It's Ok to Not Paint Your Miniatures

The Realization

Thinking I had to have everything painted in order to actually play a game is really holding me back.

Infinity Is Cursed

I’ve played a couple of games of Infinity, really love it—probably the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. Amazing models, some painted, some from trades I didn’t finish.

I joke that Infinity is cursed because every time I try to play it, my life falls apart. So I’m afraid to start playing again. I’m getting that itch, but I’m afraid something terrible will happen.

When I started pulling this out, I realized: I don’t want to paint this. I want to play it. These are game pieces—I can still play them. Why am I holding myself to this arbitrary rule?

The Dusk Dilemma

My Dusk cast is magnetized, my 50-point list is ready until the starter set comes out. But I want to paint these to the best of my ability, which means it won’t be painted for another year.

And that’s when it hit me.

The Permission

This arbitrary rule of “I want my things painted” when I’m not playing in tournaments—some games I just want to play once or twice and never touch again. I don’t have to have fully painted stuff. I just need to get it built.

I’m trying to balance this in my head: I don’t have any intentions on painting this stuff, but I have a lot of intentions on playing the game. Maybe after I play it, I’ll want to paint it.

What This Means

• Infinity is ready to play
• I’m going to play Necromunda next month
• I want to paint up Mordheim warbands
• I can play Mollog’s Crew without painting them—they don’t have to be painted

The Purge Helped

I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff. Some of the stuff I’m keeping, I’m not going to paint. That’s really freeing.

I’m not going to buy any more models until what I have is painted, but I don’t have to wait to play with what I’m keeping.

Finding the Joy

Maybe I spend the rest of the year just building stuff. Getting everything built that I want to play, then worry about painting next year.

I’m giving myself permission to have fun with my toys. It doesn’t have to be so crazy. I need to find the joy in it.

So much of it felt like work. I really like building. Maybe I’ll put some model kits together and never even paint them. I really like playing—I want to roll dice.

I’m trying to get over this idea that I have to have things painted in order to play. That’s the thought of the day.