Miniatures or Boardgames and Series Games

I'm not unusual in this, but my gaming/hobby time is very limited.  Partially, I've purposely limited it because I have  a small issue with not going overboard with hobbies/latest interests.  I'm all in or all out.  It's not just hobbies I do this with.  INSERT YOUR PYSCHOLOGICAL HELP IN THE COMMENTS. Moderation is not my forte.

Anywhooo, I've been thinking recently about how to prioritize my hobby time and money.  There are so many interests and ways to spend my cash and time, that I need to discipline myself a bit.  As I've begun playing more operational level games like SCS, A Victory Denied, etc, I've come to realize the pleasure and fun of playing games at this level.

And I've found myself not as interested in the tactical games, like ASLSK, Band of Heroes, etc.  This comes as quite a surprise to me because I really like that level of gaming because I feel more like I'm involved with what's happening.  I can visualize the story unfolding in my head.  I put faces to those chits and counters.  Where in the operational level, it's tough to think of the counters as representing GI Joe. They're just big blocks of people and equipment.

Then I realized that what I like better for tactical is the miniature game.  Talk about getting in visually and viscerally.  And even the games that are supposed to be more Strategic, like Command Decision: Test of Battle, it's tough not to see each stand of men as just that a stand of two guys.  (This confusion with scale is probably good fodder for another post.).  And the miniature games I lean toward tend to have the guys represented either one on one or close (one stand equals a squad - which is like ASL and many others. I can abstract that much.).

As of this writing, I've come to the conclusion that I will focus my efforts on gaming in miniatures to get my tactical fix.  This will accomplish a couple things.  I won't focus on buying too deeply into Band of Heroes (even though I want to) and Advanced Tobruk System and even more ASL.  This comes down to money and time.  I don't have the money right now to be a completist or the time to play them...so resist young padawan.

Then I can focus on a few Strategic level board games to get that fix. I've got several that were acquired for Geekway to the West that I can play.  But this also leads me to another obsession or focus of mine: game series.

Game series like ASL, Band of Heroes, SCS, etc. 

And bouncing between the two will help my interest and energy in the hobby. For example, I'm at a stage where I would like to give the boardgames a rest and do some painting and play a game or two.

I was thinking all this when I came across this great post on Kev, aka hipshot, aka the Big Board's great blog about wargaming...) about this very topic.  In fact, as I read it, I thought this person was living in my head considering how closely our stories resemble each others.

Does anyone else have this issue of prioritizing their hobby time?  I know if I ultimately bounce around, I won't accomplish anything. I just want to focus on a limited scope.

Here's a wishlist of games/projects:

• ASLSK Decision at Elst
• Rally Point 6 (it's all scenarios for ASLSK) 
• Operations Magazine #4 (ASLSK scenarios and INS scenarios)
• Standard Combat Series (SCS) - It Never Snows (lower on the priority list)
• SCS - Afrika II 
• SCS - The Mighty Endeavor - Reprint (Lower on list but it sounds like you could have some fun trying what ifs...even if they seem hopeless.)
• Operational Combat Series - Reluctant Enemies
• OCS - Korea
• OCS The Blitzkrieg Legend
• OCS - The Baltic Gap
• OCS - Burma (cause I want to learn about an unknown, for me, part of WWII)
• Purchased - 12-11-13 Added The Russian Campaign and bought it from Enterprise Games
• Purchased - 12-11-13 Added The Battle of the Bulge 1981 2ed from Enterprise Games
• Mare Nostrum (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Heroes of the Pacific (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Band of Heroes Reprint (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Noville (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Not One Step Back (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Dark July (Lock N Load Squad level)
• Alpha and Bravo Packs (Lock N Load Squad level)
• 15mm Miniatures to complete the first east front scenario in the Command Decision book
• Test the Chain of Command Rules
• If I don't like it, continue my process in creating a WWII Platoon level "skirmish" level game adaption of the Blitzkrieg Commander rules.
• Complete and loved it - Put together a different scenario based on the IABSM scenarios in the main rule book utilizing the Blitzkrieg Commander Rules
• If this works out then possibly put together a Soviet force to play the East Front book I have of IABSM Scenarios
• Purchased - Acquired first set of Soviets from Dave.

Updates in Bold 12-11-13