Wargame Hobby Bingo, 2018

As 2017 draws to a close, it's time to set some goals for 2018. And for that, we need a new Hobby Bingo card: 

 

I was inspired by Martin Lymer's awesome Miniature Painting Bingo card, and decided to make a Wargame Hobby Bingo card that expands beyond painting to encompass more aspects of tabletop wargaming like building scenery and modeling.

The idea is to motivate hobbyists to get their models finished, and add a little creativity and uniqueness to what can sometimes become a monotonous slog. Or, if you're stuck trying to figure out what to do next for your army or tabletop, look to the card for inspiration.

Track your progress over the course of the year, and try to score five in a row. Or go crazy and try to fill in the entire card! Models don't need to be newly purchased (except for the 48 hr challenge), this is the perfect opportunity to clear out your painting queue or finish models you've been avoiding painting.

Here's the rundown of the card, along with some of my plans:

"Free" Center Square

This should be a freebie for everyone. Models aren't finished unless their bases are done too. If you've got unbased models, base 'em, and make sure the models you paint for the card are based too!

Convert a Model Into a Different Unit or Character

Pretty straightforward– Transform a model into something it wasn't intended for. This can be a cross-genre conversion, like turning a 40K zealot into a necromancer or zombie, or "orkifying" a Space Marine dreadnought into an Ork dreadnought. Some actual conversion work may be required; The rule of thumb is to make sure that the final model accurately represents what the new model is supposed to be. I do this quite a bit, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity in the coming year I've got my eye on a Nightbringer-to-Mourngul conversion, but I want to see how the Age of Sigmar Death alliance shapes up this year before committing to it.

 

Dire Wolves converted from Chaos Hounds.

 

Play and Paint a Model For an Army or Game You haven't Played in Over a Year

Have an army that's been languishing in its miniature case, or a game you barely play anymore? Use this opportunity to break it out and use it. Since this is hobby-oriented, you need to add at least one new model to your force. For me, My Necrons are the only army I haven't touched in ages. I might be tempted to put them on the table and paint a unit or two. I also haven't played Space Hulk all year, maybe I'll play that and finish painting the Genestealers.

Paint All the Models in a Faction Starter Box

Perfect if you're starting a new army, or if you want to bulk up an existing army. Most miniatures games have faction starter sets, so this can apply to most any game. If there are any new Death models this year, I'll be painting those, otherwise I might have to branch out to something else. I never did paint my Malifaux starter box...

Paint a Model and Use a Technique You Haven't Mastered

Try something new, or hone your skills. The only way to get better is to practice. Don't worry if it's not perfect, it never will be unless you try, and practice, practice, practice!

Make a Fully-Modeled Game Board, at Least 2' x 2'

This might be a tough one, but work on some terrain. This can be a fully modeled battlefield (if you're insane like me) or a small section of a battlefield that you can tile into your game board. If you participate in tournaments or Armies on Parade, making a nicely modeled display board for your army will get you this square. I'll probably be building plenty of game boards this year.

 

 

Paint All of the Miniatures in a Board Game

There are tons of board games out there with great models in them. Paint up a whole game and play it! Maybe I'll get to my Blood Bowl set this year...

Make a Simple 4' x 4' Battlefield

Doesn't need to be fancy, but because this is hobby-focused, it can't be a gaming mat. Painting GW Realm of Battle tiles works, or you can make some simple sand-and-flock game boards. I've got a tutorial coming up that will show an easy way to make a game board, stay tuned!

Paint a Unit and Add Scenic Bases

If you already do this for your army, you're ahead of the game, but this could be the perfect opportunity to make an elite unit stand out, or to create some centerpieces for your army. You can use pre-made resin bases or model something cool to make your dudes stand out, it just needs to be more than boring sand and grass. I put most of my models on scenic bases. I've got something cool in the works for my Primaris Imperial Fists' bases.

 

This base took longer than the model!

 

Sculpt Something on a Model

An opportunity to practice sculpting details on models. This can be as intricate as you want, or if you're new to sculpting, keep it simple and just add a few pouches or some hair or chain mail. Not sure what I'll be working on this year, but I bet some sculpting will be inevitable.

 

 

Re-paint a Pre-Painted Miniature

An opportunity to customize some X-Wing models or spice up those factory paint jobs. I guess this could also technically count if you buy a model someone else had painted, strip it and paint it yourself! Not sure what I'll do to fill in this spot, as I don't usually play pre-painted games or buy painted miniatures.

Paint a Vehicle
Paint a Monster

These apply to both sci-fi and fantasy games. A chariot or black coach is just as much a vehicle as a tank or speeder is. If you're catching up on a Dreadfleet box, those little ships would count! Likewise, a Tyranid Carnifex is as much a monster as a zombie dragon. I hope there are some new releases for the undead, because I'm pretty much out of monsters to add. I've got plenty of vehicles to add to my Black Templars and Imperial Fists.

 

 

Buy a Model and Paint it Within 48 Hours

Don't let your models languish! Get a new model and paint it right away. If I can build and paint a Skaven Doomwheel in 24 hours, you can paint a single hero in 48 hours! Definitely going to make an effort to fill this box this year.

 

A race against time!

 

Build and Paint a Scenery Kit
Scatch-build a Piece of Scenery

Make some scenery! The first one is for painting a stock (or mostly stock) terrain kit. And the second one is for getting creative and either kitbashing something unique or building a piece of scenery from scratch. If you're looking for ideas, check out my Terrain Tutorials. I've got the bell from the Screaming Bell that I want to make into a piece of inspiring terrain for my Skaven.

 

 

Add a New Unit and Paint it Before Using it on the Battlefield

This is always more difficult when you're starting an army, but once you have a decent-sized force, you can continue using what you've got while you paint the new stuff. Add a new unit, but hold off using it in a game until you've painted it. Do you have the willpower? I believe in you! (But if you play even one game with it before it's finished, it doesn't count anymore!)

Paint a Model in a Color You Don't Normally Use

Try something new and add a little variety to your routine. Most of the models I paint are black and red, black and white, grey and brown, or green and brown. Pretty drab. I'm looking forward to using yellow on my Imperial Fists this year for a nice change of pace.

Make Something That's Not For the Battlefield

There's more to the hobby than models and scenery. Work on a project that's not for use on the tabletop– Don't know how to get Nagash to the game store safely? Get some foam at the craft store and make a tray to transport him. If you're handy, build some shelves to display your models. Make a paint rack to organize your work station, or build a cover to keep the cat off of it when you're not around. (That Nagash suggestion is really for me!)

Convert a Model

Keep it simple. Only needs to be a head or weapon swap to count. I hardly field any models "stock" anymore.

Make a Diorama

It doesn't need to be big to count, but needs to be a purpose-built diorama, not simply a display base for models. I've had so many ideas for dioramas over the years, but never pulled the trigger on them. Maybe this year will finally be the year...

Paint a New Version of an Old Character Model

This is an opportunity to update an older character, maybe as a variant with some different weapon options or a mounted/ dismounted version, or simply because your skills have grown and you want to replace an older model. I've done this for many of my Vampire Counts characters. Could this be the year that Nieman Kimmel finally gets a new model?

 

Korak the Grim, MKII

 

Make Some Accessories to Match Your Army

Themed accessories are always fun to build and make the tabletop experience more interesting. Scenic wound counters rather than dice, some army-themed objectives, or a turn counter. My undead and Skaven are pretty filled out in this regard, but my Space Marines could use some accessory-love.

Originally made this as a spell tracker, but now it's my turn counter.

 

Finish Painting a Model That's Been in Your Do-Do Pile For a Year

We've all got them– Projects that we push to the back burner and then never return to. Take the opportunity to finish a model from your Shelf of Shame! I have plenty in this category.

 

Looking at you, battle standard bearer!

 

Paint a Model For an Army You Don't Already Collect and Play

It can be difficult to branch out and paint other models that look enticing, but that we won't play with. This is the perfect excuse to paint a model just for the hell of it without committing to building an entire army around it. Or, if you are starting a new army, the first model for it can count for this spot.

And that's it! I'm going to make an effort to try and fill in the entire card. How many do you think you'll do? Go for that bingo, and have a Happy New Year, everyone!

'Til next year!