The official web site of A.H. Lloyd

After a lengthy break, I’m once again enjoying games of Warhammer 40,000, playing the old 2nd edition rules (1993-98). I’ve got a resource page for those interested, which features some corrections and a streamlined close combat system.

Games Workshop continues to product new versions of the game, and is poised to uncork it’s 11th incarnation. The company has been on a three-year product cycle for the better part of 20 years, and for whatever reason, people continue to keep playing despite major rules changes and a constantly churning product line.

One of the things that keeps bringing me back is the way assembling and painting miniatures provide so many opportunities for gratification. Most hobbies or activities bring pleasure, but with modeling, you get multiple endorphin hits: first, you buy the thing; then you assemble it; next you paint and complete it. It’s like getting a new toy three times. Actually, you can (and I often do) upgrade it later on, with new paint or accessories, making it new yet again.

I came to miniatures later than my friends. I was preoccupied with military board games, and had little interest in painting and collecting figures. For one thing, it was all small ball to me – my wargames covered operational/strategic situations, not a handful of dudes fighting over a toy village.

However, by my mid-20s the social set I ran with embraced miniatures in a big way, and since that was the only game in town, I joined in. I still have the original figures I bought around 1997 as wells as the box it came in.

Of course, armies have shifted around a bit, and I use a ton of non-standard figures, but it’s still enjoyable.

It’s also a very cheap way to entertain oneself. The armies are all pretty much built, and my money mostly goes to replenish paint and glue, though I still buy an occasional model now and again.

I’m also not alone in admiring such an obsolete system. My latest survey of Ebay prices indicate that 2nd ed. books are getting pretty expensive, a clear sign of enduring interest. For many years, one could find the rules and books for $20 or so, but now people are asking at least $70, often twice that amount. Good thing I got into it when it was cheap.