Dark Vengeance Captain by Januine

Warhammer 40,000

My interest in 40K renewed itself recently. One rainy day I harked my mind back to my school years of playing. Of course my parents bought everything which amounted to 2 boxes of Tyranids ,black spray paint ( what exactly makes it Chaos Black?). I checked on line to discover that prices had risen for this illustrious game in the past 15 years. $25 for a troop squad. Still I was interested in the hobby despite the cost. I checked the races i could play. It was a tie up between Orcs and Chaos Space Marines. After discovering that Orcs would require nearly double the painting of normal armies and sucked at shooting, and I was just starting out I opted for Chaos.

I went into my local GW Store . Greeted by the assistant who I happened to know through a mutual friend. My how times have changed since 1997. No more Necromunda No more Gorkamorka. Where had these games gone? Has the Internet,You tube and WOW removed most of the potential players? It's far easier to sit in the comfort of home than venture out with your models to play a few games and risk being accosted by the bullies who sometimes come in to make fun of you. CPU does all the number crunching and remembers the rules for you. It's a no brainier. Still I liked the idea of getting into the game and persevered and saw the Dark Vengeance box. Very interesting, 50 models plus rulebooks.. The next day after scoping around I discovered an Indie shop near where I lived. They claimed to do a 10% discount on GW products however paints there cost 2.50. LIES. They where your usual lot albeit teens and early 20s. Your typical fantasy players. Socially inept, weird looking and unwashed. And they where all playing Magic the Gathering . All day. Everyday. Warhammer was on Sunday. Still they were friendly enough and there was a decent place to play 40K on a rainy Sunday. I then checked out my local gaming club of which one exists. Entering I felt like a social scientist. I didn't owe anything to anybody I was leaving the city for a holiday and the station was right next door. It was a perfect setup for the night in case I was accosted by freaks or knocked out and dazed by the BO. I learned a few things there, a few about 40K and a lot about the people that play it.

Entering the room I was greeted by the Maitre De, a friendly man. I scoured the tables. An extremely obese man (I think ) layers upon layers of fat was playing. As he rolled his dice he obviously got a decent result as he waved his arms around like a kid who had woken up on Christmas morning. They rangec from normal looking to very geeky to slightly geeky. Some spoke more obsessed than others, others just freaked me out. It was a bit of a fantasy land in itself. The personalities were funny because they were all enthusiastic but talked incessantly about their shtick. 70% of which went over my head. I'm interested in the game but these guys took it to a new level. I was told about Sol-ding guns, Converting, Nurglings?. What the hell was this place? They all looked very desperate. There was one guy who reminded me of myself when I was 17. A real person under all the bum fluff this guy had skipped the adult process and was stuck in puberty. A late bloomer at 23. I didn't feel put out. But the majority of them looked like geeks. I had nothing to be ashamed about. I said my goodbyes and left on to sunnier climes of London(but that's another story) .

Over the next 2 weeks I engrossed myself in the 40k rules and received (through phone lines) every codex and supplement guide GW had ever produced. I sat down excited to read about the rules of this beautiful complex game. The rules I have to say are very straight forward . There are beginners rules and advanced rules.. Before I sat down for my first game I had read the rule book cover to cover bar about 100 pages. And understood the basics and enjoyed all the fluff. The rest would be implemented during play..It takes a certain personality to get into the game and stay with it . I have witnessed that. Some people have bits from every army going. And are so enthusiastic about the game and everything else that its hard to get them to shut up after a while and you tend to zone out . I feel bad when I do this because there only trying to help and I come across as rude or uninterested.. Some are so intrested they have no idea that what they are doing is inherently absurd. None are postmodern enough to laugh at themselves they all talk and talk and are very serious about the subject. The personalities( that I have spoken to are diverse) There is a guy who travels 30 miles to get to the gaming club every week there and back . There is guy who talks incessantly about Nurglings. All in all a diverse lot but upon first impression things change as you get to know a person. People I thought had never been laid turn out to have 2 kids.... And about 2000p points of Orc models.

The following day I went into my GW store. The real manager had returned. Eager to speak to him it turns out hes a bit of a Pratt. He enforces a what you see it what you get policy on models. Works in theory and is understandable but creates vast problems when you don't get the weapons required.in the box.. I played a demo game and the nerd ,sorry manager asked me what I liked and what I didnt like. He asks this a lot, if he was being more specific I would say him. I get more and more stumped each time he asks this .Because I don't really like or dislike anything. And if I did then he wouldn't do anything about it. I asked for another demo game and got one but was accosted and told to bring my own models. He pointed me in the direction of the Dark Vengeance set among other things .I ignored the game club this week as I didnt have anything to play with it would be rather pointless in me going.

I arranged an order of the Dark Vengeance set through the club taking advantage of there 20% deal. I also ordered spray paint. Black is Black it seems I still don't know why its called Chaos Black.I also bought brushes for painting, super glue and a file for converting the Dark Angels models to Chaos. On the Thursday i went for my second demo game to get a feel for the units. I then went to the club. Having not been there in 2 weeks I received a very warm welcome. I got my box. The atmospheres in a word was brilliant. A lot of people were there compared to the last time and there was music and burgers.. I definitely could get used to this. The Maitre De asked me if I was leaving once i got the box , I told him that I was . Then he said I could play a small skirmish game (killteam) with one of the locals, upon saying I had no models a kind member of the club offered to loan me some troops for the night. "If you came here you might as well get a game" Killteam was brilliant . Moving individual units is an easier,quicker and more fun way of playing. It loses some of the complexity of the rules, especially in a friendly/tutorial game. I won the game thanks to the help of my opponent telling me to do certain things .The minutiae of the rules which renders having certain weapons obsolete. If you move you can't use them. You would need to wait until the next turn. A normal game lasts 7 turns then ends. The hardcore buffs stick to these rules. And they like to pick missions A fun game was had by all and all players were playing either playing, enjoying the music or wandering the tables. All in all the atmosphere was very friendly. I though t that it was great. I took my box away and strode back home.

I started assembling the models with a DVD in the background after an hour of haphazard assembling( I forgot to the read the guide) I then went to bed. No work the next day thankfully and back at it. After 60 hours of assembling everything was completed. I called the GW store about some paints and was told to come down and I would get a painting session booked. I then went down to the GW store to buy some paints. Over the weekend I painted 6 of my units and had a blast doing so. I was very happy with the way they turned out. Making mistakes at first but i eventually I had 6 models which I could be happy about. I was very enthusiastic at this point I enjoyed everything so far,. I prepared to immerse myself deeper in to the hobby.

That Sunday. There was a small friendly tournament in the Indie store. i went there at at the agreed meeting time. A few faces I recognised all nice people, some from the club but mostly a younger different sort. I had taken my assembled army with me in a butter box. The game was only 600 points and I had managed to get everything in there. I felt embarrassed and awkward when one of the other players laughed and said is that your army in there. I was paired with a guy in his 40's a decent dude I told him I was a beginner and we proceeded to play The battle was CSM vs CD. I was told that if my opponent got in close it was over. Each turn I whittled down his ranks. Boom Boom Bang Bang until he had one demon dog and a HQ. The game ended in a draw. Due to the stupid victory point scheme. In my mind I knew i had won. The game only ended due to there being a time limit imposed. The dude was history. Noticed a few things about the list i had created. I had no clue what each unit in my army had as a weapon. The models came equipped with there weapons in the box. There was no customisation. What you see is what you get. It does make the game easier but at this point i started noticing other frustrations about the game which could put so many people off. And that's the problem with 40K:

Dark Vengeance Helbrute by Januine

It sounds great on paper and it is good fun. But it requires wadding through the fluff .The hardcore geeks who play. the fact that one of your ex girlfriends is being slammed while your pushing models round a table having fantasy warfare that exists only in peoples heads. I can see the game being great fun when all the rules are apparent and each dude knows what his opponent has and most importantly what you have. The only way to learn is reading and then playing. Wade though countless games to have 1 great game or even a good one. Spend huge sums of money. on something which you become bored with. There are a few points which ,make it a decent game though. The atmosphere can sometimes be very friendly. The club is more open to people who are experienced gamers to the point where they bring their army and play without bothering other players about the rules. I assume it would take me about 30 more practice" games before this become second nature.. The weapon thing is a real problem, whats to stop someone saying in the middle of the game. Oh that is a las canon when it always was a bolter. . I was told by the spanker at GW that WYSIWYG but if that's the case then do all the boxes come with certain choices. Ive heard about magnets do they really work on little weapons. It's more expense and hassle to play a game.

I digressed a little but i was talking about how i was playing a tournament. I had drawn one game had a cigarette break and a juice and was ready to kick some ass. My opponent was a kid and his dad.. This was an interesting game for a couple of reasons. It was CM V GK. I had my usuall Vengeance box Squad and he had 2+ Armour save Grey Knight units of 16 and a dread knight, in short my ass got kicked. Later on i discovered that he actually won the tournament.. I figure that this was just a father and son out for a ride. Turns out the dad used to work at GW and knew a gakload about the game. A decent old boy and a nice guy it was a fun game for them but crushing for me. One thing pissed me off again was the WYSIWYG clause. At any point i could have said they have plasma canons whats to stop me or anyone else cheating. I looked at his beautifully painted army and my shabbily put together quarter painted squad. He knew exactly what weapons he had and and what he could do , i sat and fumbled about like a dork and got my ass kicked. Something had to be done. The rest of that day was terrible i felt bad about losing but learned a few things. AP suddenly became very important and i finally grasped that concept. Some of the rules make more sense than others. AP i always assumed was the AP value minus there save. In real lifer two barrages of las canon fire in the exact same spot would cause a wound but alas it is but a game. I proceeded to create the mother of all lists with las canons, plasma guns and other weapons. I was eager o get back to the club tor try this list out

Researching usefullness of magnets on weapons and the customisation of weapons. i realised what the cons of the Dark Vengeance box where. All the units come with there weapons so no variations for customisation there.0 The next night was club night, i created a 600 point list and took a guy there up on the offer for a game. Being a club i garner that they know each other pretty well in there in it's been active for 1 year and they are all regulars .Most if not all are very experienced players, keen and enthusiastic. I have a sullen manner about me which some might think unfriendly. This visit was radically different form the last and a learning experience. There was no music . Replaced by awkward silence. This was my second week in a row i had been there i had flirted with the idea of not going and i wish that i had. I received a lukewarm hello and was ignored by everybody there. Gone was me being welcomed by the members and flogged into random games of 40k, i stood at the bar on my own like a prat while they huddled together. I played a demo game and received some cautious stares a few were friendly and talkative. The majority were in there own group laughing about something or other i played a 2 and a half hour game and looked at the guys codex, a few models and battlescribe, the point list creating wonder tool. Bad things about that night stick in my mind. My opponent accidentally took one of my models. I doubt there was anything sinister going on. I in return took one of his dice. I felt bad about it but i did it anyway. I was spoken to by the Maitre de and had awkward half assed conversation with him then left. I don't know if this is a technique they use to make people feel awkward to see how theyll relax under pressure. Being welcomed into a group setting to see the benefits of it and then shown how bad it can be if you feth around . I've witnessed the same treatment in work. After the inital meet everything seems OK and then they turn on yo until your settled and in place. I walked up the road and questioned why i was still playing the game. The night wasnt all that bad unit i discovered my model had gone. I have an OCD thing about checking my pockets.I rarely lose anything and it royally pissed me off.

I stand at cross roads now, get my model back complete the Dark Vengeance set, wait a couple of weeks and go back to the club or indie store. I am going to write an e-mail to the manager of GW at some point about his wanky behaviour. But then i have been told and been a part of retail and it is a soul destroying crushing job that leaves people angry at the insanity of the modern capitalist world. I either get out now while i can or spend another 30 odd dollars to compete the set i have so i can get another 30 or so practice games in before I'm the 40k master i aspire to be with the rules coming off the top of my head as easy as anything else.

To Be Continued