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so i have too many ideas running through my head.
as soon as i say I'm going to work on X i see Y and change my mind.

any tips?
work on a little of everything?

 usernamesareannoying wrote:
so i have too many ideas running through my head.
as soon as i say I'm going to work on X i see Y and change my mind.

any tips?
work on a little of everything?

If you figure this out, tell me.

My only advice is slap some paint on your models, so you are forced to forge ahead.

☆☆

If you are a true masochist, you can always ask ChatGPT for advice on which army to play.

+1 to the "If you work it out tell me"


Personally I think one good approach is to sit down and do two things

1) Take noted stock of your current armies - write it down what armies you're collecting.

2) Take note of what you want to collect - again write it down.


Basically make two lists. Then start to add to list 1 the things you've got and the things you want (you can colour code, or do it by tables or whatever).

Then do the same for the armies you want to collect (you might have a few models but not a full army yet etc... so both lists of gots and wants).


From there just take a step back to review cause chances are you've written a LOT down. You might find that in doing so some of those dream armies appear to be really financially big investments to get them to where you want; you might find some turned out to be just a few models you wanted rather than really wanting to build a working army.

You might find that one or two are actually pretty niche projects and could be done quite easily here and there.

Your current armies might also show you that you've got a long way to go with them and that you really should focus on them; or maybe you find that really you're in a good spot and don't actually need all that much.



What you find is up to your situation, but by writing it down and facing it you put on paper and start to put structure to things.

I think structure is VERY important. Having a plan gives you potential to follow the plan; focus your attention and spending. It's much easier to avoid the new shiny thing if you know what your next bunch of current purchases are and if you've got a target and goal already in place.


If you don't have any plans its super easy to flit between and jump around different projects and dream armies because there's no structure to your hobby and spending.
There's nothing wrong in that, but if you're at the point where you're asking for help then its at a point where its worrying/bothering/annoying/concerning you and its time to take steps to remedy that.

When I build an actually new force it's usually for a specific Crusade/Escalation League/Path to Glory campaign.
And there has to be some quirk or hook or theme to make my force different than the next guys version of it.
It also helps that I've got a pretty solid idea of when the next League will start. So I can plan the building accordingly.

For example:

My current Armageddon Crusade force is Ad Mech.
I knew in late Sept the shop was (foolishly) looking to start this Nov 1st.
So I needed between 500pts - 1k ready to go by Nov 1st.
The theme I went with was "as many Servitors as I can field". Inspired by the fact that there is a named character servitor, X-101, out of Blackstone Fortress.
So the core of my force is X101, 3 Battleclades, 3 units of gun servitors. This is what sets MY AdMech apart from others - the high use of servitors vs other, more effective, units.
Now add other stuff to make the force combat effective/on theme....
They are the staff of a mining outpost in the Armageddon wastes. The other stuff added falls into 2 categories 1) things you might expect to see at a mining outpost (Duneriders to haul cargo, Termites to dig mine tunnels, maybe a ornathopter & landing pad & a few tech priests etc), 2) units to defend the outpost (a pair of Skatros snipers as look outs, several squads of Skitari, an Onager or two, and several units of Kastellan robots)


My current Escalation League force is Flesh Tearer CAPTAINS (and things for captains to ride in).
It's genesis lies in me scrolling through the SM roster & thinking "How many Captain sheets do SMs have?? You could almost make an army out of nothing but Captains..."
Turns out that YES, you CAN make a force of nothing but captains. If you go Blood Angles + Legends you can easily exceed 2k pts of nothing but.
And so the next Escalation force was locked in.
The only reason I have any transports in the list (2 Land Raiders & 1 Drop Pod) is that our Escalation Leagues run with the limitation of Rule of 2 (4 if Battleline/dedicated transport).
They're Flesh Tearers (using BA rules) simply because that's what I feel like painting up atm.
It's all captains because - A) The rules allow such silliness, B) I can. I've loads of spare Marines sitting unassembled in a box not getting used. All I really had to do was source a handful of power fists/plasma pistols/inferno pistols & some 40mm bases, C) I'm also not at all concerned with my W/L record. Like I said, because I can. See when you've got extra stuff & aren't worried about the W/L record you can do alot of things just for fun.

2026 projects are:
*Votaan - I've had the army box sitting on the shelf for a fair while now. It needs to see the table. So I'll build it, review the units that've come out since, & then decide how to expand it to about 3k woth of stuff.
This will just putter along in the background.
*Genesteeler Cult - this will be the summer Crusade force. So it'll get built out now - Easter

Put everything else away. Get the boxes for the army out and stack them up. Build until everything is done. Create a space for painting that army and only have the paints and so on you need for it. Base, prime and prep all the minis at once. And then just break it down into batches and keep going until it's all done. It'll be such a hassle to put it away and pull something else out you'll be more likely to work on the current project. I have more than a dozen painted armies and that is how I have done all of them. Any pick and mix approach always fails for me.

I don't. I do about 3 projects at once. I cycle through them one at a time. One batch for one army, another batch for my second project. Random D&D Bones mini I have in my pile as a pallet cleanser. Then I cycle back to my first project.

As an example, I just finished a Rat Ogre, now I'm painting a model for my Empire Army. As I'm waiting for the wash to dry, I base coated 5 Dark Elf Spearmen for my 3rd project.

Unless I'm trying to burn through a unit for a game I find this way is the best means of keeping me painting without getting bored.

 Commodus Leitdorf wrote:
I don't. I do about 3 projects at once. I cycle through them one at a time. One batch for one army, another batch for my second project. Random D&D Bones mini I have in my pile as a pallet cleanser. Then I cycle back to my first project.

As an example, I just finished a Rat Ogre, now I'm painting a model for my Empire Army. As I'm waiting for the wash to dry, I base coated 5 Dark Elf Spearmen for my 3rd project.

Unless I'm trying to burn through a unit for a game I find this way is the best means of keeping me painting without getting bored.

Fairly similar, and I spreadsheet it out with progress bars and gak

3 main projects I must work on
4 small palette cleansers I may work on, this list may only be repopulated when I finish a main project

I used to go by event deadlines. I'd usually have a summer event lined up, so I knew I had X time to get whatever I was adding to the army with the goal of never repeating the same list exactly each time.

Now I'm adrift on the wind as the Heresy events scene in my locale has been taken out back and shot by HH3.
To get anything, I have to venture down to the heathen lands of England, and that just isn't feasible with no car.

Busy yourself in the real world with a multitude of hobbies, sports, family and work.

I did that and managed to narrow myself to:
WTOW - O&G, occasion game, army from 7th and 8th editions WHFB.
Warmachine - Dusk (still have legacy trolls and Grymkin but have not played them for months) This is my primary game and has made up 90+% of gaming in the last year
Necromunda - I just buy everything plastic except GW terrain
40K - IG and Tyranids
AOS - bought, assembled and started painting Orruks and realised I hated the game and have not played in about 4 years.
Warhammer Underworlds - own everything but not played a game in >3 years as it is a dead game within 150km of where I live.
Marvel Crisis Protocol - Buy everything. Main painting focus
Inquisitor - Painting models, no playing


I still have 15+ armies from different systems going back to the late 80's/early 90s for WTOW and 40K but they sit in boxes under the stairs.

Just don't buy anything if it doesn't for main force or current second force till it completed. For example I have plan for next huge order this year which is ~ 2000pts IG and ~2500 nids. Even if I like something else, it's unlikely I order it. Also I'm in middle of the Eye of terror and delivery here costs me more then few kits them self. It's really reduce any unplanned purchases.

 kabaakaba wrote:
Just don't buy anything if it doesn't for main force or current second force till it completed. For example I have plan for next huge order this year which is ~ 2000pts IG and ~2500 nids. Even if I like something else, it's unlikely I order it. Also I'm in middle of the Eye of terror and delivery here costs me more then few kits them self. It's really reduce any unplanned purchases.

This.

For my, Planning my forces out or atleast the very core, batch buying them and then not starting another project until i am well finished with said project helps.
But then again i kinda got good at that

I’ve certainly started my share of side projects and diversions, but my key to “finishing” an army has been my enjoyment of playing on the tabletop. I stick with my selected faction or army until I have a painted force that I can play on the tabletop (generally 2K).

So I guess my gaming drives my hobbying.

To get an Army done....
Game more. Preferably schedule a campaign. If you're the competitive sort , sign up for a tournament.

Only game with painted models.

There's nothing like standards and a hard deadline for getting an army done.

As for which army, I can't help your there other than pick something that excites you

 usernamesareannoying wrote:
so i have too many ideas running through my head.
as soon as i say I'm going to work on X i see Y and change my mind.

any tips?
work on a little of everything?

The way to start can be 1 of 2 ways. either, or, (don't combine them, or you'll never finish an army.)

The First,
1 HQ, and 2 troops. plus, either a Fast attack, OR a Heavy Support.
get the army up and running, start it, work on it, complete it. Then you can move forward, or add to the army. In this pupa form, you take your time, read the book, enjoy the work for the week, then you can move on, or add more units as you play a game. It will take you a week to finish, and give you a furnishable project, as you read the book, learn what you want to add, and move forward and be done in a week.

The Second,
You buy the Codex, read it all, write up your total army list, buy it, build it, finish it. And done.
No more adding, no fooling around, get it all out of your system, and move on. THIS one is full on crash course, get the project done as fast as you can handle the heat.

You get to the table, and are combat ready on your time table, but it is done, you don't look back, and move on.

Hope that helps.

 Grot 6 wrote:

The Second,
You buy the Codex, read it all, write up your total army list, buy it, build it, finish it. And done.
No more adding, no fooling around, get it all out of your system, and move on. THIS one is full on crash course, get the project done as fast as you can handle the heat.

You get to the table, and are combat ready on your time table, but it is done, you don't look back, and move on.

Except that isn't usually how it plays out.
Sure. You buy & build your army all in one go. And then?

You keep revisiting it & adding a new unit/new character/etc in the coming months & years for assorted reasons.

My answer to this seems to be "enjoy painting".

If I have a few hobby things on my plate at the moment, sitting down to paint is almost invariably the one I do first.

You have to prioritize, then build a plan, and then work the plan. There is no magic bullet.

I have made many an army in my time from fantasy, to sci-fi, to historicals. No matter what project you start, there will be a "new shiny" that will come along before you finish it, a new idea that you have, or somethng similar. Ignore it and focus on what you have all ready started.

A half-finished army does no one any good. You can not play with it. You can not play against your fellows. You can not loan it out to someone else to use. It is like owning a car with no motor? Useless and just taking up space, collecting dust, degrading in value, and being a drain on you.

Let your mantra be: "An army is of no value until it is finished and playable."

I don't always focus on a single army for many reasons, so I'll cycle through my stuff and try to paint something exciting or with a purpose, like an upcoming game where I made a list that include something that is not painted. I'll paint that up as a priority.

Otherwise I can also follow the codex release cycle, when I know I got a codex coming soon I get hyped up and focus on that army if I can for a while and paint a few units. That's one way I can get a bigger focus on a single army, going out on a binge before release!

Another weird thing I do is that I use foam trays to store and transport my armies, and sometime I get a model or unit unpainted that is stored in the tray with only painted stuff, so I get that model/unit out and paint so the tray is "complete". A good thing until I decide to shuffle them around in their trays and switch models around

Gert has mentioned event deadlines above - thats a great one.

Depending on if you have a tight-knit gaming group, we focus on one project every 6-12 months and everyone works towards that as a sort of 'tale of gamers'. We have a shared chat where we share mini painting so you can try and control anyone who strays off target! We then get together and play, if its fun we extend, if not we move on to the next one usually with some sort of consensus of what everyone wants to do.

I do still 4378 unfinished projects in bits that would take me several lifetimes to complete, but that does help keep a bit of focus!

You shouldn't as far as collecting but should when painting to a finished stage by unit, otherwise your collection looks too rag tagged and worthless for showcasing and motivation to paint more.

You can see how I collect and showcase here: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/767743.page

It can also really depend on what you're painting and for what game. My primary game is WHFB, so I got to paint a lot of miniatures. Painting a whole unit of 30 guys can get pretty boring, which is why I'll batch paint 5 in a unit then move on to something else.

If I'm painting stuff for a D&D adventure, those are usually a bunch of different one off models so I can stick to that for awhile without getting bored. When I put together my Frostgrave warband I had a bunch of models from 5 different companies. Each was different so I was able to focus and get it all done.

Events help too. I haven't been to a tournament in awhile but the last one I did go to I had 3 months to get everything done. Sometimes a deadline can help you focus to get projects done too.

Basically everyones motivation is different, you just have to find what works for you.

I batch paint in groups of 10 to 60 models. I paint all exposed skin tones, then all their boots, then all their pants, then all their shirts, and then all their weapons, and then all their belts, etc. etc. etc. Until after a a weekend or two you have 10-60 models done.

I talk about in in some detail here:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/03/on-painting-desk-batching-anglo-saxons.html

 Easy E wrote:
I batch paint in groups of 10 to 60 models. I paint all exposed skin tones, then all their boots, then all their pants, then all their shirts, and then all their weapons, and then all their belts, etc. etc. etc. Until after a a weekend or two you have 10-60 models done.

I talk about in in some detail here:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2025/03/on-painting-desk-batching-anglo-saxons.html

That's good approach when you paint mass infantry for example. Do the same way. It's also nice to add some character/vehicle in meddle of tens. Allow to rest a bit from monotony and keep yourself focused

My max batch size is probably 40, but I do something similar. I just paint characters along with the rest, often in a little group of their own.

I don't find it that boring to be honest, I'm usually using that time to relax and decompress, and have an audiobook or something to listen to at the same time.

At the moment I don't get a lot of free time, maybe an hour at a time here or there, and I find smaller batches work better then because you can finish all of a couple of stages on a batch in one go in that time and it's more satisfying.

I've got a crazy amount of armies and games that I finally got a handle on in part due to the pandemic and in part by reworking how I went about them.

First and foremost is taking a realistic stock of what I can actually get through enjoyably. Recognizing how long it takes me to paint a box of models gives me the ability to estimate how much time that new army will take and appreciate whether or not I want to spend time on it. I can't stress enough, making sure purchase speed doesn't outpace painting speed is the only real solution.

From there, its important to focus on playing. Make a list, get that list built and put it on the table and play. Focus on getting that list painted (sometimes with a few extra options) and once you've got it done, play painted. The more you focus on table time, the less you feel the need to fill the non table time things you might maybe put on the table someday.

I had the evil robot Overlord (the good one, not the bad "everyone’s naked" one) to create a purchasing schedule/budget to keep my gaming spending in check.

Soon I will have 750 points to assemble and paint.

While I am painting the 750, I can buy up to 1000 points.

And things go in 250 point chunks from there.

How to contribute, but not actually help.

I used to be a Hobby Butterfly. And to some extent I still am.

Yet, I’ve huge amounts of painted LI and 28mm Heresy. And I did it by just focussing on them.

How did I do that? I…honestly don’t know. I just did. But I think my initial self-challenge from 2024, to do something Hobby every day helped. Could be building, painting or basing stuff (some days as little as a single model). But it all added up, even if you take out the odd Mammoth Session where I set an entire day off for a hobby frenzy.

It really escalated in a good way when I bought and assembled a pair of nice display cabinets. As soon as they were assembled, everything assembled, whether painted or not, went in. That served as a visual reminder of what was to be done, and a visual reward for what I had done.

It also provided some inspiration/encouragement. For instance? One shelf was for my 60 Tacticals. As I plowed through them, that shelf continued to look better and better, driving me to finish it off that little bit quicker, even if it was just adding five more models to that day’s tally (batch painting, mind).

And when that was done? I really wanted to make the Special and Heavy Weapon shelf look as good.

Now of course, I realise I’m somewhat thrice blessed here. 1. I’ve the time. No missus, no kids, no pets. 2. I’ve the space for sizable display cabinets. 3. I’ve the budget (more so now I’m mortgage and rent free).

But I would still say it began with Something, Anything, Every Single Day. It all soon adds up, and lets you rattle through your backlog. And the results can be addictive.

I’m back at it this year, and am on 9 day streak, with today being the 10th day. Yes, it’s working once again.

And I think this could work for most folk. Even if it’s a quick half hour? You’ll still end up closer to your goal than you started that day. So, even if you’re flitting between projects as a unit or item is completed? You can still keep those plates spinning.

Edited to add some kind of conclusion to my usual mental vomit.

Simply paint the entire thing in 2 days, you're not going to lose focus in 2 days are you?