Too many projects...

It is a common problem we all probably have!

Keeping figure numbers down to small skirmish groups helps gets projects more likely to be completed.

Using overlap / dual use figures - you seem to have created several armies around the ACW 1870s to WW1 up to SCW periods that might overlap.

If you want to avoid historical strictness, ImagiNations based in these periods allows you to dual use figures for different periods which still work with your rules.

Likewise generic buildings and terrain pieces ...

Hi Alberto,

I could only find figures for my favourite period (C12th Anglo-Normans) in lead so I simply couldn't afford a second army But despite not yet having any dismounted knights for my Anglo-Normans I do have a pair of galloper guns ready to be unwrapped at Christmas as the start of a 1680's/90's force, and yes I've gone lead again, so a second several years project underway before I've finished the first one. Since I live on the border of England near Wales I really would like some Welsh to fight alongside and against my Normans but nobody makes any suitable Welsh figures yet so I could not stray

Pat

I have limited myself to 4 54mm projects:

Napoleonics
Command and Colour Ancients
North West Frontier
19th Century British/Prussian

and one in 40mm : AWI

The Napoleonics is a big enough project by itself with a lot of figures to finish still and others to convert.

I have around 6000+ painted figures in scales from 18mm to 54mm and I have a number of project planned that I am just starting or only a few units into so expect to end up with around 8-10,000 figures when done.

I came to the conclusion a while back that I an not that good at sitting down and painting one period from start to finish so I butterfly around whatever figures currently catch my fancy and paint those - eventually I will have enough figures to play a game.

I did realise the other day that I now cover all the periods with my complete and planned collections:

Ancients, Dark Ages, Medieval, Renaissance, Early 18th Century, late 18th Century, Napoleonic, ACW, FPW, Colonial, late 19th Century, pre war skirmish (Gangsters) and WW2 plus SF and Fantasy.

I really can't see me starting a new period in any depth now and if it was done in 40mm or 54mm I would just do an 8 unit a side Portable Wargame setup. I always wanted a SYW collection but with both Marlbrian and AWI I really don't think I need it as I can use the AWI figures to play The Wargame.

Also I now fund new purchses by clearing out unpainted figures and old collections that I no longer play with.

I am lucky in that Anthony Morton is a regular wargames opponent and we play play in 54mm. But we have developed parallel collections nonetheless as there is always the worry that people move away or lose interest and you are stuck with only one army. In fact, 1/2 of the Northwest Frontier and the British Napoleonics were originally painted for Anthony and I bought them back from him when he decided to chnage what he was doing.

So he has 54mm Zulu Wars and ECW which are periods I am not going to collect as there is no need.

The correct number of current projects is always “too many.” I find that painting a lot of one army/period leads to burnout. They key I’ve found is to complete small units/subunits, such as 12-man C18 battalions or 6-8 man Great War companies That way I feel the ‘achievement’ of completing something in the time it might take to undercoat 100 figures. And so, back the the painting table. Today will it be First Carlist War, 1870 French, Great War Italians or basing some old hollow casts?