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If pushed, how would you classify yourself within this hobby? What label would you apply to your category? If you’re in that category, what other categories of tabletop war gaming hobbyist are out there and how do you label them?

For full disclosure, I ask because I am setting up shop within our specific hobby industry and want to be able to provide my copywriter with some insight into the different types of categorisations of hobbyists there are out there without applying my own biases into the mix.

Without giving too many examples away — I hope it is clear what I am angling at already — hobbyists such as those that only want to model, customise and paint but not play the games, to the extreme opposite of hobbyists that lack any desire to paint their own models but are die hard gamers. Those that read the backstory and want to immerse their army in historical reference or lore, opposed to those that just want to engage with the gaming mechanics. And I know there are a whole heap of different types of gaming system providers, genres and types of gameplay that may shape or define the type of tabletop war gamer that you are.

I am looking forward to hearing all your answers.

 immersive_world_crafter wrote:
If pushed, how would you classify yourself within this hobby? What label would you apply to your category? If you’re in that category, what other categories of tabletop war gaming hobbyist are out there and how do you label them?

For full disclosure, I ask because I am setting up shop within our specific hobby industry and want to be able to provide my copywriter with some insight into the different types of categorisations of hobbyists there are out there without applying my own biases into the mix.

Without giving too many examples away — I hope it is clear what I am angling at already — hobbyists such as those that only want to model, customise and paint but not play the games, to the extreme opposite of hobbyists that lack any desire to paint their own models but are die hard gamers. Those that read the backstory and want to immerse their army in historical reference or lore, opposed to those that just want to engage with the gaming mechanics. And I know there are a whole heap of different types of gaming system providers, genres and types of gameplay that may shape or define the type of tabletop war gamer that you are.

I am looking forward to hearing all your answers.

The standard answer will be the one GW always uses. There are generally considered to be four "pillars" of this sort of hobby. I tend to add a fifth, which is the "fluff bunny". These are people who love the background lore associated with games.

1. Collectors
2. Assemblers
3. Painter
4. Players

Collectors frequently buy games and model kits just to own them. They frequently have a ton of unopened stuff at home. Assemblers love building kits. The might also love conversions and scratch built terrain. The guy who buys a Gundam model and converts it into a Tau Titan is an assembler. Painters paint and players play.

Most people fit into more than one of these buckets, but are stronger in one than the others. I tend to be a collector for certain games (mostly card games... gotta love a good play set). For table top games, I love converting and painting, but I rarely actually play.

I consider myself a Garage Gamer. My primary enjoyment of the hobby is as a social engagement with my friends. We play to win, and the prize is bragging rights. We prefer tight, balanced games, or multiplayer games where imbalance (Magic, for example) is balanced by the free-for-all mechanics allow weaker decks to hang up on stronger decks.

I personally enjoy playing WYSIWYG, but my friends don't care much about that. I've started playing WMH at a FLGS, so wysiwyg is generally expected with one or two things being subbed. More, and you'd want to ask your opponent nicely.

I generally find painting tedious, but enjoy the result. I used to really enjoy building models, but these days a press-fit model from PP saves assembly time. I still like the way they look, and Was surprised by how little I care about unique models once I played with them. Might have something to do with painting 100 Dudes with lasguns over the years. Head right, left, straight. Torso left, right, straight. Mix up the order of legs. Combinations thereof. Weapon straight, down, up. Shoot the Flyrant, kid. Goof job. Everyone unique. Gets thrown in the bin by the handful anyway.

I still love scratch building terrain.

It's kind of a hard thing to quantify in a standard way, as Kriswall points out most people aren't exclusive one "type" of hobbyist.

For myself, the first and most important thing is lore/background/setting/fluff whatever you want to call it. If I don't care about the world, I'm not going to spend money and time on it. After that is modelling - once I'm into a setting, I love pottering around with bitz and putty trying to realise chunks of it in miniature form, and it's rare I'll build anything totally stock. Gaming and painting both come in a tie for me - I like the end result of both, but sometimes find the *process* of it tedious or annoying and try to minimise the effort involved(in gaming, by largely sticking with skirmish-scale systems, in painting by pursuing techniques with the most efficient effort:result ratio). I'm not a collector in any real sense. I'll occasionally buy "collectible" models because I prefer them to alternatives, and I do have a "pile of shame" like everyone, but I never buy anything *just* to own it, it's always for a project I was actively working on at the time.

I'm an enthusiast. I like to build and paint the models, and I like to play certain editions of each game. Past that, I'm not to fanboy level, as I've already bailed on staying current with the rules. Even for my Crimson Fists, which are my mainstay army.

doktor_g = Super Genius.

Assembler.

Most of the joy for me is in the building of stuff.

I paint because I WILL NOT play with unpainted models.
I'm not on the obsessive end of "collector" (there are large gaps in my collection that would give most "collectors" conniptions of OCD).

Gaming is the bonus, not a reason to own the stuff.

Casual gamer. I mostly collect the kits because I use to love building models when I grew up, and I occasionally throw a game together. I absolutely abhor tournaments and tend feel like they hurt games far more than they help (via burnout and TFG's).

I feel I fall into all of the categories pretty much equally.

Probably more builder/painter tho.

I collect other stuff but not gaming related (classic star wars toys, hot wheels and movie memorabilia).

But I will not play without fully painted models.

If I were to give myself a label or a box to fit into, I think it would have to be Collector, but with a large dash of Painter and a smidgeon of Player. Assembly of models I find irritating and fiddly, so I tend to prefer models that require little or no assembly - such as one-piece metal casts (like they all used to be back in the old days!), and avoid too many large plastic kits for vehicles etc. unless they are in resin.

I'm also finding I have less and less patience in learning new or revised rulesets (I have stuff for many, many different games and can't be bothered to go too "deep" into any single one of them and I find reading about rules mechanics pretty boring), and that the fun I get out of actually playing a game (as opposed to planning and preparing for it) is reducing as I get older and lazier. That said, I won't get into a project of collecting and painting if there is no realistic prospect of it ever being used on the table at some point.

I think the most enjoyment I get is seeing a new supplement for a game I enjoy and understand being published (preferably one with a new twist on an old theme which allows me to explore a new aspect of a previously familiar area such as getting into the Home Guard/LDV for Operation Sea Lion for Bolt Action), acquiring it, collecting and painting the models and scenery for it, and then seeing it all on the table as we play our first game. By the time we have gone through a game or two I inevitably have got bored, the models will be in a box in the man-cave and I will be preparing for the next project!

Complex animals ain't we?! :-D

Sociopathic Destroyer of Newbie Players



and Assembler / Painter

 Rolsheen wrote:
Sociopathic Destroyer of Newbie Players

I know a few of these people, you’re not alone!

Seriously, this is an interesting one because you do get gamers that will helpfully encourage newbies. Some of my favourite traits have been from those that won’t tell someone new how to play, but will allow them to run through their own tactic/move, and then explain to them afterwards how they could have maximised their effort, or taken a more suitable approach to better effect.

And then you get the “Sociopathic Destroyer of Newbie Players” — or anyone who is particularly “fluffy” versus your ultimate “cheese” fest. “All who line up against me on the battlefield will get crushed!”

Good angle Rolsheen

 immersive_world_crafter wrote:
If pushed, how would you classify yourself within this hobby? What label would you apply to your category? If you’re in that category, what other categories of tabletop war gaming hobbyist are out there and how do you label them?

Casual gamer and hobbyist with too much free-time to Dakka Dakka.

 Kriswall wrote:

The standard answer will be the one GW always uses. There are generally considered to be four "pillars" of this sort of hobby. I tend to add a fifth, which is the "fluff bunny". These are people who love the background lore associated with games.

1. Collectors
2. Assemblers
3. Painter
4. Players

Collectors frequently buy games and model kits just to own them. They frequently have a ton of unopened stuff at home. Assemblers love building kits. The might also love conversions and scratch built terrain. The guy who buys a Gundam model and converts it into a Tau Titan is an assembler. Painters paint and players play.

Most people fit into more than one of these buckets, but are stronger in one than the others. I tend to be a collector for certain games (mostly card games... gotta love a good play set). For table top games, I love converting and painting, but I rarely actually play.

1. 3.
Meta-enthusiast.

 Kriswall wrote:


The standard answer will be the one GW always uses. There are generally considered to be four "pillars" of this sort of hobby. I tend to add a fifth, which is the "fluff bunny". These are people who love the background lore associated with games.

1. Collectors
2. Assemblers
3. Painter
4. Players

Collectors frequently buy games and model kits just to own them. They frequently have a ton of unopened stuff at home. Assemblers love building kits. The might also love conversions and scratch built terrain. The guy who buys a Gundam model and converts it into a Tau Titan is an assembler. Painters paint and players play.

Most people fit into more than one of these buckets, but are stronger in one than the others. I tend to be a collector for certain games (mostly card games... gotta love a good play set). For table top games, I love converting and painting, but I rarely actually play.

That does seem to be a fairly decent way of classifying yourself,

I guess at the moment i'm mainly a collector (so much stuff in boxes, but it's all stuff I like, I don't collect for the sake of having a full run of something), Assembler and Converter (i'm also into scale model kits and do the odd bit of sculpting from scratch although I prefer converting )

I quite enjoy painting but there's plenty of stuff I've either just built or built and started but not finished as I can't just do quick tabletop work it has to be as good as I can do at the time (although the new deathguard seem to be keeping my interest pretty well https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/734222.page)

Background is important and i'll happily buy stuff I know i'll never play if it's got interesting stuff to read associated with it (and its one of the reasons forums are so fun)

As for playing it's a rare event at the moment (pretty much all the folk I used to game with have moved away or moved on) but I enjoy it when it happens, and wargaming has got to compete with boardgames and pen & paper roleplaying games too

 jeff white wrote:

1. 3.
Meta-enthusiast.

Interesting Jeff White, can you elaborate further?

Story teller.

DIY gamer.....

 Easy E wrote:
DIY gamer.....

Same here!

All of the above???

I tend to meet people who fit in 4 primary categories:

1) All of the hobby (like myself). I know a few that have a multitude of reasons to be in the hobby, not just one or two.

2) It has to look good. There is a variety of reasons but these are the folk who build and paint so all need the same supplies:
2a) Fluff: it has to look good and fit the "intent", to re-create the moment described in some given document. I have seen few fluff gamers actually play with bare plastic never-mind unpainted.
2b) The builder: not much different than the classic model builder. You make the stuff but do not play. It seems a bit rare to me to come across those who only assemble and leave it at that.
2c) The artist: You know who they are. Trained artists who live for that insane paint job. The Golden Demon winners in waiting. The model is the canvas. I respectfully hate them.

3) Hobby-wise, the below 3 are pretty much the same where they are into the hobby for the game, all else is depending on their esthetics:
3a)The strategist: if he could use pre-built / painted models or bare plastic he is good with that (probably played with cardboard chits in other games). They like the challenge and a good close scrap. Usually makes a reasonable attempt at WYSIWYG (assembled models).
3b) The "casual" gamer, it is about the beer, the pretzels, the socializing. I usually see these folk amass a variety of used models bought off ebay: it gets the job done. Models a bit worn, a bit abused but have character, level of build is usually equal to the group in the area.
3c) The ego dude: "To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.". Sometimes there are those where a win is the primary goal and the rest is details. Far more likely to field unassembled or broken models.

4) They buy the stuff. Some people are hoarders and seem to like the idea they have something. Maybe turn around and sell it at some point. Same genetic heritage as stamp collectors and coin collectors. These guys are harder to know about them since it is rather non-participative. I suppose anything labelled "limited edition" would be the most appealing to them.

I am a rapidly diminishing consciousness cruelly imprisoned within a sack of rotting, genetically flawed meat.

One of the things I do to distract myself from that is pushing anthropomorphized pieces of plastic around on a table surface while rolling dice and making "pew pew" noises.

I play toy soldiers.

I read, buy, build, assemble/convert, paint, play, keep.

I am all four to varying degrees.

Cheers,

CB

Probably somewhere in the player/assembler. Love building, dislike painting. My partner and I both play, but both also have jobs that don't leave a lot of time for the collecting side of things.

Fluff and assembly are the only two aspects I care about, with maybe a touch of collector/toy enthusiast.

I've bought most of the WHF and WH40k codices, novels and RPG supplements strictly for the background and flavor text. When I buy into a new game, the fluff is typically the only thing I read (although I was surprised at Mantic's Mars Attacks rule book, where even the rules went down smooth). I've got three books of Frostgrave fiction and none of their rule books, for example.

I love assembling and converting miniatures. I haven't played a game of 40k ever that wasn't out of the 4th or 5th Ed. starter sets, but I continue to buy and convert minis for my armies. I buy all kinds of weird kits for converting spaceships or robotic drones. Sometimes I'll be inspired to convert minis to match my imagination when reading or watching popular science fiction, because that's what inspires me.

Some minis just look so good I want to own them, hold them, and play with them write fluff for them, even with no conversions. They spark my imagination. This is the real reason why I'll buy certain boardgame minis or Reaper Bones.

Painting is something I derive very little pleasure from. When I used to assemble models as a wee lad with my dad, we never painted anything and I still don't see a reason to except to make other people stop complaining. When my wife or son want to paint, I finally give in, metaphorically lying back and thinking of England.

Gaming. It's 100% about socializing for me. I would never play a game with someone I wouldn't want to have a conversation with...and most gaming sessions tend to wind down into hanging out and chatting anyway.

Hobby ADHD guy

Buying too much on impulse.

not finishing previous kits fast enough.

getting better though. took 10 years but finally got one fully finished army.

 Skinflint Games wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
DIY gamer.....

Same here!

Does that make us "Punk" gamers?

Hi, my name is Oni. I identify as a cheeseburger? I like long walks on the sandy beaches of Mars and immerse myself in all aspects of Warhammer 40,000.

I like converting and painting themed armies, still haven't played a game since 5th.

- Painter/Converter

I like to make things pretty/cool. If I can make the model even better by converting it I'm interested. While I have no interest in ever playing I do enjoy reading good fluff.