If we are honest, as die-hard wargamers we are all victims of consumption. We have our ready-to-play armies in the display case and there are usually more armies there than is good for us. And yet we keep thinking about whether we should buy a new one.
But there are also other wargamers, those who almost never finish a project. Those who start a new project every month, only to let it disappear into the depths of their hobby store. I would like to call them wargaming butterflies.
We all know the phenomenon of the so-called wargaming butterfly.
Everyone has one or two of these in their circle of friends or in their club. A die-hard wargamer in his prime who has already fought many battles with his grey or sparkling silver miniatures and is still always looking for new challenges. Often a new idea for a certain battle or era suddenly breaks through. No one knows exactly where it suddenly came from. Has our wargamer seen a film or an exciting documentary? Read an interesting article in a wargaming magazine (for example Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy) or in one of his countless history books? Or has he simply remembered something he heard in the club or from friends?
It doesn't really matter. The idea is there, firmly anchored and won't let go.
If we stick with the analogy of a butterfly, the life cycle of a new project now begins. The butterfly goes in search of more information about its new project, reads articles, watches lots of YouTube clips and very slowly an idea forms in its imagination. An idea of how a new army could take shape in the new era.
Of course, during his research he has already found out, quite casually, which of the common manufacturers offers the figures for his new project. He has put together armies in his shopping cart and thought about how he could justify the purchase to his better half.
He has finally made his choice. Now he has to spend some time planning the actual purchase. He needs to think carefully about which troops he really needs. Not every exotic unit will find its way onto his gaming table, but of course there is also the risk that this one exotic unit will be absolutely necessary later in the course of the project, so it might be better to add it to the final shopping cart.
After that is done, a moment of calm and reflection follows. The final amount under the order turned out to be a little higher than he thought. Doubts stir in the back of his mind and an unpleasant thought briefly flashes through his consciousness: will I ever manage to paint this?
But no, that is not the question, it is about a new project and new is always better. Otherwise, the many boxes of figures that are already piling up in the deep corners of his cupboards would have been painted long ago.
So, close your eyes and get on with it. The order has been sent and only the worst part of the new project begins: the waiting.
Waiting for the email that the order has been received, waiting for the email that it has been processed, and then, after what feels like an eternity, the long-awaited email that announces that the longed-for figures have been dispatched.
But no, the wait is not over yet. Now it is all up to the post office. How quickly can they deliver the package? They won't go on strike, will they? Or worse, lose the package. Every morning, he looks longingly out of the window. Will the parcel service deliver its package today? Is today the day?
But no, no package. This torture is almost unbearable for him. Should he perhaps be busy with something else, one of his old projects? No, absolutely not, now all his energy is focused on the new project, he must not allow himself to be distracted.
There. Did the doorbell just ring? He hears only silence; he listens for another ring. There, the doorbell rings again. So, the doorbell really did ring, now quickly, before the delivery man changes his mind and goes back to his car and leaves him without his package.
And really, finally, the inconspicuous package is finally there. Should he open it immediately, or enjoy the sight for a moment? Be aware of the joy that the figures will bring him in the next few hours, days, even weeks.
No matter, he has waited long enough. He has decided to open the package. But it resists. It has been packaged too well. Where is the cutter knife, where are the scissors when you need them? It has to be possible to open it.
The contents of the long-awaited package Napoleonic 28mm miniatures spread out before him.
And there, finally, the precious contents are spread out in front of him. The precious figures. They are carefully laid out on the table in front of him, it is checked whether everything is included in the order and the particularly beautiful pieces are subjected to a thorough inspection. The sheer volume of figures is daunting. Perhaps he should divide the project into small parts so that it is easier to handle? It is not acceptable for him to fill the dining room table with the order over the next few weeks.
So, he quickly puts some of them back in the shipping box and just a few figures directly on the craft table, he can always get the rest out of the cupboard.
He notices that there isn't enough space in the cupboard, and he has to make an effort to find a spot between all the boxes and cartons. But finally, it's done. The order is safely stowed away and it's time to get to the painting table.
Here we take a step back. We are all familiar with our hobbyist's mistake. Out of sight is often out of mind.
He will be busy with the first figures on his painting table, but painting them took time, and both his back and his eyes often remind him that he is no longer twenty. So, the time he spends at the painting table is usually shorter than planned. Especially since his better half also demands time.
And an idea quietly starts to stir in the back of his mind. He saw an interesting documentary the other day, maybe that would be something for an exciting scenario? But wait, he doesn't have any figures for it, maybe he should do a quick search on the Internet to see what miniatures are available on the market, not that he really wants to buy them, no, definitely not, he's in the middle of a great project right now, but it doesn't cost anything to look. And that's how a normal hobby cycle would normally end for our wargaming butterfly.
But wait, there is a solution for our easily distracted hobbyist. Maybe he should just try out the figures from WoFun Games.
WoFun Games currently offers the world's most comprehensive range of miniatures on the market. And the best thing about it is that the miniatures are pre-painted, so there is no annoying and time-consuming painting of the figures. OK, they are 2D plexiglass miniatures, but they are painted. And if we are honest, they are painted excellently, after all, a large part of the illustrations of the figures are by Peter Dennis and Peter Dennis is a household name for most of us, as many of the illustrations of the well-known Osprey books are by him and when we think of the well-known Perry boxes, his covers immediately spring to mind. But WoFun Games also has miniatures in its range for wargamers with different tastes, as there are miniatures by more than one illustrator in the shop.
The size of the miniatures ranges from 10mm to 18mm to 28mm, so it covers the common scales and, especially in 10mm scale, the figures are unbeatable, as they are incredibly detailed and look impressive in mass on the table. When you consider that you just have to put them in the bases and then you can start playing straight away, some people might ask themselves why they didn't choose WoFun miniatures much sooner.
They would definitely be a profitable investment for our wargaming butterfly. He can buy an army and have it spread out on the table in front of him in a playable state within half an hour of receiving the package. He can fight the first battles and then still decide whether he wants to invest more time in it, for example to adapt the bases to his gaming table.
Or he can buy a second army and still manage to play with it. He is no longer forced to hide his unfinished miniatures in the cupboard and keep piling up the "pile of shame", as it is so often called.
This concludes my comments on our wargaming butterfly. Perhaps the miniatures are something for one or the other of you. I confess that I have already bought more than one army, even though I already own more than one army of the classic Perry, Warlord Games and Front Rank miniatures. But I'm also honest with myself and admit that I probably wouldn't have been able to paint another army for the Seven Years' War on this scale.
I hope you enjoyed my little excursion and maybe it can inspire one or two of you to look beyond the classic miniatures.
Yours, Martin
Martin Stefan Feller