Remember when people actually marked their territory with minis instead of just buying new ones?

Back in my early gaming days in college, I'd spend a whole weekend hand-painting a single mini and then actually use it every session for months. Now I see folks drop $60 on a new board game, play it once, and then just leave it on the shelf forever. Has anyone else noticed how much more disposable our hobby feels compared to 10 years ago?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.xena7d ago

And people act like I'm crazy for still using the same Ork Warboss I painted back in 2008. That mini has seen more battles than most new players have seen game nights. I swear half the "collectors" nowadays just buy stuff for the shelf dopamine hit and never even open the box. At this rate we're gonna need a separate "unplayed game museum" next to the actual hobby stores.

ryan_ellis7d ago

And @kim.xena is EXACTLY right about that shelf dopamine thing. I've got a buddy who has this massive wall of unopened Kickstarter boxes and he calls it his "retirement fund" which is just sad. The real VALUE comes from using the stuff you buy, putting those hours in, getting the paint chipped and the cards worn down. That 2008 Warboss has STORIES attached to it, every scratch and ding tells you something about a game night that actually mattered. Meanwhile these "collectors" are treating their minis like stock certificates, keeping them in pristine condition for some imaginary future buyer. It's like buying a guitar just to hang it on the wall and never learning a single chord.

terryf621d ago

Exactly, @ryan_ellis - that guitar on the wall is just a sad decoration without the calluses to match.