Oops, not painted after all

The other day I was stocking my megadungeon and reviewing the areas I think are reasonably accessible to the PCs. Then, I went around and started the process of gathering my minis for the sessions.

After all, we play at a friend's house, so I can't keep the entire collection on hand. I need to cut it down to the ones I expect to use plus the emergency extras.*

I needed some fodder-types. I knew I'd gotten a few in my Bones set from Reaper. So I went to look for them.

I couldn't find them anywhere - not in any box, bag, case, or storage rack.

Until I found them in the worst of all possible places - the unpainted minis boxes.

So I hadn't painted them. I'd planned to, set them aside, and then never got back to them.

I started line-painting them this week.

"Line painting" is the term I learned for painting identical or nearly-identical mini, part by part, in series. So, all the flesh on all of the figures. Next, all of the armor. Next, all of the accessories. Etc.

I don't need the minis for the encounter. I don't even need them painted. I might not even have enough. But what's the point of having gotten these and kept them if I'm only going to have them unpainted and sitting in a box when I do deploy the NPCs they're meant to represent?


So, this week, on top of all the other things I have to do (it's a busy week for a lot of reasons), I have to get 8-10 minis painted and ready to play with on Sunday.

Good thing they're reasonable moderate detailed - not too fiddly, not so under-detailed that they look flat and trashy once paint brings out the lack.


I'm trying to keep this from distracting me from finishing up the stocking details. I have more than enough to play, but less than enough to make it really shine in play.


* Like the "Orc box." You never know when the delver-orc war will erupt. When it does, I have 60-70 orc minis handy, plus counters and Cardboard Heroes, and I can get the others for next time.