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I'm admittedly a bit of a hoarder, but with the absolute flood of games recently, how are you all managing your hype levels?

There used to be a time where buying into all of GW's product lines was totally feasible. Nowadays, I feel like I really need to start buckling down on what I'll commit to and what I'll have to ignore.

It sounds like the most first world problem to have, but it doesn't help that a lot of times, these games are absolute quality. Dipping into multiple factions is another cornucopia of issues.

Off the top of my head, I currently own:

ASOIAF
40k/Kill Team
AoS
Malifaux
Arena Rex
Warhammer Underworlds
Conquest
Judgement
Warmahordes

Soon:
Marvel Crisis Protocol
Godtear

How many games do you own, and how are you finding a balance for it all?

How are you dealing with the "Too Many Games" syndrome?

Poorly.

Although I am often tempted, I find it quite easy to refrain. 3 things I do to avoid it:

- Hype-skepticism: When a new game is announced, wait a while before buying. Don't preorder (does it really matter getting it a week later?). I notice that after a week or two, the initial hype disappears, replaced with a more rational approach.
Most recent case was Warcry. Very excited at first, but didn't preorder to check the game before. On a second thought (after seeing reviews and rules), it wasn't as appealing as I wanted it to be. Now, I don't want it.

- Not getting into similar games: Try to not get into two games that resemble too much. Feels redundant. Happened with Killteam, as I was already into Deadzone. So the skirmish sci-fi itch was covered and didn't see the point in getting into Killteam.

- Self-control: Seems obvious, but it really is useful to take a step back and thing calmly (will you have time to play it often? how much investment does it require?) instead of hollow instant self-gratification. Can be applied for many other things. This made me not get into Malifaux.


Bonus: Avoiding not only too many games, but also miniatures. Use the same miniatures in different gaming systems. The shameful unpainted minis pile will not grow exponentially.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

How are you dealing with the "Too Many Games" syndrome?

Poorly.

Seconded on this. I currently have:

40k (played a ton)
Kill Team (played one campaign and couple pick up games)
AOS (Just purchased, only had time to build and play one game)
Necromunda (played in one campaign after launch)
X-Wing (stopped after 2.0)
Battletech (never opened, still backed the kickstarter)
Underworlds (never opened)
Heroscape (mainly have it for collector's sake)
That old Pirates! wizkids game where the card packs were actually miniatures that you built. (Again, I have it for the sake of being like "check out this old game from my childhood I still have)

Games I want to buy but so far have been able to avoid dropping cash on:
Star Wars Legion
Infinity
That new Marvel one
That rulebook set for 40k Apocalpyse (don't have anyone to play it with, so it has been easier to avoid)

Honestly after typing this up. I think I struggle less with wanting to buy different games, and more with wanting to collect every faction of the games I do play.

I quit my job a few years back and returned to college to finish my degree, Too many games syndrome with no cash flow is a difficult thing when you would drop a ton each week in the past.

How I deal with it is reduced the things I "collect"

Here was my list from just a few years ago..
Comics (about 22 titles)
Magic (usually 4-6 booster boxes)
Game workshop (about every release)
Heroclix (bought a case; then plus random boosters)
Ton of RPGs (buy random systems that caught my eye)
Star Wars RPG and X-Wing Miniature game (about all releases)
Dungeons and Dragons books and Miniatures (about every release)
Game Magazines (had subscriptions to a ton of them and bought off the shelf)

Having no money and one good thing is many games or comics went in a direction I didn't care for making it easier to drop..

So now...
No comics.. I don't even try to look.. maybe once a year I will pick up a compilation of a series but no weekly comics.
No Magic.. Went cold turkey..sold off all my cards and got caught up on bills.. no regrets..
Limited Games Workshop - They killed off the Old World and went to Age of Sigmar.. Fantasy was my favorite game but AoS I didn't care for.
I went cold turkey again on Eighth Edition and tried to keep away from the shops. Kill team has drug me back a little to 40k.. but I am watching myself
Very Limited Heroclix- I will buy random singles second hand and no longer buy boosters, don't really play the game anymore but some sculpts I still like
and not ready to change scale with the new Asmodee marvel game.
No Random RPGs - Staying out of game stores keeps my urges down from buy the random RPG just to read the system. One thing I do enjoy is to read how people
solve a different way of dealing with the odds of success in a game.
Very Limited Star Wars RPG and X-Wing - Lucky for me I don't have to buy anything new and don't care for the new releases. So after getting the upgrade packs I was able to
shut down most spending to only a few random books or figures because I got about everything I need.
Limited Dungeons and Dragons books and Miniatures - Again have a good collection of stuff so don't need anything new but a few things; I don't need a sixth owlbear so I don't buy it.
No Game Magazines - Lucky for me the industry moved away from monthly publications with very few game magazine surviving. So nothing to pick up..

I am also a game hoarder but having no money helps slow it down and sometimes reduce the pile. Keeping off of Kickstarter is another way besides not going to the FLGS every week.
I did start with Warmahordes a little here and there but when I started looking at getting back in PP released the new edition and it destroyed the interest of the players at the store.

So what I can say is buy what you can use.. its more about playing the actual game than having all the components to the game

I just have to keep iron discipline. Although knowing I don’t want to paint anything that can’t be used for 40k helps massively. I have 40k, Kill Team and BSF. I was going to try and keep up with all KT and BSF releases, but there were too many for KT and the latest BSF has bs pricing. I kind of want Warcry and Aeronautica Imperialis, but realistically I know I won’t play them. I quite like the idea of an AoS army, but my painting queue is too long, and I dare not look at other manufacturers as I can’t keep up with GW’s releases alone.

What is this syndrome you speak of?

More games means more winning.

Hot Wheels winning - Gaslands
Medieval winning - ASOIAF
Naval battles winning - Cruel Seas
Space combat winning - x wing
kaiju - Monsterpocalypse
Western winning - Malifaux
Space opera - Dr Who
Comics - DC
Cheesecake winning - Infinity
I am not your father - Legion
Robut winning - Battletech
Allies winning - Flames of War
Dinosaur winning - Warcry

So much winning!

Not something I’m dealing with as I have restricted myself. I stick to Warhammer Fantasy and current 40k. I did buy the kill team rulebook but haven’t gotten to it yet, not too worried about it as I plan to just use my 40k minis anyway. I also got 6th edition fantasy rulebook and some army books for armies I already have but again not too worried about starting right away.

I would love to get into x wing and legion but I still have a sizable pile of shame to get through before I can move away from Warhammer.

I have forced myself to only purchase AdMech units now, and the occasional other stand alone unit e.g. assassins for 40k, despite wanting to start other armies.

I have a necromunda gang, many different kill teams, chaos marines/demons, Imperial knights etc. the only things I might get at some point would be a second gang & the updated rules/gang books for necromunda, then I can offer one to a friend to use on a temp basis to drag them in...

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

How are you dealing with the "Too Many Games" syndrome?

Poorly.

You stole my line...

I forcibly restrict myself to only 2 games. AoS and 9th Age....ill admit its hard. I just got back from my local game store amd they were selling the A Song of Ice amd Fire starter for 50% off.

took a lot of restraint let me tell you.

It’s tricky, but I’ve taken a combination of eBaying old projects and hard choices to keep myself in control. Specialist games from GW are going to be a real killer. I’m deep in with all three and Aeronautica is appearing on the horizon. Plus I have a bunch of 30k wants. And that’s just GW. It doesn’t include other games like Oldhammer, Warlords of Erehwon, Darklands, etc. So what I’ve done is keep a running ‘wants’ and allowed list. I stick to those lists. Though I have once fell for the hype in Blackstone, regretted it and made 80% of my money back on eBay. Not my proudest moment, but it will help me harden my resolve for the next hype cloud.

Haven't had a problem with this in quite a few years. Don't have the time, but don't see much of real interest (or lasting interest) either.

Warcry looks somewhat interesting for a bit, but doesn't have much of a range or need for expansion so its more a one and done deal.

Killteam managed to avoid me by being sold out for most of a year and the new starter looks... uninspired.

The reboot of Bommerz over da Sulphur River looks like a surefire dud, Necromunda reboot was an active disaster, and privateer press immolated itself already. Malifaux never managed to sell me on setting or mechanics, and the smaller fly by night companies never attracted my attention.

This is my very recent decision: I'm going to start limiting myself to just Monsterpocalypse, and if it works out, Warcry (still waiting on my order). I still want to build and paint miniatures, but maybe having a dozen boxes of unbuilt figures means I'm not spending my time or money wisely. I'm not getting rid of any of my things, just not adding to them.

I think I'll still buy Frostgrave and Necromunda books too, because those are fun to read and really inspiring, even if I rarely get around to playing the games. I might be a rare breed that enjoys game rulebooks more than playing though.

I was planning to jump on Legion with the Clone Wars core and considering Crisis Protocol, but after (recently) being called a racist for saying Black Panther sucked, I'm really pissed at the environment Disney's marketing has built around its various brands. It is creating a very unpleasant landscape. Makes it a real easy to say no to these games, despite being a lifelong fan of both IPs.

Using models for more than one game models from Zombicide Black Plague have appeared in games of Kings of War, Warlords of Erewhon and Frostgrave I now pick up things for more than one use. I'm itcing to use my Joan of Arc dragon versus a Flames of War army for example.....

This may be a little bizarre, but: painted miniatures and full terrain/tables. Having been wargaming for 25+ years, I've reached the point where I am well past the playing "just to play at any cost" mentality. If I'm going to play a game, I'm going to have the following:

1) Appropriate books, dice, tools, etc.
2) Fully assembled and painted miniatures.
3) Full assembled and painted terrain, themed for the game, etc.

Wargaming is not just a fad for me, or something I dabble in. It's one of my primary hobbies/passions. I dedicate time and attention, and a reasonable chunk of money into it.

Why am I bringing this up for this discussion? Because by sticking to the above it helps discipline me. While I have some great board games, and a small Star Wars: Armada collection, generally speaking if I'm going to get into a wargame it means: lots of time, work, energy, and money. If I see a new game or a new faction, or a new line of models...I don't see it as "Well I can just grab those, slap them together quickly and put them on the table". Nope. It means dozens if not hundreds of hours painting, building a complete table worth of terrain, etc.

This discipline actually helps save me money and wasted time on "spur of the moment" wargames projects. I still give in maybe once every couple of years and think I'm going to start something new, but then realize (luckily before I open the packages) that I've changed my mind. In this, I also limit myself. I don't open something unless I'm going to build and paint it. So if I buy something and it's in the stash...it stays there, often sealed until I'm actually going to put it together. Again, this saves me money if I bail out on a project while in the early days of starting it. It's effective damage control.

All of this was helped by me spending a year or two selling peoples stuff for commission on eBay, etc. I paid out over $10K to local players who had me sell collections of models in various states of build, paint, and disrepair. It showcased for me immediately how much money you just throw into the fire by half-ass building, half-ass painting, or half-ass collecting. I'm not a particularly miserly person, but it was shocking seeing all of the lost value because someone bought $1,000 worth of stuff in a panic....then sold it for $500 a few months later on eBay.

Whenever I look at a game I think: is this worth hundreds of hours of painting and dedication, and hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the long term? As such I really only have three large projects at the moment, and a couple of smaller (yet, still complete) projects. Everything else is readily ignored.

If I'm going to take up a new game, I have to decide whether

a) do I want to play it more than another game I currently play?
b) can I afford to buy enough to demo, and am I prepared enough to prep the models for play?
If b doesn't apply then
c) am I convinced enough of the games playability and longevity that I won't feel guilty encouraging other people to spend time and money on the game?
d) if it doesn't take off, am I content enough with the quality of the models that I'll be happy to have them as part of my collection?

Surprisingly few games make it through that little test.

For us its not playing the games but the preparation for them. Models, learning rules etc - its more work than fun in the beginning.

If a game is demanding in time, then limit it for when you do have the time, and play the smaller scale games inbetween. This is easy with Warhammer; play the skirmish versions(eg Kill Team) more often and save the big battles for a special occasion.

Currently playing

Guild Ball
Gaslands
Warmahordes

also have a sizable pile of 40k Eldar and X-Wing ships which really should go the way of the ebay

My yardstick for any new games is, will I get to play it ?

My local club is on the small side and everyone (myself included) usually sticks to one or two known qualities so its fairly easy to resist hype-trains

. Simply not playing.

the majority of my miniatures are associated with an rpg as well, so they all do double duty


RPG associated:
Confrontation
AT-43
CoI
MESBG
AOS/Warhammer/Underworlds/Warcry (these are pretty much all the same thing)
Mutant Chronicles

Non-RPG associated:
Chronopia
WoK

After I sold off most of my stuff to emigrate, I've kept it tight.

KoW, LotR, WH Underworlds, Kingdom Death. I have Batman, Darklands (if it gets a playable ruleset) and Freebooter's Fate hanging around in the background as well, but that's it.

The only 40k or Fantasy model I still have is my Brass Scorpion, and I do occasionally get tempted with trying to figure out how to do a Khorne DarkMech army with that, Kytans, Slaughterers etc.

Easy... By sticking to one game. Warhammer 40,000.

It’s got a lot easier once GW started pricing themselves out of my budget with there relentless churn of mediocre rule sets and ltd edition box sets.

Titanicus is the only GW game I’m currently actively collecting and playing.

By playing many games? I have models for probably a dozen or so games, and even though some of those only get to see the light of day once or twice a year, that's fine. Those are the games I've invested less time and money in. Guild ball and Malifaux are my main two and i try to get a game of at least one of them every week. The other stuff is more of an ad hoc arrangement, when the stars align.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

How are you dealing with the "Too Many Games" syndrome?

Poorly.

That says it all - I have dozens of games and thousands of models.....and little time to play :(

Too many GW games are too similar for me to stay involved with. Between 40k, Kill Team, Necromunda and AoS:
How does Cover work in this one?
What is the turn sequence?
When does run/advance, or charge, happen?

I'm getting too old for all of this, but the club's gamers all have their own preferences.

I mostly focus on a single faction at a time. I may want more, but unless I'm getting in multiple games a week, I'm just not going to actually get around to playing more. If I get a faction totally complete (or at least, everything I want) I'll move on to another, but I try to avoid getting too many factions first and foremost.

SeanDrake wrote:
It’s got a lot easier once GW started pricing themselves out of my budget with there relentless churn of mediocre rule sets and ltd edition box sets.

Titanicus is the only GW game I’m currently actively collecting and playing.

Same here. For GW, I go with Titanicus and LotR. I also picked up BSF because the models are sweet, good variety.

Other than that, it's Battletech and stuff from Warlord Games.

 weasel_beef 778677 wrote:

SeanDrake wrote:
It’s got a lot easier once GW started pricing themselves out of my budget with there relentless churn of mediocre rule sets and ltd edition box sets.

Titanicus is the only GW game I’m currently actively collecting and playing.

Same here. For GW, I go with Titanicus and LotR. I also picked up BSF because the models are sweet, good variety.

Other than that, it's Battletech and stuff from Warlord Games.

I have wanted to get into Battletech for over 25yrs but never could get any local players or look past the God awful minature. I have found as I approach my middle years that I like as few minatures as possible in my minature games, as such I am also enjoying Cruel Seas and Infinity.