Charlie: Don't be fooled by my name and photo above; this is Mark's final post, as promised in our farewell to him last week (click here for that). Only Mark could've made a post about his own impending death this humorous. It's about the hobby from the perspective of a dying man, and since we're all mortal, this seems relevant to all of us. I'd like to spin this intro out for longer, because I keep feeling like just one more sentence might convey the sense of bewilderment and sadness here at the Beard Bunker, but I already said my piece last week, and this is Mark's post, not mine. Without further ado, here it is.

You, sir, are metal.









Clan Voltik



Big Yeller close

Big Yeller further away. Also, bottom right: da lootie 'fex.



Mark left instructions for us to post a photo of his entire ork army. No such photo exists, as we're still sorting his stuff, and it's huge. Rest assured that when the dust has settled we'll do a full army showcase of the Crooked Hand Waaaagh! as it deserves to be seen in full. Update: we did it! The army's so large that it's broken into three parts, cunningly named Editor's note:Update: we did it! The army's so large that it's broken into three parts, cunningly named Part 1 Part 2 and Part 3 . Here's a shot of the whole army:



The Crooked Hand Waaagh!



Phil Stutcinskas liked my Orks!

Dakka Jet with particularly dakka-y dakka

Yellow + fire = Waaagh!

Some (but not all) of Mark's Deffskull vehicles (plus Lootie 'Fex, because yes)

Regrets, I’ve had a few.

not left me entirely without regrets.



In hobby terms, there are one or two bigger projects I could or should have completed. My Blasta Bomma in particular I left far too long to gather dust even though it had the potential for true awesome in it. This may be a regret of having my life cut short rather than a hobby one though.



In real life terms, I’ve been a profligate spender - particularly during times when I’ve been unhappy or under stress and I now have an enormous pile of plastic shame that I will never paint and has cost a huge amount of money. In total, I have maybe £3,000 worth of unstarted kits kicking around. My wife now has to dispose of this enormous plastic pile. So I do regret my intemperent hobby purchases immensely because by buying this stuff, I’ve denied other things to both myself and my wife.



The hobby does have to coexist with real life and the hobby is not the sole reason that I’m reasonably happy with how my life has gone. In my time I’ve rowed at a decent level, taught people how to dive and dived myself, had a mildly successful professional career and helped raise a family.



Like the hobby though, these things have been enjoyable in their own right but have become bigger parts of my life than an ‘activity I do’ because of the social and friendship side that has accompanied them.



Certainly, diving on a World War One battleship in the cold waters of Scapa flow was made all the better by doing it with friends who would later go on to be my best man and ushers at my wedding.



So it is with the hobby - playing a game or doing a roleplay session with someone is fun, but having those people be your friends and developing the game, or the universe or characters you play with or just your friendship together makes the whole thing a cause for joy, a sense of belonging and social engagement. Adding this side of the hobby to the satisfaction of the creation and playing process makes it truly great.



With that, I’ll leave you with my thoughts on what makes for a better hobby life. As I’m dead, you can’t argue with me .



A design for Hobby Life?

Is there a design for hobby life? Probably not. But some of the things I’ve learned are:



Spending

Don’t buy more in a month than you can paint in a month. That way the hobby becomes affordable, sensible and psychologically less overbearing. You’ll also need a lot less storage space.

Buy models that you will build or paint imminently. Don’t buy models to ‘cheer yourself up’ or because you’ll get round to it one day. That’s how to spend a huge amount of money. In everything but the very short term, this will not cheer you up.

Money spent on good quality tools is money invested, not spent. A good tool (be it for DIY, hobby stuff, woodworking or cake making will pay for itself multiple times. I spent £70 on a Proxxon rotary tool in 2008 (a lot for me at the time) that I still use today, still works flawlessly and has allowed me to do an awful lot of good work. Similarly, a small aluminium mitre box I bought in 2011 has allowed me to make perpendicular saw cuts on plasticard for years. I think it's important to say that the hobby life hasleft me entirely without regrets.In hobby terms, there are one or two bigger projects I could or should have completed. My Blasta Bomma in particular I left far too long to gather dust even though it had the potential for true awesome in it. This may be a regret of having my life cut short rather than a hobby one though.In real life terms, I’ve been a profligate spender - particularly during times when I’ve been unhappy or under stress and I now have an enormous pile of plastic shame that I will never paint and has cost a huge amount of money. In total, I have maybe £3,000 worth of unstarted kits kicking around. My wife now has to dispose of this enormous plastic pile. So I do regret my intemperent hobby purchases immensely because by buying this stuff, I’ve denied other things to both myself and my wife.The hobby does have to coexist with real life and the hobby is not the sole reason that I’m reasonably happy with how my life has gone. In my time I’ve rowed at a decent level, taught people how to dive and dived myself, had a mildly successful professional career and helped raise a family.Like the hobby though, these things have been enjoyable in their own right but have become bigger parts of my life than an ‘activity I do’ because of the social and friendship side that has accompanied them.Certainly, diving on a World War One battleship in the cold waters of Scapa flow was made all the better by doing it with friends who would later go on to be my best man and ushers at my wedding.So it is with the hobby - playing a game or doing a roleplay session with someone is fun, but having those people be your friends and developing the game, or the universe or characters you play with or just your friendship together makes the whole thing a cause for joy, a sense of belonging and social engagement. Adding this side of the hobby to the satisfaction of the creation and playing process makes it truly great.With that, I’ll leave you with my thoughts on what makes for a better hobby life. As I’m dead, you can’t argue with me .Is there a design for hobby life? Probably not. But some of the things I’ve learned are:





Social

Seek out the people who you get on with and whose hobby goals and interests work with yours. Hang out with these people and if you like them, keep them as your friends. Your hobby, your life and your world will improve immensely. For those on the other side of the coin - be inclusive. It’s easy to keep someone out but the rewards are negligible, Bring someone in though and the rewards can be massive - to both you and them.

Play with friends, make friends and bear in mind that the social and friendship side of the hobby is the best and most rewarding part of the hobby.

Be aware of the impact your hobby has on your friends. Smashing face with the latest lopsided, loophole abusing net-list might be fun for you - but is it fun for your opponent? Conversely, is there an aspect of the hobby your friends love? Make sure you do some of that with them.

Don’t rely on the hobby for everything. The hobby needs to be part of a bigger life and you need to get out there and find it. If you aren’t sure how to do that then two starting points are:

Be yourself - don’t try to be anyone else.



Be the best version of yourself that you can be.

Enjoy the hobby and don’t let it be something that limits you.





Getting Stuff Done



Pick your fights. Save the fifth highlighting stage for your Warboss, not your grots.

Don’t get caught in the hype. Pick a project you’re excited about and stick to it. If you keep switching between different things, you’ll never get anything significant done.

Keep chipping away at it. If you do just a little bit (30 - 60 minutes) each day - even if its on a big pile of models - you’ll be surprised how quickly stuff gets done.

Don’t get cancer and die.

And that’s it for now. Well, for ever really. I think the last thing I’ll do is leave with a couple of bits I’ve done over the years that I’ve been particularly happy with - a bit of a character and army showcase.



*Obviously, I wrote this before I died. Bloggers are persistent but usually give up after they die, unlike Tupac.





Appendix - Cancer stuff

I died because of bowel cancer. I probably had bowel cancer for a number of years before it actually did something sufficiently obnoxious (blocked my colon) for me to definitely get my symptoms checked out. By that stage it had metastasised and it was too late for the most effective (i.e. potentially life saving) treatment routes.



However, I had been having symptoms for some time prior to the actual diagnosis which I should have got checked out. It might have saved my life. By ignoring symptoms and failing to seek advice, I killed myself. This was stupid.



Bowel cancer amongst the young (well, under about 70) is rare, but it is on the rise and the reasons why aren’t really understood fully.



Symptoms include:

Persistent change in bowel habits

Blood in stool

Abdominal pain

Night sweats

Persistent or unexplained tiredness

Unexpected weight loss

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get them checked out as soon as possible - Don’t put it off as I did.



I have very much skimmed the surface of this topic. There is more information below:



https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/



https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Jmavoj74wIVibPtCh0PjADHEAAYASAAEgJxwPD_BwE



* * *

Charlie: that's it from Mark. If you have any comments, questions or messages you would like us to pass on, leave them in the comments. And that’s it for now. Well, for ever really. I think the last thing I’ll do is leave with a couple of bits I’ve done over the years that I’ve been particularly happy with - a bit of a character and army showcase.*Obviously, I wrote this before I died. Bloggers are persistent but usually give up after they die, unlike Tupac.I died because of bowel cancer. I probably had bowel cancer for a number of years before it actually did something sufficiently obnoxious (blocked my colon) for me to definitely get my symptoms checked out. By that stage it had metastasised and it was too late for the most effective (i.e. potentially life saving) treatment routes.However, I had been having symptoms for some time prior to the actual diagnosis which I should have got checked out. It might have saved my life. By ignoring symptoms and failing to seek advice, I killed myself. This was stupid.Bowel cancer amongst the young (well, under about 70) is rare, but it is on the rise and the reasons why aren’t really understood fully.Symptoms include:If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get them checked out as soon as possible - Don’t put it off as I did.I have very much skimmed the surface of this topic. There is more information below:

: This will (hopefully) be the Beard Bunker’s first post from beyond the grave. If you are reading this, I am dead.* Deader than a can of spam. Deader than the moshpit at a Coldplay gig. I imagine that the Beard Bunker personnel will be keen to keep this as the last postmortem post for a while, probably for about 40 years or so.If you’re interested as to why: I rolled a succession of critical fails on the ‘Don’t Die’ table. These consisted of critical fails for genetics, body awareness, cancer treatment and metastatic cancer spread.Whilst this post will predominantly be about hobby stuff, there will be a more serious bit at the end about the cancer that got me.As I approach death, many naysayers and hobby sneerers (you know the sort) might imagine that I’ll have some sort of Damascene conversion, look at my hordes of Orks and think to myself:In truth, I really don’t think I have. Granted, I’ve spent some glorious sunny days hunched over a desk, in the dark, with two desk lights running whilst I chunk out vehicles, Orks or Gretchin.But I’ve also wasted days like that, lurking in the pit of my bed with a brutal hangover. Which has been the better use of my time?I’ve created stuff. It might not be the best painted stuff in the world but it is mine, and no-one else can say that about that model, or story or building. Its mine and the result of my effort, time and concentration, and no-one can take that away.And as a result of that effort, I have two big, good looking armies that I'm genuinely proud of.More importantly, these armies have enabled me to play a lot of silly games with some very good people, and that’s been the core of my enjoyment with these armies.A point about our hobby is that, however reclusive or introverted you are, the most fun you’re likely to have with the hobby will be with people - whether that’s playing games, or hanging out painting little plastic men.And some of the games have been glorious: we had a week long Warhammer campaign with a mixture of grand battles, roleplay and skirmishes in 2013 that I remember fondly. We’ve played several big games at Warhamster World that have looked and felt truly epic. In one instance, Phil Stutckinsas said he liked my Orks, which is an absolutely fantastic complement. And we’ve also played a lot of big Warhammer games back in Oxford - with several filling our 6’ x 4’ table with regiments.Admittedly, some of my antics have annoyed my friends immensely: Having a doom rocket land in the middle of your elite regiment at 8 in the morning tests your sense of humour somewhat. Apparently. As do Doomwheels, Skaven artillery, Skaven weapon teams. Skaven in general actually.So no, I haven’t wasted my life. I can stare at the metaphorical approaching meteorite and be a little more at peace than Comic Book Guy. Indeed, as I put together this blog entry - which has taken me more than one sitting - I’m still making scenery, painting Orks and putting together awesome vehicles.Recently, I finished off two jets for my Ork army which I am genuinely chuffed with. I weathered and finished them with a combination of classic GW style painting, airbrushing and oil paint weathering and I’m happy with the ‘weathered cartoon’ look that the planes have.Even when hope has been extinguished, and as I approach death; I find that the concentration required to make and paint models and the joy that comes from having completed them helps to make my final days more bearable and distract from the physical and emotional pain of disease and dying.The victories may be pyrrhic - I’ll hardly use some of these models - but being able to revel in something I’ve created and am happy with gives a satisfaction that beats despair, at least for a while. In that regard, the hobby has been invaluable to me. I genuinely have no idea what I would have done without it at this time.The building, converting, painting and playing part of the hobby has just been part of the total experience and I’ve also been involved in narrative play, roleplaying and GMing and the occasional boardgame - all of which contributes.