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Wednesday 18 December 2019

Are all wargamers prone to hoarding?

Yesterday I was reading David Crook's recent blog entry STEPPING BACK TO MOVE FORWARD, and I was struck by the thought that over the many years I have been wargaming, I've tended to hoard stuff rather than dispose of it when it is no longer needed ... and I suspect that I am not alone in doing this!

David is proposing to rationalise his wargaming collections, and it struck me that this was no bad thing, and that it is something that I should also consider. (Note the use of the word CONSIDER; it's something to think about and not necessarily to do!)

This is not to say that I've not attempted to do this in the past, but only last week I plucked up the courage to give a box of painted Minifig 25mm-scale American Civil War figures away to someone who is working on an ACW project. The figures were bought in 1973/74, and painted by me in gloss Humbrol enamel paint (!). They graced a wargame table once (in 1974) ... and have been in storage ever since. I have no idea why I kept them except that every time I looked at them, I thought 'I'll not get rid of them as I might need them one day'.

I'm sure that there are plenty of other examples of unused stuff in my collections that I will never use again ... but being a wargamer (and by nature, a hoarder), I'm not sure that I will ever be able to bring myself to dispose of them.

50 comments:

  1. Hi Bob,

    I am fortunate in that I do not own vast quantities of painted or unpainted figures that are sitting around doing nothing. In this respect I have traditionally been quite ruthless. My downfall is books and what they invariably lead to! By cutting out a chunk of my library I am then in the position to focus on those areas that have demonstrated durability with the Napoleonics being a good example.

    I am going to have more than sufficient variety of projects to consider within those areas I an concentrating on than to be tempted by yet another 'Ooh Shiny' moment - and you can quote me on that!

    All the best,

    DC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David Crook,

      You’ve been far more singleminded than I’ve ever been with regard to your figure collection. As to books ... well I had a clear out last year of a number of those that I no longer needed or which were duplicates (or near duplicates) of others. I may well need to repeat this exercise again next year, if only to create enough space for some of the books I’ve acquired since the last cull.

      Like you, I am trying to concentrate on a smaller number of projects ... but as we both know, at times it is difficult not to be diverted from one’s chosen path, especially by something new.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Note to self: Never let this man talk to my wife about books! Respect to your single mindedness and determination .. and fear that it might happen to me!

      Delete
    3. Geordie an Exiled FoG,

      In a perfect world I’d have enough space to enable me never to have to cull my collections ... but unfortunately it isn’t a perfect world.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. I have done a big clear out over the last eighteen months or so. Some went to eBay, some to Bring and Buys. To be honest it’s quite cathartic and I have not missed any of it really. You just need to harden your heart and get on with it. Like you I have had book culls as well, again just keeping the best of duplicates. I consider myself a reformer hoarder. She Who Must Be Obeyed has been doing the same with her craft ‘collection’. I do not have an immense lead pile any more and I think this helps with completing projects. I am now at the stage of just adding bits and pieces to armies/forces when I need to.
    I just need to get on and start/finish those two 10mm ACW armies for The Portable Wargame!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simon,

      I’ve also found previous culls to be cathartic, and in my heart I know that it is something that I really need to do, otherwise my collections will take up so much space that I’ll never have enough space in my toy/wargame room to use them.

      Good luck with your ACW project.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. I was a hoarder once, but during the past years, I have been downsizing my collection considerably.

    Miniatures - esp the ones I painted myself - are the most difficult to do away, so I haven't started with that. Scenery items are somewhat easier to manage. I take the stance that I upgrade my scenery colelction rather than expand it, so at least the volume remains more or less the same.

    I have eliminated 90% of my boardgames. If a game hasn't been played during the past 5 years or so, away it goes. Some games might have some good memories attached to it, but that doesn't you should keep the boxes. "Keep the memories, not the boxes" is a good guideline when trimming the collection.

    I have been pretty aggressive in limiting my book collection as well. If there's a very small chance I will read a book again, it goes. Reference works are a different matter, because these really form the backbone of any collection.

    Important to consider: when selling things, don't assume everything is collectible. Often, it is simply junk other wargamers are also not terribly interested in. So I end up giving away things for free or selling at very low prices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phil Dutre,

      That is a disciplined approach ... and one that serves as a good example to us all.

      Your final paragraph is very true. I’d rather give stuff away to someone who will use it, and not try to sell it. I’ve never seen my collections as financial assets ... unlike some sellers on eBay!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Hi Bob,
    Recently I boxed a swag of un-finished Projects ranging from 2mm, 6mm to 28mm and sold the Lot to a Friend in Victoria for 1/5th of the real value. I was pleased to clear away these un-wanted items and gain shelf space and a little cash to spend on new Toys. My Friend is in dire straights and if he can sell-on those items he obtained from me it will be a real boost to his well-being. I recommend clearing out un-needed things...there can be a lot of benefits gained. Regards. KEV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kev Robertson,

      That is an excellent policy ... and if it benefits another wargamer, so much the better.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Trebian,

      Succinct and to the point as usual.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Bob,

      I sort of assumed it was a "Do bear (whatever) in the woods" question. Wargamer and hoarder are synonyms.

      Cheers,

      Trebian

      Delete
    3. Trebian,

      I was hoping that there would be at least one exception to the rule ... but I seem to have been wrong!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  6. The first armies I parted with, long decades ago, were done out of necessity not choice. A long period of hoarding followed until I realized that not only was lack of space an issue, to the point where excess improv storage was physically interfering, but also that no matter how optimistic I was, the hobby years ahead were going to be fewer than the hobby years behind.

    That's when I started seriously and very consciously choosing what stayed and what should go. There were some emotional pangs over some once favourites but in many cases it was softened by knowing figures, books etc had gone to a good home where they would be used rather than dusting away in a dark corner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ross Mac,

      With my seventieth birthday looming, I think that rationalising my collections makes a lot of sense, and if in doing so I can give other wargamers some figures and/or books to add to their collections, so much the better.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  7. I'm a terrible hoarder of all toys, books and music! There probably should be a support group...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maudlin Jack Tar,

      There is a support group ... and it’s called the blogosphere,

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  8. I have cleared out a lot of thigns I haven't been using. In particular, my 15mm Napoleonics (some first painted in 1995 when I started wargaming again), 2 x 15mm ancient armies I had never used and a 15mm Marlburian army all went.

    In that case, they were swapped with Ian Hinds for a large 20mm ACW collection which has already seen action in 5 games of Battle Cry and one using the Pickett's Charge Rules...

    I must confess that I do still have slightly over 5,000 painted figures (18mm-54mm) left...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike Lewis,

      Swapping figures that you don’t use for those that will use makes a lot of sense,

      I suspect that if I counted up the number of painted figures in my collection, I might well be able to give you a good run for your money!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  9. Let's be honest, that question (nearly always) has only one answer. I'm terrible for it BUT from time to time it pays off, as it did recently when I resurrected my old game of Seastrike ('modern, i.e. 1970s naval combat) from the bottom of the hoarder's pile, where it had lain since I left university in 1979. Now my regular wargaming buddy and I are playing it regularly, enjoying every game and already factoring it into our post-colonial skirmish campaign. So there! Have a great Christmas Bob (and you all) and thanks for a great blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris Helm,

      I suspect that ALL wargamers are to a certain extent hoarders.

      Seastrike was/still is a great game, and it sounds as if keeping it made a lot of sense.

      Thank you for your kind wishes, and may I reciprocate and wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  10. After much mulling over the clutter and hoarding issue, I finally got up the nerve to move my long unused 15mm Napoleonic collection out of the man cave and into the attic. P'haps some day I'll to take the next step and move them into the garage :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed M,

      I suspect that we’ve all done something similar. The problems only begin when the rafters start to groan under the weight in the loft and the garage gets full! ;^)

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  11. Nope, I'm not a hoarder, I've just reached the age where I forget to get rid of all that gaming stuff. Let the heirs take care of it 8-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick Krebs,

      I am getting to the age when I forget what I’ve forgotten!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  12. I am a hoarder and a magpie. Luckily, I've only been back in the wargaming fold for a few years, so my collection isn't overly large and is mostly painted or soon will be*.

    *looks at the boxes of unpainted projects, some several years old, and wonders if they will ever see paint.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TamsinP,

      Beware! That pile of boxes of unpainted projects will soon reach an age when they start to breed ... and one day you’ll wake up and discover that they’ve filled every available space in your home!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  13. I sold things and regretted it sometime after.
    Epic 40K went north. ECW 6mm went west (to the US, and the cost of processing the cheque was more than it's value!). Greek and Roman Minifigs 's' range armies went and a 6mm Numidian army which I bought cheap to paint and sell to fund something else (this is the one I now really regret selling)
    And a Bavarian Napoleonic army in 6mm due to not gaming with them.
    But I've replaced them with so much more! And nearly all painted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Khusru,

      I think that you might well have achieved a reasonable balance between keeping stuff and getting rid of bits of your collection to enable you to develop other projects.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  14. The nature of wargaming is to hoard. As long as I have got the required storage space, I'll keep stuff.

    I did have big boardgame clearout in 1999, many of which I now regret (AHGCs Tobruk? VGs Vietnam?? was I crazy???). Tbh the very worst clearout was selling my original White Box D&D stuff and all my Traveller stuff. I still can't believe I did something so stupid. otoh I don't miss my HoTT armies at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martin Rapier,

      I agree that wargaming and hoarding do seem to go hand-in-hand with each other.

      I seem to have lost my copy of Avalon Hill’s TOBRUK game somewhere along the way. It was my first board wargame, and it sold me on the idea of using hexed tabletops for my games. I really ought to buy myself another copy ... but I’m not sure that I have space for it until I’ve had a bit of a cull!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  15. Interesting article Bob, in response to David Crook's article which I read early this morning.
    My main hoarding driver / issue is irregular supply. Airfix are 'always going bust' or taking their figures out of production / circulation, so you have to buy what you may need for the future whilst you can. WW2 and WW1 aside, the historical figures are still pretty scarce.
    The Peter Laing 15mm moulds have also vanished, so now you have to collect and use what limited vintage figures you can find online (Ian Dury's Peter Laing Collectors Circle once on Google+ now on MeWe is a brilliant idea for sharing around info on sales, swaps etc)
    Do my hoards and my collections bring me joy? (Marie Kondo / Kon Mari decluttering rule 6) Yes they do: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/12/08/man-of-tin-blogvent-calendar-day-8-the-joy-of-hoarding/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark, Man of TIN,

      As someone who started out with a huge number of Airfix figures, it seems a great pity that they are unable to maintain a regular product supply to the market. One day I hope to visit their Visitor Centre near Margate. I understand that the on-site shop keeps stocks of all the in-production Airfix and Hornby products,

      If Peter Laing figures were still in production, I’d be buying them by the bucketload. I still have a large number of them in my collection, and would probably have used them for my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War project rather than reworking and renovating my 20mm-scale figures.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  16. I have never regretted keeping things. but have regretted "downsizing".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prince Lupus,

      The problem with NOT downsizing is that you can end up with so much stuff taking up so much space that you don’t have space to wargame any more.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  17. I have gotten rid of many things in the past (books, miniatures, board games, etc.) and at some point wished I still had some of them. So, yes, I am more reluctant to part with things these days. That said, I have given away some board games, books and other items. I don't think it's hoarding though. I haven't filled up all available space or overflowed rooms or hallways. Of course, I could always find more stuff I probably don't need and/or will likely never use and clear out more stuff, and I will surely do so. I periodically do look at some portion of my stuff and decide to jettison some (small portion) of it. Of course I also acquire more stuff, too. ha ha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fitz-Badger,

      You’ve pretty well summed up the dilemma we all face. I suspect that we’ve all given away or sold stuff that we later realised that we should have kept.

      Having a bit of a sort out can be quite a cathartic experience ... and so can acquiring new stuff!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  18. Hi Bob -

    Am I a hoarder? You be the judge (and jury). I have the following armies:

    Roman (for DBA or HotT)
    11th Century Byzantine
    Bulgar or Georgian (could be either)
    Yorkist
    Lancastrian (works in progress)
    30YW Swedish
    30YW Imperialist
    War of Spanish Succession Imperialist
    War of Spanish Succession (probably) French (starting)
    Trockenbeeren-Auslese (based on 7YW Austrian)
    Altmark-Uberheim (based on 7YW Prussian)
    Grand Duchy of M'yasma (based on 7YW Russian)
    Principality of Ursaminor (based VERY loosely on 7YW Swedish, made originally for my daughter)
    Landgravate of Jotun-Erbsten (based on Napoleonic Hesse-Darmstadt)
    Army of Herzogtum von Rechburg (still 18th Century)
    7YW Russian
    Napoleonic French
    Napoleonic Austrian
    Napoleonic Russian
    Napoleonic Prussian
    Napoleonic British
    Napoleonic Spanish (a few foot figures)
    American Civil War Union
    American Civil War Confederate
    19th Century RED Army (Ruberia)
    19th Century BLUE Army (Azuria)
    19th Century TURQUOISE Army (Turkowaz just starting...)
    WW2 British NW Europe
    WW2 Eighth Army
    WW2 German Europe
    WW2 German Afrika Korps
    WW2 Russian
    Army of Tchagai (Modern)

    Over thirty armies...

    Uhm... that's embarrassing.

    Cheers,
    Ion

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Archduke Piccolo (Ion),

      I’d describe you as being a discerning collector rather than a hoarder ... but that is quite some collection!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  19. Definitely still a hoarder, I am afraid!
    It is only recently that I have been selling off some of the old toys that I had in the 1960s........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ian Dury,

      I suspect that every wargamer is a bit of a hoarder ... but to have only recently disposed of some stuff from the 1960s must be something of a record!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  20. Short answer .. yes ;)
    41 comments to an interesting post ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geordie an Exiled FoG,

      I think that we are - to a greater or lesser extent - all hoarders.

      This blog entry was ‘Tangoed’ and generated more comments on TMP.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  21. I think my attitude to wargaming hoarding is the same that of a typical Labrador's attitude to food .. as Trebian put so simply and succinctly put it .. "yes" .. followed by the recent regret of passing some wargaming (some CDII Command Post magazines - one with a DAK OoB) to a n Aberdonian wargamer in 1996 - that I would have found useful in a passing way about a week ago. I think wargamers forget they are not immortal!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geordie an Exiled FoG,

      As Oscar Wilde once said ‘I can resist everything except temptation’ ... and I think that most wargamer/hoarders would agree with those sentiments.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  22. Tangoed. For sure, some kind of leach. A scattergun of posts daily.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Khusru,

      I’ve been ‘Tangoed’ quite a few times. The only ‘benefit’ is a temporary increase in the number of ‘hits’ my blog receives in the aftermath.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. He certainly riles some people on TMP with his multiple postings. He posts nothing he has done personally. He if has the time to scour the internet he must have time to paint a few figures

      Delete
    3. Khusru,

      Being 'Tangoed' is one of the issues that faces all wargame bloggers ... but it is far less of a problem than being spammed!

      I've learned to ignore most of Tango's posts on TMP, but occasionally he does highlight something that I would otherwise have missed. I don't understand why he seems to annoy a certain number of people who read TMP, and cannot work out why they just don't look at his posts rather than rant about the fact that he has posted them.

      Merry Christmas,

      Bob

      Delete

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