WHERE DO I START? – A Beginners Guide to Wargaming Part 4

5 Minute Read

Jul 12 2014

K9Monkey back with part 4 of the series on joining the tabletop gaming world. Today we will look at ‘How to Keep it Fun and Fresh’.

Here is where we are in the article timeline (links to previous articles):

1. How to get into the hobby.

2. How to pick a game.
3. How to pick an army.
4. How to keep it fun and fresh.
5. When to look at another game.
6. Other gaming ideas.

As you have read, if you have been following the series, there are two parts to the story here. The game and the hobby. Lets look at ways to keep both fun and exciting for years to come.

Keeping the Game Fun

Play Venues – If you often play at the same store with the same people, try venturing out to another store and seeing what they have to offer. Many times you will find stores have different gaming boards, tournament schedules, gaming groups, etc. You can get involved and experience more of the gaming community.

Opponents – Take the time to play different opponents within the community. This will also mean you get to play against different armies and play styles. Ask people what army they play? Do they have an army list they are willing to share? Announce when you will be at a store looking for a game on their Facebook page (make sure the owner of the page is ok with it first). Many people watch the pages for a chance to play.

Scenarios and Tweaks – Just because the game companies do not think of it, does not mean it is a bad idea. Adding some random effects or actions can really make the game fun and exciting. Allow yourself the freedom to expand the game.

As an example, In our Kill Team game, my friends and I set a statue in the middle of the board. Every turn we rolled 2d6 and a scatter die. At that point on the board an instant explosion went off and killed anyone under the small blast. Completely random, often missed everyone, but made you think about moving your squad in a small pack across the board. In one game I did lose my leader on turn one. Painful loss, but so much fun.

Welcome to Denver – Enjoy your stay!

New Games – I don’t really recommend this for starters (and we will touch on this one next week); however if you do get completely bored with the game you are playing, try starting a new game.
Again, start small and take your time. Ease your way in to it and come back to the original game in the future.

Keeping the hobby fun

Painting Classes – Check around at the local shops, conventions, online tutorials, etc. Pick up some painting DVDs or books. You can always pick up a new technique or learn something new to help your painting move to the next level. I am a firm believer if you are going to get good at this hobby put the time into learning from the best and practicing. I have watched people spend hours just on the skin tones of a model. This might seem crazy, but if you find painting fun (I do), then it can be the most enjoyable time you ever have when you see the final paint blends.

Start Converting Minis – There is something very, very satisfying about taking a standard mini you will see in any army and making it your own. Add some bling, a few horns, some tentacles, extra weapons, whatever you can find in your bits. Converting minis will not only make your army unique and original, it will open you up to a whole new world of hobbying. You will find yourself looking at toys and kits, not because you want to play them, but because you want to carve part of it off to use on your next commander or warlord.

Explore Basing and Terrain Building – You could just paint the black plastic green or brown and glue your model to it. Or you can start applying advanced techniques and other doodads to your bases. Many companies even make resin cast bases you just paint and use. Secret Weapon has an awesome line of bases to fit any army. If basing isn’t your thing, try making some terrain. This can be anything from kits to scratch built. Have an old can laying around, why not turn it into an oil tank, or a grain silo. Use your imagination and have fun with it.

Throw a Hobby Party – It might sound crazy, but you would be surprised how many of the people in the modeling community would love to get together and…well model. Getting a group who can sit down and paint together, share ideas, tips, etc. is a blast. You can put a movie on in the background and assemble or paint or talk about gaming. You can even turn it into a bits swap to trade some of the bits you have for something you have never seen before. It is a great way to expand what you have at your finger tips for modeling.

So there you have it, some quick ideas for keeping the games and hobby fresh and fun.

What do you do to keep the game and hobby fresh and fun?

Next up – When to look at another game.

Follow my hobby life at http://facebook.com/k9monkeyminis

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Author: K9 Monkey

K9Monkey has been a tabletop miniatures and wargame player for over a decade. His specialty is getting new players to enter the hobby. He began writing for BoLS in 2014.

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