Trello New Year Board

2015 is on and so far I’ve managed two games and two decent painting sessions on the Zagstruk model. This is good, I am finding and using my hobby time to complete the things I need to do – instead of starting new projects. This may sound like poor hobby output but it’s really not, I work for myself, have a two year old daughter and two dogs. My free time is rare and can be easily eaten into by work or a poorly child or dog walking. Others out there will know what I am talking about I’m sure.

I want to continue this trend and really push into 2015 with a clear and achievable goal, I sound like a business coach – which is good because that’s what I respond to; output, data, graphs, deadlines and lists. Another blogger is assembling and painting a 2,000 point Deathguard list to use at Warhammer World in April. That’s a decent goal and that’s something I want to aspire to in this post.

I am going to use Trello to track my progress with this project, I am not sure how that is going to go or if it will even work. You can see a glimpse of Trello in the above photo which should give you some idea of what it is. But you essentially have columns of ‘progress’, then each unit moves on from one column to the next as it progresses down the production line. Thats the theory anyway.

Whats the problem, dude!

Guardsmen Progress

I am sure this all sounds so depressing to some of you. “Hobby is fun! Why do you need a goal, isn’t doing the hobby enough on its own?”. And you’re right, if I enjoy this hobby why I am turning it into a kind of job where deadlines need to be met and I am pushing myself to complete tasks that I should just find fun anyway.

Well, I think, its because without this I would not finish anything. As a web developer working for myself thats all I do. I work to deadlines for clients to ensure their web sites are launched on time. I don’t get to fiddle with the latest tech in my daily work because deadlines and fiddling do not mix – or rather deadlines, fiddling and getting paid do not mix. So my hobby time is creative time, its a time to start new things and do whatever I like when ever I like to. It is wonderful!

But there is a down side to this. I have been back into the hobby now a year, nearly to the day. I have yet to complete a sizeable painted force that I would be proud to use on someone else’s table top.  I am too easily distracted by new models, new painting ideas or new pieces of terrain. Again, “But so what” I hear you saying. I move around on projects and do not finish anything but I am enjoying myself. The issue is money.

Its a waste of money to buy something, build it, not paint it and then not use it in games because I have bought and built something else that has caught my eye. Simply put, I have ‘plastic cash’ in boxes that could be spent elsewhere in my life. Its in boxes and cannot be enjoyed by me or anyone else in my family. If I sold all my unbuilt, unpainted and unused stuff I could take the family for a long weekend away somewhere! Its insane! Its that other guilt motivator kicking in.

So, what to do?

Guardsmen Progress (Rear)

I need a goal to work towards if I am to keep up my hobby streak in 2015. I think it will work well for me as a motivator especially if want to take a list to Warhammer World.

So I need a 2,000 point list to paint, but I need to be careful with my selection. Because two full Imperial Guard infantry platoons are going to be a long shot. So I need a mix of infantry and vehicles to keep the model count lower and achievable.

So this is my approximate 2,000 point list to build and paint by the end of February 2015. As a list it’s not intended to be a great army just something I can aim towards in terms of a fully painted force. But if you have tweaks or amends to suggest, please suggest them!

New Year List

HQ

• Company Command squad with Creed, Kell, Lascannon and Medic
• Platoon Command Squad with Lascannon

Troops

• 4x Infantry Squads
• Mortars Heavy Weapons Team
• Autocannon Heavy Weapons Team
• 2x Veteran squads with 2x Chimera

Heavy Support

• Leman Russ
• 2x Basilisk

Elites

• Militarum Tempestus Squad
• Taurox Prime

The more observant will notice that this is no where near 2,000 points. As it stands currently, unfinished, it is daunting so I am just going to park it here for now and then add units to it as a I progress. Suggestions are more than welcome plus there is a real possibility that some Raven Guard allies will be added at some point.