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I, also, never called the OP a douchebag. I was merely trying to suggest that his brutal optimized list may not be the best thing to show up to a new store with. However, there is no reason to show up to a new venue with a nasty list except to show off. Typically, that is not the best way to win friends and influence people. When I worked in a pool hall, I saw many people walk in declaring their awesomeness. A buddy of mine was that quiet guy in the corner who would take up the challenge of wiping the floor with that guy. Good lesson: there's always a bigger fish.

The OP also made the mistake of saying that a friendly list was an inferior list. Not every army has to be over the top to be usable. Maybe cut out the flyers, as some people still don't use them or have defenses for them.

My whole point was to act towards the players in a new area like he would want one to treat him. When someone comes in, full of swagger, there's usually one person there willing to wipe the smile off his face. If someone goes in and acts like a nice guy, then challenging games are invited and enjoyed by all.

Bad poll options are bad.
With that said, I've moved around a lot in my gaming career, and played with lots of different groups.
Personally, when I'm going somewhere new, I go along and watch before I play.
Meet people, speak to them, find out what the Meta is like there.
You don't want to turn up at a club where fluff driven thematic games are the norm, drop down a GT list and curbstomp people.
You'll not get another game.
Similarly you don't want to turn up at a full on tournament circuit club with your grot rebellion fluff list and get tabled turn one.
It's a social hobby,. so you need to socialise well.
Go to the FLGS/club see what goes on there, then make a list to suit the environment.
It's not a tournament, so people have to want to play you.

 marv335 wrote:
Bad poll options are bad.
With that said, I've moved around a lot in my gaming career, and played with lots of different groups.
Personally, when I'm going somewhere new, I go along and watch before I play.
Meet people, speak to them, find out what the Meta is like there.
You don't want to turn up at a club where fluff driven thematic games are the norm, drop down a GT list and curbstomp people.
You'll not get another game.
Similarly you don't want to turn up at a full on tournament circuit club with your grot rebellion fluff list and get tabled turn one.
It's a social hobby,. so you need to socialise well.
Go to the FLGS/club see what goes on there, then make a list to suit the environment.
It's not a tournament, so people have to want to play you.

Best advice is best.

It's easy to get into any conversation being had, being there, just socialising your first time, watching other games. Setting up a game against someone for "next time" is then a really nice way of just sliding into the meta. "Oh, you've never played against a list of X? It's pretty stronk. If you want I can bring one next time."

Another thing to consider is the local house rules. Or less formal rules and "gentlemen's agreements" that shape the meta. Local acceptance of FW stuff is another major point. While both sides of the FW debate might not agree on the answer, I think they can agree that there is a debate over the issue. If a FLGS's first exposure to FW is getting curbstomped by the new guy, they might line up and make their decision, even if they were on the fence before.

Bringing a TAC middle of the road list is going to be your best option. If the store is more casual/relaxed, you are going to have closer games, which are more fun for everyone. If it's a competitive environment, you face an uphill battle, which helps you grow as a player. It makes you seem more reasonable and open to the locals. And if/when you loose, you can always say "This is what I can do with a casual list, you should see my A game" and set a time to come back.

I'd go for the optimized tournament army.

The reason being that you will face 1 of 2 things: your opponent too will have a competitive army OR your opponent will have a non-competitive army.

If you bring "the kids gloves" and you end up against something geared for tournies then you will get stomped.

If you bring a competitive army and your opponent brings a casual army then you can always alter your play style to even the odds. - Deploy poorly, play less aggressive, etc.

Bring your best list. Beat them, crush them, drink their tears then spit them in their faces.


On a more serious note, I suggest bringing two lists then adapting to how competitive your opponent's list looks.

 Jimsolo wrote:
The last time I traveled, it was to a store that was much larger and more prestigious than my local one. I thought that the size of the community would mean a more professional level of game play, with a greater focus on competitiveness. The opposite actually turned out to be true. I tended to crush my opponents rather handily, even when I did, in later games, try to run 'slow pitch' lists.

I think a much greater concern is the degree of cliquishness you see in gaming communities. It's not uncommon to find places where people are all too willing to assume the worst about you (like that wanting a competitive game makes you a douche, or that putting a bit of flair in your poll language somehow puts you on par with killing kittens) and close ranks to hang out with their friends, rather than associate with the new guy. I've seen this happen all over. Some places this is more common than others.

Personally, I tailor the intensity of my list to match my perception of the community, since I usually only travel to places where I already know a few players. (My opening story was unusual.) If they are more competitive, I run a harsher list, and if they are more laid back, I run a more beer and pretzels list.

I too, am really surprised at the venomous replies in this thread. Tell you what, if you ever show up at Castle Perilous in Carbondale IL, I will happily give you a game. I play Salamanders, so you can't miss me. (Bring as brutal a list as you think I can handle!)

I appreciate it...I'll be looking forward to a grievous beating.

 Scott-S6 wrote:
Personally, when I'm showing up at a new gaming group I'll take a few lists with me and have a chat with some of the regulars to see how the group is.

This seems like the winning option, instead of the false dichotomy of the poll. The goal is to conform the local play style. Note that a lot of this involves stuff other than the lists being played, and really comes down to the same social norming you get out of any group, especially with regard to personality.

As an example, our group recently added a new guy to it. We're an insular group in that there's five of us, we don't play at stores regularly, and we're new to 40K after playing WFB for a long time. This leads to a very different "meta" or assumed pecking order of lists, in that Necrons were considered less good in play than the old Tau book because of how things were showing up on the tabletop. So the new guy shows up, and his idea of a less competitive list and play style is dramatically better than ours. This leads to the obvious stompings you'd expect.

By the stereotype, you'd think this went over like a lead balloon, when it was actually quite the opposite. The new guy was actually engaging to play against, and willing to offer suggestions on what worked, what didn't, and how to improve things. None of us are moving to optimized spam lists, but it did make me think a lot more about basic considerations in list design like how to deal with even one flyer, and to at least think about things like aegis or go to ground/cover. And while he's coming from a different place with play experience and list design, he's very much in the same place with regards to actual personality and not being an incredible tryhard about gaming. So he actually went over pretty well with us, and he's been back several times and effectively expanded our gaming group out another person.

I think the takeaway is that a lot of the issue has to do with play style and personality versus the actual list being played. If you're a tryhard with a group who isn't, and have the personality of a wet towel, it's not going to go over well regardless of how hard or soft your list is. Luckily, the easy solution in that case is to just have a beer or two and play less seriously.