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With a tournament within the next couple of weeks at the minute I'm assembling and painting the models involved, and a simple question entered my mind do we actually enjoy our hobby it all seems endless painting modeling collecting isn't all too much like hard work just to get the end result of a painted army, just thought I would ask the question. Exactly how much of this hobby do we enjoy, Or is the end result the goal that we all work to and the journey in between the bits that we all hate with a passion.

In argumenthammer everyone loves to bicker and hate. Or at least my group does anyway. Usually it's a good time.

Browsing models: fun
Buying models: Not Fun! :(
Building/painting models: Fun
Converting models: Lots of fun!

Looking at MY painted army: FUN
Looking at others painted armies: Fun if well-painted/converted.

Friendly games: Usually lots of fun
Club games: fun
Tournament games: Not my scene.

Creating stories for my armies: fun
Reading others stories: fun

Overall, working on non-standard models, and writing stories for them are the good bit, and krumping foes is the BEST bit!

The only down-sides are getting letters from the bank-manager and meeting TFG!

I like the modeling and painting aspect a lot more than the gaming aspect. In over 10 years I've never been in a tournament. I've gone to them as a spectator. I've competed in painting competitions. I just don't care to sit there and play game after game for 8-10 hours straight. So yeah...I guess it's the playing part that I don't really like.

But surely like me at the minute at times you're doing this through necessity not exactly fun all the time.

Browsing models: Fun!
Buying models: Super Fun!
Building/painting models: Mega Fun!
Converting models: Tons of Fun!

Looking at MY painted army: HELLA FUN!
Looking at others painted armies: Fun if well-painted/converted.

Friendly games: Some fun
Club games: Not fun... usually
Tournament games: Kind of fun

Creating stories for my armies: Fun
Reading others stories: Not so fun

This is a good list. We should all copy pasta it and put our responses in. Thanks BlackSpike.

Browsing models: Fun but only models that are painted well by gamers
Buying models: no one surely finds this Fun
Building/painting models: wouldn't exactly call this fun of more like a necessity at times
Converting models: for me probably the best bit of the Hobby
list building; a real headache at times
Being a part of forums; EnjoyableLooking at MY painted army: HELLA FUN!
Looking at others painted armies: Fun if well-painted/converted.

PlayingGames: sometimes I really do wonder whether or not I do enjoy it
Tournament : time will tell when I go
Creating stories for my armies: Fun
Reading others stories: Not so fun

Browsing models: Fun
Buying models: Fun if you're getting a screaming deal
Building/painting models: Very fun
Converting models: Very fun

Looking at MY painted army: HELLA FUN!
Looking at others painted armies: Fun if well-painted/converted.

Friendly games: Kinda fun
Club games: Kinda fun
Tournament games: Not fun

Creating stories for my armies: Fun
Reading others stories: Fun

I actually hate all aspects of 40k but as a masochist I am compelled to play.

The prices are ridiculous.
Cleaning mold lines, while necessary, is arduous.

Collecting, building, painting, and playing, all a blast, and a good hobby.

Hollismason wrote:I actually hate all aspects of 40k but as a masochist I am compelled to play.

I lol'd.

Browsing models: Usually fun, unless your army (SoB) has only three viable units on the shelves.
Buying models: Ah! The Nerdage of unwrapping boxes of toys
Building/painting models: Can be tiresome/A true exercise in skill and concentration
Converting models: Not done much so far *nervous*

Looking at MY painted army: Grandilomentitudinous!
Looking at others painted armies: Great for getting ideas of what to do and not to do

Friendly games: If the banter's good this is the best way to play
Club games: Allows me to get my ass handed to me
Tournament games: Never tried, don't think it's really my scene

Creating stories for my armies: Usually revolves taking the piss out the game; fun for me, not so for the others!
Reading others stories: Never taken much interest

I hear what your saying unit all action, sometimes it stops being fun and starts to be work. So, like most of you I'm sure, I have other hobbies. Too much time slumped over a desk painting and I feel the need to get out and fish. I usually love it, but a person's gotta mix it up now and then.

For myself, I find that I'm getting more distant from all aspects as time goes on. This was brought home when I went into one of the FLGS's in my area, was looking over some IG and Orcs and someone in their 30's came over to me going Waaahg. They then began to regale me with tales of games played and sounding like Rimmer going over his Risk campaigns as to who rolled what.
I was trying to be polite, but inside I was thinking of how much I'd rather be somewhere else.
I've been into this game since the late 80's and had great fun with it because of the group I was in. All had other things going on in their lives besides just the game. Now there's just a few of us left and wives and kids take up a lot of our time.
I guess I'd enjoy teaching my daughters to do conversions and painting, as time allows, so that makes it the aspect I like best.

I am tired of the inbred culture so many shops and groups get as 40k becomes more "professional". This is a game and we should be having fun. I end up playing at my house more than half the time because I don't like very many of the people who play. I have my regular guys and girls and I'm just not buying much anymore.

It does seem like an endless cycle, which is of course exactly what GW wants. I don't have any other fantasy hobbies (only live jazz music & boxing as other hobbies), so 40k is my only thing.

I really like some people in it and if you have a good group there can be great community there. I find that once that is gone (like at my local shop) I lose all interest in going outside to play. Once people start to take themselves seriously all the fun is lost.

Like Relapse I absolutely love painting and converting. I've spent many hours on a lazy weekend painting and by the time I'm done I really feel like I've accomplished something and am proud of the work.

I used to be obsessed with 40K, back in 2nd edition, I would always carry an army in my car, make the rounds of the three or so places I might be able to get a game going and generally irritate my friends, who while they played also, were more into D&D. It started to cool off when 3rd edition came around and has been dwindling ever since. However, I have experimented with many other games, and have not found one that generates anywhere near that sort of interest. Perhaps I'm just old and jaded. I should probably pick a barber shop to sit around in, swapping stories with the other grumpy old farts.

Come work where I work... Everyone is stuck in 1978 in the 'good old days of the piano industry'. I feel like that's a lot of my local shop too. Some people just don't want to admit that things are different and while the new rules seem to be dumber and dumber, do we have to talk about 2nd and 4th edition in the vein hope that it'll come back?

Buying Models: Meh.
Cleaning Assembling: Rather Tedious
Converting: Aweome!
Painting: Fun
Gameing: Fun
Winning: Awesome!

Looking at other Models: Fun if they are well painted but don't embarrass my models to badly
Tournaments: Lots of games? Boo Ya!
List building: Interesting activity.

So, there you have it.

Browsing models: Great Times
Buying models: Exciting - The start of any project is.
Building/painting models: Why I play.
Converting models: My favorite part of the entire process.

Looking at MY painted army: Proud
Looking at others painted armies: Fun! Lots of new ideas and inspiration.

Friendly games: Great Times.
Club games: Super fun, if campaigns and such. I like story driven stuff. Like map campaigns and that kind of thing.
Tournament games: I love them. Super fun.

Creating stories for my armies: Fun!
Reading others stories: Fun as well, for inspiration!

Eric

HI all.
Searching the internet for cool models.FUN
Buying models from non GW sources and getting VFM, FUN.(Plastics 20p to 75p, metals about £1 to £2 each)
Downloading free rules to try out with my gaming group, Loads of FUN.
Painting ,converting, and building an army all fun fun fun.

Cleaning up minis and priming them, hohum.

Not having to pay GWs inflated prices, Priceless!

Happy gaming,
lanrak.

My favorite aspect of the hobby is the social aspect. Going to my FLGS once a week and hanging out with buddies is very rewarding to me. Often, I'll be there for 5-6 hours and not even pull out one single mini.

Aside from that, my favorite part of the hobby, hands down, is making terrain. I like to think of myself as a reasonably good painter. I've won a few painting comps and have taken Best Painted at most RTTs I've been to. I also like to think of myself as a reasonably good player. It seems as though I win more than I lose and I've won overall at RTTs before. I honestly think, though, that my real shining talent is in building terrain.

I am pretty proud of the terrain I've made. I've come up with some pretty neat ideas and concepts that I've never seen or heard of before (like the building I currently have underway). I think my love for making terrain may stem from my classes in Drafting as a youth. Who knows?



Ghidorah

I enjoy most aspects of the hobby. The collecting, the painting (not so much the building), the planning, the playing, the social side. My main bugbear is how infuriated I get seeing how successful Games Workshop is despite their best efforts to fail (or at least that is what their business strategy appears to be). How good could things be if they actually did most things right?

I enjoy most aspects of the hobby.

Paying the GW prices, not so much.

Selecting the models I like the look of (not the rules they represent), painting/converting them up to match my army theme and playing games with them.

Playing the odd TFG - occupational hazard. Haven't had a bad game in years as I try not to play TFGs.

I find the painting/modeling part of the hobby to be the most rewarding.

I really enjoy playing the game, but I feel that the investment in time and energy spent painting is what makes the games really exciting. It is fun to paint up a new unit for your army and see how it does in action. In this respect I have a hard time understanding how people who don't paint their models maintain an interest in the hobby.

There are definitely times when painting feels like a chore, but finishing a unit feels great and I love playing games between two well painted armies.

The part I hate most about the hobby is all the Tau-bashing bs, both here on forums and at the FLGS. I really don't see what gives you the right, my army cost me hundreds just like yours did, what makes you better than me?

More than once I've considered putting everything on eBay and just saying feth the whole thing, it's hard to get motivated and paint (or even play when people are smarting off while you're trying to take your turn) when everyone's doing their best to try and keep you down. I often wonder if most people who play this game really do want to see nothing but Marine vs. Marine battles all the fething time.

I definately think there is a level of tedium in anything we do (apart from sex!) and even then you still have the "tedium" of finding a partner

I think its just part of the roller-coaster ride that is life. I think its more a measure of the person than the activity if someone gives in because of those bumps in the road!

Buying & collecting = *very* fun & *very* easy (hence, so much stuff!)
building = fun & easy
painting = fun & hard & time-consuming

Tournaments = fun, but old hat
Apoc games = fun & silly

JohnHwangDD wrote:Buying & collecting = *very* fun & *very* easy (hence, so much stuff!)
building = fun & easy
painting = NOT fun & hard & time-consuming

Tournaments = fun, but old hat
Apoc games = fun & silly

*Fixkt*

If by "the hobby" you mean the converting, building, and painting of wargame miniatures, then I definitely enjoy it, because it provides me with a relaxing activity to do with my hands that exercises the creative parts of my mind. Whether for 40k, D&D, or just something pretty to have in the cabinet, converting and painting has always been fun and has only stopped being so once or twice (for reasons not directly related to the painting).

If you mean actually playing wargames, I haven't actually PLAYED a game in... hell, five years? Next Tuesday I'm going down to my FLGS to give it a spin... we'll see how THAT goes. I primarily got out of 40k the first time because I hated the tournament-driven attitudes that had largely infected it (see, also: Magic: The Gathering), and because I'd published my own game and it needed attention. Hopefully it'll go smoothly, the people won't suck, and I'll get to have a decent time rolling some dice without having to worry about NPC motivations and remembering what the hell has changed in D&D 4E.

If you specifically mean "The GW Hobby (tm)" then may you always get 1's on your to-hit rolls.

Added some items to the list:

Browsing models: Fun, especially when they're old weird ones
Buying models: Fun, especially if you're getting a good deal secondhand
Looking in your wallet after buying models: Not fun :(
Building/painting models: My favorite part of the hobby!
Converting models: Also fun!

Looking at MY painted army: Fantastic!
Looking at the unpainted parts of MY army: Saddening.
Looking at others' painted armies: If they're well painted, fun!
Looking at others' unpainted armies: Meh to bothersome.

Friendly games: Best way to play!
Club games: Alright.
Tournament games: Never played; not really my bag.

Creating stories for my armies: I enjoy it time to time
Reading others stories: Unless it's really funny, usually meh.


I'd say my favorite aspect is the painting and modeling aspect, followed by the friendly game atmosphere. We play the game to socialize and have fun, at least where I come from.