With a new tau codex coming out I decided to go through the warp (also known as my garage) and see what I could salvage from my old Tau collection. Now for a digression!
At the beginning of 2003, I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. Without dragging you through a sob story of what was happening, i'll just tell you what I did to cope with it. I looked back at the year 2001 which was a wonderful year for me, The release of Tau, I discovered both Red Bull and the female physical form, Van's Warped Tour was at it's peak, Free Media seemed to be taking over, and I was getting good at pushing a plank (Southern California is the perfect location to live if you love, Surfing, Snowboarding, and Skate Boarding). Well I decided to make a time capsule. I spent the next several weeks getting a couple of things off ebay, garage sales, surf shops, etc. I labeled the aluminum tin "DO NOT open til DEC 2011". I was hoping to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of 2001. Now back to my garage rummaging.
After being distracted by all the books I found, I eventually came across a box that my parents had put together after I had moved out. The first things I came across were an old gas mask and an old school Fat gray Game Boy. After going inside and playing with my still functional piece of video game history, I made my way back to the box. I pulled out an odd shrink wrapped tin with blue painter's tape serving as the label. Reading the faded description I realized that I had hit the jackpot. I don't know how I forgot about it, maybe because I had duplicates of the two GW models I had put inside. It could have also been that I had changed highschools twice, enlisted, gotten married, had two kids, went to college, and moved half a dozen times. Honestly, 10 years ago I saw plenty of Hobby stores come and go within the span of a few months. If you would have asked me I would have told you that "GW will fade into memory by 2011". I unwrapped the shrink wrap and took the clips off the tin. It was like uncovering King Tut's tomb. It was like I crawled into the mind of a an overly hormonal teenage boy. Among the contents were the following:
- ticket stubs to the 2001 Van's Warped Tour
- some music I had scratched onto notepad paper
- a Hook-ups sticker (skate board brand with questionably dressed anime girls)
- a Red Bull wrapped in a Zip-Lock freezer Bag (I won't drink it)
- a couple burned CDs
- a bra from a teenage girl (pink with black polka dots, by the way she's now an adult)
- an expired gym membership to 24 hour fitness
there was also a reminder in the form of a picture of my God Father with the words, Happiness can always be found among the overwhelming reality of tragedy. I come from a long line of American Military Veterans (all the way back to before the French and Indian War). My God Father's office was located on the side of the pentagon that was struck during the 9/11 attacks. Fortunately, he decided that he was going to make an impromptu visit to Quantico that morning (The man has escaped death more than he can count).
Finally there were 2 Games Workshop miniatures:
*Note: The codex was not in the capsule, I thought I would include it in the shot for Nostalgia purposes. The models are also in original packaging.
This really got me thinking. As I sit here typing this to you, i'm drinking a silver edition Red Bull, listening to some Punk Rock, and occasionally looking up at my beautiful wife. I think about how I would have never guessed the girl living next door to my highschool back in 2001 would become my wife, Red Bull was not outlawed, media pirating has both advanced and received lots attention from governments around the world, and I haven't touched an instrument or a board in a long time. I am also surprised with the Tau, 3 editions later we have a playstation video game, a Forgeworld Expansion, a spin off White Dwarf codex (Kroot Mercenaries), an additional playable ally (3 if you include BFG), and soon a 3rd codex.
Thought For the Moment
How do you think your Tau army will change in the next 10 years? Will you be playing Tau at all? Do you think you'll be playing Warhammer a decade from now? Please feel free to share your answer in the comments below.
A time capsule is pretty cool idea - wish I had done something like that...I suppose there is still time. By the way, that is a pretty awesome find - both limited edition(LE) models saved in perfection for the latest codex. I've already painted my LE ethereal, and my LE kroot shaper is still waiting in the packaging to be painted - it will happen soon!
ReplyDeleteI honestly worry about the future of GW for the next 10 years - who knows? but assuming that they continue going strong. I predict one more codex, and a re-do of some existing kits. I doubt they'll expand the range much.
I doubt I'll be playing the game much ten years from now. I'm 32 now and barely play - but you can count on me to continue painting and modeling which I hope is a life-long joy.
Well put Tim. I'm a little worried too, I remember a time in Games Workshop history where i'd buy one or 2 boxes and the guy at the register/the owner would throw in one or two blisters. I also remember the same guy giving me a discount just because I didn't have enough money at the time. Around a decade ago you could walk into GW with ground-up conversions, or models from another range converted to match another 40k army and it was encouraged. Now Back in December my wife was going Christmas shopping Because I both hate shopping and I have an affinity for watching other people play, I decided to just wait for my wife in the GW. The store owner walked up to me basically told me paint, play, buy something, or get out. I understand GW is a business so I hold no bones about it, but I just find it sad that they are strangling the small retailors and at the same time pushing to maximize profits. I don't like the fact that I get chastised for using an XV-8 model as count-as Gue'vesa Sentinel even though it's modeled to proper height, with the proper weapon, on a proper base. I don't like how I can use the bits from Paulson Games and told that I need to make room for another player. There is an obvious difference between GW pre-2002 and GW post-2012.
DeleteAs for being 32, don't worry about it I know plenty of guys pushing 60 who still game. One of the guys I knows plays IG/SM while his son plays Eldar and his grandson plays Orks. But real life does put a giant hold on gaming, I play half as much as I did before my first child at the sacrifice of video games, sports, and Dionysus level inebriated socializing. Though I know some passions are just hard to break, I had a co-worker who when I told him I was getting into D&D revealed that he hadn't played in over half a decade, but he had since then put together over 100 builds (3 of which he shared right on the spot). As for painting, I recently found/purchased 3 hammerhead/devilfish, 3 boxed of fire warriors, 3 metal stealth suits and a ton of kroot, in addition to the fact that I look forward to advance ordering a couple new XV-88s and a riptide (despite it's aesthetically displeasing small head). FOr the past year I've been practicing methods with an airbrush in anticipation of the Tau launch which I look forward to implementing.
well I am 15 years... and when I read your story ede I am confident that I will grow up like you, having a (hopefully) beautiful wife, a good job, and a nice tau army. I am thinking of becoming a lawyer of some sorts. some kidz at my school think it is geeky and childish to play it, but I know better. I consider myself grown up if I look at them, and I have made the choice to become an adult with a good job and a fun hobby. so that is what I am going to do. starting with tau of course, but later with imperial guard. and I let them laugh. when I have a good job and a fun life I will tell them: yes I would like some fries with that. tau over 10 years? bad-ass, underly played and still trolling.
ReplyDelete