Random: Downsizing my Collection

 

Much like any adult, I find that my professional work life interferes with my desire for more gaming time.  I miss the days of yore when I had 8 hour blocks of time that I could use to play games or paint models, but alas, that is no longer the case.  As a boarding school teacher, I find that I either have very little free time (when classes are in session) or way too much (vacation time rocks), but in either case I find myself having a hard time getting around to painting models because I hate stopping in the middle (in the former case) or I have so many video games that I want to play (in the case of the latter).  Therefore, I am questioning whether I should try to downsize my collection so that I may meet my painting goals and ensure that I can devote enough time to my favorite factions.

So far I have the following factions represented in my collection, in order of most points to the least:

Cygnar
Circle Orboros
Mercenaries (Privateers)
Legion
Trollbloods (building)

I have decided that I absolutely want to keep my Circle and I really want to build up my Trollblood force because I have a clear picture of what I want to do with those models, and I think they look spiffy.  I also have invested a good amount of $$$ into my Cygnar - but admittedly it's mostly been second-hand and I've probably spent more money on my Circle, despite the fact that I think I have more points of Cygnar.  It's probably worth holding onto the Cygnar just because I already have so many options available to them, even though painting them is not on my list of things that I really want to do.

This brings me to two choices: Legion or Privateers.  Both are difficult decisions.  I only have two models painted for my Legion and I've decided to use my old Tyranid color scheme because I think it looks good on them.  Unfortunately, Legion models are obnoxious to store in army cases just like Tyranids, thanks to their carapaces or their wings.  The models look great, but they seem to break a lot and I think I need to look into either Battlefoam custom trays or a Tablewar case.  That said, most of Legion warlocks don't really interest me, and I only really find Vayl, Bethayne, and maybe Rhyas interesting (the latter because I like a challenge).  I also love the aesthetic of Lylith, but I'm not sure if I like playing with her on the table.  I must admit, I love the aesthetic, but I don't find Legion challenging enough, and I feel almost like I'm cheating when I play with them.

My second option to downsize are my pirates.  I love these guys - I really do - but I suck with them.  For some reason, whenever I play with the pirates, I seem to do something wrong.  I love Broadsides Bart, I love the privateer warjacks, and I love pirates, but for some reason the playstyle just doesn't work with me and I seem to botch it every time.  No, I refuse to play Shae (easy way out), and Fiona kinda sucks a bit.  I came up with a way that I think will make Fiona more competitive (I wrote an article about it here), but I would have to buy more models to do it, and I'm not totally invested in my privateers right now as it is.  Then again, the models are pretty awesome and I still get giddy thinking about the pSkarre tier list that was introduced in NQ37 that lets her take privateer models.

Either way, I'm torn between what I should drop to make room for the growing Trollblood force that I'm [slowly] acquiring.  I can certainly find players out there who would buy up my Legion models from me, as they are a really popular faction, but with Domination still fresh, I'm hesitant to sell a beloved Hordes army.  On the other hand, I don't really like Warmachine as much as I like Hordes, and the privateers don't seem to gel very well with my playstyle.  With a new Warmachine book on the horizon, however, and the privateers looking like they might get some loving this time, maybe I should hold onto them?

Tough choices either way, but I guess I'll wait until I see the spoilers from Templecon before I make my final decision.  It'll also depend on interest, as I'd love to sell either force to a [relatively] local player.