Editorial: Slow Down GW! I Need More Time!
Seriously GW…could you give me just a bit of breathing room, before you release more stuff to consume what little is left of my 24 hour day?!
Like most of you, I have things in my life that aren’t 40K. Job, family, etc. With the time that’s left, I love to dive into the Grimdark. Once in there, I suppose I’m a bit of a Renaissance man. I like to build/paint, to play the plastic crack, to read the backstory, board game, computer game (no console) and write. Herein lies the problem…GW keeps coming out with new stuff that hits on all of my points of interest. You’re probably saying, “make a choice dude.” Easier said than done. It’s like telling someone from Wisconsin to choose between six different kinds of brats (that’s “brahts” not “brats”)…they’ll just say, “why should I have to choose? I want them all!”
Building/Painting: So I put together over 5000 points of Marines/AdMech since last Fall. Thought I was done for a while. Yeah, right. Anyone who enjoys this hobby knows that you are never done buying and building. Always something new. Or something old that you have wanted for a while but never got around to. Then there is that stack of unopened boxes that have been around for a while. The other truth of this hobby is that we spend WAY more time building and painting that we ever will playing the game. My next project involves adding several AdMech units that I don’t have yet. Then there are the rumors that a combined AdMech dex is due out sometime this year…more new stuff. Seriously?!
Backstory: I am an avid reader. Always have been. Once in a while I dive into something non-40K, but not very often. Recently, I got through Pharos. Enjoyed a few Heresy quick reads. Finished off the Ahriman trilogy. The Omnissiah’s Chosen. Enjoying the first Cain Omnibus. So what does GW do? Can you say The Beast Arises? How about the companion novel to the new Deathwatch game? Is there truly no end to this foolishness?
Board Games: I am, in addition to a 40K fan, a board gamer. I sponsor the Board Game club at my High School. I get to at least three good sized Board Game conventions each year (fortunately, two of them are local). So what do those masochists from Nottingham do? Well, there was already Relic, a Talisman-style game set in the 40K universe. Love this game…however, a single game is an afternoon or evening investment. There is Betrayal at Calth. Not as long but another choice. Now they come out with…wait for it…Deathwath: Overkill! When the hell I am I going to have time to do that?! There are also images of Lost Patrol…thank goodness they are waiting for Summer to release that one!
Computer Games: To be truthful, I am actually a big Civilization fan, and have clocked in over 300 hours with Beyond Earth: Rising Tide. So when I hear that Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is due out in three weeks, it is another “seriously GDub?!” Another awesome thing to eat up my wallet and my time? If you have not seen the YouTube playthroughs of the the Beta, I would recommend them to anyone who enjoyed the tabletop version of this game. It looks amazing! Oh well, looks like more unopened boxes on the shelf, more unread books.
Playing 40K: This is actually the easiest one on the list. And frankly, the one that takes up the smallest percentage of almost everyone’s hobby time. There has been much discussion about the ratio of time spent modeling and time spent playing. Throw in all of the above pastimes, and it gets even crazier. I have set a goal for myself of getting at least one game in a month this year. I know that sounds pretty tame, but I do want to get some table time in considering how much time we take to get those figs ready.
Blogging/Writing: This last thing is something I admittedly have been remiss at. I have my own blog (Shadow of Prometheus) as well as writing for BoLS. The original goal of once a week for each has long gone by the wayside. The crazy thing is I really do enjoy writing. More importantly, sharing my hobby thoughts/experiences with other kindred souls. I have even considered starting a podcast in the local area here in Milwaukee. Many of you who are already invested in such an endeavor, however, know all too well how much time and effort that takes.
After all of this, I have no real complaints. It’s just fun to grouse about how many choices we have, especially when the opposite could be true. And having lots of options, at least for me, keeps things fresh and interesting. It is also fun to tie together some of the above pasttimes. Read the Deathwatch novel, build/paint some models, enjoy the board game. It would be nice, though, to have more hours in the day to enjoy the different aspects of the Grimdark experience, but I suppose having to make choices is part of life.
