A Game Board Turned Into Its Own World

The Board Expansion

Got a tripod and way brighter lights. We finished the board and it turned out so great. I was going to build a frame around it, but instead I decided to build a full table’s worth of boards.

So far I’ve built more of the same concept on three, but on this one I built kind of a platform—a little bit higher. This will be like a foundation for a building or an altar or just different scenes. Not doing them all this mossy. I’ll have some where only half is moss and it tapers off. Still want them to move around.

I also cut four that won’t even be cobblestoned, and some that are half cobblestone going off into earth.

The Board Started Telling Its Own Story

Why is it so mossy? Who took the time to build such large bricks? Where did they go now that they’re not taking care of them?

These two tentacles coming up out of the ground—what’s there? And this stone right here almost looks like a tarp. Like somebody tried to string fabric up to make people think it’s a real stone so maybe they step on it and fall down below.

I didn’t consciously make these decisions. This happened organically as I lost control of myself making the board. I was taken to another world and this board is a snapshot of what’s going on there. What’s the name of this place? What’s going on?

It’s gone beyond just a simple game board for Mollog’s Crew into its own project. I’m going to keep exploring it.

The Last Week Has Been Amazing

I’ve painted a whole model from bare metal to completely done in a week—something I haven’t done in a very long time. And I started painting a commission piece. It’s been great.

I have a lot of kids, all under five years old. I thought I had lost the ability to participate in the hobby the way I used to. So much of my life before kids was about tabletop gaming and artwork and creating.

I’ve realized that doesn’t have to be gone. I’ve found plenty of time to paint, to hobby, and to edit these videos. I’ve been playing around in Discord, watching other people’s videos, and truly feeling like I’m back in the community again.

Like Being a Kid Again

This feels very much like when I was a kid and we all just made cool stuff and shared it. If we ever played, it was our own versions of D&D, our own made-up Warhammer rules, just having fun.

It wasn’t about what it’s been about for me the last couple years. I’ve found something I didn’t realize I had lost. It’s been way more about the process and the journey and just getting back to the hobby and doing it again.

More Present

Even if nobody watches, I’m just doing it to keep myself doing it. Now I have so much to look forward to every day.

I’m more present when I’m with the kids, with my wife, because I’m able to actually just be present. I’m not daydreaming about painting or some other project or constantly shopping or looking at models I’d like to paint.

Really, for the last couple months, the only part of the hobby I was participating in was the purchasing part. I was never getting to the painting part. So I’ve been selling all my pile of shame and backlog.

The Muse

I had this feeling I was building towards something, but I didn’t know what it was. Then I stumbled into these vlogs and this side of YouTube, and it’s been fantastic.

This board I was making for Mollog’s Crew has taken on its own life. I feel like I’ve truly tapped into some other world, some other dimension, and I’m channeling that in. I want to build that more and pursue it. I lost myself building that board, and I can’t even take credit for making it. That came straight from the muse.

Thank you to everybody watching, everybody I’ve been talking to on Discord and in the comments. If you’re even thinking about doing this vlog thing, definitely do it and comment below so I can go watch it.

Transcript

Hey. Hi. I got a tripod and way brighter lights. Welcome back to the Hobby Nomicon. We finished the board and it has turned out so great.

And I was going to build a frame to go around it. Uh but instead, I decided that I’m going to build a full tables worth of boards. So, so far I’ve just built more of the same concept on these three, but on this one right here, uh, I built kind of like this platform. See how it’s a little bit higher? And I’m thinking this will be like a foundation for a building or like an altar or just different scenes I can put on it.

And I’m not going to do them all this mossy. So, like obviously this will be the mossiest I do. And then I’ll probably have some where like only half of it is moss and like tapers off. I still want to make them so they can move around. And then I also I cut just I’m going to have four that are this size where they won’t even be cobblestoneed and then I’ll make some that are like half cobblestone and then go off into the earth.

And I want to talk about more about this board because so the board has started to tell its own story. Like why is it so mossy? What’s who took the time to build such large bricks? And then where do they go now that they’re not taking care of them? And then like this these now have these two tentacles coming up out of the ground.

Like what’s there? And if you kind of if you really start looking at this stone right here, it almost looks like a tarp. Like somebody tried to get some fabric and like strung it up in this corner and this corner and this corner and they want to like make people think that it’s a real stone. So maybe they step on it and then fall down in below. And I didn’t I didn’t like consciously make these decisions, right?

Like this has kind of happened organically as I just really like lost control of myself and was and making the board. And this one I I definitely like I was taken to another world and this board is a snapshot of what’s going on in that world and like what what’s the name of this place? What’s going on? You know, now it’s gone beyond just such a simple game board that I was going to use to play Molly Cruz into now like this is its own its own project and I’m going to keep exploring it. Hopefully I’m in frame.

Hey, what’s up guys? Recording you on the selfie cam because I just recorded this whole video uh with my head out of frame. Okay, so uh hopefully this works. I’m just going to talk to you something. I’m going to ramble about the last week and how amazing it’s felt.

Uh, I’ve painted a whole model from bare metal to completely done in a week, which is something I haven’t done in a very long time because even the stuff that I’ve finished painting or finished working on, it was stuff that I’ve revisited uh or eBay rescues like this guy on my desk right here. And not only did I finish painting that miscast model, but I started painting this guy, which you just saw my nose. I started painting this guy, which is a commission. And I’m just uh very rough work on the shield blending that in for Infinity. Um but it’s been great.

Like I I have a lot of kids and all of them are under five years old and I’ve lost I thought that I had lost the ability to participate in the hobby the way I used to. Like so much of my life uh even like before kids was just about tabletop gaming and the hobby and like artwork and and just creating and doing like stuff like that. And uh I’ve just realized that like it doesn’t that doesn’t have to be gone. Like I’ve found plenty of time to paint, plenty of time to hobby, and then also found the time to like kind of edit these videos. Uh there it’s still pretty basic stuff, but I’ve been able to edit.

I’ve been able to post it. Um, I’ve found a lot of cool people on Discord, so I’ve even been like playing around in Discord a lot more than I usually do. Um, watching other people’s videos and just like truly feeling like I’m back in the community again. Uh, this feels very much like uh when I I was a kid and like we all just were making cool stuff and we were sharing the cool stuff that we made and if we ever played we it was like our own versions of Dn D, our own madeup uh Warhammer rules, kind of just like having fun. It wasn’t it wasn’t about uh what it seems like it’s been about for me the last couple of years and and even now like I feel like I’ve I’ve found something that I didn’t realize I had lost and it’s been way more about like the process and like the journey and just getting back to the hobby and doing it again.

So now like I don’t even if nobody watches it that’s cool. like I’m just doing it now to keep myself doing it. And now I have so much to look forward to every day because I’m like doing all the chores and other stuff that I hated doing and I’m shaking all over the place cuz I’m holding holding the camera. Uh I’m I’m more present when I’m with the kids, when I’m with my wife because I’m able to like actually just be present and with them. I’m not like daydreaming about painting, as terrible as that sounds.

or I’m not daydreaming about some other project I want to do or I’m not constantly like looking at like tournament results or lists or like shopping or or just like looking through certain websites looking at at models that I I like to paint because really for me the hobby the only part of it that I was participating in was the purchasing part. I was never getting to the painting part. Uh, so really for the last couple of months I’ve been selling all of my pile of shame in my backlog. And I kind of had this feeling that I was building towards something, but I I didn’t really know what it was. And then I kind of stumbled into these vlogs and this side of YouTube and it’s just been fantastic.

Uh, it’s already kind of becoming like a habit seven days in and it’s just like I’ve already recorded stuff for today. Um, probably show you that first before I start rambling. Um, but just stuff that I’m very excited like this board that I was making for Molly Cruz has took on its own life, its own thing. Like I I feel like I’ve truly tapped into some other world, other some other dimension and I’m channeling that in and now I want to build that more and pursue that more. Like what does that look like and what else is here?

Uh what’s going to come out of it? Because I I lost myself building that and it’s it is what it is now. Like I can’t even take credit for making that. That came straight from the muse. So, uh, I really just want to say like everybody watching, thank you.

Everybody I’ve been talking to on Discord and in the comments, thank you. I appreciate you. Um, going to stop rambling now and I’m going to get back to the hobby. And if you’re even like thinking about maybe doing this vlog thing, definitely do it and comment it below so I can go watch it.