Waking Dead

I’m pretty sure I have OCD. Maybe not full-blown OCD, but some sort of moderate geek form of OCD. I have a habit of latching onto a hobby and getting real hardcore about it; you can probably tell this already from the links on the Collections page. This has caused me all manner of problems over the years when I’ve simply had too many hobbies for (a) the amount of free time I have, and (b) the amount of spare cash I have.

It’s been a long and difficult process, but I’ve cut down on my hobbies, stripping away the more expensive stuff – classic gaming, natch – and leaving only the stuff that really interests me. Granted, some of this stuff is still pretty expensive, but it’s manageable. Part of this stripping away hasn’t always meant dropping a hobby altogether; sometimes it’s just meant cutting down. I’ve done something like that recently with my RPG collection. Realistically, I GM about once every 18-24 months, and there are games on my shelf that frankly I have no real intention of ever running. So I’m getting rid of them, simple as that.

This recent bout of cutting back has allowed me to investigate something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time: build up my wargaming collection. Apart from the obvious space and cost issues, I’ve struggled to find a decent product listing for GW’s games. I suppose I’ve been spoilt with how many awesome sites there are – and where – giving exhaustive details about RPG releases since the dawn of time. But that all changed when I stumbled across Lexicanum.

So I had the space, the money, the desire and now, most importantly, the knowledge. I’ve rejigged my War Games collection page to include details of every edition of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, and I’m slowly starting to build up a collection. Most of the older stuff has come from my regular war gaming buddy Chris, but I’ve also managed to scour the tubes for some bargains. In fact, less than an hour ago I bagged a mint copy of the 3rd Edition Warhammer 40,000 rulebook – in cardboard slip-case, no less.

Anyway, as with most mental disorders, I felt compelled to share this one with you. I’m intrigued to see how different each edition of the games are compared to each other, and whether or not my memory of them is all that accurate. Ben over at Veni, Vidi has undertaken a similar experiment to play one game from each edition of Warhammer, and I’m really looking forward to his reports. Oh, and while you’re there, check out his continuing 3rd Edition fantasy retrospective.

One other minor update before I go: my Tomb Kings are coming along well. I struggled with a colour scheme for a while, then had some basing issues, but having finally settled on a ‘barrow kings’-style theme, I’m cooking on gas. I’ve already got a full unit of Skeleton Warriors painted, as well as my Hierophant, Tomb King, three Carrion and two Tomb Scorpions. I’ve just put the base coats on the front rank of Tomb Guard, so I’ll try to put up some pictures soon. I’ve also got another practice game this coming Sunday against Chris’ Vampire Counts, which should be anything but a grind-fest given our lists. Perhaps I’ll even post a short battle report, who knows?