On the one-hand, having a functional hobby area outside of where my family hangs out in the evening sounds like a plus - but it feels like I'm distancing myself from them. I need my "me" time and all, but working the hobby aspect of 40k and being around my family aren't mutually exclusive things, especially after the summer rush getting ready for NOVA: I had my hobby stuff close at hand and got into a rhythm of painting/modeling while my kids did their homework or watched TV or whatever close by. Changing the paradigm isn't having the effect I hoped it would of making it easier for me to focus and work on repairing the tournament/transit damage from NOVA and start working on the other models I'd like to play with - raveners, trygons, tyrant guard, venomthropes, getting my harpy painted, etc... Instead its harder to get started, in turn harder to accomplish anything. I haven't picked up a brush to paint since right before NOVA.
The no tournament aspect is frustrating - despite best intentions, other things have simply continued to come up. I truly enjoyed the tournament "scene" and want to experience more; but without that shiny bullseye on the calendar beckoning, I don't feel the urgency. Add in the fact that at the tournaments I've managed to play in, I've made it past turn 4 only once. I enjoy playing Tyranids - they are thought-provoking, require meticulous placement of upwards of 60-100 models with multiple touches per turn - but for my opponent across the table it can be frustrating, especially when they can easily complete a turn in under 10 minutes, moving/touching fewer than 30 models. Its hard to have fun when one's opponent clearly isn't.
Then there's the general dissatisfaction with GW. White Dwarf continues its downward spiral away from anything of remote value into an advertising flyer I have to pay for. I'm having a rough time justifying renewing my subscription next year. This last issue should be studied by marketing classes as what not to do. Here's some examples: whose bright idea was it to have the all-grey metallic army appear on dark grey terrain on the back cover? Biggest insult to injury? Page 114: the Road to Glory Campaign announcement - I started to read this with a good deal of excitement thinking back to the Eye of Terror and Armageddon campaigns. Then noticed the "Rouge" Trader references, not once - several times. I could be nice and chalk it up as a simple spell-check mistake; but it really just serves to highlight how far the mag has fallen. There are forgivable editing errors and there are those that absolutely should not be missed, and this one falls into the latter category. Poor layouts, bad color choices, low-quality editing, and an 8000 point batrep? Did I mention that because I subscribe, I get the magazine a week or more after it's been in stores? Ah.. the stores. I was overjoyed to have a Bunker open up five minutes from the house - but I can't walk in and enjoy it. The staff follows me like I'm trying to steal something, asking multiple times if I need something, can they help me, what am I there for: these are trained behaviors that are designed to get people to purchase something and then make room in the store for other customers - in short, to get me out of the store as quickly as possible to allow for maximum commission turnover like one sees in crappy furniture stores. You know, the ones that have had the same "going out of business" sale signs up for the past two years. The lack of brand management savvy is just ridiculous - and if there are any bored business/marketing students out there looking for a great "what not to do" topic as a graduate project, GW is one of the best candidates you could ask for.
If you've stuck with me this far - I share the frustrations above mostly to vent, but also because I draw motivation from the views to this blog, the comments, and by living vicariously through the amazing talents of this community of creative people who dedicate so much to the hobby. Today at least - that means more to me than I would have suspected it ever would when I started. Today its you and not the game, the creative release of the hobby, or the fluff. Thanks for your time.