A week off

I’m lucky in where I work. I enjoy my job and I work in a school which, amongst other benefits, means I get a good amount of holiday each year. I can’t decide when to take it like others can but most of the time I’m off at the same time as my wife and daughters. This has been a major improvement in my life as I used to work at the other end of a motorway doing a job with harsh deadlines and unpleasant customers and coworkers. 

I say this because I like to reflect on it when I have a week or two off. Makes me appreciate it more. 

This week I’m roleplaying tonight, hopefully having a boardgame night with friends on Thursday and then having my first taste of Sluggaz (a miniatures gaming group) in Southampton on Friday. I couldn’t say which I’m most looking forward to but I can say I’m most nervous about Friday. I don’t do well with new people. I don’t go out of my way to game with people I don’t know, in fact I avoid it. I don’t do tournaments unless my friends are with me. I can play competitively but I play for fun and people obsessed with winning ruin the hobby for me. 

One of my friends plays theme armies, they’re great but they don’t win often and he takes it to heart. Another friend researches armies, plans them out based on his opponent and plays to win. He’s fine however if he doesn’t win. They struggle to play against each other. Out of the two I actually find it easier to play the second guy. My other friend prefers to play against the first. We all share the same hobby yet so many of us approach it so differently. Friday night I’m playing a game against the ‘other’ friend. We both play for fun, we have a laugh and lots of daft comments and conversations along the way. For me that’s what it’s about. I like to win, I’m competitive as a person, but the fun along the way is more important.

So I’m rambling… The point was I don’t know what to play on Friday. My friend has given me the choice. DZC, Warzone, 40k, Planetfall or Malifeux. I don’t want another game so, as good as Malifeux’s reputation is, it’s off the cards. That slot in my repertoire will be taken by Wolsung when it arrives. My DZC army only arrived last week so it’s still in exciting looking boxes and unplayable. I’m pretty sure even with a week off I’m not going to get it ready. Planetfall actually belongs to another friend again (I know right? That’s a lot of friends for a roleplayer, geeky-nerd!) and we haven’t played yet so that wouldn’t be on.

So Warzone or 40k? I wish I could play both more often. I love the Warzone rule system but also rather fancy getting my Templars out of their display cabinet – they could do with the exercise. But Warzone would be awesome to introduce to Southampton, get more people playing it locally maybe? I really can’t decide…

In the meantime I’m looking at a big box of scourge that need assembly and a half-painted ogre tyrant that needs some love. Here the procrastinating begins, the hobby-wide ‘where do I start?’ issue. But sitting here, writing this has worked today. Today is a scourge day.

Time to open some boxes!