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I was looking at a dead game the other day (Robotech Tactics) and was thinking of buying some models, just because I like them, not because I can use them for anything.

I've had the same urge to buy a couple Horus Heresy models that I know I will never play with, but love the look of.

Does anyone else buy models that they know they'll never play with?

I also grabbed a box of Robotech Tactics that was on a massive discount a few years ago for the minis.

I have the leatherbound Hackmaster 5e books (PHB, DMG, and Haclopedia of Beasts) even though I knew I would never get to play it.

I did the Kickstarter for Myth from the people who made Mercs as well as the Mercs spin off board game where you are breaking into offices for corporate espionage purposes primarily for the minis. The floor tiles for both work well in TTRPGs as well, but the games themselves get no play.

I did the Epic Warpath Kickstarter even though no one within 200 miles of me plays any Mantic games.

There might be a healthy dollop of self delusion, but I like to think that all the minis I buy might someday see the table.

Practically I know many will not. But the potential has to be there. I’ve got grand visions of armies, and a limited budget. Not a lot of flex for pure painting projects.

I always have some justification of potential use for my purchases.

Often it's not the game they were intended for and some never make it to the table, but in almost every case, at the moment of purchase there was an intended use.

Playing allot of minis agnostic games gives you lots of uses for random minis that catch your eye. Assuming you ever get them painted...

Yes, I've backed CMON before. Why do you ask?

Also, Massive Darkness was the BEST set of miniatures I purchased. Orc and goblins had:
* Melee units
* Ranged units
* Elite / Boss units
* Shaman units

Have yet to find a use for the evil angry dwarves, though!

I almost exclusively buy miniatures for games I’ll never play. I like to assemble and convert minis, and I also don’t particularly care whether I game or not.

I've definitely bought minis for games that I'm unlikely to play (but hope that I will someday). These include, but are not necessarily limited to:
Guild Ball: I got the starter set for this game as a freebie in my Adepticon 2018 swag bag, and I fell in love with the idea of the game and the somewhat comical look of the models. The starter includes the Masons' Guild and the Brewers' Guild, and their models are all just so full of character. I since bought three additional teams (Blacksmiths, Farmers, and Ratcatchers) despite at the time knowing that the game was basically dead at that point (hence why I got the teams cheap). I've heard somewhere that the game might be getting revived (or already has been), so maybe my teams will get some time on the pitch at some point.
Godtear: In the last couple of years, I've picked up both of the two starter sets and a couple of additional teams (each team has a hero and their minions), despite the fact that the local scene for the game is nonexistent. Again, I love the idea of the game, and the miniatures are truly awesome looking.
Kings of War: I have a couple of smallish armies for this game (Ogres and Empire of Dust), but I picked those up before GW released Warhammer: The Old World. Thing is, we used to have a thriving KoW scene here, but the COVID-19 pandemic kind of killed it and it hasn't really returned as far as I know. And now the only square based game I see anyone playing is The Old World (myself included). Kind of a shame too, the Mantic minis I have for my two armies are really nice.
Rail Raiders Infinite: This game is really really terrible, according to reviews, but I mainly picked it up because it was on sale at Miniature Market and I liked the idea of painting some chibi minis.
Clash of Steel: A tank combat game that uses some of the same miniatures as Flames of War, and it's set in an alternative post-WWII reality where the cold war heats up immediately. I didn't technically directly purchase anything for the game, but I did end up with both starter boxes (American vs. Soviet and German vs. British); one I got from a raffle at a Warhammer tournament, the other was given to me by a friend who had gotten it as a freebie somewhere and he didn't really want it. I like the little tank models, but realistically I doubt if I'll ever get to play the game.
Infinity: I bought a starter set and its related expansion some years ago, so I have a full force of two different factions (Yu Jing and Haqqislam). We used to have a good Infinity scene locally, but I think it might have also dried up due to the pandemic, but honestly it might still be going. I'm not sure I'll ever get a chance to play though.

For some of these the issue is "So many games, so little time!" I have the same problem with video games; my Steam library is full of games that I haven't even touched, and I've got PS3 and PS4 games that are still in their shrink wrap that I just haven't had time to start playing. I've been so busy painting and playing the various Warhammer games that I just haven't had time to devote to some of these other little side projects. Yet I keep on getting them. I kind of want to get even more Godtear stuff in particular, and I want to see if anyone in my local gaming group might be interested in playing it. Ditto with Guild Ball. But I'm not sure if I'll ever have the time.

As a matter of fact...

I do play Warmachine and am selling off old armies I cannot get to and aim to be left with Old trolls, old grymkin and new Dusk. So far sold off convergence, menoth, circle, skorne and aim to sell old Cygnar as well.

Warhammer Underworlds.
Have pretty much everything since release, but no-one in my town of 200,000 people play it as far as I can tell.
I primarily buy it for the models

New Heroquest - again have the lot, just never opened any of it.

Necromunda - have all GW releases (minus terrain) and alot of forgeworld models but again, no one plays locally. There were several but they all moved away.


Marvel Crisis Protocol. Have every model and love it, only played a handful of games as again, no one plays it locally.

Doing up 40K tyranid and Praetorian IG armies but no idea if I will ever play a game with them, more nostalgia than anything else.

I have a mass of 54mm Inquisitor that I am working my way through assembling and painting. Have not played for 23 or so years.

I gave all my start wars x-wing models to my son and am aiming at selling off all my armada models (never played a game of armada and have 40+ ships)

Also WTOW, I am only filling out models for my O&G army and do occasionally play, but not in 6 months.

Have 4 giant boxes of heresy resin including a thunderhawk and no idea if I will even open the bags, although some are painted BA style. Bought the 2.0 box and sits unopened on a shelf.

Yes.
In fact I added about a dozen more this past weekend while at GenCon.
Mostly fantasy based stuff. Might get used someday in a D&D game or something.
Sometimes I can find a WHFB/AoS/40k use for some of them (I've never been married to using only GW minis for GW games).
One of them? A chibi style 40k dreadnought? Is going to become a Christmas tree ornament.

Yes. Well. Kinda. Ish.

Not so much for games I might never play as I mostly stick to GW. But I have been known to buy the odd kit for an army I don’t play. Usually big centrepiece stuff. Like the Terracota Sentinel for Cathay which is just by my left foot right now,

I always have the intent to game with stuff I buy, though sometimes it is a long time before that happens. There is stuff I bought that now I think I will probably never play with though - mostly stuff in different scales that I'm pretty sure I won't be going near like Fantasy naval games. I'd have to buy more fleets in similar scales and a sea mat and all that and I don't see it happening.

Not really. Most of my motivation for painting comes from the expectations that finished models will hit the gaming table where they will be where they belong

I do, I have picked up a necromunda team and kill teams and I don't get to play either of those, despite plans to!

I also have a WHFB Skaven army that will eventually see play...

It all depends what the hobby is to you.

For some its building; for some painting; for some entering competitions; for others playing games; for others social.


There's no right answer and many times it won't be one thing, but a combination that will shift priorities over time.

So yes I 100% own many kits that are never for the gaming table, I enjoy putting model kits together. For me that's part of the hobby in itself. Gaming is a treat on top - mostly due to the fact that I've always been a long distance from stores/clubs

No, not anymore.

No, but I absolutely play games because of a cool model I want to buy. Sometimes more than once!

I knew I'd seen this thread recently: "Ever buy models for games you'll probably never play?"
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/815831.page
From February, by Lathe Biosas

No. If I buy it, I intend to paint it and play with it.

 Skinnereal wrote:
I knew I'd seen this thread recently: "Ever buy models for games you'll probably never play?"
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/815831.page
From February, by Lathe Biosas

Uh... Welll... Hmmm. There's a reason for this... and its...

Oh great Omnissiah, please bless me, your humble servant with a bs but plausible excuse using your most blessed of tools, the Holiest of Holies: The Internet.

In psychology and cognitive neuroscience, the phenomenon of re-posting a topic six months apart on a forum can be explained by mathematical models of memory and habit formation.

The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve suggests that memory retention decreases exponentially over time.

This can be modeled by the equation:R(t) = e^(-t/S)
where:

R(t) is the retention (how much is remembered) at time t.

t is the time since learning.

S is the memory strength, a measure of how well something was initially learned.After six months (approximately half a year), the retention of the topic would have significantly decreased according to the forgetting curve. The initial posting on the forum represents an initial exposure to the topic.

Over the intervening time, the memory trace associated with the topic decays. This decay can be seen as an exponential function, where the likelihood of recalling the specific details of the initial post decreases with time.

When the need or interest in the topic resurfaces after six months, the decayed memory trace might not be strong enough for the person to recall all the details of the previous post, according to ScienceDirect.com. This could be because the cues that triggered the initial posting are no longer as salient, or the context has shifted.

Mathematically, if \(P(t)\) represents the probability of recalling the previous post at time \(t\), and \(D\) is the memory trace decay rate (measured in inverse months), the probability of recalling the previous post can be represented as a decreasing function of time:\(P(t)=P_{0}*e^{-Dt}\)Here, \(P_{0}\) is the initial probability of recalling the post, which would be high immediately after posting. After 6 months, \(t=6\), and the probability of recalling the specific details of the previous post would be significantly lower, possibly below a threshold that inhibits re-posting.

Alternatively, the individual may not consciously remember having previously posted on the topic.

The act of re-posting could be seen as a new attempt to address a persistent query or area of interest that has re-emerged, unrelated to their prior engagement with the topic.The six-month interval could be interpreted as a point where the memory of the original post has decayed to a level below the threshold for conscious recall.

This can be further influenced by the strength of the initial memory encoding and the frequency of encountering related information during the intervening time.In the absence of other retrieval cues, the person might perceive the situation as a new instance of the query, prompting them to create a new post rather than retrieve or update the old one.

This is a simplified illustration. More complex models could provide a more precise explanation by incorporating factors like interference from other memories, changes in context, and individual differences in memory retention.

However, the core concept remains the same: memory strength decay over time can lead to the re-creation of previously forgotten actions or inquiries.

Yes! That's it.

Alternatively, the individual may not consciously remember having previously posted on the topic.

Thank you Omnissiah for your wise words.

Yeah, I'll double check my previous posts before posting "new ideas" from now on.

It was a good thread then, and is getting good comments now
It's better than necro'ing an old thread.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:


The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve

Yes, I did google to see if this was a real thing or you'd just made it up - sorry! (And yes it is real for anyone else sceptical and wondering)


In answer to the question, like I suspect a distinct majority of folks I don't really buy stuff that I know I won't play deliberately but I do buy a fair amount of stuff hoping that I'll play (that I never actually do).

I do get tempted by nice models for things I don't play purely as a painting project/display piece (the new Commander Farsight is a recent-ish example), but I have such a huge pile of shame as it is, I find I can resist that temptation quite easily (but in comparison usually fail to resist the temptation for this is a cool new game/army idea I should buy into...!).

That's called 'display models'. You buy them to paint up and show off because you like them. I've got quite a few.

Granted, nowhere near as many as I bought for game purposes (until SOMEONE blew up the game, grumble grumble...), but still a fair number.

I have a bunch of Skorne models that I have no intention of playing Warmachine/Hordes with.

Skorne models do make VERY good Githyanki for D&D however.

Adding to my earlier post listing all the stuff I have for systems I do not use.

I definitely changed from being a gamer to a hobbyist due to covid.

Pre-lockdowns all I did was in service to get models ready for games and squeeze out appearance points at tournaments and was focused on Warmachine and Necromunda.

The lockdowns shut the whole gaming scene down and whilst it is back I definitely love the painting/hobby side much more now.
I simply do not have the time to learn rules for multiple systems.
I love the models for the systems I buy.
My competitive side is now focused on 100km+ ultramarathon running which I took up mid lockdowns,

Hm, building army you absolutely have no chance to play with count? I building and painting, but my health post COVID don't allow me leave house for to long and I live in country side, so I just building army to build army.

I bought the ABC Warriors bundle when the board game launched, but not sure I will ever play the actual game. I just wanted those sweet, sweet robot minis

I buy a lot of minis for games I won’t play, but many are for games I will be playing with them.

Almost every model I have bought in the last... 5 years (?) has been purchased knowing that I will actively avoid social interaction.

So accepting the fact you’re buying things you’ll never actually play a game with id like to ask what do you actually do with them?
Store them somewhere?
I find myself in the same situation currently.
I don’t play but am still attracted to the hobby. I don’t want to buy anything because i say what the heck am i gonna do with it?

Short Answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Yeeeeeeesssssssssssssss.

I love playing wargames, but my free time as a mid-level manager/husband/father is dramatically limited.

So while I mostly collect miniatures now, I do hope to play again someday when time is less congested by the needs and demands of others.

I will also purchase a miniature here and there due to it striking some aesthetic I enjoy. Mostly Rackham-inspired stuff.

For the record in order of size of collection: Darklands, 30K, AOS, Necromunda (actually played a game about 4 months ago), 40K, Legends of Signum and Star Blazers.