting back into the hobby and painting them (one day). It is not a large pile of shame but definately a lingering one. I've started painting them now, and bought a few new models, getting into terrain making also. I realise now how easy it is for the grey pile to grow larger rather than smaller.
I got back into Gundam earlier this year and definitely overbought a bit. I mean, my backlog is only 30 kits so that isn't too bad. The biggest issue for me though was that I started getting extra stuff to customise my kits and then I stopped wanting to build them unless I already had the extra parts. This led to me not building things because I was worried I wouldn't do it justice. Sort of like buying that big Warhammer kit but then never painting it because you are afraid you'll screw up the paint job. Come to think of it, I also got the big 2 player Conquest box at the start of the pandemic along with extras and I haven't even taken the bubble wrap off... After watching this, I think I might go and build a Gundam right now, so cheers for the motivation.
I knew about the "pile of shame" thing before I got into it and bought anything. I bought and finished my first models, they I got some more and somehow I now have half an army of nighthaunt, some sisters of battle and some chaos marines waiting for paint. Building everything is definitely a good idea though. You can see what needs to be done and you can just pick them up and paint them whenever, without thinking you need to build and prime them and everything that comes with that.
I'm an oldie that came back to the hobby after a 17 year gap, but this time I had cash, so went deep and now I'm surrounded by this stuff! The past year was going well until I fell for the HH box, a game I don't play! It was shiny, had marines, nice books, I was in......but I have held back.....I've got to sell some stuff....
Agree on miniatures, I’m also collecting limited edition black library novels and those you kinda have to buy on release since they sell out in < 5min.
I got into warhammer when I was about 14 years old or so. I read a couple omnibus when I was in high-school and saw some good ol' Duncan painting videos but never had the money to get into it. Went straight into the military out of high-school and never had the space to paint or keep models. Fast forward to the present day minus a couple years and you can imagine my "pent-up hobby rage". Pretty sure I spent close to $1,000 within the first month (mostly on paint and tools/supplies). I now have a small'ish pile of shame and it used to bug me a lot because I watched a lot of videos before making purchases and swore to "never be that guy". After revisiting the thought it doesn't bother me anymore that I have a bunch of random models and no proper army to show for it. I bought the models I did because I thought they were rad and I really enjoy the assembly and painting process. It is like therapy in a way. Also, my small pile of shame helps reign me in on purchases because I know I have 5 or so boxes of models that still need to be painted so I don't feel a "need" on anything other than something I've already been looking forward to.
Interesting topic! I’ve found myself in an interesting place with buying things. I got back into the hobby when my partner bought me silver tower as I loved old warhammer quest. Being out of the hobby so long I though, hmm don’t want to mess these models up so I should practice first - well here we are 5 years later and I still haven’t painted that box but I do have other boxes for days. I did start painting some of my purchase up but I’m not going to lie some of it fills me with dread - I love sw legion and went bananas when they where on offer and have 4 core boxes, the running joke being the mould lines in that og core box being horrendous - 3-4 days of mould line removal. Not looking forward to putting those together 😅 I should have gone slower but hey, everyone has a bad day and thinks hmmm that will definitely give me something to do and cheer me up!
Hey man, you put some respect on SPACE RANGERS! 🤘🤨 I had that box and it was 100% serviceable still have a couple odd weapons/ backpacks that keep turning up in my bits...I'd kill for like 5 of them to proper paint nowadays ...thanks for the memory!
I just plummeted into the ocean of airbrushing kit, I guess at least it's a tool I can use again and again. I try to divert what I would spend on the constant slew of new plastic into hobby materials, as at least then I know it could be used at any moment in a creative sense. Love your video's btw!
Dave, bloody good point. I have a great pile of shame, but have painters block plus the usual curse of the modeller - work! It's great to know that I'm not the only one! Best Wishes Johnny
I've got a decent pile of potential sat there! I have a lot I want to paint, but fortunately none is GW. I do like to break things up with painting busts as they are a whole different scale and challenge.
I still struggle with pacing my purchases XD I've been sitting on built models for years and only recently got back into the hobby because I got a new friend into the game. They jumped head-first into it - two combat patrols, two codexes, and a unit of Elites for both of them - but that inspired me to re-direct my own hobby energies towards terrain so we can have a space to game instead. The old Fantasy Dwarfs and Black Reach Orks I might never pick up again will probably be going to Frontline Gaming, if they still do their used-model trade-ins. That way I'll free up my space for things I have the drive to build, and the old minis will get to be enjoyed again by someone new :)
I gave up on 'chasing the Dragon' with GW over a year ago. However, I now chase BT minis, Dead Man's Hand and various boxes from Wargames Atlantic. It's a process, progress, but still chasing.
Really interesting subject and one I hadn't really thought about. I know for me I should not have gotten back into Warhammer when I did as I went all out on a Bretonian army, 6 weeks later they nerfed the line at the beginning of AoS. However it did lead back to the hobby and good friends so not a total issue.
I bought some 28mm miniatures got a tiny bit in over my head building so I switched to painting the few metal models I had and fell in love with metal. I switched to 15mm I don't have to build anymore I just paint base and play.
I paced myself at first, but being pretty good at painting from the outset got me way too excited to do it and I started hunting around for deals, ended up with more models than I know what to do with. I've since dialed my spending WAY down in favor of building and painting what I have ( I don't generally have the time to play games, I've still yet to play a single game of warhammer or even killteam) and the other stuff I do to chill out.
I recently did a huge purge from my Kings of War and Warhammer backlogs. I don't even play WH anymore, so sold off all of it. For Kings of War, I consolidated to just 2 mega armies (ratkin and Brotherhood but using Bretonnians). Tempted to cut down one of those as well. The Bretonnians would stretch a long way for a hobby budget down the road. I don't even know if I'd get them all painted given the desire to try to freehand and do patterns...
Yes Dave and I know to my costing figures, way too much bought and paid for over the years. So next year I will be driving South to Mirfield and see the man and hopefully turn my man-cave around with books instead of mini's. Cheers for the wibble.
Love it, giving allot of nighthunt that still box away, though don't play as much I have idea ticking in my head what I'm going do with them. And Thanks Dave, it 8.40pm and I fancy a greggs.
great video, my first army was fantasy high elf, 500-600 points .... then i got a cheap high elf army from ebay for 100 € and its was a 5000 point army i was drowning in miniature´s after that i was smart enough getting slower. greetings from austria
The inner battle among us all once you cross that line from dipping your toes in to going for a full on swim. Great video as always and some brutal honesty as needed. I think this is a great topic and will always be relevant as long as the hobby exists. A very important message for new comers for sure! :)
I have a decent routine when it comes to my pile of shame. Before I figured it out I had about 15 boxes of models. So my routine involves painting a unit or single model I already have built. Then building a box of models once that's done. Then back to painting another unit or single model. Then I buy new boxes but not exceeding more than 3 items to maintain a small pile of shame. Currently I have 7 box in my pile and Im content with that
Wanted to start Warhammer Fantasy with High Elves back in the day. Got a huge box of them to get started. Realized this was going to be a very long slog. Set them aside, never got to them. They're somewhere. But sure glad I got all these LotR minis on clearance when my local store decided they wanted to finally clear them out. Ho ho! Loving this channel. Cheers.
Go easy on those classic Space Ranger models! I got a box of those when I was a wee lad to try to learn to paint. And now my 7yo daughter practices painting on the ones I still have laying around. 😂
Ya I got in hard. At the time I was newly free of my parents, and was making WAY more $ than I needed. A friend returned from the military with a small space marines army all painted and pretty. Next day I went to a GW store and lost my mind, so many choices and all so cool. Ended up falling in love with both the Eldar and their evil siblings. I ended up with so much stuff, a GW staff member had to help bring it to the car. I bet I painted less than a quarter of it before I moved across the country. I ended up giving it all to the local charity kids hang out, and haven't touched a mini since (almost 20 years now).
All five of these thoughts are so spot on! I recently got back in to Warhammer after a 20 year break (most of my armies were lead! Weighed a ton and were a pain to transport anywhere). Very different vibe now to how it was back then. Modern sets seem very muddled for starters, most seem geared to driving you down multiple escalating purchases, and with codex’s at ridiculous prices that is why I’m sticking with small team games (blood bowl, kill team, Necromunda). The temptation to go charging in to full army games is high, but I’m resisting as I know it’s a wallet bleeder.
Been very frugal with my adult reintroduction to the hobby. Started with gaslands, Etsy shop selling cars funded branching out to other games. Kept purchases to affordable starter sets or eBay.
A great danger of overbuying for me is when I find something really cool, like a film, a show or a book and think, that would be a cool miniature project. I just made a list of all projects I want to do. Oh boy. I do have to up my output if I want to get it done before I'm 80 😂 moving all boxes of plastic crack to the basement helped with the mental load of it. I have now only the stuff I currently working on in my hobby space. Also sometimes I think of some kits and boxes just as kitbashing potential and I'm fine with never actually building it. But overbuying is defenitley an issue in our hobby.😅
Honest talk going on here brother. I really like the new kill team boxes so they got me with Shadow Vault recently, still have not painted all the terrain from the prior set yet. Before that I had a clear out and gifted most of my 40k stuff to friends. It was full armies worth of stuff I was just having fun buying for discount or second hand. Lesson, cheaper is not a saving if you never use the stuff.
I seriously got into the hobby about three years ago, I was in a bad situation, bad headspace and it took me getting out of that headspace to actually enjoy painting again and I stripped some of the models I wanted to repaint so, it's much better than what it was
Thanks for the video m8. I sit on so many different minis. Stormcasts, ogres, Warcry the game, Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines. 5% actually painted, 35% partially painted and 60% unpainted. I have an airbrush station I only used thrice because it clogged so much even though I followed all instructions. And here comes the banger: *I don’t even play the game!* because it’s so difficult to find players who aren’t either just too addicted to the hobby and far gone, or too bored by it. I almost bought a new set today just because of the WISH it would be cool. But I stayed strong. Your video gave me positive confirmation that this was a good idea. I won’t buy a new thing Until I have finished 2 other projects.
It took me a year to get round to opening and painting the Warhammer Kill Team Octarius box-set, which I had ordered on the morning of release. I first 'had' to work through a tiny pile of shame. Also, I bought myself a birthday present ten months ago: Guardians of the Riverbank from the Northumberland Tin Soldier Company. They would have been painted by now, to play using rules by Burrows and Badgers, but I kind of got carried away with painting up a small Ork and Gretchin army! In the meantime, GW have released a tonne of stuff that I'd love to buy, if only I had the time and money (inflation permitting!). However, I have mastered my desires like a Zen Buddhist and will wait patiently for The Day!
hey MS Paints, I starting a building a 40k nercon army and work out there so much stuff that is built and already painted second hand market is so full stuff and i have lot of friends in games clubs and private listing that can be bought.
Dude. Spot on video. I can’t play their games anymore. Just can’t keep up with the rules changes. They ruined my happy place. So I now play Legion, Boltaction, Lord of the Rings SBG. One Page Rules Grim Dark Future is a great option to 40k. Been collecting minis and WARHAMMER stuff since the late 80’s. They first turned me off when they killed Fantasy. I just repurposed most of my GW stuff for other games. 🤙🏼😎
I got back in to the hobby at the start of lockdown. One of my mums lockdown tasks was sorting out mine and my siblings shit from around their house. She dropped off a couple of toolboxes filled with my old hobby stuff. In it was an unfinished box of 00s era multipart space wolves and necron warriors. lo and behold Indomitus drops with space marines and necrons in the box, cue me buying indomitus and still not finishing it fully to this day because cooler stuff launched in the meantime. To my credit my painting output exceeds my purchasing but 2020 Nige was too busy thinking about how much money he was saving by working from home and bought a silly amount of stuff to counteract it. I will eradicate my pile of shame in time and switch to a “no grey plastic” policy before purchasing more stuff. To new hobbyists I’d definitely recommend only buying new projects after existing ones are finished, having a pile of shame saps the fun out of hobbying.
I think for me, playing guard and having a painting buddy has helped me keep my pile of shame limited to like, at most 4 boxes. Playing guard gives me variety as I can pull up catachans (or definitely not 3rd party moulds of retired regiments) if I get bored painting Chadians, and having a buddy to paint with gives me someone to chat with who cares about the hobby, and someone to (kinda) compete with In terms of who can finish their sets first. XD.
I love this video so much! What a treat to wake up to and enjoy first thing on a Saturday. I love your unadulterated, don’t-give-a-sh*t delivery of truthiness. Thanks for existing and making these, friend. Love from Minnesota, US.
Certainly do mate! Got plenty more kits and secured a perfect grade too! Just gotta switch back to Warhammer for the next few videos to get some numbers back up!
The way I've limited myself it by getting smaller games like underworlds stuff. I bought the Bladeborn and Fire Team boxes for $50 at the book store and then bought each of the expansion teams supported in the box to make a super-box, Bladeborn being essentially a smaller scale Warcry on an Underworlds board and Fire Team being a smaller scale Kill Team box on an Underworlds-style board. I helps but it's no cure for the collection bug. Oh, and I collect 3D print files... but they don't take up any space! 😅
I got into the hobby (late in life at 54), mainly for the painting side of the hobby. Self care and addition subjects for my macro photography also. And I also have too much to paint. I purchased the ravaged star veil touched as the starter 😂 so am prepping for them to appear in March. No interest at present in playing at all.
Completely am feeling the pile of shame, bought a Minas Tirith battlehost and an orc combat patrol a few weeks ago. Then I found a Pelennor Fields box set. I have so much stuff to paint. Ahhhhhh!
Late to the conversation! Dave, I only learned of your channel a few days ago, thanks to the fine fellas at The Painting Phase, and I have been catching up with your content quickly - great stuff, very entertaining, and from a unique perspective within the community. So, thanks for it! I like the phrase "pile of opportunity" others have mentioned more than the one of shame - but until I sold off a large quantity of things to streamline said pile it was definitely of the latter category. I was forced to review my gaming possessions and truly consider what I wanted to keep because of a change in circumstances - I won't go into details but will state that it is not mortal nor is it a situation like yours, but that it helped sharpen my focus on various subjects, the one pertinent to this conversation being "do I truly have time for all of this or hadn't I better get cracking on more important things?" So a BUNCH got sold, some of that money got turned into a middling-size purchase for one new-to-me game system - I'm happy with my self-control in limiting the contents of what was purchased - and now I have this new energy to focus on what remains. Since the middle of last year I have been going through the kits and getting them built and painted: I have jumped from project to project as the mood hits me - which keeps my interest fresh and energy up - but the goal of completing what remains is the most tangible than at any other point during my hobby tenure. So yeah, there was too much WarHams and many other systems. I wish I had better self-control and self-awareness at the time to understand that I was behaving addictively and was slavish to advertising. But now I have that control and a stock of stuff that will keep me occupied with paid-for hobby material for the time remaining for my ability to do something with it - I ain't getting younger, there are only so many hours in the week for hobby, and I have enough to stay busy for a long time. AND there are a number of unrelated systems to play were I can recycle what I have for use in them. So thats me. Thanks for the great content, Dave.
I’ve only just started with warhammer. This month I’ve bought seraphon starter set, league of votann, some death guard, kill team into the darkness and I’m looking at necromunda, too. No real plan to actually play any of it, just buying what I think is cool looking and then learning to paint.
Great video, many good points here. I have been where I have bought most of what I wanted when I found it, and now I have some huge piles of boxes with unbuilt stuff. I still like the new stuff being released and my FOMO says to buy it at once but my finances is no longer what it used to be, so now with the Leagues of Votann and the Sons of Behemat and the upcoming Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) releases I tend to buy the rulebooks as soon as possible and what I feel I can afford of new sets, and then I just have to hope what I want is still available when I can afford it sometime down the road. Also I try to get some of my backlog painted too...
I’m pretty disciplined with it compared to most, I’ve limited my self to two armies for now to flip between when I’m bored of one of them. Not including the orks I bought and then didn’t like anymore before I’d even built them (we don’t talk about them though)
Selling minis is a great way to cut down your back log. Be honest what that you actually will get to and more importantly what you want to get to and sell the rest.
Have bought into and sold out of the hobby multiple times. This time the difference has been having a dedicated hobby space. I use some 8 oz plastic cups. 1 night a week i snip out 6 guys, put them in the cups and when i get the urge to build grab a few cups clean off the boys and start gluing. The other big difference is i havent invested heavily in rules. Last time i tried to get into the hobby was 8th 40k and by the time i had my space marines all assembled and primed and ready for some table top action i came to find i neeeded a bunch of faq nonsense an oop white dwarf, a new codex cause the one i had bought a few months before was out of date, and a psychic awakening book I also have a kill team 2021 pile of shame. As i assemble my Black templar army i hope is ready for 10th i take breaks by building some kill team stuff, its not really played in my area but it gives me enough variety from black and white with some ivory tabards.
On the "getting into the hobby too quickly" side of things, I think something that's worth considering is that you'll have a finite amount of "first" experiences when it comes to your purchases. Like, I remember how exciting it was to buy a boxed game from GW for the first time. I remember the thrill of getting my first big miniature like a Stardrake or an Imperial Knight. Then it was the feeling of buying a "premium" model from ForgeWorld (which, of course, we all learn later has less to do with quality and everything to do with just being a niche interest - but it doesn't feel like that at first). The first time I bought myself a nice sable brush and felt like my painting experience was that bit nicer. The first time I got into a second system and feeling excited about how different everything seems, or started playing less ubiquitous games like Middle-earth. The first Kickstarter where I got massively excited about all those free minis and the great deal of it, watching the stretch goals unlock. Half a decade back into the hobby, I now see big boxed game or starter boxes as the big commitment that they are. I see ForgeWorld as a tax on wanting something niche rather than a premium product. I kind of just 'expect' to use sable brushes now, and a new edition of a game just means I need to do buy new books, do a bunch of reading and learning and maybe have to paint some new models to make things still "work". This is all fine now, because I'm in the habit of painting minis and I know what I love about it, what I get from it and have no issues motivating myself to hobby most days - but those little purchasing milestones and the associated dopamine hits really did a lot to help motivate me and keep me excited for the next big thing in the early days. If I'd just jumped back into the hobby by purchasing several hundred of pounds worth of ForgeWorld Horus Heresy models from the get go, I'd have missed out on all these little milestones that made me feel like I was progressively getting deeper into the hobby. There wouldn't be as many exciting new experiences to discover along the way, fewer worlds to conquer, less dragons to slay. It's the hobby equivalent of trying to grow up too quickly. Enjoy your youth, when everything remains fresh, mysterious and exciting and don't be in too much of a rush to experience everything right away.
I actually started about 3-4 months ago, I set myself the limit of only buying 1 box at a time and then buy the next once this is build and painted. Because of this I actually had no pile of shame but a big death guard army so far. Just recently (as in This week) I caught myself buying way too much stuff, so I will hold back now until everything is build and painted.
This really is the best way to do it. Buy one thing and then don't buy more until you finish the first. FOMO is bull. You can always find stuff you "miss out" on secondhand later on down the line.
I picked up a few boxes and realised i had a backlog of over a 100 mini's now. Been refusing to let myself buy any new mini's since then. Gotten half the backlog done and a lot of the rest at least partially painted after a few months of just poking at it when I feel like it. The thought that I won't have to feel guilty about my next purchase and can just have fun with it definitely helps keep me from buying more before I clear out the backlog
I returned after 30 years when my son discovered a bunch of my old OG Space marines and Space Crusade box. I hit Ultramarines pretty hard getting back in only to discover that my pile of shame was heading into the same direction they did 30 years ago. I decided to switch to small builds across all sorts army types instead of the old jarheads I'd been used to, and really enjoyed the change of scenery. Currently fitting out a small orc army, before I move on to my next one.
Banger video as always, it's a hard subject to broach with a lot of people in the hobby sometimes, because for a lot of people working fulltime they only have the money/time to invest in maybe one army. I've got two friends who both work their arses off so they only get time to play a bit of D&D and paint/play 40K every now and then so they really commit to one army at a time. As a result it makes it hard sometimes to try to get into another game and form a friends group community for it when all your mates want to do is play the one game of 40K they'll get in two months, which is also a fair thing to want to do. I gotta say, something that might be up your alley for a future vid might be Battletech? I'd always recommend the Alpha Strike rules first as it's more full-sized, quick-n-easy 40K styled movement and gameplay, but the models in particular are bloody fun to paint and very easy to smash out as well.
Some games don't need their models painted. I bought Blackstone Fortress partly because it was something to play inbetween other games that I would prep for.
I'm blessed I only have a small grey tide and 2 painted armies. I love building though so if I build a Cadian army box I can just hit it with primer and resell it for practically the same cost, buy something else, chill and build while watching YT, radio, repeat. And I can paint maybe a tank or maybe some AoS addition at my leisure. I literally have not upgraded my SoBs from anything of the second wave, no Vahl, or Saints, or APUS, or CAstanks, nothing. I have not even got Morathi for my DoKs. I have no HQs for any of my Astartes Chapters, or Cadians, or Necrons, or Nighthaunts. GW isn't making anything I want so that saves me a ton of money. I'm 90% of the mind of build it and get rid of it.
Love the video dave! Greggs will never be the same again. Im working my way through my necron army pretty consistently, I do have a mini pipe of shame infront of me, but nothing too intimidating! Appreciate the advice!
Pile of previously well intentioned purchases is a term I hope to get over in the future. No shame in surrounding yourself with stuff you love. A pile of shame should be a term reserved for laundry and dirty plates! Big love, enjoy your hobbying!
@@MSPaints oh… in that case I have a HUGE PILE of laundry shame hahaha!
@@beamer2267 damn. That didn’t work to reassure you like I hoped it would!
@@MSPaints the telegram scammers are spamming your channel mate. Might want to warn your viewers in a future vid as some people do get suckered in by these fake giveaways.
@@GerryG91100 they tell you, you've won a prize but insist on payment for the shipping costs up front and some fall for it.
Definitely had an extended patch where the hobby became a habit that was more about the buying than any of the rest of it. Finding my way back to enjoyment of building, painting and playing lately though.
Glad you found your way back to the zen zone!
Yeah, same here. For a while, my hobby was tracking down and buying New On Sprue models off of eBay. The endorphin spike of winning a Sunday evening auction became quite an addiction.
I've still got most of those sprues, packed up in moving boxes. Turns out no one else wanted to buy them off me, so now I'm stuck with them.
Turns out a bargain still costs money.
Feel ya bro I ended up just buying one blister (single model) pack a fortnight and even then I'm behind haha
One strategy I've decided on, to avoid or reduce the pile of shame, is to move toward figure-agnostic games.
That allows you to use a smaller collection of figures, in multiple games.
It also allows you to jump straight into a new game, without the delay that often kills the momentum.
An old gamer's recommendation to newer players: start a gaming club (not necessarily a formal one like y'all have in the UK and Europe, just a group with a regularly scheduled gameday) that plays a previous edition of the game. Doesn't matter if you're playing 40K 2e or 9e, as long as it is a discontinued edition. You don't have to worry about the meta changing every three months if your last gamebook was published during the Bush administration.
This is a great philosophical topic for the hobbyist.
Sometime within the last few years, I decided to start calling my collection of unpainted models my "Pile of Opportunities". This change has been vital for my mental health and inspiration for painting more models that I already own, more often than not.
This mental process allows me to enjoy the experience and the journey of the hobby instead of seeing it as a chore that needs to be completed. It's a reward and escape for getting my work and chores done each day.
I've been involved in this hobby since 1990 and turned 53 earlier this year. I have learned where to draw the line at which games I will play and which factions I'll play in them. This limits the models I'll buy quite a bit. Occasionally, I have purchased a model (or a set) just because I want to paint it, especially now that I have an airbrush. I've already had to get creative about where to store the unpainted and painted models for display, safekeeping, or transporting.
If I don't have every model I've purchased over the years painted by the time I leave this earth, I've left instructions in my will for my family members to sell the unpainted models through a local FLGS and donate the proceeds to a favorite charity (minus a cut and first dibs for the store owner for sorting the inventory out). I've also left instructions to donate the painted models, paint sets, brushes, terrain, materials, & whatever models don't sell to a local private high school gaming club.
Once that process was in place, I became more free to buy whatever set or model I want, within reason, while I'm still breathing, sharing, teaching, creating, painting, and kicking dirt in this life.
My pile of shame is currently the thing bringing me joy. I fell out of the hobby when I was about 14-15 and where ever I’ve gone in life, I’ve had to carrying around this collection of models I’ve had since I was a child. At points I never had any intention of picking it back up but was too scared of selling my models. They retained their sentimental value the entire time. The pandemic like it did for many, gifted me free time I usually wouldn’t have and over the last few years, especially with the rise of war gaming content on RUclips, it’s been a growing interest in me so when that free time became available, I picked up the hobby again and I’m loving it. I’m now 31, the stuff I’m painting isn’t a complete mess (which is partly why I gave up as a kid), and I’m slowly getting through all this sixth edition WH and even bits and bobs that my dad and uncle handed down from the early 90’s. I’m trying to hold myself to the challenge of getting through as much of what I already have before I buy anything new. The only new stuff I’ve bought is a pack of GW skulls! I am very tempted however to start a nurgle army, so maybe this is where buying too much begins for me haha
Very relatable, helpful, sage advice. Sell things you cannot or will not use. If you’re going to invest in something make sure your heart is really in it, I wanted all the 2nd edition metal genestealer cult sculpts 20yrs ago, I want them now, and I have them, although they haven’t yet been painted, one day the ancient prophecy of my boyhood will be fulfilled.
#3 FOMO is real! I'm only into Middle Earth Strategy Battle and with all their limited time "Made To Order" releases you either cough up the dough or wait several years for it to come around again.
So much FOMO... What can men do against such reckless business practices?
@@SimonMoston I can't really cast too much shade on GW for this as MESBG is pretty niche and it's probably not good business sense to fill a warehouse with 19 different versions of Gandalf. Still, sucks for those that can't afford to drop 💷on the hobby at short notice.
@@tuvaaq Well then, I'll cast shade for the both of us. I've been wanting to run a Grand Army of the South legion since the Gondor supplement dropped, and I really wanted some camels. No-one should have to wait 3 years for camels to return to rotation. And yes, I'm broke after last weeks range rotation haha.
@@SimonMoston when you put it like that I guess it is sh!tty. I don't play, just been collecting Quest of the Ringbearer models and the narrative sculpts that have no impact on the game but yeah I'd be pissed if had to wait on rotation to put together a force for the tabletop or pay scalper prices on eBay.
This last year when I got the itch to buy a kit I instead got out something in my backlog. By October or so I had cleared out all the most useful things in my backlog to the point where it was mostly 1 off, single figure models and some historical kits. It helps when you aren't interested in playing multiple armies. It also helps to understand the difference between what's actually going to have a presence on table top, and what is just engaging in retail therapy. The former is tough for newer dudes to know.
Some great advice mate, I recently made the discovery myself that I was just buying stuff because I thought that will be really cool to build one day. Now I have a cupboard full and still the same small amount of time I get every week to hobby, If I don't buy any more I should be done by 2050 😂.
I’ve found selling discarded projects even at a loss helped clear up my hobby
That’s a good way of doing it! Something I’ll touch on in a later video I think. Thanks for the reminder!
I bought space rangers from Virgin Megatore in Sheffield back when they had random piles of miniatures inc. Battletech and very old Aliens
Barely remember that! Must be where my dad got them from back in the day.
@@MSPaints They were from a time when GW and Beatties were all I knew about the hobby. Probably mid 90s.
In the Sheffield store, it was downstairs (which had a kinda industrial aesthetic), hidden round the corner from the metal. Which pretty much explains my teen years.
I've been selling tons of my POS on Ebay lately and even dipped into some of my painted stuff. My hobby space had become a beacon of misery to me as opposed to a source of joy and inspiration. Now that I'm getting closer to manageable I'm trying to buy on pace with my paint production (and failing gloriously cue the cycle).
Here with an update from the future, we had a new flgs open in my area and day one they had all of the 40k magic the gathering decks on the shelves. Never let fomo get you!
It’s always false scarcity! Apart from the times it’s real!
I'm definitely feeling the Pile of Shame at the moment. I'm a fast painter but I need to be in the mood and I haven't always been feeling it at the moment.
7:00 This false scarcity that started with Indomitus and the Sisters box is what pushed me out of the hobby for over a year. If I had to get up hours early before work to join in the F5 war to *maybe* get their product then they weren't getting my business. The benefit to coming back recently is I've sorted all of my pile of shame and am slowly painting things since the original hype I had has faded
Strange I thought I was the winner. Looks like a scam to me
To date, this is the best video on this subject matter. You didn't 'shame' the practice of owning a pile of opportunity, like the others did. Thank you!
I hobbied years ago in my teens and 20's and at the time I couldn't financially afford to get too deep into the hobby, so it was rarely an issue. I recently jumped back into the hobby after an extended hiatus and definitely went a bit too all in, overestimating my free time and energy, and now have a closet filled with boxes of unpainted minis for 3-4 armies, and maybe 1k points actually fully painted.
About 3 years ago now I made the decision to minimise any future purchases and start working through my (pretty huge) pile of shame instead. I made myself a rule that if I do buy something new, I have to paint it right away, so it doesn't go on the pile of shame.
I've actually made pretty decent progress through my pile and it feels good to see the pile of grey models going down and the display case filling up.
My biggest hobby regret was allowing myself to get roped into playing a CCG. That was a lot of cash that could have been a pile of old models to go with my other pile of even older models because I still have almost everything I bought as a teenager and young adult.
Good commentary mate. If I could add one more it would this this - you do not need every single item to start, enjoy or complete a hobby project. You can have just as much fun with 5 paints and two models as you can with paints and models. Plus if you don't wait you'll get more done and improve faster anyway.
We need more messages like this. F- the ‘new thing’. Slow and steady is the way to go. I’m slowly chipping away at the Dominion box set for $99.
You need to see the guy Angry Badger Minis first video...just...whoa. He has been collecting for years, just because, not meta chasing.
I went a little (a lot) overboard when I got into 40K. I collected four full armies (Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Orks, and Eldar) before I realized I would never be able to paint them all, and my plan to have a fieldable army from every faction was bonkers.
Oooh, your sound, the quality has improved, either a new mic set up or the little tunnel you’ve so wonderfully framed yourself in! 😍
I only recently started in the warhammer hobby, but I have noticed that it really helps if your buying what you think is personally cool. For example I was gifted a boxes of adeptus mechanicus and I just couldnt bring myself to finish painting them, not because i didn't like the models, but because it felt like a choir to paint them
Same with me and Necrons. I bought a 40k Recruit box when I started and painted up the Marines lickiy split. They were a lot of fun. Then I moved onto the Necrons and... enjoyed it a lot less. I had to force myself to get through them and wound up going for a rusty, grimy paint scheme because it meant I could get them done quicker. So I rather quickly discovered the Necrons were not for me.
Personally, my pile is a 'pile of opportunity', it makes me happy knowing I'll paint them at some point (even at times I'm buying things faster than I paint them).
Mind you, my thing is old-herohammer models or styles of models, not the new thing...
Tony Destaffano add break in perpetual forward motion advert is always a treat
Awesome vid. Tony's ad spots are the best, the only SS ads I watch.
The thing that helped reel in my hobby acquisition rate was 3rd party rules. When the folks selling you the rules are not the same folks selling you the minis, a lot of the false urgency goes away.
Quick little tip for Games Workshop products, if its still in a saleable (unopened) condition then just take back and part exchange the box for something you want!!! Stuff they don't sell anymore they may not do but current models they will! I found loads of unopened models and paints I never used and swapped them for my Beast of Chaos army!!! A great way of getting rid of models you don't want or never going to use and get something you do!!!
I been binging your content and commenting on vids from the past 3-6 months today. Dude, love your content. Your outlook is so refreshing. I think i've figured out my balance.For me, to stay building and painting across the board consistently. I have to be working on something that peaks my interest at the time
Right now, my wife is about to have brain surgery in the next two weeks. She's been dealing with metastatic brain cancer for 8yrs.
Painting mini's and building PLAMO/modelling in general has brought my entire family together. I also find the building theraputic.
For real, man. It's advice i need to heed, myself tbh. If i could make as fast as i bought i'd be happy... exhausted... but happy.
Always happy to see a new video pop up in my queue. Great advice. I particularly like the tip on doing something else when you get bored of a particular thing. I have two armies that I almost always enjoy building, anything orky and my favorite angry AoS trees. So, if I'm working on my 40k sisters army, I like to buy just a single box or units and build it. But, since I'm not great with anything artistic, they are a massive challenge for me to make them "battle ready" enough that I'm not embarrassed to have them on the tabletop. To keep from getting resentful of that army, I'll switch up with a few Sylvaneth models, or something ork/orruk (don't care, I play both games). Trees and orks are much easier for an amateur to feel comfortable with, and both lend themselves wonderfully to kit bashing and storing extra bits for other projects.
When I started again (previously I was 2nd Edition) it was to capture that old nostalgia. Planned on a couple Terminators and a Land Raider.
Couple years on I have 8 unpainted display armies with the entirety of a built in bookcase filled with models. I am near the end of the buying part (once the World Eaters stuff comes out) but if I were to paint 1 model every day, I’d be over 2 years before I am finished.
Thankfully I’m at the point now as well where there is genuinely nothing else in the range that I want/need, and if I do get anything new it will be to replace anything that gets made cooler looking in future editions.
A double edged sword is bulk buying an army second hand. On the plus side you can get crazy discounts, but on the negative side you are committing to painting a whole force that is realistically going to be lots of similar stuff.
I'm mainly just a spectator in "the hobby" so I don't really buy models and stuff, but I can relate because I buy WAY more art supplies than I have time to use them.
Great video. Everything you've said has passed my thoughts at some point in the hobby. But I won't lie to myself. It's an addiction. And all the things we couldn't buy as kids because of money we can now as adults. Sometimes. You know. Because bills and kids are also expensive 😅
I have nursed the same collection of models for 20 years, always with the intention of getting back into the hobby and painting them (one day). It is not a large pile of shame but definately a lingering one. I've started painting them now, and bought a few new models, getting into terrain making also. I realise now how easy it is for the grey pile to grow larger rather than smaller.
Buy a model on aestetics
Rules change, a great sculpt will look good on your shelf forever
I got back into Gundam earlier this year and definitely overbought a bit. I mean, my backlog is only 30 kits so that isn't too bad. The biggest issue for me though was that I started getting extra stuff to customise my kits and then I stopped wanting to build them unless I already had the extra parts. This led to me not building things because I was worried I wouldn't do it justice. Sort of like buying that big Warhammer kit but then never painting it because you are afraid you'll screw up the paint job. Come to think of it, I also got the big 2 player Conquest box at the start of the pandemic along with extras and I haven't even taken the bubble wrap off...
After watching this, I think I might go and build a Gundam right now, so cheers for the motivation.
I knew about the "pile of shame" thing before I got into it and bought anything. I bought and finished my first models, they I got some more and somehow I now have half an army of nighthaunt, some sisters of battle and some chaos marines waiting for paint.
Building everything is definitely a good idea though. You can see what needs to be done and you can just pick them up and paint them whenever, without thinking you need to build and prime them and everything that comes with that.
Shadowvaults just turned up in the mail halfway through this video. I haven't finished painting Octarius. Impeccable timing!
I'm an oldie that came back to the hobby after a 17 year gap, but this time I had cash, so went deep and now I'm surrounded by this stuff! The past year was going well until I fell for the HH box, a game I don't play! It was shiny, had marines, nice books, I was in......but I have held back.....I've got to sell some stuff....
I look forward to your forthcoming video on railway scenics. Keep up the good work.
I've bought, and then later sold at a slight loss, two starter armies without any real attempt at painting/assembling them
Agree on miniatures, I’m also collecting limited edition black library novels and those you kinda have to buy on release since they sell out in < 5min.
I got into warhammer when I was about 14 years old or so. I read a couple omnibus when I was in high-school and saw some good ol' Duncan painting videos but never had the money to get into it. Went straight into the military out of high-school and never had the space to paint or keep models.
Fast forward to the present day minus a couple years and you can imagine my "pent-up hobby rage". Pretty sure I spent close to $1,000 within the first month (mostly on paint and tools/supplies). I now have a small'ish pile of shame and it used to bug me a lot because I watched a lot of videos before making purchases and swore to "never be that guy". After revisiting the thought it doesn't bother me anymore that I have a bunch of random models and no proper army to show for it. I bought the models I did because I thought they were rad and I really enjoy the assembly and painting process. It is like therapy in a way.
Also, my small pile of shame helps reign me in on purchases because I know I have 5 or so boxes of models that still need to be painted so I don't feel a "need" on anything other than something I've already been looking forward to.
Interesting topic! I’ve found myself in an interesting place with buying things. I got back into the hobby when my partner bought me silver tower as I loved old warhammer quest. Being out of the hobby so long I though, hmm don’t want to mess these models up so I should practice first - well here we are 5 years later and I still haven’t painted that box but I do have other boxes for days.
I did start painting some of my purchase up but I’m not going to lie some of it fills me with dread - I love sw legion and went bananas when they where on offer and have 4 core boxes, the running joke being the mould lines in that og core box being horrendous - 3-4 days of mould line removal. Not looking forward to putting those together 😅
I should have gone slower but hey, everyone has a bad day and thinks hmmm that will definitely give me something to do and cheer me up!
I implemented a paint a unit buy a unit policy a while back. My pile of shame is still large BUT… it hasn’t grown. So that’s a success.
Hey man, you put some respect on SPACE RANGERS! 🤘🤨 I had that box and it was 100% serviceable still have a couple odd weapons/ backpacks that keep turning up in my bits...I'd kill for like 5 of them to proper paint nowadays
...thanks for the memory!
I just plummeted into the ocean of airbrushing kit, I guess at least it's a tool I can use again and again. I try to divert what I would spend on the constant slew of new plastic into hobby materials, as at least then I know it could be used at any moment in a creative sense. Love your video's btw!
Dave, bloody good point. I have a great pile of shame, but have painters block plus the usual curse of the modeller - work! It's great to know that I'm not the only one! Best Wishes Johnny
I've got a decent pile of potential sat there! I have a lot I want to paint, but fortunately none is GW.
I do like to break things up with painting busts as they are a whole different scale and challenge.
Nice! Been thinking of tackling a bust but never have the time to sit and learn them things!
I still struggle with pacing my purchases XD I've been sitting on built models for years and only recently got back into the hobby because I got a new friend into the game. They jumped head-first into it - two combat patrols, two codexes, and a unit of Elites for both of them - but that inspired me to re-direct my own hobby energies towards terrain so we can have a space to game instead. The old Fantasy Dwarfs and Black Reach Orks I might never pick up again will probably be going to Frontline Gaming, if they still do their used-model trade-ins. That way I'll free up my space for things I have the drive to build, and the old minis will get to be enjoyed again by someone new :)
I gave up on 'chasing the Dragon' with GW over a year ago. However, I now chase BT minis, Dead Man's Hand and various boxes from Wargames Atlantic. It's a process, progress, but still chasing.
Really interesting subject and one I hadn't really thought about. I know for me I should not have gotten back into Warhammer when I did as I went all out on a Bretonian army, 6 weeks later they nerfed the line at the beginning of AoS. However it did lead back to the hobby and good friends so not a total issue.
I bought some 28mm miniatures got a tiny bit in over my head building so I switched to painting the few metal models I had and fell in love with metal. I switched to 15mm I don't have to build anymore I just paint base and play.
I paced myself at first, but being pretty good at painting from the outset got me way too excited to do it and I started hunting around for deals, ended up with more models than I know what to do with. I've since dialed my spending WAY down in favor of building and painting what I have ( I don't generally have the time to play games, I've still yet to play a single game of warhammer or even killteam) and the other stuff I do to chill out.
I recently did a huge purge from my Kings of War and Warhammer backlogs. I don't even play WH anymore, so sold off all of it. For Kings of War, I consolidated to just 2 mega armies (ratkin and Brotherhood but using Bretonnians). Tempted to cut down one of those as well. The Bretonnians would stretch a long way for a hobby budget down the road. I don't even know if I'd get them all painted given the desire to try to freehand and do patterns...
Yes Dave and I know to my costing figures, way too much bought and paid for over the years. So next year I will be driving South to Mirfield and see the man and hopefully turn my man-cave around with books instead of mini's. Cheers for the wibble.
Love it, giving allot of nighthunt that still box away, though don't play as much I have idea ticking in my head what I'm going do with them. And Thanks Dave, it 8.40pm and I fancy a greggs.
great video, my first army was fantasy high elf, 500-600 points .... then i got a cheap high elf army from ebay for 100 € and its was a 5000 point army i was drowning in miniature´s after that i was smart enough getting slower. greetings from austria
The inner battle among us all once you cross that line from dipping your toes in to going for a full on swim. Great video as always and some brutal honesty as needed. I think this is a great topic and will always be relevant as long as the hobby exists. A very important message for new comers for sure! :)
I have a decent routine when it comes to my pile of shame. Before I figured it out I had about 15 boxes of models. So my routine involves painting a unit or single model I already have built. Then building a box of models once that's done. Then back to painting another unit or single model. Then I buy new boxes but not exceeding more than 3 items to maintain a small pile of shame. Currently I have 7 box in my pile and Im content with that
Wanted to start Warhammer Fantasy with High Elves back in the day. Got a huge box of them to get started. Realized this was going to be a very long slog. Set them aside, never got to them. They're somewhere. But sure glad I got all these LotR minis on clearance when my local store decided they wanted to finally clear them out. Ho ho! Loving this channel. Cheers.
Go easy on those classic Space Ranger models! I got a box of those when I was a wee lad to try to learn to paint. And now my 7yo daughter practices painting on the ones I still have laying around. 😂
Ya I got in hard. At the time I was newly free of my parents, and was making WAY more $ than I needed. A friend returned from the military with a small space marines army all painted and pretty. Next day I went to a GW store and lost my mind, so many choices and all so cool. Ended up falling in love with both the Eldar and their evil siblings. I ended up with so much stuff, a GW staff member had to help bring it to the car. I bet I painted less than a quarter of it before I moved across the country. I ended up giving it all to the local charity kids hang out, and haven't touched a mini since (almost 20 years now).
All five of these thoughts are so spot on! I recently got back in to Warhammer after a 20 year break (most of my armies were lead! Weighed a ton and were a pain to transport anywhere). Very different vibe now to how it was back then. Modern sets seem very muddled for starters, most seem geared to driving you down multiple escalating purchases, and with codex’s at ridiculous prices that is why I’m sticking with small team games (blood bowl, kill team, Necromunda). The temptation to go charging in to full army games is high, but I’m resisting as I know it’s a wallet bleeder.
Been very frugal with my adult reintroduction to the hobby. Started with gaslands, Etsy shop selling cars funded branching out to other games. Kept purchases to affordable starter sets or eBay.
Great vid!! Looks like you’re in a mini version of Lendal Cellars!! That would be a great painting location…😂 🍺
Lucked out with this place! Lots of character!
hmmm games nights at the cellars would be awesome
Thanks, great takes on the topic!
A great danger of overbuying for me is when I find something really cool, like a film, a show or a book and think, that would be a cool miniature project. I just made a list of all projects I want to do. Oh boy. I do have to up my output if I want to get it done before I'm 80 😂 moving all boxes of plastic crack to the basement helped with the mental load of it. I have now only the stuff I currently working on in my hobby space. Also sometimes I think of some kits and boxes just as kitbashing potential and I'm fine with never actually building it. But overbuying is defenitley an issue in our hobby.😅
Honest talk going on here brother. I really like the new kill team boxes so they got me with Shadow Vault recently, still have not painted all the terrain from the prior set yet. Before that I had a clear out and gifted most of my 40k stuff to friends. It was full armies worth of stuff I was just having fun buying for discount or second hand. Lesson, cheaper is not a saving if you never use the stuff.
I seriously got into the hobby about three years ago, I was in a bad situation, bad headspace and it took me getting out of that headspace to actually enjoy painting again and I stripped some of the models I wanted to repaint so, it's much better than what it was
Thanks for the video m8.
I sit on so many different minis.
Stormcasts, ogres, Warcry the game, Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines. 5% actually painted, 35% partially painted and 60% unpainted.
I have an airbrush station I only used thrice because it clogged so much even though I followed all instructions.
And here comes the banger:
*I don’t even play the game!*
because it’s so difficult to find players who aren’t either just too addicted to the hobby and far gone, or too bored by it.
I almost bought a new set today just because of the WISH it would be cool. But I stayed strong. Your video gave me positive confirmation that this was a good idea.
I won’t buy a new thing Until I have finished 2 other projects.
It took me a year to get round to opening and painting the Warhammer Kill Team Octarius box-set, which I had ordered on the morning of release. I first 'had' to work through a tiny pile of shame. Also, I bought myself a birthday present ten months ago: Guardians of the Riverbank from the Northumberland Tin Soldier Company. They would have been painted by now, to play using rules by Burrows and Badgers, but I kind of got carried away with painting up a small Ork and Gretchin army!
In the meantime, GW have released a tonne of stuff that I'd love to buy, if only I had the time and money (inflation permitting!). However, I have mastered my desires like a Zen Buddhist and will wait patiently for The Day!
Great video. Especially the Greggs run.
I bought a ton of Privateer Press stuff on clearance and I wouldn't mind not painting it all because the average cost was about a dollar per model.
hey MS Paints, I starting a building a 40k nercon army and work out there so much stuff that is built and already painted second hand market is so full stuff and i have lot of friends in games clubs and private listing that can be bought.
Dude. Spot on video. I can’t play their games anymore. Just can’t keep up with the rules changes. They ruined my happy place. So I now play Legion, Boltaction, Lord of the Rings SBG. One Page Rules Grim Dark Future is a great option to 40k. Been collecting minis and WARHAMMER stuff since the late 80’s. They first turned me off when they killed Fantasy. I just repurposed most of my GW stuff for other games. 🤙🏼😎
I got back in to the hobby at the start of lockdown. One of my mums lockdown tasks was sorting out mine and my siblings shit from around their house. She dropped off a couple of toolboxes filled with my old hobby stuff. In it was an unfinished box of 00s era multipart space wolves and necron warriors. lo and behold Indomitus drops with space marines and necrons in the box, cue me buying indomitus and still not finishing it fully to this day because cooler stuff launched in the meantime.
To my credit my painting output exceeds my purchasing but 2020 Nige was too busy thinking about how much money he was saving by working from home and bought a silly amount of stuff to counteract it. I will eradicate my pile of shame in time and switch to a “no grey plastic” policy before purchasing more stuff. To new hobbyists I’d definitely recommend only buying new projects after existing ones are finished, having a pile of shame saps the fun out of hobbying.
I think for me, playing guard and having a painting buddy has helped me keep my pile of shame limited to like, at most 4 boxes. Playing guard gives me variety as I can pull up catachans (or definitely not 3rd party moulds of retired regiments) if I get bored painting Chadians, and having a buddy to paint with gives me someone to chat with who cares about the hobby, and someone to (kinda) compete with In terms of who can finish their sets first. XD.
I love this video so much! What a treat to wake up to and enjoy first thing on a Saturday. I love your unadulterated, don’t-give-a-sh*t delivery of truthiness. Thanks for existing and making these, friend. Love from Minnesota, US.
found your channel through your first gunpla build! been bingeing your content too. Any thoughts on more gunpla stuff in the future?
Certainly do mate! Got plenty more kits and secured a perfect grade too! Just gotta switch back to Warhammer for the next few videos to get some numbers back up!
The way I've limited myself it by getting smaller games like underworlds stuff. I bought the Bladeborn and Fire Team boxes for $50 at the book store and then bought each of the expansion teams supported in the box to make a super-box, Bladeborn being essentially a smaller scale Warcry on an Underworlds board and Fire Team being a smaller scale Kill Team box on an Underworlds-style board.
I helps but it's no cure for the collection bug. Oh, and I collect 3D print files... but they don't take up any space! 😅
I got into the hobby (late in life at 54), mainly for the painting side of the hobby. Self care and addition subjects for my macro photography also. And I also have too much to paint. I purchased the ravaged star veil touched as the starter 😂 so am prepping for them to appear in March. No interest at present in playing at all.
Completely am feeling the pile of shame, bought a Minas Tirith battlehost and an orc combat patrol a few weeks ago. Then I found a Pelennor Fields box set. I have so much stuff to paint. Ahhhhhh!
Late to the conversation!
Dave, I only learned of your channel a few days ago, thanks to the fine fellas at The Painting Phase, and I have been catching up with your content quickly - great stuff, very entertaining, and from a unique perspective within the community. So, thanks for it!
I like the phrase "pile of opportunity" others have mentioned more than the one of shame - but until I sold off a large quantity of things to streamline said pile it was definitely of the latter category. I was forced to review my gaming possessions and truly consider what I wanted to keep because of a change in circumstances - I won't go into details but will state that it is not mortal nor is it a situation like yours, but that it helped sharpen my focus on various subjects, the one pertinent to this conversation being "do I truly have time for all of this or hadn't I better get cracking on more important things?"
So a BUNCH got sold, some of that money got turned into a middling-size purchase for one new-to-me game system - I'm happy with my self-control in limiting the contents of what was purchased - and now I have this new energy to focus on what remains. Since the middle of last year I have been going through the kits and getting them built and painted: I have jumped from project to project as the mood hits me - which keeps my interest fresh and energy up - but the goal of completing what remains is the most tangible than at any other point during my hobby tenure.
So yeah, there was too much WarHams and many other systems. I wish I had better self-control and self-awareness at the time to understand that I was behaving addictively and was slavish to advertising. But now I have that control and a stock of stuff that will keep me occupied with paid-for hobby material for the time remaining for my ability to do something with it - I ain't getting younger, there are only so many hours in the week for hobby, and I have enough to stay busy for a long time. AND there are a number of unrelated systems to play were I can recycle what I have for use in them. So thats me.
Thanks for the great content, Dave.
I’ve only just started with warhammer. This month I’ve bought seraphon starter set, league of votann, some death guard, kill team into the darkness and I’m looking at necromunda, too. No real plan to actually play any of it, just buying what I think is cool looking and then learning to paint.
Great video, many good points here. I have been where I have bought most of what I wanted when I found it, and now I have some huge piles of boxes with unbuilt stuff. I still like the new stuff being released and my FOMO says to buy it at once but my finances is no longer what it used to be, so now with the Leagues of Votann and the Sons of Behemat and the upcoming Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) releases I tend to buy the rulebooks as soon as possible and what I feel I can afford of new sets, and then I just have to hope what I want is still available when I can afford it sometime down the road. Also I try to get some of my backlog painted too...
I’m pretty disciplined with it compared to most, I’ve limited my self to two armies for now to flip between when I’m bored of one of them. Not including the orks I bought and then didn’t like anymore before I’d even built them (we don’t talk about them though)
Selling minis is a great way to cut down your back log. Be honest what that you actually will get to and more importantly what you want to get to and sell the rest.
Have bought into and sold out of the hobby multiple times. This time the difference has been having a dedicated hobby space. I use some 8 oz plastic cups. 1 night a week i snip out 6 guys, put them in the cups and when i get the urge to build grab a few cups clean off the boys and start gluing. The other big difference is i havent invested heavily in rules. Last time i tried to get into the hobby was 8th 40k and by the time i had my space marines all assembled and primed and ready for some table top action i came to find i neeeded a bunch of faq nonsense an oop white dwarf, a new codex cause the one i had bought a few months before was out of date, and a psychic awakening book
I also have a kill team 2021 pile of shame. As i assemble my Black templar army i hope is ready for 10th i take breaks by building some kill team stuff, its not really played in my area but it gives me enough variety from black and white with some ivory tabards.
On the "getting into the hobby too quickly" side of things, I think something that's worth considering is that you'll have a finite amount of "first" experiences when it comes to your purchases. Like, I remember how exciting it was to buy a boxed game from GW for the first time. I remember the thrill of getting my first big miniature like a Stardrake or an Imperial Knight. Then it was the feeling of buying a "premium" model from ForgeWorld (which, of course, we all learn later has less to do with quality and everything to do with just being a niche interest - but it doesn't feel like that at first). The first time I bought myself a nice sable brush and felt like my painting experience was that bit nicer. The first time I got into a second system and feeling excited about how different everything seems, or started playing less ubiquitous games like Middle-earth. The first Kickstarter where I got massively excited about all those free minis and the great deal of it, watching the stretch goals unlock.
Half a decade back into the hobby, I now see big boxed game or starter boxes as the big commitment that they are. I see ForgeWorld as a tax on wanting something niche rather than a premium product. I kind of just 'expect' to use sable brushes now, and a new edition of a game just means I need to do buy new books, do a bunch of reading and learning and maybe have to paint some new models to make things still "work". This is all fine now, because I'm in the habit of painting minis and I know what I love about it, what I get from it and have no issues motivating myself to hobby most days - but those little purchasing milestones and the associated dopamine hits really did a lot to help motivate me and keep me excited for the next big thing in the early days. If I'd just jumped back into the hobby by purchasing several hundred of pounds worth of ForgeWorld Horus Heresy models from the get go, I'd have missed out on all these little milestones that made me feel like I was progressively getting deeper into the hobby. There wouldn't be as many exciting new experiences to discover along the way, fewer worlds to conquer, less dragons to slay.
It's the hobby equivalent of trying to grow up too quickly. Enjoy your youth, when everything remains fresh, mysterious and exciting and don't be in too much of a rush to experience everything right away.
I actually started about 3-4 months ago, I set myself the limit of only buying 1 box at a time and then buy the next once this is build and painted. Because of this I actually had no pile of shame but a big death guard army so far. Just recently (as in This week) I caught myself buying way too much stuff, so I will hold back now until everything is build and painted.
This really is the best way to do it. Buy one thing and then don't buy more until you finish the first. FOMO is bull. You can always find stuff you "miss out" on secondhand later on down the line.
I picked up a few boxes and realised i had a backlog of over a 100 mini's now. Been refusing to let myself buy any new mini's since then. Gotten half the backlog done and a lot of the rest at least partially painted after a few months of just poking at it when I feel like it. The thought that I won't have to feel guilty about my next purchase and can just have fun with it definitely helps keep me from buying more before I clear out the backlog
I am so glad to say, I have made my purchases for the next 6 years XD Love the videos mate
I returned after 30 years when my son discovered a bunch of my old OG Space marines and Space Crusade box. I hit Ultramarines pretty hard getting back in only to discover that my pile of shame was heading into the same direction they did 30 years ago. I decided to switch to small builds across all sorts army types instead of the old jarheads I'd been used to, and really enjoyed the change of scenery. Currently fitting out a small orc army, before I move on to my next one.
Banger video as always, it's a hard subject to broach with a lot of people in the hobby sometimes, because for a lot of people working fulltime they only have the money/time to invest in maybe one army.
I've got two friends who both work their arses off so they only get time to play a bit of D&D and paint/play 40K every now and then so they really commit to one army at a time. As a result it makes it hard sometimes to try to get into another game and form a friends group community for it when all your mates want to do is play the one game of 40K they'll get in two months, which is also a fair thing to want to do.
I gotta say, something that might be up your alley for a future vid might be Battletech? I'd always recommend the Alpha Strike rules first as it's more full-sized, quick-n-easy 40K styled movement and gameplay, but the models in particular are bloody fun to paint and very easy to smash out as well.
Some games don't need their models painted. I bought Blackstone Fortress partly because it was something to play inbetween other games that I would prep for.
awesome video. I just got an idoneth deepkin box that I don't really "need" but it will be so much fun to zen out with.
I'm blessed I only have a small grey tide and 2 painted armies. I love building though so if I build a Cadian army box I can just hit it with primer and resell it for practically the same cost, buy something else, chill and build while watching YT, radio, repeat. And I can paint maybe a tank or maybe some AoS addition at my leisure. I literally have not upgraded my SoBs from anything of the second wave, no Vahl, or Saints, or APUS, or CAstanks, nothing. I have not even got Morathi for my DoKs. I have no HQs for any of my Astartes Chapters, or Cadians, or Necrons, or Nighthaunts. GW isn't making anything I want so that saves me a ton of money. I'm 90% of the mind of build it and get rid of it.