Whelpslayer! (Talking Points Runner-Up)

So a close 2nd to General Smooth's winning article showcased in my Terrible Tuesday Bell of Lost Soul's post is this entry by Panzar.  He's writing a new blog called Whelpslayer, so check it out.

Before we get there... did any of you notice the opening pic?

That moment was from a game against the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) last weekend.  I thought my Brotherhood 1st and 10th was going to run away with the game, but it all seemed to turn when God provided all the intervention my esteemed opponent needed... 

Click the pic for a link to MM(esno)'s site! Without further ado... from Panzar: 

Here is my entry discussing appendix 2.

Apathy is something that, as human beings, affects us all from time to time (except for those internet supermen out there, you know who you are). It is in its simplest form, just a lack of motivation. As far as the hobby is concerned this can effect different aspects such as painting, building, gaming and mostly any other element you can think of. We all have our moments when we just want to zone out and not pay attention to that rising stack of unpainted models or when the call comes in to go down for a game but you just can't be bothered to leave your seat. Sometimes we are not even to blame for it, we all have lives to lead that normally take priority over our little plastic men, and rightly so! Sometimes a busy period work, family matters or even personal matters will interrupt the flow of our hobby.



We don't all have the same goals in life nor do we have them in our hobbies. Some of us want to be big power gamers while others just want to throw dice with friends over a beer. I've had it many a time and I'm not saying that I know everything about it nor am I saying that what applies to me will apply to you but for those who are interested read on, if not, no worries. It's only a game after all!



Now we could break this down and really go into the detailed human mentality and our penchant for apathy as human beings but, nobody really cares about that so here are some quick and easy tips that I recommend for getting yourself out of that rut.



1- Variety is the spice of life

Now this is a very general tip that can be applied to any aspect of the hobby. Trouble motivating yourself to paint? Try a new technique, get some different tools, and paint some different models/colours. Bored of your current force? Try something different or unorthodox. But make it something you've never played before. Proxy your Marine army as Blood Angels and watch em' tear across the board. In short mix it up! Try seeing your favourite aspect of the hobby from another angle.



2- Manage your time.

As much as we may wish it there are only 24 hours in a day and with our hectic modern day life sometimes it just does not seem enough. So plan ahead and try to stick to that plan. It’s not the end of the world if you don't keep to it every week but give it a go. Try and paint for 1 hour a day, it doesn't seem like much but if you keep it up it really adds up and models can get done pretty fast. Keep an evening free to go down to your FLGS for a game and make yourself go, even if it is just for a chat.



3- Set yourself a Goal

We all love a good project. My current baby is a Retribution of Scyrah army that I'm planning to gradually work my way through. When you take on a project, no matter how small, set yourself a goal! Whether it be to paint in stages, get something ready for a tournament or even get a certain amount of practice in before said tournament. Keep that goal in mind and reflect a bit on how to reach it. Remember that flow is achieved through the balance of arousal (not that kind) and control,
so get yourself riled up but keep a level head and that pre-heresy army you've wanted for ages will be done in no time!



4- Stay in the loop.

Now this can be very easy or very hard depending on your personality. Long story short try and do something to keep yourself in touch with the hobby even if you physically can't participate. This is as simple as ready BOLS every few days, popping into your FLGS for a chat or even giving your mate a call to talk about projects, events, new rules etc. This kind of thing keeps you immersed and keeps all your little goals and projects on the back burner in your mind.



5- Have fun!

We all have our reasons for having this hobby. Personally, the major reason for me is to have fun. It's what the majority of us are here for! Don't go down to talk politics or the state of the economy! Go down and hit your opponents army like the fist of an angry god, or if you're so inclined, paint a model that would make a blind man cry. Remember why you got into the hobby, allow yourself to get excited about something, doesn't matter what... just be you. Just as a reference, when I was young I used to get so excited whenever I got a new model and to this day I still feel that similar excitement. I bought a Khador Behemoth the other week and what do you think happened there...

I hope that this helps you guys. Getting over this kind of thing is something we all face now and again. But we have to look to ourselves to overcome this apathy. I don’t know, but if this helps you even a bit then my writing paid off and I'll be happy.



Hope you guys enjoyed, the uploaded images correspond to the 5 subjects. you can see it all in order on my page Whelpslayer.

Okay folks, check it out!