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We hear a lot about the metagame, but what about the meta-hobby. What other hobbies have sprung out of your wargaming and painting rituals? I was thinking about this recently and the sheer number of things I find fun that are directly or indirectly associated with wargaming for me.

First off, over the years I have seemingly obsessively horded the various codices, white dwarfs, citadel journals, FoW books and other bits of literary material. I have no use for things like the 2nd edition Ork codex, the early citadel miniature catalogues or the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook, but still they sit on my shelf. For as long as I can recall, book collecting has been a serious part of my interest in the hobby and even now the gap in white dwarfs from when I was not so interested in wargaming stares at me from the bookshelf (though thanks to ebay it is about 70% filled now).

The history aspect has become more significant since getting into FoW and I find myself getting a very different experience in WW2 museums now as I'm looking at vehicles and uniforms in much greater detail which helps brings the past to life even more.

One of the things I like the most though is going into my home office and seeing my 5 foot tall glass display cabinet stuffed full of my models. I only put fully painted models in there so it looks very nice, especially when the down lighting is on. When other people come into my home office it always catches their eye and the perceived level of quality is very high, preventing things from looking like toys. I am becoming obsessed with moving models around in there and am seriously considering some dioramas or terrain designed to fit the shelving.

My biggest meta-pleasure comes from all the tools, paints, terrain elements and bitz that I have acquired over the years. I have about 5 large boxes worth of flock, paint, glues, etc and sorting through it is always very inspiring as I see a couple of things that I had not thought about using together and then that quickly escalates into a new project. Seeing unrelated things when out and about and snagging them for the bitz box is also a great pleasure and adds a lot of entertainment to the crappy shops I sometimes end up in.

So what about you? Any similar pleasures or pasttimes derived from your wargaming hobby?

The collecting element is strong for me as well and I often find myself flicking through long out of date codices looking for arcane bits of fluff.

In army collection too I find I get a great deal of satisfaction adding units to armies just for the sense of completeness rather than any likely tabletop role.

I suppose it's just the nature of the hobby that it attracts those of us who are a little bit obsessive. Not in a bad way you understand. I haven't yet had to sell any spare organs or anything but in a way that allows me to immerse myself in it and switch off the brain from the routine day to day troubles. I can focus my mind on an area of endeavour completely within my control and thats pleasing. Whether it's researching, modelling or simply arranging the rank and file I come away from it de-stressed and that makes me function far more effectively in work and family life.

Gotta love the gaming and all that goes with it. Well maybe not some of the smells

Well, the meta-painting part of the hobby between myself and some of my friends is washes. Myself and a friend of mine dabbled in washes earlier (mostly just to shade the fists on my Crimson Fists) but after I started my all-washed Ork army, he seems to be trying for a simple wash scheme for his gaunts. Another 'Nid player friend of mine uses washes as a major part of his painting as well.

Rogue Trader and 2nd edition models are my poison. My Crimson Fists are almost entirely composed of models of yore. This hasn't really extended to any of my hobby friends though. Most of my buddies don't even like the old models :(

@Brother SRM: I laughed when I read about rogue trader models being your "poison," because I've been told that they were either made of or had lead in them .

Anyway, I only started at the onset of 5th edition, so I don't really have much old stuff. But I find it peaceful (ironic, I know) to look through my wargaming books/white dwarf cags while I'm stressed. Sometimes I'll find myself rearranging my model area when I'm in between projects.

I got into Death Metal because I bought Bolt Thrower's "Realm of Chaos" tape unheard and knowing nothing about them just because it had the Rogue Trader artwork on it.

It blew my mind.

Finally got to see Bolt Thrower perform live last year. Blew my min dall over again.

I have issues of white dwarf going back to 1991, before I was even into 40K. It was a battle report promoting 2nd edition, wherein the Blood Angels fight the Orks that made up my mind. I wish I could get back that long-lost sense of wonder.

'Meta-hobby'? 'Meta-painting'? You folk sure come out with some strange concepts. All you're describing are some of the well-established aspects of the wargaming hobby - collecting the toy soldiers, reading about them and displaying your collection.

I've reached the point where the collecting has become something I need to cut back on. I have every WD issue since 100, and they take up a lot of space. Not to mention boxes and boxes of unbuilt plastics. And that's only the WH40k stuff - there's also all the WWII-related models I've acquired, and rows and rows of books about WWII armour. I'm now trying to pare down my kit collection, having reluctantly recognised that I'll never build the majority of the stuff I've got.

Because of my obsession, I have learned to:

Use a scroll saw
Edit wikis
Moderate a forum (OTzone...)
Compartmentalize my projects
Blog consistently

There's probably more, but I can't think of it right now.

Lego: I think the term you're looking for is "ancillary skills."