Saturday, 1 September 2012

To 40K or not to 40K that is the question...

Several people have e-mailed me asking if this is no longer a 40K blog and to be fair it's a question I should probably answer....The answer is both simple...

The Simple Answer.
This blog is what it has always been, which is a log of my progress in my hobby and a forum for me to put out my viewpoint on issues that interest me. In short it's my blog and what I'm currently doing is playing Malifaux ;-)

and less simple...

The More Complicated Answer.
I don't really enjoy 6th Edition 40K anywhere near as much as I enjoyed 5th Edition for a number of clearly definable reasons.

Reason 1 - Balance.
6th Edition isn't balanced to anywhere near the level 5th was. It is in my opinion no longer possible to create a balanced 'all comers' list using the rule-set as it stands. The 'rock, paper, scissors' match-up is now a strong possibility in any competitive environment and I shouldn't have to be ten times better than my opponent to win a game of 40K just because GW designers cant play-test for shit or don't care or are so confident in their marketplace position that they don't feel they have to listen to the people who actually buy their product.

Reason 2 - The Same But Not Really...
I'll be playing a game using the new rule-set and be fine...and then some stupid situation will occur that reminds me that I'm dealing with something different...and not different in the 'evolved into something better' way but in the 'what the fuck were they thinking' way...like the feeling I had when I was watching Highlander 2 and discovering that some script writer has decided that the immortals were aliens all along and completely ignored very specific bits of the characters background from the first movie...for no apparent reason...

So I've decided to have a break from the system for a while. I've been playing Malifaux and enjoying it and this has had the knock-on effect of making me put more effort into my painting as I'm only having to worry about a handful of models rather than a bucket full. I'm also going to give Warmachine a go in a few weeks time and may give Infinity a go as well some time after. All these systems are being supported by my new FLGS so finding opponents is no problem...in fact it's easier than finding a 40K opponent some nights...which in itself tells you something about how 6th Edition is being received locally, lol.

So I'm not giving up on 40K, but I am exploring other possibilities. If GW want my money then they're going to have to start earning it rather than getting it by default...

GW product development meetings were dangerously vague....

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.


8 comments:

  1. It just sounds like you've given up on 6th Ed too quickly. A handful of games, some dubious theorycrafting, some misreadings of rules, and a general curmudgeonly nature about change seems to be your reasons for rejecting it so early.

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    1. Ten games is technically two handfuls and between the people I play with regularly we've probably had over a hundred games using a dozen different armies and list configurations and we've all come to the same conclusion.

      Warmachine (for example) has a far tighter rule-set that lacks all of the ambiguity that exists in Warhammer 40K.

      I never said I was rejecting it completely...I'm just rejecting it till the new crop of codices balance it, FAQ's fix it or until 7th comes along.

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  2. My apologies - I only saw a couple of batreps on here, I didn't know you've done more. I certainly won't claim that 6th edition is balanced, though 5th was far from balanced either. I think it's the nature of 40k.

    I would kill a man for a rule set like Warmachine's. Coming from Magic, I've been (apparently) spoiled by rules that are consistent and complete, and actually answer all the questions. 6th is full of holes and contradictions when you dig past the surface. The problem is that I like the surface game, so as long as I don't take it seriously or play competitively (it's far too broken and unbalanced for that, no matter what some people say) I enjoy it.

    For competitive play, though, I think you're right to look elsewhere. If you find it in Malifaux, then go ahead and post about your hookers ;)

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  3. Play what you wanna play, my brother.
    :)

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    1. I do, lol.

      I just thought it was worth doing a post to answer the question that I'd been asked is all.

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  4. Well I never thought 5th Ed Rules were good enough for Tournament play so do not see a lot of difference with 6th. 40k has always been a beer and pretzel game for me.

    Anyway have fun with whatever game you choose to play.

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    1. I thought I was having fun before but apparently I was wrong as I'm having far more fun without 40K than I was with, lol.

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  5. As always GMort, play whatever the hell you want to and whatever makes you happy buddy.

    I said to you months and months ago now that you actually sounded like somebody who wasn't happy in their hobby, despite your protests to the contrary.

    Genuinely I'm chuffed to bits that you seem like you've got your hobby mojo back, whether it's playing Mofaux or HoMachine. I might be popping down to Titan games soon so if you want a game of HoMachine or an Infinty intro game just drop me an email.

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