Hey all
So, this happened a few years back, and honestly it got me SO upset I couldn't even post about it.
Anyway, found some figures that connected to it, and thought I would finally share. Curious to see people's' take on it!
So, some years ago I took part in a Longstreet campaign with a local group of wargamers. Not everyone had an army of the correct size and basing, so I thought it would be good of me to do what I could to help!
I went ahead and put together four Longstreet armies, using figures I had had for years and years. You might remember that I posted about the process, here...
https://lordashramshouseofwar.blogspot.com/2013/09/three-more-longstreet-armies-done.html
Unfortunately, the campaign wound down without a true "ending" and that's when trouble started:(
Two of the armies never really found their way back to me. One person moved out of state, and the other didn't really game with us much. He lives about an hour away, and I just couldn't get down to get it.
But the third army... that's what kills me.
The person who borrowed them brought them back one day... and they were DESTROYED.
Now, I had gone to GREAT lengths to make them nice. I had done work on the basing to make it look better, with tufts of grass and flowers and the rest. I made sure everything was edged nicely, created counters to represent skirmishers and heroes, and made sure all of the base sizes match all of the other armies in the campaign. You can see them above.
But for some damn reason, when I got this army back... they had been torn up.
Here is what the bases looked like when I loaned them out...
One inch by one inch, same as every other army in the campaign. Tufts, blacked, etc.
And here is what I got back. For the ENTIRE ARMY.
Some figures torn off their bases. Some bases cut in half, for some unknown damn reason. Some bases cut in half, and then glued back together onto thick wooden bases. Some bases with the bottom half ripped off (they were mounted on card.)
THE ENTIRE DAMN ARMY looked like this.
And the person who gave them back to me didn't say anything. Like... nothing.
I think I was in such shock that I didn't say much. I honestly cannot even remember what I said, but there was no explanation, no apology, no nothing.
The ENTIRE ARMY. Ruined, torn up, cut up.
This was a few years ago, and it still BLOWS MY MIND. Figures I had had for YEARS, and which I worked HARD on, and which I really cared about.
Anyway... it's honestly frustrated me so badly that I've never posted about it. I started a post about it a few times, but never finished it because I got so pissed.
It is just TOTALLY alien to me. Not only do I love toy soldiers too much to ruin them, but I also have WAY too much respect for other peoples things. If someone lent me soldiers, I'd guard them with my LIFE.
Has anyone out there ever had this happen to them, where they loaned someone figures and gotten them back totally ruined?
11 comments:
That sounds terrible! I've never had anything like that happen but then I've never let any of my troops out of my sight. I guess you've got to think why didn't these people have their own armies, perhaps they weren't very committed? It's certainly a bizzare thing to do with someone elses stuff. I feel totally peed off on your behalf!
I have had people damage figures accidentally whilst playing. Not said sorry or offered any comment. They have no respect for other people’s property. I would be mortified if I damaged anyone’s stuff.
Definitely the last time I'd be anywhere near that gamer. Unbelievable and unacceptable. What a great guy.
That is completely baffling to me. I, literally, can't imagine doing something like that to someone else's army.
Honestly, I'm an anomaly amongst gamers, in that, I don't really like letting others play with my toys. I've been in too many games where people get emotional about how things are going or simply don't care and break, bend, chip, etc. the figures. Maybe I just prefer the creative process, but I love my work and it really, really annoys me when people are careless with them.
If I lent figures to anyone then it would only be to someone I know really well and on the understanding that they be returned in the same condition or there would be hell to pay. If (as has happened) a model gets damaged by another player during play, they are NEVER allowed to forget it. What that person did was unforgivable. Imagine if you'd borrowed his car, smashed it into a wall then returned it without a word!
I admire your restraint.
What the actual...?!
I can only imagine how that made you feel. I got angry just reading about it! Fortunately I have never experienced this and things stay that way.
I often do wonder at how selfish and disconnected some people are. I was at CANCON here is Aus yesterday in the bring-and-buy. A chap next to me picked up someone else's item for sale (a fragile assembled plastic kit), decided he had no interest in it and threw it back onto the table (from a considerable height) without a thought about damage or how he would feel if it was his stuff. I was so gobsmacked that he was gone before I had an opportunity to say anything. So if you're reading this... YOU SIR ARE A TWAT.
That is insane - cannot imagine any reason why anyone had thought of ripping them to pieces. Good reminder though...
Have borrowed some boardgames with mixed results (a few with significant value - unfortunately). Few never got back, and only few were ruined when finally returned. Most were returned in pristine condition however.
Never borrowed miniatures out, but I do share them for games if I'm there. Even then there are some cases where things get damaged (mostly ships and their rigging), but usually people are really sorry if it happens. That said, those few who seem not to realize the fragility of the miniatures have made me rethink about borrowing them for games...
Actually that person has a freckled face nephew that never has taken an interest in anything. Just mopes around all day. He visited one day and discovered the army while the adults were visiting. Inspire by your impressive army he tried to play with them like toys and found it sadly lacking. Deep in thought he began developing a new set of rules for play. He tried different basing attempts but time slipped away and before he knew it his mother was yelling at him to leave. The person was aghast and shocked at the remnants of what was once a magnificent army and did not know how to tell you that his brat nephew destroyed the army. The freckled faced boy was so inspired that he rose from his mediocre existence and has taken the path to be a lawyer. Errr no not a lawyer, a game designer. There, hope you feel better. No good deed goes unpunished. 😃
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