‘The Hobby’ is a term that in, well… the hobby, we use to refer to our hobby of painting and playing with Warhammer and other miniature wargames – but when you take a moment to think, it’s not THE hobby, it’s A hobby. But for all intents and purposes every time I refer to ‘the hobby’ in this article it is directly referring to the hobby of miniature wargaming.
Now that we’ve had a moment of self-realisation I think it’s time to get into the article itself, 5 things I wish I knew before I started the Hobby. This is the Ben Bailey edition just so everyone is aware!
5 – Ignore the gate keepers.
When you join the hobby, depending on where you start your journey there might be some people we refer to as ‘gate keepers’ who will try and dictate the way you conduct your hobby. In short? Ignore them. Every single person hobbies differently, paints differently, makes their miniatures in the way they want to and there should be no one to dictate how you do that.
4 – Get the models that are awesome to you!
Much like with number 5, number 4 is about making sure you push forward with your start in the hobby exactly how you want to. While there are starter products available and are a great start to get the fundamentals down, after you’ve finished with that, take a moment to look at the vast range of miniatures and choose the ones that sing out to you, be it the ones that look coolest or looks most interesting.
3 – Knowing to use the right tool for the right job.
Communities like the Hobby Room are great for finding out when you need to use super glue vs plastic cement or when to use a mould line remover or knife or clippers. Some things are just way better for certain applications and being able to get to grips with what you use for what is key to helping your journey start smoothly. So feel free to ask any questions you need or head to your local Warhammer shop and ask there! They are literally paid to help you!
2 – Matched play isn’t everything.
The majority of the games you will see in the public space will be Matched Play, this is where both armies are set to a certain point value and people build their collections around that, its awesome for being to arrange a game with anyone and just play but its not the only way to play the game. There are different ways to play Warhammer games in particular, Matched Play (as above), Narrative Play – where you take 2 opposing forces that may be unbalanced to recreate a battle written into the story or even for making up your own stories, and Open Play – bring what you want! Its just a way to throw dice around and have some good games with good mates!
What I’m getting at with this point is that you shouldn’t allow a 2,000 point limit to be a restriction on your hobby, see it as a goal to a further collection you can expand and play with it all one day!
1 – About the hobby room community!
Yes, okay, when I started the hobby 13 years ago things like Discord and Twitch weren’t a thing but now giving advice to anyone it would be to join in communities like here at The Hobby Room, somewhere you’re not going to be judged about the work you do and can safely ask as many questions as you need to to help you grow in the hobby.
