Lost in the Warp ... Shiny Syndrome
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You may have noticed lately my blog has been all over the place. (Well probably more than just lately ...) I think I may have a problem. Many of you may have the same problem ad you may or may not have realized that you're suffering from it yet. I believe I may have a terminal case of Shiny Syndrome.
As with any problem Step One is admitting you have a problem. I've realized I very rarely complete a project. I'm constantly distracted by a new idea or a new shiney thing and I neglect to finish my own projects. This isn't really a problem when I'm doing commissions as I have a true deadline as well as a "reward" for finishing what I working on. However when it comes to my own personal projects my deadline is really "when I have time". I also have this annoying habit of getting things to a "playable state". This means getting the base colors down on a unit so I can play with them and not feel self conscious about having bare minis on the table. The problem with this method is it becomes a vicious circle where I never have the drive to paint my own stuff to completion as it's "good enough" for this weeks game.
My other problem is getting distracted by this week's new hotness. Anytime a new game comes out or I listen to a positive review on a game I start obsessing about it. Reading everything I can until I get to the point where I MUST own it. Sometimes this works out for the best and the game becomes a staple that I can bring out regularly and get games in with a variety of opponents. Other times I pick up everything and can never convince anyone to try out the game (Resident Evil Deck Building game I'm looking at you).
With the advent of Kickstarter and crowdfunding this problem has only increased. Especially with the games that get over funded to the point where you look at the cost and simple "can't refuse" a deal that good. So you go all in and wait. And wait. And wait. Eventually a giant box of stuff arrives at your door and the feeling of being overwhelmed sets in. Why did you buy this when you still haven't finished the piles of stuff filling up your game room.
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Now that I've identified I have a problem, step two is coming up with a solution. The easy answer would be pick up the pace and get it done. The problem is getting it done will never happen if Shiny Stuff keeps stealing my attention. So the answer becomes a bit more complicated.
Step Two Phase One: First and foremost I need to swear off Kickstarter. While the deals can be amazing the amount of work each one will entail once I have it in hand is ridiculous. Hopefully barring any further delays I'll have Relic Knights, Deadzone and Kingdom Death in hand by Christmas. That alone is a couple hundred additional models I'll need to paint and assemble. Having just received the Chibi Dungeon stuff I'm already overwhelm with just trying to clean them up and assemble them. Hopefully the other stuff I'm expecting with be cleaner and easier to assemble but even if they are it's a ton of stuff. As my mother-in-law like to say, "You'll go broke on a good deal." With Kickstarter this can't be more true, the time investment is huge even though the monetary investment isn't.
Step Two Phase Two: Admit your limitations. While I might have a cool new idea several times a week there's no way I have the time to bring every idea to completion. Accepting this fact and focusing on the best ideas that will be most relevant to my limited hobby time is key to getting this in check. The second part of this is accepting that I have limited hobby time. As an adult with family and work obligations the amount of time I have to play games is limited, which means I can't play every game I want to. This one is really hard because so many things interest me. But if I can allocate my time to a handful of projects and complete them I'll feel more accomplished and less overwhelmed.
