The internet never fails to provide endless affirmations that people have opinions. Strong opinions. So it was no surprise when Games Workshop announced details about their hotly anticipated app, the collective fanbase lost their minds on both fronts. I’ll provide my own unasked-for opinion here, if only to get my views down in writing so I can point to this blog when I get asked the same question for the seventeenth time. So let’s break it down:
What They Told Us
The announcement article billed the app as the “essential digital companion” for players, and that it will become more useful over time. They go on to say that the app itself is free, and that the core game rules are included, as well as a digital version of any physical book you would buy henceforth, placed in a digital library in your new My Warhammer account. This alone is cause for joy, in my opinion, which I’ll get to later.
The paid side of the app, coming in at around $5/month, includes the full rules for the game (things like blast rules, command points, etc), the full library of 8th Edition army books (which will potentially be removed as they are made obsolete), as well as an army builder tool for matched play.
What I Think About All of This
It’s fantastic. Truly. And I barely know how the army builder aspect of it will function. I’m not a mindless sycophant or a Games Workshop apologist, I will happily challenge something if I feel it isn’t worth my time, these are genuine feelings of a typically cynical consumer. So before you make your mind up, read through this and let me know in the comments if you still disagree – I’d be happy to hear differing opinions!
BattleScribe is free, why on earth would I need this? There are a few reasons I can immediately think of, the first is that I want to remind you that, like many of the “free” apps on your phone, BattleScribe is decidedly not free. It is ad-driven, and even has a subscription model (that I have happily been paying for years). We have become so used to these ad-supported apps and their periodic nuisance of an advertisement that we have come to expect this as the norm. How dare a company charge for a product they’ve produced? Why can’t they just load it up with ads like everyone else!
Secondly, the user experience for BattleScribe isn’t exactly pleasant, either. Don’t tell me you haven’t lagged on a loading screen, struggled to find that one wargear option hiding in an overly complex nested menu, or “accidentally” clicked on the strangely-sexy-anime-school-simulator app advertisement when searching for the little “X” on the top right of the screen. Then there’s always the risk of the data just being wiped for no good reason. A paid-for application run by the parent company of the game we are all fans of will have employed UX designers, coders, and teams of people whose sole job it is will be to make it a smooth, user-friendly experience. This isn’t a fan-made app that outsources the actual army-data to innumerable people who interpret and implement the rules as best they can (we’ve all seen mistakes on BattleScribe). That isn’t a knock on BattleScribe, either – they work with what they have, and it gets the job done, but you get what you pay for.
My daughter loves [ANIMATED MOVIE X]. If you’re a parent, you know exactly how important it is to get [ANIMATED MOVIE X] blasting at all hours so the kiddos can watch it for the 3,826th time. I can find some janky Chinese rip-off site to stream the movie for free. Absolutely free. It would cost me nothing to watch it. I just need to boot up the 3rd party device on my TV, sift for hours through dubious lists trying to find the best one, and pray it’s not doing any harm to my devices. Why, then, do I pay for Disney+? I can get it for free elsewhere! Video quality, reliability, and other various ‘extras’ are high on that list of reasons why, and at $70.00 a year? Small price to pay. I can similarly find all of the codex material online for free, flip through hopefully-clear PDFs of materials, and load up BattleScribe (which doesn’t have all of the rules required to play, mind you), but I would happily pay a fee for the convenience, reliability, and professional quality of the material supported by the parent company itself. So when people say, “Battlescribe does it for free!” I can only imagine that they haven’t bought a codex in 17 years.
The Debate
If Games Workshop would have announced a month ago that they were providing an app for absolutely no cost, that would not only catalog all of your physical books you purchased moving forward – like codexes – on a digital library, and also auto-update them with FAQ / Errata as they come out, the community would be ecstatic.
But people are fixated on the $5/mo payment to unlock the army builder. And that is an argument I am willing to entertain. $5/mo isn’t cheap, its certainly on the pricier side of things. It’s a price I am personally willing to pay for this service, but I can absolutely empathize with those that feel it prices them out.
It’s the manner in which the pricing model is implemented that has caused so much strife, I feel. If the army builder was included on the free side of things, but perhaps restricted to a single saved army list (for free), and didn’t have printing capabilities, or other additional features, it would make more sense. People are upset because the core function of the army builder should be free – it’s the convenience ‘extras’ that I feel should be at a premium, if change was indeed to take place.
I have a lot to think and say about this topic, and I’ll revisit it tonight when the kids aren’t crawling all over me.
Well, here it is! Me and Dan Gomez, fellow Warhammer Hero decided to give the podcasting thing a try. He’s been producing a great one on his own for a while (and will continue to do so) over at the Havoc Cast, check it out!
We wanted to give this a try and see how we like it. It’ll just be two dudes talking hobby. Whether we have 1 listener (hi, mom) or 1,000 it won’t matter – this is just an extension of the hobby for us! We’re hoping to bring in guests for chats, talk new releases, and generally focus on the passions of the hobby that we are all involved in.
This was my first ever podcast, so I’m pretty nervous, but hoping it smooths out as time goes on. Please let me know what you think, especially if you have any great ideas to discuss!
[edit: this didn’t publish for some reason and was stuck in limbo. Here you go!]
I’m not a massively competitive player. I enjoy competition, and will certainly play my damnedest with a competitive list, but I don’t see myself as an honest-to-goodness win-at-all-costs player. So my assessment of these changes is seen through the lens of moderately competitive play, and casual play among a friend-group. This isn’t taking into account tournaments and those players that will find the smallest loophole to exploit. But if you are a player like that, let me know what you think as well! All are valid forms of play, and none are better than the other!
There’s some good changes here, like drop pods being required to arrive by the end of the third battle round, to avoid late-game objective stealing shenanigans. The Vox relic now effects all aura abilities, granting that delicious +3″ range to everything instead of just a select few (I have no idea why they made the distinction to begin with). The biggest changes and clarifications in the Errata I take issue with are the following:
Q. Does a Chaplain have to be on the battlefield to recite a litany?
A. Yes.
Official Update Codex: Space Marines v1.0
This doesn’t change anything that we didn’t already know. You can’t perform actions while not on the board, and you certainly cannot effect units with aura abilities while similarly off of the table. But what some were hesitant about, myself included, was what this implied. A chaplain can never be in a drop pod and effect his units before at least a full turn has passed, they need to get out, go through a full turn of whatever, and then hope they survive the following turn to speak some words. A chaplain cannot, despite the incredibly iconic visual of him doing so, perform the rites of war on his battle brothers as the lurch forward in a Thunderhawk or Land Raider.
It’s just so thematic.
How do you represent this? Easy. Make the Litanies a true aura ability that don’t need to be ‘activated’ at the beginning of the turn. They still won’t effect models within transports (because they obviously shouldn’t), but they’ll emerge emboldened by the stirring oration of the chaplain. If you have to let them ‘cast’ the ability while within, so be it, it changes nothing else since it doesn’t effect them until they disembark. Let other armies cast buffs on their embarked units, too, I don’t care – it just doesn’t make sense how it is currently portrayed.
Q: Does adding an Officio Assassinorum model to my army with the ‘Operative Requisition Sanctioned’ Stratagem prevent the rest of my army from using Combat Doctrines?
A: Yes. Note that this model remains part of your army if it is destroyed.
Official Update Codex: Space Marines v1.0
This is a tricky one, and I can see why they did it the way they did, but I still don’t agree with it. They want to promote mono-lists, and prevent soup. This is a good thing, and I agree that including other units in an army through the normal methods of army selection should enforce this ruling. What I do not agree with is that this stratagem is already being bought at a premium. We’re spending precious command points, and the full cost of the model. We’re already jumping through hoops to include a single model in our army, where just a few short months ago we had to have a bizarre three-man assassin gang to even consider it, now we have the option to pay an added cost to have just the one. But now, we can’t do that unless we forfeit a very characterful part of the Astartes army.
Single assassins shouldn’t be on the radar for preventing soup lists. Loyal-32? Knights? Custodes Shield Captains? Abso-fucking-lutely. One assassin leaping about that was paid for in both points and command points? I don’t think so.
Don’t you dare think about fighting efficiently beside one of us!
Q: Can I use Stratagems from the 2017 edition of Codex: Space Marines if there is not an updated version of that Stratagem in the 2019 edition of Codex : Space Marines?
A: No, none of the rules found in the 2017 edition of Codex: Space Marines can be used.
Official Update Codex: Space Marines v1.0
There it is! Your old codex is DEAD. Which is fine, and how it should be, I don’t want to keep up with a bunch of outdated books. Interestingly, the Index options from ages ago are still eligible, as long as the entry is solely in the Index as an option.
I saw it written in a rather poignant article some time ago that hobbies are essential for our well-being. That we should relish in our mediocrity of the pursuit, and never sweat mastering the craft. This is our hobby — a leisure activity. To reach for perfection is to make it more than that. I wholeheartedly agree with, and live by, this sentiment.
This was a fun diversion!
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to win your games, or earn a placement in a painting competition. It means you should give it your best effort and be satisfied with the result. Perhaps you can push yourself to improve, but only against the standard of your previous self. Are you enjoying the pursuit of these things? If you are, mission accomplished!
Just today, I saw a rather prominent hobbyist on social media proclaim they were “burned out” chasing the likes, comments, and general “have-to-constantly-improve” mentality; they declared their resignation from social media as a result. I absolutely respect the decision. Being able to walk away at a time you feel is best is an admirable trait, and I will never question their motive; I applaud it. Despite this, however, there was a sort of personal hollowness underpinning the declaration in my own mind as I read it. Who was setting these standards to hold yourself against? What would my followers say if I posted a “sub-par” miniature? Surely being self-aware that it’s become a chore is evidence that we possess the power to calm it down, perhaps take a break. If you know you’re posting for the sole purpose of getting likes and social media traction, and not to further your capital-H Hobby experience, can’t that be easily remedied? Is ghosting the scene / community / your followers the best move?
If it is, go for it! You know better than anyone else. And I mean that.
But I would just implore those that are feeling this burnout to pump the brakes. Contrary to the apparently popular opinion, this isn’t a job. Very few of us make money by playing with our toy soldiers. Even those exceedingly rare few that might turn a profit likely only make supplemental income and not a living wage in their efforts. I’d even consider that still just a “hobbyist;” only dabbling in monetizing what we already love. We have no boss beyond ourselves.
I suppose I was just struck by the self-awareness of the event. As if it couldn’t be stopped, even after the realization.
About half of my hastily painted Eldar project.
My summer project of speed painting an entire Biel-Tan army using mostly Contrast paints is 100% not my best work. At the end of a session I’m sometimes even discouraged at the results; certainly not up to my usual standards! But that’s okay, I’m having a good time challenging myself with my self-imposed restrictions. And you know what? If I break some of the rules – nothing happens! We set the rules, we set the expectations, we hobby exactly how we want to hobby.
Ironsleet member @koltti always knows how to excite my jibblies.
Look at the Ironsleet guys. Expertly curated vignettes of the genre, carefully crafted narrative epics that put all of us to shame. I’ll never have the time to accomplish a thing like that, the Herculean effort of creating a complex narrative with a team of other likeminded hobbyists, to travel to another country and play one almighty game, the likes of which will never be seen again upon its conclusion. It’s an ephemeral wish, a phantom aspiration we all have within our little hobby hearts — and I’m perfectly content just viewing from the sidelines. My worth isn’t measured against them, but rather alongside them. We are all hobbyists, and we can all be proud of their work.
So, if you’re feeling burned out, that you’re just in a rut of who-knows-what, or that you just are absolute garbage compared to these paragons of hobbying, ask yourself why you feel that way. Can you refocus? Are you pursuing some lofty goal that a hobby shouldn’t ever necessitate? Search for that spark of excitement you had when you got your very first miniature, and work from there.
If you’re not having a good time, it isn’t a hobby.
Look on any social media platform today, and you’ll see a flood of comments about the newly announced upcoming Space Marine releases. Some positive, some negative — all strongly opinionated about how correct their beliefs are.
While I will be happy to admit I’m very excited about the full range, I do have a slight trepidation with the reconnaissance walker’s appearance, but that would be easily fixed with some conversion work if it looks wonky in person. I’m tempted to put mesh plating between the roll bars. And, all things considered, this is such a slight aesthetic concern that it doesn’t impact my reception of the announcement at all — I’m excited by the entire release. But that isn’t the point of this post.
My main issue I take is with many of the negative comments online that Games Workshop has somehow destroyed the Space Marine aesthetic, fluff, brand, and modus operandi in releasing units like these new Phobos-clad warriors. Childhoods are ruined, people are vowing pacts of vengeance, “Those aren’t my Space Marines!” they say.
“It’s not Grimdark anymore!”
“Tacticool Marines!”
“Update other armies!”
And this is supremely tiresome to me, for a number of reasons, because most of the knee-jerk reactions are so unfounded, it’s gotten to the point where I pity the Community Team for having to moderate and sift through those comments. I feel worse for the designers of the models who not labored over the sculpts, but went through what is likely a discerning approval process only to be absolutely shat on by a bunch of very vocal muppets online.
Let’s address the big one, and probably the most often repeated; the idea that these new marines aren’t grim-dark enough to satisfy whatever vision the consumer has of what Warhammer should be. That somehow the setting has been retconned or, worse, changed irreparably. For those that might not know, the term grimdark was largely fabricated as a direct result of Warhammer: 40,000. It’s a term to describe the particularly dystopian genre and hopeless plight of the inhabitants of the setting itself. “In the grimdarkness of the far future, there is only war.” The term is now used widely among various settings and systems.
So what does “grimdark” look like? Is it armored warriors belonging to an oppressive regime, with skulls on their battleplate, skull masks, purity seals, ridiculously large weaponry (with skulls on them), and exaggerated physiques all sowing terror among enemies of the overbearing theocracy? Because that describes the new Phobos marines as much as it does the 20-year-old Astartes models.
Games Workshop’s vision of their universe’s setting is literally the benchmark for what it means to be “grimdark.” Whatever suppositions the consumer might have about aesthetics, we are just along for the ride — Games Workshop can (and should) do with their Intellectual Property as they see fit. Who are we to go on their Facebook page and write scathing comments and stamp our feet until the very successful corporation realizes Timmy from Salt Lake City wants a complete overhaul of their entire range of miniatures, years in the making?
My usual response to these sorts of outcries are that they are a vocal minority. And indeed they are, a vast amount of the player base likes the changes, from what I can gather. With a global brand that has turned immense profits recently through better consumer engagement, is there no trust in their vision? After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen radical changes in their model lineup.
BUT THE OLD ONES ARE BETTER!!!1!1
What about the other factions, you say? Surely the Eldar need new models, I hear you cry. I agree, they do. But one has to recognize that this isn’t giving the Space Marines more stuff on top of their old range. It’s effectively replacing the range. It makes sense that the company will fully revamp their flagship line and literal poster-boys before diverting attention to other armies. But even then, look at Sisters of Battle getting an entirely new plastic range. Look at Chaos Marines, look at daemons, all of the Age of Sigmar releases – they can only produce so much at a time, be patient.
Phasing out of the older marines is a hot-button issue. But I am flabbergasted when people act surprised that this is a possibility, even an inevitability. The writing has been on the walls for two years minimum, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that they won’t be around much longer. In my opinion, Games Workshop will continue to support the model line with rules, but I don’t see any new kits being produced for the “old-marines.” When the molds wear out (or sooner) they’ll be shelved for good — and I’m okay with that. But look at the glossy photographs in the newly minted Space Marine codex, you still see the old (old!) land speeder kits prominently featured, the old devastators, and many more kits that people thought would vanish. They’re still supported.
How dare they change the aesthetic!
Another point of contention I have is when people claim it’s all shoehorned and detrimental to the “established canon” of lore in making these broad, sweeping changes. Someone might say it’s absurd to concoct the Cawl story about 10,000 years of working on the Primaris Marines in a secret lab. And while I’m no expert on the minutia of Games Workshop lore, I do remember a time where the Horus Heresy was just a brief mention in a throwaway comment in a rulebook. It’s now a massively successful tabletop game, book series, and thriving setting all on its own. The first published Horus Heresy book was released in 2006 for Pete’s sake, that’s after theentire T’au army was introduced to Warhammer. I remember when we got a new plastic land raider model, when grav-cannons were brought into the tabletop game, I remember when all the armies got flyers of some kind. These were all introduced in the same way the Primaris Marines are — a cool concept developed and fleshed out to advance the setting while also selling a new product.
The difference is that the Primaris situation is one that is replacing existing models, iconic models, so people are naturally offended by this prospect. I think Games Workshop has done their best in mitigating the outcry with continued support of the rules for that dated line of marines. But it’s time to move on.
THE NEW MODELS LOOK SO BAD.
A closing thought I have regarding the Primaris issue, which I’ve brought up before, is that it’s what the people wanted. People will defiantly tell you this isn’t the case, and they always wanted marines the size of Gurdsmen – but look back a few years at the top-rated conversions, and what all the renowned hobbyists were producing: truescale space marines. They went through great lengths to make the existing marines bigger than a gurdsman. Say what you want about the story invented to justify it, but we got what we wished for. And for that I am happy.
This is obviously a divisive opinion piece and I in no way want to suggest my line of thinking is the only correct response. It’s simply me venting my opinions on the matter, where I welcome any and all differing opinions. You hobby how you want to hobby — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But don’t get caught up in a mob mentality online and bandwagon on an opinion because it’s the hotness to trash on Games Workshop. Hate the story they invented, hate the models; that’s all fine. But don’t claim Games Workshop is shitting on their own property, because they aren’t. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you — look what happened to Dawn of War 3.*
Enjoy yourself, but let others enjoy their hobby too.
*Dawn of War 3 is a fun game, post-patch. But it was declared dead on arrival because of the shit reviews people who had never even played it gave online. Relic abandoned the franchise as a result.
The anticipation leading up to Games Workshop’s Everchosen event has come and gone, and I must say it was quite the spectacle! I, like many others, was thrilled at the prospect of an international event anyone could enter in the hopes of earning the much sought-after Slayer of Kings. For those unaware, the competition would select the best painted miniature entries from each Games Workshop store or approved independent retailer based on popular vote, and submit that winning entry’s photograph to Games Workshop, who would then publish a shortlist to be voted on. The top three of that list would be flown to Nottingham and awarded prizes!
Events like this are always hit-or-miss for me, and I’m hoping to elaborate why in this post without coming off as bitter or resentful, because I am certainly neither of those things. Overall I would rate the event as a smashing success. There are many, many excellent qualities about these events; only sometimes do they leave a strange taste in my mouth after it’s all said and done. And while some may discredit my ramblings as that of a sore loser, I just want to mention that I earned a 1st place spot for the Open category, and have won Armies on Parade and Inner Circle placements in the past. This is taking into account both sides of the coin, and not a knee-jerk reaction to an unfavorable placement. I’ll attempt to break down my thoughts on the matter and provide some semblance of objectivity in my assessment! But it’s obviously an opinion piece — I’d love to hear what you think, too!
My Everchosen entry, a humble ogre mercenary! Sadly didn’t place, but such is life!
The Good
Starting off with the good qualities of these types of events is a must, because in the end they are fantastic community initiatives and do so much for those who take part in the hobby. Everchosen, Golden Daemon, Armies on Parade, local competitions — they’re all engaging opportunities for the community to come together and share in our passion for little plastic people. No matter how it comes off sounding in what I end up writing, I will be adamant in saying that all types of these major events are a good thing, and even if nothing changed, I would heartily support each one of them — and you should, too.
Everchosen, in particular, is an event aimed at the mastery of painting. It set parameters to create an objectively level playing field for all entrants to submit their best work to be judged with the possibility of earning the coveted sword trophy and bragging rights to claim you are literally the best in the world. Crazy stuff! For the community, this is a perfect way to engage all participants in the hobby and allow them the chance to compete, no matter where you were from. Golden Daemon contests were often relegated to the UK, and required extensive travel and preparation to submit at very specific events. Now, a kid from Waxahachie Texas that would never be able to fly overseas could show the world his award-winning entry if he possessed the artistic ability to hang with the big boys and girls. This change is remarkable, because it does open up competitions to the whole world, where we can (potentially) stop seeing repeats of the “usual subjects” who are able to make it to Golden Daemon each year. I have an almost foolish optimism that this will be the case, and we will see a more varied entry base of talented artists, but deep down I have a feeling it won’t change much in the way of major contenders. Regardless, the opportunity at an even playing field afforded to all entrants is the resultant good in introducing Everchosen. In theory, anyone has an equal chance of winning — and for that I am happy.
This has nothing to do with the article, but it’s hilarious.
Because of this equal-opportunity situation, I feel it does a lot for the average painter to feel like they should compete. Because, even if they have no real aspirations of competing at the international level, they have a fairly decent chance at landing a top three spot at their local GW, earning a certificate and moderate acclaim. This was my situation, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to compete with the likes of theseguys given the amount of time I currently have to devote to painting. It pushed me to attempt non-metallic-metal (NMM) for the first time on my Ogre, and really devote an amount of time on a single model where I would normally paint an entire unit of miniatures. So, too, would I expect other painters across the world to push themselves for the sake of competition. I wanted to try my best, given my time constraints, and see how I stacked up. To me, that’s fun. That’s part of the hobby, pushing your limits incrementally to better yourself among your peers, and join the camaraderie during the actual event in discussing the ordeal we each went through to get to that point. It’s as much a social experience as it is a personal journey.
An incredible Everchosen entry at my local GW that didn’t even place top three (!!!).
To try my best, compete with equally talented artists, and generally spend a day with hobbyists chatting about painting and all things Warhammer would be a win in my book. The event afforded me these opportunities, and as a result was a solid experience.
Everchosen offered so much more in the way of the hobby than just showcasing or improving personal painting expertise, of course. It brought people together! Literally and figuratively. For a few months, people posted their content using the #everchosen hashtag, drawing a movement on social media that intermingled hobbyists that may not have interacted otherwise. I know I browsed the tag and found a fair few social media accounts to follow — and not just the top tier painters. I was able to find those middle-of-the-road accounts that I treasure for being a true cutaway section of the community. As an aside, I find it important to not just follow the elite painters on social media, because that’s often just a window into sterile artifice. A carefully curated advertisement into how good they are. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but I don’t want that to be my sole source of hobby input. Follow the accounts that post their in-progress games, or tabletop-standard paintjobs, see the full picture of the community!
I digress.
The literal bringing together of local hobbyists in one central location, be it a Games Workshop store or independent retailer, is always a good thing. If nothing else, it forces interaction among our sometimes reserved community. To not build on the basement-dwelling trope, I just mean that it’s always a good opportunity to have meaningful face-to-face discussions with those who share our passion for little toy soldiers. We grow and learn at times like this, and make connections with friends we may not have otherwise known who might live just down the road!
The Bad
I’m hesitant to use the term ‘bad’ here, because the event isn’t remotely bad, as outlined above. There are factors I don’t like, but overall I would never call it a negative experience. But damn if it isn’t a catchy header! I’ll just come out and address the biggest issue first — and it’s the same issue I have with other popular-vote events like Armies on Parade and, to a lesser degree, Inner Circle. We’ll play a little game to illustrate my point, before moving on. Choose the better painted model from the image below:
Left or right?
Popular votes don’t put the best painted model at the top of the pile. The Blood Angel captain is empirically painted better, there is zero question about it. And yet, despite this, the Slaanesh dreadnought won out over it. Why? Because of the popular vote. People are voting not on the merits of a paintjob, but what appeals to them (or worse, who their friends are). There is absolutely nothing wrong with this if that was the intention of the event, to pick a crowd favorite, but as Everchosen was billed as a painting competition, I find this to be a disservice to those that worked hard to achieve a flawless paintjob.
While certainly not poorly painted, one can easily rate the Blood Angel as “better.”
The dreadnought is a fun mini, and overall the effect is outstanding when viewed as a whole piece. But as we are looking at paint jobs, it simply isn’t painted to the same standard as the Blood Angel captain. In examples like this, the space marine will never have the chance to be viewed among the other winners for a chance (no matter how slim) at competing for the sword. Instead, the dreadnought will be submitted in that pool of select entries to be short-listed and likely discarded immediately due to its lower quality paint job. It stole an opportunity from the better option.
What do you think?
I’ve had similar experiences with votes like this at tournament paint competitions, Armies on Parade, and Inner Circle (which even had a printed rubric for scoring!). People, including Games Workshop store managers, are simply not equipped to judge a painting competition. How many of y’all thought, “Wow, that Slaanesh dreadnought is awesome! It’s totally better!” when you saw it above? Our natural inclination when asked to assess two things is to give a first-glance opinion on which is better. And while I said the Blood Angel was painted better, the dreadnought did have that je ne sais quoi to edge it out as an obvious favorite, which I will happily admit.
I’m using examples from other, international store competitions here to isolate the temptation to say this is just my own prejudice showing, but I must say similar results have occurred in my store. An acquaintance of mine painted a beautiful Nurgle champion and didn’t even get top three, laid low perhaps by flashier sculpts or more evocative models. His champion was painted very well, and didn’t even skim the winners circle.
Repulsive and alluring all at once! Didn’t place in Everchosen.
In saying this, I don’t intend to diminish those who won. The winning miniatures were beautiful and engaging, and even if my opinion on how they may have won is a little cynical, I am in no way suggesting their achievements should be voided or something to not be proud of. The first place winner was decidedly the best, I will agree with that, but there is such a mire of grey areas in the voting system that I just wish there were a better way. This isn’t anyone’s “fault,” it’s just the nature of having these sorts of things come down to a popular vote. At one point, a family with a father, mother, and two small children entered the store — their first time even hearing about Games Workshop, to see what it was all about. They certainly didn’t know Everchosen was a competition taking place, much less one that was focused solely on painting ability. That was four votes that went to an entry, likely based on a miniature just having an interesting sculpt.
First place (left) and secondplace (right). How happy are you that you don’t live in Leipzig! 😂
But there’s the other side of the coin — in some stores it wasn’t a concern about average entries edging their way past superior ones, rather it was a clash of titans! Look at the image above. Both of those are from the same store. To not allow the second place entry (by the accomplished painter @hendarion on Instagram) to be considered for the ultimate prize is a travesty, all because he happens to live close to another talented artist. Surely there has to be a better way to sort through these sorts of entries?
Won second place in my local GW store in the Everchosen category.
On top of these complex voting issues, I find there was general turmoil in the contest rules. I found them fairly easy to navigate, but there were some pretty easy snags one could get caught on if you didn’t read them carefully. The manner in which they were publicized was counter-intuitive, with a main community page article giving a brief rundown of the general idea, but one would need to click on the link with “Terms and Conditions” buried in the middle of the article to get all of the necessary details. I feel like it would have been better served to additionally make a brief list of the major exclusions (no Forge World, plinth limitations, conversion parts, etc) on the main article to avoid a bulk of the questions that popped up online.
A gorgeous mini at my local Games Workshop, won first place!
The rules issue isn’t really a big one, it just boils down to reading comprehension. But still, I feel it could be more clearly laid out on the initial article. There’s one absolutely batshit insane instance of a guy from Quebec working on a stunning mini, only to find out the day before that Quebec residents were ineligible from entering due to some bizarre contest legality issue exclusive to Quebec. Of course it said this on the T&C page, but imagine how that must feel for the guy that missed reading that, only to discover the day prior that he did all of that work for nothing.
What to Do?
As I’ve said numerous times above, I don’t find events like these broken to the point that they are beyond enjoyment or fail to serve their ultimate purpose. In the end, we’re going to see some top notch entries win that sword, the best of the best. The real harm done, if it can be called ‘harm’ at all, is at the mid-level submissions; the folks just hoping to make a splash at their local scene might be left with a hollow feeling after their pride and joy that they’ve painstakingly worked on loses to a Slaanesh dreadnought with curb appeal. This could have a negative impact on the event, driving away that demographic of painter, the casual enthusiasts who are striving for their absolute best and don’t have anything to show for it when they rightfully should.
If nothing changes, I will still happily attend each one. Because, even at its base level, this is an event that brings the community together to have a good time, to share our passion for painting toy soldiers, at an event that is free to enter with prizes that Games Workshop is offering up to the whole world (minus a very specific Canadian territory). Even the worst aspects of the event, in my opinion, pale in comparison to the awesomeness of getting the disparate community members together to all try for a singular purpose of pushing our painting to its limits.
I’d be curious to see if a change in voting method affects the event as a whole. Perhaps requiring voters to select a “best” and “runner up” vote, which should defray the self-voting issue where almost every entry has their one default vote, and the odd vote cast to any of the entries makes it the favorite to win. I imagine the margins of victory are very small among the entries due to everyone voting for themselves.* If everyone votes for themselves and an odd walk-in to the shop throws a vote down on what they think is coolest, is that a good indicator of who had the best painted model? Because it now has, presumably, the most votes. Just food for thought.
Threw this into the Open category last minute, came away with first. One has to wonder if the aforementioned “appeal” over actual paint quality impacted that decision?
Final Thoughts
Push yourself to paint better every now and then. Whether its for a competition like Everchosen or not, just give it a try. See what your limits really are. You’ll learn a lot, just like I did experimenting with NMM for the first time ever! Use it as an excuse to try new things and do something different (I chose an ogre for that very reason!). And if Games Workshop hosts an event that rewards you for trying your best, even better! Just get out there and push yourself, that’s how you improve. Think about entering Armies on Parade later this year, or submitting to Golden Daemon!
My ogre entry didn’t get top three, which I obviously have feelings about, but I’ll not let my personal opinions get in the way of this article. I’m glad that I pushed it as far as I could in the time I allowed myself, and that’s reward enough, as it should be for anyone. Personal growth is an important motivator, and I highly recommend setting small goals for yourself to achieve this! Either way, I want to encourage everyone that’s even remotely considering throwing their hat into the ring to actually do so. You have nothing to lose, and you’ll push your ability just a little farther than usual, learning something new in the process!
So what do y’all think? How were your experiences? Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter, or Instagram!
*Always vote for yourself, and don’t let anyone else guilt you for doing it.
I like chocolate milk, my brother does not. We both, however, like milk.
You’re probably reading this because you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, or maybe someone linked it to you — because, like me, you’re part of a rather prestigious club of like-minded nerds. Because you belong to the fandom. That all-encompassing group of Warhammer enthusiasts that participate in the hobby in some capacity. You might have been playing the tabletop wargame for its long and illustrious history, just picked up the recent video game, or burn through the many (many!) excellent novels that are produced on the topic. The constituent parts of the fanbase are as varied as the stories within the setting itself, and participating in any of these segments makes you an equal-share partner in the club. We’re going to move forward in the assumption that any level of participation in the Warhammer community earns you a say in its matters – no room for gatekeeping in this discussion, yet. Let’s just look at the fanbase as a whole as equals.
Mention Rian Johnson around a Star Wars fan, or discuss Game of Throne’s apparent deviation from A Song of Ice and Fire in the closing seasons of the series. Does that make you wince and brace for a verbal assault at the very thought of doing it? These fanbases have notoriously toxic elements online. And while we are all (hopefully) aware that this is just a vocal minority, their negative impact on the perception of the film or show is extraordinary. Star Wars fans are [insert adjective here]. Game of Thrones fans are [insert equally inflammatory adjective here]. This is the parlance of our days — fans are boiled down to the actions of the visible and vocal element, which are all apparently terrible, and there’s nothing more to do about it. What are Warhammer fans?
When the big announcement came from Games Workshop yesterday regarding the imminent production of an Eisenhorn television series, I was simultaneously ecstatic and anxious. A Warhammer 40,000 series was always something people wanted, perhaps on a premium cable or streaming service to do it the justice it so deserved, many often insisting it get the “Game of Thrones treatment.” This irony in this particular discussion is not lost on me. I was hesitant when considering Eisenhorn, of course, because of the aforementioned minority toxic elements of every fanbase in existence. The Warhammer community, while amazing, still has a significant number of absolutely hell-bent people who make it their life’s work to broadcast their misery to the world at every turn.
Can someone not like how a show is handled and still be a die hard fan of the source material? Of course they can; I’m sure you all have something you don’t like about Warhammer, but enjoy it regardless, I know I do. But never allow that dissatisfaction to turn into a crusade against those that do like those aspects of it. I read the A Song of Ice and Fire books. I grew up in a pre-prequel, Holiday Special Star Wars era. I’ve been there since the beginning, and never once did I gloat about being a superfan to those that jumped on board in 1999. Because everyone has their reasons to like something, and I’ll be damned if I feel it necessary to determine if that appreciation is “lesser-than” what I once held.
I lamented at the highly polarizing Rose Tico outrage which caused the actress to delete her social media accounts, because there was no justifiable reason to believe this damaged Star Wars canon in any way besides having a personal opinion on liking a character. It wasn’t even a misinterpretation of the source material, there was no source material to mess up, people just didn’t like it because its not what they envisioned it should have been.
And this is the danger.
Eisenhorn is perhaps the most beloved series in the Warhammer 40,000 setting. You can ask any member of the community and they’ll all have different reasons why they like it — and they’ll cite this series as one of the best, among a select list of other highly esteemed publications. It was written by Dan Abnett, who is responsible for Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and several instrumental Horus Heresy novels. To say that this series has a built in fanbase-within-a-fanbase is an understatement. And, because of this, people will be upset about the adaption. There’s no getting around it.
And here’s the thing. We can’t be one of those communities that is fueled by hatred. We can’t start throwing pejoratives around and stamping our feet just because it isn’t our vision of what we thought it should be. “That’s not how [character X] would behave!” “This isn’t at all what it looked like in my [entirely subjective interpretation of a work enjoyed by perhaps millions]!” The worst part is that it’s already happening, to varying degrees, and we’ve just seen a few paragraphs from a press release. I skim through the myriad facebook posts and read comments like,
“SJW’d… Sucks how instead of being excited we have to think ‘how will they piss on the thing we love now,’ fantasy is about escapism. Not political propaganda.”
or
“I had the same experience with Transformers..was excited then I saw Michael Bay at the helm.. final result? 5 films of absolute robo-piss”
Both comments illustrate my point in saying that our own perceptions of what it should be are viewed through rose-colored glasses. I’ll use the Transformers example, as the former argument using “SJW” as an argument is beyond untenable. The Michael Bay film adaptions of Transformers are awful, yes, I agree. But the Transformer passion, which I can only assume was stoked by 80’s and 90’s era cartoons, action figures, and lunchboxes, is a product of our childhood. We latched on to it in our youth, and developed a complex love for the material as we outgrew its target audience (and there is nothing wrong with that!). Now, show these Michel Bay explode-o-rama spectacles to an 8-year-old boy today and he’ll shit his pants in pure excitement, and praise them for being the Citizen Kane of his generation, as any 8-year-old boy should! One of these fans thoroughly enjoys the film, and one does not. Who has the more valid opinion? If your argument involves the length of time someone has been a fan, you need a better argument. They’re both appropriate responses, and none invalidate the other.
We cannot hold a globally recognized brand (be it Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Transformers, Games Workshop) under the scrutiny of our singular perception of what we ourselves want. We can’t be that selfish to assume our own disappointment is exactly the same reaction everyone else is having, nor is it more valid than any other opinions on the matter. Even finding a cluster of vocal naysayers online doesn’t justify it. You just happened to find a few people that think the same thing in a massive sea of others who just haven’t spoken up. Have an opinion, be outraged at specific aspects of things — but never to the detriment of others who have differing opinions.
To the community, I challenge you to be good fans. I know you all are, deep down, even “SJW Ruins Everything Guy.” Continue to comment on why you don’t like stuff, there’s nothing wrong with that, just use facts to back up your opinion and always remember that it’s your opinion. People with different opinions aren’t the enemy. It isn’t an “us versus them” struggle every time you make a post. There is no line in the sand.
They’re part of the exact same fanbase as you, they just don’t like chocolate milk.
We all have them. Whether it’s people handling your miniatures without asking, or pushing a rule to it’s extreme limits and generally being “cheesy” in an otherwise friendly game, pet peeves are something we all tolerate on a regular basis. I’ll list a few of mine here, but would love to hear what strange occurrences get under your skin while hobbying! This isn’t a way to out people or start a witch-hunt, but rather an introspective look at why I get so worked up over toy solders.
1. Not having their rulebook during a game.
If you’re solely relying on Battlescribe to get your entire army information from, I’m straight up not having a good time. If we’re friends, and we play frequently together, this obviously isn’t an issue – but if it’s a pick-up game, and you just need me to accept that what you’re saying is correct, it puts me in a weird spot. Have your rulebook, produce rules if questions arise and, you know, play the game!
2. Being an absolute turd and cheesing up the rules.
Any time someone insists you can fight four ranks deep in melee with Orks, Nids, etc. I lose my absolute fucking mind. Even three ranks is grossly pushing those limits of cheddar cheese in my humble opinion.
Yes, I know the 25mm bases are less than an inch. I know that this means the second rank is technically within 1″, thus meaning that an additional two ranks 1″ away satisfies four ranks being 1″ within 1″.
The math works. I know the argument. The bases are, after all, less than one inch wide.
But did you know that allowance of the base being “less than an inch” is 0.4mm? That’s less than half of a millimeter. LESS THAN HALF. OF A MILLIMETER. Sure, if you managed to literally get all of your bases touching with absolutely zero gap between them, I’m cool with it. But with Genestealer arms, Ork weaponry, even guardsmen’s lasguns all pushing around in there, I sincerely doubt you’re maintaining that 0.4mm threshold across multiple ranks.
Are the people that insist this scrutiny of numbers means that additional ranks can fight also being so exacting in measuring ranges for weapons and movement? The answer is generally no. Movement is often shuffled rounding to the flat inch, no one quibbles over 0.4mm while moving their Orks or they’d be called an asshole. Can you imagine someone measuring each and every model in a 30-man unit to be sure not a single one accidentally went 0.4mm farther than the 6″ allowed during movement? Of course not, that game would be miserable. And for those doing the math at home, that’s worrying about 0.003% of the distance; three thousandths of a percent. But it’s suddenly an issue for melee, when those 400 micrometers really matter. This is the definition of cheese, you can’t cherry-pick when to apply scrutiny.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
3. Lack of humility.
Did you win a game? Be proud, bask in the glory of victory! But don’t gloat, stay humble. Do you have 8,000 Instagram followers? Who cares, you’re still the same nerdy dude who had 4 followers (thanks, mom) three years ago. We’re all equal shareholders in this hobby, and should let everyone enjoy their own part of it without self-important grandstanding. This also means you shouldn’t interject yourself into someone else’s game to offer unasked for advice. Do you fancy yourself a much better player than the player you’re trying to help? Let the guy play the game unless help is explicitly asked for, even if they’re getting their ass kicked! The bottom line here is to know your place – mind your own business and never presume you’re better than anyone else. This doesn’t mean you can’t genuinely help folks, which is wholly encouraged. Just know how to teach for the sake of instructing, and not use it as a power-trip.
Speaking of humility, did you know I’m selling stickers and T-Shirts with my branding all over it?! Buy one (or three) and support my school club and my hobby efforts here!
4. When dice fall off the table.
Aggressive rollers really bother me. There’s twenty four square feet of surface to roll on, how did you miss?
Yesterday was June 22nd, 2019, and it was the day I would play my first official ITC tournament after being in the hobby for 20+ years.
But what is ITC? It’s the Independent Tournament Circuit, the largely accepted standard for competitive tabletop wargaming for several game systems. It is a universal standard of scoring rules and missions to use for a (relatively) consistent level of tracking standings across multiple regions globally. But with these ITC rules, they have an entirely new, sometimes byzantine, method of scoring points per round compared to the usual Games Workshop official tournaments. The real difference is that ITC tournaments have a set of “Secondary Objectives” from which you must choose three for your game. Facing a bunch of vehicles? Choose “Big Game Hunter” where you get a point for each high-powered unit you kill. Facing a horde of Tyranids? Try “Reaper” where you earn a point for every 20 models slain. In theory these are fun and exciting, giving you multiple ways to win a game. In practice, they add a decent amount of bookkeeping to an already litigious game, particularly for new players. I find some of the objectives can be easily ‘gamed’ to rack up dozens of points using certain armies. But this isn’t a post about the merits of ITC, that can come at a later date. For now, I enjoyed it, if it was a bit of a challenge to get used to.
I never fancied myself a tournament player using these ITC rules, but when I saw this event listed, I was open to giving it a go. Namely because it was billed as a “beginners” tournament at my local store. The concept of tournaments is something I enjoy; I do like the idea of competing to see how well you do in the pursuit of a great, calculable victory. To put your carefully constructed plans up against an equally invested opponent in a true test of skill is very appealing.
I had no expectations going into this. It would just be a fun day spent doing the hobby I enjoy so much, meeting local players who I otherwise wouldn’t know, and have the ability to learn so much from this first-time experience. I have to also give a tremendous thanks to my wife for affording me the time to do this while she cared for our young children all day (no easy task!). So To make the most of this rare excursion, I spent the weeks leading up to this event pouring over my books, forces, and supplements and worked on a list:
Selecting the Army List
Since being dubbed a “beginner” tournament, and having personally ran a Warhammer school club with brand new students for over a decade, I went into this process knowing to pull back the reigns on my list. I would play my part fitting into this “beginner” role. I was a veteran player, sure, but this was still my first ITC event. I wouldn’t look up winning “net-lists” from past tournaments, or min/maxing my list to such a degree that would discourage new players. The trick, of course, was that this was still a tournament, and I would need some element of competitive list building.
So I considered that the vanilla Space Marine codex is arguably one of the worst current codexes in the game system, and additionally decided to not take a single vehicle, dreadnought, or anything that didn’t have the <Infantry> keyword. To my reluctance, I also opted out of Centurion warsuits, as they are the hotness right now, and I didn’t want to be seen as abusing the notion of it being a beginner tournament. I also decided to play thematically, as an Imperial Fist force would. This meant that I would utilize a “castle” strategy, meaning I’d deploy my forces in such a way as to create an immobile power-base and do little moving and not chase objectives, which would give opponents ample opportunity to outplay me. I saw this as a middle-of-the-road option I could take to have a very specific plan, that was obvious from the start to my opponent, that there were no surprises or hidden tricks. This was a beginner tournament, after all.
With my self imposed restrictions, I set out to make a competitive list, trying to push the boundaries of my infantry-only vanilla marine force and how I could make it as efficient as possible while remaining inside the 1,750 point limit. Here’s what I chose:
HQ
Primaris Captain (Chapter Master)
Primaris Lieutenant (Warlord)
Librarian
Chaplain (Jump Pack)
Troops
10x Intercessors
10x Intercessors
10x Scout Snipers
Elites
5x Vanguard Veterans (TH/SS)
3x Aggressors (Boltstorm / grenades)
Primaris Ancient (SotEA relic)
Heavy Support
5x Hellblasters (Heavy)
5x Hellblasters (Heavy)
6x Devastators (Lascannons)
This brought me to 1,750 points on the nose, and gave me 10 Command Points. It was a one-trick pony, being a castle gun-line, and could easily be blasted to oblivion with clever playing, so I had to juice it up just a little bit in the hopes of staying competitive in light of my arbitrary restrictions I was using. But I wanted to balance out my desire to give the force an edge, so I said to myself, “What if I didn’t have any command points during the game itself?” And with that, I set to work spending 80% of my command points before a single model was ever going to placed on the table. Was this madness? Was this what top-tier players did? I had no idea, I wasn’t researching stuff online!
Command Point Expenditure
My plan was to spend 3CP upgrading the Captain to a Chapter Master, the re-roll all hits within 6″ would exponentially increase the effectiveness of my castle strategy, particularly when paired with the Lieutenant re-rolling wound rolls of 1. I additionally spent 3CP total to utilize the Vigilus Defiant formations making my battalion Indomitus Crusade Veterans (1CP to unlock it, and 1CP for each Intercessor squad to become actual Veteran squads). This made my Primaris Intercessors absolute monsters granting +1A and +1Ld, meaning they would pump out 31 melee attacks if they got charged, with the sergeant having a mind-blowing four power fist attacks. I then spent 2CP on another Vigilus detachment, the Imperial Fists Siegebreaker Cohort, which is fantastic if I were running Centurions and Dreadnoughts (a good choice for truly competitive play, in my opinion). Alas, I would only spend 1CP to unlock the formation, wasting the rest of the perks to only spend 1CP more and make my Captain a ‘Field Commander’ for that detachment, which allows one character to take a bonus warlord trait, much like you can pay to take additional relics. This meant I had the “Indomitable” warlord trait from the Siegebreaker Cohort, and the Imperial Fists “Architect of War” trait amongst my commanders. Meaning a 6″ aura granted all my castle units permanent cover, immunity to morale, and ignoring AP -1 for incoming fire. This effectively gave all of my ground troops a 2+ save, whether in actual cover or not, requiring enemies to have at least AP2 weapons to attempt to degrade that. Fortified indeed!
The final 2CP I wanted to spend on a Culexus assassin, but I’d need to drop 85 points from my already very tight list. So I opted out of that and relied on my sole old-school librarian to shoulder the psychic burden.
This left me with 2CP for actual gameplay, which I would sit on for a single burst of mega shooting though utilizing the Rapid Fire stratagem available to Veteran Intercessors, making their boltguns Rapid Fire 2. Yes, that means 40 shots at 30″ from a single squad, generating additional shots on 6’s when I spend the final command point for the Bolter Drill stratagem. Very rough math, with re-rolls means I’d land approximately 30 hits and wounds on a GEQ unit, woof. Alternatively I would use it on Auspex Scan to shoot incoming deep strikers if the situation arose.
So that’s my list and my command points sorted. Let’s see if the theorycrafting holds up to real-world conditions!
The Actual Tournament
I had arrived at Big Easy Comics ready for the tournament around 9:15. My army was packed, energy drink in hand, anxiously waiting to see what my opponents armies looked like, all with a reasonably sound plan in my head of how I was going to fortify all the positions. A brief summary of the ITC rules by the tournament organizer brought us straight into the first of three rounds of play. Opponents were assigned through the use of the app, as well as the table number I was to play on. I immediately checked:
ROUND 1
ANDREW DART (Imperial Fists) v [REDACTED](Death Skulls, Orks), TABLE 8.
Oh boy, Orks. I play against orks all the time at work, my colleague and fellow club moderator has an absolutely immense Ork army. He gives me a run for my money all the time, and that’s when I’m using lists that are more competitive than what I’m bringing to the table! But I had a volume of boltgun shots on my side with my Intercessors and Aggressors, and my heavy support could deal with any big nasties. Maybe my snipers could take out a weirdboy before casting the ever-ubiquitous Da Jump, who knows!
Making the Orks come to me. I almost felt dirty.
I won’t go through the whole game, but recall some major points of note. I selected Reaper as one of my three secondary objectives, where every 20 models killed earned me a point. This paid off, as I mowed through 80+ models with incredibly destructive volleys of boltgun fire. I obliterated the Morkanaut with lascannon and hellblaster fire, and nearly killed the Gorkanaut (but that damned Big Mek kept hammering on it with his tools to keep it alive!). My Vanguard Veterans and Chaplain smashed their way to the Warboss / Warlord earning me more points, but died immediately afterward. The Vanguard Veterans hit like a truck in every game I played them in, but they died incredibly easy, even with their 3++ storm shields. I can sense a full Primaris army in my future. My opponent had a mind for competitive play, he said it was his third tournament; he was keen on daisy-chaining his massive Ork mobs back to range of his aura-granting buffs and weirdboy spells. A massive 20-25 blob of Orks with a single tadpole tail snaking back to the source of the buff. Not a tactic I’m fond of, but I was happy to see him pursue such a ‘play-to-win’ style, which I fully expected to face here. It’s what I need to engage with to get better competitively. I must say my opponent was very polite, and a pleasure to play against. He was a slow player, on top of also playing Orks, resulting in a game progressing through the fewest turns, with a very low final score. It was a satisfying game, because like any son of Dorn, we were just happy to be slaughtering Orks.
Final result: Win (13-8)
ROUND 2
ANDREW DART (Imperial Fists) v [REDACTED] (Thousand Sons, CSM), TABLE 4.
I’ll come out the gate and say this was my most challenging game in terms of dealing with mechanics. As soon as I saw the pairing, I instantly regretted not taking that Culexus assassin. My opponent deployed effectively, and played very well. Cultist blobs sitting on rear objectives, Ahriman, two daemon princes, a Heldrake, Forgefiend, Occult Terminators, Rubrics, a massive Tzaangor blob which materialized in front of my force and did some work (before being shredded by disciplined boltgun fire!). What threw me off initially was his list on the app. It was a 2,000 point list with not only the above big nasties, but Magnus the Red, Be’lakor, and some other deviations from what I actually faced. I asked to see his printed list when we were setting up the game to get my bearings, but it was definitely a curveball dealing with this 30 seconds before the start time that I otherwise could have spent dealing with my own setup.
Lots of power-combos, spells stacking, buffing, and shenanigans you’d expect at an ITC tournament. The Tzaangor bomb charging in and effectively wrapping around some of my units and putting single models within an inch of others to nullify my effectiveness for the next turn was a major factor. If I wouldn’t have blown my 2CP on Auspex Scan for that unit it would’ve been much worse — I managed to shred about half of the 25-man unit. This didn’t help enough to make a mess of my plans, however, he was playing very well! My opponent was very quiet, stand-offish but warmed a little as the game progressed; perhaps when I allowed him to cast a spell he had forgotten that ended up burning so many of my precious yellow boys. My moment of glory in that game was when I hammered his Heldrake to death with my Vanguard Veterans, and again when a souped-up daemon prince thought he had me dead to rights amidst my gunline. But let me tell you: remember that 10-man squad of Veteran Intercessors with 31 attacks, with the power fist? It pairs nicely with the librarian getting a cheeky Null Zone cast off, ignoring all those insane 2/3++ saves.
Overall this was the most thrilling game, but I must confess it was a loss, albeit a close one. I will contend that it should have been a tie, if I was smarter about being in the moment. But no excuses! That was my own fault and my opponent clearly outplayed me. My major blunder was that one of my crucial secondary objectives was “Engineers” which essentially gives you a point per turn (starting on turn 2) if the controlling unit doesn’t act (no shooting, charging). In my decades of playing Warhammer, it is ingrained in me to shoot all of my units systematically so I don’t forget anyone. Even bolt pistols and mundane weapons – everything can chip away at something! Had I not forgotten to restrain from shooting for a single turn, the game perhaps would have been tied. The score here is testament to the knock-down-drag-out fight it was, a great battle between loyalist and traitor. We exchanged blows back and forth and it was a very satisfying game, despite the outcome.
Final result: Loss (12-14)
ROUND 3
ANDREW DART (Imperial Fists) v [REDACTED](Steel Legion, Astra Militarum ), TABLE 4.
This game was my most fun, and my opponent said as much as well. He was an older gentleman, a few years younger than my father, perhaps, that had literally just moved into the area from Florida the week prior. He was here to have a good time, and I could sense in his demeanor that he was having a ball. This was his first ITC tournament as well, and we got to talking about how he had played a little in previous editions, and was finally getting fully invested in 8th Edition. His list was well constructed, with three all-plasma tank commanders, some supremely anti-infantry leman russ variants, a veteran squad, and a horde of guardsmen with a sprinkling of plasma.
To be quite honest, playing with him reminded me of playing historical wargames with the old grognards at Bayou Wars decades ago in my youth. Wholly enthusiastic gentlemen playing with a true passion for the game, for the history, and for the story unfolding on the tabletop. I don’t know if it was the tinge of nostalgia in sharing this moment with an old warhorse, or whether it was his genuine attitude of enjoying the moment, but it was absolutely a top-ten favorite game of all time on my list.
I blasted his tanks with Hellblasters and Devastators, he vaporized my scouts and intercessors. I returned fire with my aggressors and mowed down infantry by the dozen. It went back and forth for four turns and I honestly couldn’t remember to tell you all the details here, but it was exceedingly enjoyable. The MVP of my army in this particular game was my Primaris Ancient. The lascannon and plasma losses I suffered weren’t good for facing a major mechanized force, but those ‘last chance’ shots are what broke the back of the enemy. It was a close game, and only in turn four did I run away with a marginal lead. I hope I can get another game in with him soon!
Final result: Win (20-16)
First Impressions
It was a blast. I will absolutely do it again, if real-life permits and my wife doesn’t go crazy watching the little ones at home for ten hours straight without me. Meeting the new people, reconnecting with old friends, and having a chance to simply play the game was so rewarding. I seldom have time to actually play — even in my school club it’s only for 30 minutes at a time, and with students. The ability to play whole, uninterrupted games with people also eager to play with you is beyond exciting. The only negative was that I never really played a full game, my most progressed game was only into turn four. So much depends on your opponents speed, so plan accordingly!
Everyone was a good sport. At least those that I played against. There was one younger guy, perhaps still in high school, who seemed to get down on himself mid-game if things weren’t going his way. But I heard others cheering him on and reminding him to stick it out. Overall, it was not this terrible experience of neckbeards flipping tables and win-at-all-costs assholes some may expect to be at a tournament. Those people do exist, but they are indeed in the minority. The general climate of the event was amicable and welcoming, and it was invigorating to see that in my first ITC tournament ever. I am happy to report back to all my narrative campaign players and open-play aficionados that if you wanted to dip a toe into competitive play, you won’t regret it.
A Fleeting Moment of Doubt
I need to outright say the entire tournament experience was incredible. I will absolutely participate again. There was, however, a singular negative experience I had, which left a very minor bad taste in my mouth — but not nearly enough to spoil the entire event. It’s something I can easily let slide once, or even all the time if it’s the norm for these events, but I was caught off-guard by it. I didn’t want to bring it up at the event, either, because I felt it may just make me look like a whining turd. I’m only putting this into writing to collect my thoughts on the issue and get input, not to chastise.
The instructions for the event were quite clear, and published weeks in advance for all to see that it was a beginners tournament. I knew, of course, this was subjective and would be pushed to the limits. The fact that some people really stretched the limits of an ‘entry level’ list did not bother me. I anticipated people coming with powerful net-lists and had no qualms with it. What did bother me, however, was that the rules stated army lists must be submitted by June 15th, a week ahead of the tournament date. Seemed reasonable. When that day came and passed, only myself, Rivers (a former school club member), and one or two others had submitted their lists out of eighteen participants. No one else. Now, could all of the other participants have emailed their lists to the tournament organizer outside the app? Possibly. He said that was an option if you couldn’t figure out the app, which is fine. Accepting late list entries doesn’t necessarily bother me, but the way it played out potentially handicapped those that had actually adhered to the rules. The lists were public to anyone viewing it through the app. Again, this doesn’t bother me if everyone submitted by the deadline and made a level playing field to skim opponent lists. But I find it very hard to believe some of the lists were not tailored to those published to meet the deadline.
Is there a chance this didn’t happen, and people just submitted late without ulterior motive? Absolutely. And I like to think that’s the case. But in the back of my mind, as is likely human nature, I felt slighted for following the rules. I was put at a potential disadvantage for being a good participant. Let’s pretend it’s a worst case scenario: everyone willfully ‘cheated’ in this way. Given the circumstances of a friendly, beginner tournament — that can get a pass. This was never a try-hard, prove you’re the best event. This happening once is no big deal, I won’t think twice about it in the future. But if I shell out another entry fee at a ‘more serious’ tournament, and see the handling of lists in that way, I would be less inclined to continue participating. This doesn’t speak ill of the tournament organizer, as I don’t think any of this was maliciously or intentionally done. I would just hope there to be more clarity in future events. This event was great, and I hope it acts as a gateway for our local community to branch into a larger official New Orleans ITC tournament. I hope it was just a one-time mistake to publish the lists as it happened.
Final Thoughts
Competitive play is important because it’s a part of the game. Too many players vocalize their disdain for that aspect of the hobby, and I don’t like it any more than when a tournament player criticizes the modeling / painting aspect of the hobby. We are all in the same community of hobbyists that enjoy different facets of it. Embrace this. Try a competitive game out, you’ll be surprised at how pleasant the experience can be. I got to play the game I love, with people that also enjoy playing the game. I performed better than anticipated, placing 7th out of 18 participants, with my intentionally static army list. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about the day’s events, barring minor strategic decisions that I goofed up. Overall I’d highly recommend the experience to anyone remotely considering it. A local brewery is the site of the next local ITC tournament, in August, which I would love to attend, maybe bring my co-workers and some friends that play along for the ride. It would be a 2,000 point no-holds-barred event, anything goes, a proper tournament. So that would be a better venue to discuss the actual experience at a truly competitive tournament, particularly with the presence of libations.
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HOBBYVICES 