Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Countdown to Vimy – (less than) 5 weeks to go!

A bit late (again) but I was just finishing some stuff up...

The Plan for this past week was to:

#1 Finish The Canadians!



CHECK!

They’re done – and with that I have finished all the miniatures I was planning to use for the project. I haven’t even bothered to post individual pictures of each battalion. I probably won’t. But I finished off the last three battalions of the 6th Brigade and 3 machinegun teams and 4 mortar teams.



Just for giggles I thought I’d set out the entire Canadian Corps (so far… I don’t have the 10th Brigade done – as they did not take part in the action on the 9th as they were being held in reserve for an attack on “The Pimple” (as strong point just north of the ridge) the following day).

#2 Finalize Terrain Plans



Well, I did get the table cleared off and the existing terrain up on it…



And I did try to make a plan of it



And started trying to figure out how to tie it all in to the rest of the ridge.

But I can’t in all honesty say I have “finalized” any sort of plans. If I’m going ahead with this, I best get on with it!

If…

At this point, I have to be honest, I’m sick to death of this whole thing. For some time I’ve just been going through the motions of trying to get it all done and posting updates on this blog hoping somehow I might get excited at that prospect and it might rekindle some spark of enthusiasm.

On one hand I just want to throw in the towel and say “fü¢k it, it’s just not worth it anymore….” There are a hundred other things i'd rather be doing. But on the other hand I feel like I’ve put so much work into it and come so far, I should see it through, right?

Should….

Seriously, that’s the only thing keeping me going at this point – guilting myself into forward motion with “What the hell did you buy and cast and paint all those stupid figures for if you’re not going to finish it now, moron!?”

Maybe I just need to take a little break (a VERY LITTLE one – as time is running out!). I wish the weather was still like it was last week - I’d take the kids and go for a day-long bike ride and get some fresh air…


Alas the weather has taken a turn for the worse… we’ve has a few days of snow – and WIND – and the temperature has plummeted from +5°C into the -20s (°C).  

Maybe we'll just play a few more boardgames... 


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Vimy Terrain!

(or… maybe something completely different…). 

10 comments:

  1. Not to encourage procrastination, but hobbies are really about having fun. If it's feeling like drudgery, then maybe a shift in gears is in order. Would doing the Vimy campaign next year rather than this year be a terrible thing? Giving yourself a break for a while may well re-ignite your passion for pulling this off.

    Gordon

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    1. Thanks Gordon.

      I've considered that - doing it next year, or later this year, or just later in the month... the thing is it's the 100th anniversary of the battle on 9 April 2017. Seems like the time to do it. I also feel like if I don't get it done for then, I probably won't EVER get to doing it.

      There are a LOT of other not-so-hobby-ralated things I've been putting off (house repairs, etc). I've been promising Amanda that 9 April it will all be over and I'll be able to get on with all that. There are also so many other hobby things I've been holding at bay for a long time (other games I desperately want to play, other toys I desperately want to paint)...

      yeah, if it doesn't happen if four weeks, it's probably never going to.

      Delete
  2. Hey, you've painted a whole lotta lead, and that's quite an accomplishment in and of itself! Rest for a day or two to clear your mind, and then work on the terrain. Remember, you're not making a diorama, you're making something that's gameable--so it's OK to compromise.

    And maybe another incentive is to set a time and place for the event, and let all your gaming buddies know. Once you have other people interested, perhaps that will help you finish up. And you can certainly ask for help from your friends to get the last bit done.

    Good luck, and I hope you get to run your game!

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    1. You know, speaking of compromising, I was just thinking today that I don't have to do revetting in all the trenches like I did with the stuff I made for the Somme game in the fall. Looking at photos of the captured german trenches - they were pulverized by the barrage. In some accounts the advancing Canadians couldn't figure out if they'd made it to their objective because the trench they were to advance to could not be found... so maybe I need to make the German lines look a little more like they would have AFTER the barrage had passed...

      thanks!

      Delete
  3. Have some fun with the game making. You have a huge collection that you'll be able to use year over year. Blast through this one then refine it as time goes by. Seems like it would make an excellent Kriegsspiel. See it through.

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  4. Tim, your project is grand in scope and the finish line is nearly within your grasp. A tremendous undertaking but remember this is a hobby. Hobbies are meant for recreation (funny how "recreation" and "re-creation" both fit our hobby well!). If you are not having fun and the project is causing too much fretfulness, perhaps stepping off the gas is in order?

    If time and enthusiasm are limiting factors, from what I have seen crossing your blog, more than enough terrain and figures are in-hand to present a very spectacular looking game. Why not consider scaling back the game to a more manageable setting? Perhaps focus on a segment of the entire battle? It would still be awesome and you would not kill yourself in the process. Hang in there!

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  5. Good luck, what you have achieved is awesome so far, not everything has to be perfect, just good enough, you've done so much you may as well finish it really, can't you use what you have and just do the rest to a lower spec? It makes sense if you don't do it now you never will, but you've got to give yourself a break.
    Best Iain

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  6. It have been a great treat to follow you work on the project. Very inspiring. Very impressive. I cannot sat what you should do, myself I would try to hold onto the deadline, knowing that it is both a "Now over (probably) never" moment, and such a great feeling of accomplishment when it is all done. If not for the long distance (from Denmark to Canada) I would love to play in your game. I assume that more local gamers will have the possibility tomparticipate in a game that they will enjoy and remember fondly for years, appreciating all the effort you have put into it.

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  7. Tim, from the first time I met you all those years ago, this was your dream game! If you pursue your dream to run it on the 100th Anniversary I will certainly be there to partake & most likely get wiped out. I certainly encourage you to 'Press On'. You have certainly accomplished more than I will likely ever do. Just look at how long it takes me to do a core box of bloody zombies! However if real life requires a re-set, then it is totally understandable. Cheers buddy!

    ReplyDelete