Exciting title, I know. I’ve had some changes over the last few weeks–between my last post and now I got accepted to and started my MBA with a Certificate in Business Analytics. In anticipation of my upcoming newfound workload, I just… stopped hobbying. It feels odd but I know why I did it: I was unsure of how much time I’d really have and I didn’t want to risk the pull of a hobby project distracting me from my coursework.

Well, class is underway and it turns out I still know statistics 14 years later. I’ve hit something of an awkward reset button. I had started on my 10mm Napoleonics (I hated it) and now I have no desire toward them as I start to pick things back up. I find myself drawn to small, quick projects that fit into my schedule more readily and don’t pull me away from bigger responsibilities. I’ve promised myself I’ll focus on my backlog as a way to focus, to boot.

In comes a 15mm German platoon for Chain of Command I now have nearing completion. It’s a project I’ve sat on for a while but never started. I hated painting them until I put the wash down and realized just how fast they were. Moment-to-moment I found the project less satisfying than 28mm yet when I realized I had painted a whole platoon in a day (while interspersing it with chores, video games, and homework) the joy of 15mm hit me. It’s just easy.

I mean really: I was lazy as hell about these. I painted five colors: the uniform via airbrush, then the blacks, then the browns, then the skin, then finally any metals. I ended with a thinned black wash. Fin. All while keeping up with the rest of my schedule. At a glance, I expect a few more 15mm platoons in my future just for how satisfying it was to start and finish a project without breaking much of a sweat.

Then there’s my wandering eye, of course. I’m looking to paint some medieval miniatures. We have a guy in the club pushing Baron’s War and then there’s my constant desire to get some SAGA in. I find myself rather drawn between the two systems. Baron’s War commits a few sins in its design (alternating actions, not even full activations!) but I like its focus on the psychology of warfare and training of your soldiers. It feels a bit too crunchy yet I find myself called to it. This may be because it gives a great excuse to build beautiful boards full of proper terrain. The local group puts on a great show and it’s clear the game needs the realistic level of terrain due to its systems. I admire that.

The other reason it tempts me is that it does what SAGA doesn’t with narrative play. A game of Baron’s War just looks like a game I want to play. SAGA is fast, mechanically satisfying, and easy to play. It may win out just because it’s a perfect game for someone on a limited schedule. SAGA just… delivers. Unfortunately, to play it properly you’re laying out very boring looking boards. Trees, swamps, clearings. It makes sense: battles are fought in open areas. Yet Baron’s War does so well with tables full of buildings, fences, and life that gosh if it doesn’t call to me.

Here’s an example board from our local Baron’s War playgroup at Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn, Virginia. Beautiful stuff.

I’ll be trying both games soon. I have a demo of SAGA I intend to give which will help me remember what makes the system great, then I have a demo of Baron’s War to participate in which will show me how well its rules cohere. I’m hoping it comes together well enough to conquer my misgivings about the activation mechanics on first reading. I find myself trying to actively give games a chance: sometimes the gameplay comes together in a way you don’t expect. With someone in the club so willing to stand up for Baron’s War, I owe it to the group to give it an honest shot.

Plus, it still supposedly plays in 2 hours. That’s reasonable and fits the new theme of time management. A force for Baron’s War maybe 30-40ish figures and the games aren’t super long. That sounds like viable “This weekend I’m painting a group, playing a game, and writing a paper on business ethics.” Per usual, we’ll see.

I was hoping to focus more as I entered school again yet somehow all I’ve accomplished is limiting myself to games I can play with my backlog. That’s admirable until you consider just how large my backlog is! I have an entire Islamic force waiting for me after I finish my crusaders for Baron’s War. Then if I want I can hop between scifi, fantasy, ancient Rome, Napoleonics, or even a ton more World War 2 all without leaving my backlog shelf. The curses and benefits of years of collecting. I look forward to getting the blog up and going again with more content on the above. I also think I’m closing in on some form of review for Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms which I’m still actively playing.

Mostly, I’m just happy to get back into the swing of hobbying. Time management is always tough but gratifying when you realize how much you can truly get done and keep up with. There’s probably some less on adulthood in that. Probably.

I’ll let you know after I finish painting my toy soldiers.