I feel like I’ve been saying it often lately (because it is unfortunately true) but this has been another stressful week for me so to relax, I mostly focused on painting stuff for gaming purposes. I also am still waiting on my much-needed item from Poland so no chance to get terrain done this week again. That’s not a problem as I find painting “troops” or basic infantry models to be the most relaxing thing you can do in the hobby (when you’re in the mood for it, painting them endlessly becomes tedious quickly of course). So with that in mind, you may have some idea what comes next!
I tackled my first two Shirriffs for the Hobbit side. I picked these up because I didn’t want to paint up another batch of Militia right away though I must admit, the sculpts for these two are a bit disappointing. The faces (in addition to being small because they’re hobbits) are really lacking in detail or like the Hobbit on the left, the nose is way too big in proportion to the face. The eyes are challenging on these because they aren’t well-sculpted and you need to paint very tiny eyes too. Pretty much everything Scouring of the Shire I want to be painted or created at a high standard but the Shirriffs are definitely not among my best work though I appreciate how fast they are to paint up at the same time. These two blokes will benefit from a matte varnish and some basing but I’ll wait until I get a big batch of minis done before I do that.
I also managed to paint up this guy which is my favorite sculpt of the Ruffians. He really looks like a bad guy but kind of a hapless one at the same time. This guy is unfortunately the last new Ruffian sculpt I have so I’ll have to knock out repeats from here on out. I also have 7 of the 12 Ruffians painted now which is not bad. Many of the Scouring Scenarios require 12 ruffians (and some Forge World models) which means I’m not too far off on the Evil side. That is one thing I really like about Scouring of the Shire, it does not require higher model counts like the recent MESBG supplements often do and I am starting to think this book/set of scenarios is one of the best for a new player who wants to focus on narrative games. It takes quite a bit of terrain building but the model count is very reasonable and I haven’t really gotten burnt out on painting these minis yet like I was with Wargs from the Hobbit and the huge amount of Goblins needed for Escape From Goblin Town before that.
So that is another week in the books for me. I am taking a much needed vacation to a warmer climate with my fiancee this week. I will be sad to give up painting for a week but at the same time, a little time away may ignite my hobbying passion just like Christmas break did. I am looking forward to getting back to the Farmer Maggot terrain and Theoden needs to be finished up for March too. I’m going to try to get a little bit of an update together for next week, though it may be a little later than usual. I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to when I return as well!
Kuribo's Painting 
Nice, I admire your progress on these minis. Great looking Ruffian!
The Christmas has been very productive for me as well in terms of hobbying, though I feel now that I’m approaching a trough. This is mostly because currently my hobbying eye is wandering all over the place. I’m still on track playing the next scenario start of next month, but I might not progress as fast as I had unrealistically planned in terms of painting and building.
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Many thanks, Gero! That is good to hear that things have been productive but I can relate to wandering eye. I’ve been spending more time looking at games outside of MESBG lately than I have focused on my current projects. I still put in the hobby time but I haven’t been “excited” to sit down and paint the last week or so either. I really doubt that I will get around to playing any of the games I’ve been considering or at least not anytime soon but I definitely hit lulls like that. I would say if you need a break from your current project, I would say take one (even if it is just a short one) and don’t sweat it. Don’t feel like you have to hit a scenario each month if it isn’t fun to do so. It might be a good goal but one that is not set in stone if you’re feeling a bit bored or overwhelmed with a given project. Taking a break is always a good idea and helpful when you need one. I do it quite often and try to have multiple projects going for that reason. Not sure if any of this is helpful but I thought I’d throw out a few ideas anyway. As long as you keep having fun, there is no wrong way to hobby after all!
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Thanks Kuribo! For some reason this comment hadn’t shown up on my notifications before. Playing these scenarios monthly has made me realize how long a month actually is. It feels like I haven’t done any hobbying in ages, yet only less than a month has passed since I actually played the last scenario and wrote it down.
Thanks for your support! I don’t think a break is actually in order, at least not yet. I have everything ready to play the next three scenarios, so that gives me about 2 months of extra time to prepare for the other scenarios. Though I might need those months to prepare for the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Nonetheless your advice is good and kind, so thanks for that! 🙂
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No worries! Sometimes I miss notifications too with WordPress. It isn’t hard for them to get buried unfortunately.
I’m glad to hear you’ve got things mostly ready to go for a couple of months and you’re definitely going to need to put some hobbying time in before Battle of the Pelennor Fields. That will hopefully be a fitting and epic battle when you get to playing it!
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I think I like this ruffian the best, has a lot of character that you captured brilliantly.
I agree that the shire would be a good place to start for beginners, a boxset like Pelennor Fields would be phenomenal. Unfortunately in this regard, I believe that for most people familiar with Lord of the Rings it is from the movies.
You do have me intrigued with what you are waiting for from Poland.
For the Shire scenery (fields, gardens, crops, etc) have you gone to any model railroad stores? They might have something you could use.
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Thanks, Bret! I’m with you on this sculpt being a favorite.
That is very true. I think the starter sets draw in people more than any narrative books though quite honestly, I wonder how many people actually paint up an entire starter set. There is usually half a year or more’s worth of hobby time to paint the contents of the box at a decent standard and that is probably without getting your terrain in order.
Well, I will tease you a bit further and say what I’m waiting for goes in Farmer Maggot’s Field 🙂 I have seen some good looking crops available from model railroad companies. I haven’t decided what I want my crops to be but I wouldn’t be surprised if I take your advice!
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Great job on these miniatures even if you’re not super psyched yourself, though that last ruffian does have that vacant look going on, kinda like if Lenny was a henchman.
You’re making some great progress all around toward getting those shire scenarios to the table with style. 😀
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Much appreciated and I was probably being a bit too hard on myself. I always strive for perfection and don’t often reach it 😀
I appreciate your encouragement on the scenarios too. I’ve felt like I’ve been in a bit of a slog the last couple of weeks but hopefully things will change as I start to paint fewer ruffians and focus a bit more on terrain.
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Nice ruffian here – he looks good and effective for the role of a simple thug in MESBG or any other fantasy setting, besides!
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Cheers, mate! I appreciate how you think beyond MESBG into other games. I need to think more in that way to ensure that I maximize what gaming options I have in the limited storage room that I have.
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