Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I haven't played in years. I gave up on playing. I just model from time to time. Now I am trying to get back into gaming. So I am trying to make a list now. I have no idea how to make an all comers list for a small friendly tourney. So I am trying to make my list (which I haven't done in 2 years) and started to complain to myself this unit sucks or it's ok but it's good against this, but would suck against that.

Someone is going to use a Knight, what am I going to do? Tau is ignoring all my cover saves. Why should I even be playing now, I am thinking to myself.

Then I took a step back. What is wrong with me? I don't care if I win. I always loose. I just play for fun. What the hell has happened to me? I think what happened is I got caught up on the internet negativity. I have become so negative and thinking, why am I here if I am so bitter. I think I have finally become unbitter now. I am starting to like GW again instead of hating on them. I don't agree with everything they do, but I like them again.

I am not trying to make a winning list. I suck at playing 40K. So basically I just want to have fun again. So my first opportunity to play again, is like I said, a small Tourney. So my question now, is when you make your list, what do you do, to have fun with them. I am relearning the rules again. I just want to make an army that is fun. Win or loose I don't care.

So how or what do you guys and gals consider when making a list to have fun with. Help me find my way back into having fun again instead of all the negativity.

What do I do?

I run things that normally don't see a lot of use.
My last game with Nids I played with no Synapse. None at all. I had a single Hive Crone for anti-air, Old One Eye as my Warlord, 2 30 man broods of Termagants (each of which had fled the battle on a player Turn 1. And I went first).

I root for stupid things to happen, like my Tyrannofex failing a Strength test just to get sucked into a Monolith Portal.

Forget what everyone is saying to take to win and take whatever the heck you want. And damn the consequences.

Try picking a themed list and building around it.
Maybe an all trukk Ork list or lots of havy tanks for Imp Guard or Eldar Ghostwarriors etc.
Some will obviously be better than others and some wont really work at all but if you have a theme and characterfulness you can have fun that way too.

Play only with figures that are fully painted and look awesome. Also, the wacky theme idea is a good one... All weapons are blast / bolters / heat based / etc.

I ran an all melee list once; didn't end well for me but was it ever fun!

Last time I played a just for fun game was againt DE and I took grenade launchers, mortars, and basilisks, and gave my commands power mauls. Blast.. blasts as far as the eye could see. It was hilarious, my run for fun games is to get a random idea in my head that make me go "oh now that would be awesome". Next game is "scorched earth" flamers for everybody!

The biggest problem was that you started taking 40k too seriously. You looked at a tournament for a strategy game where the point is to win by your wits, and you lost sight of the fact that 40k isn't a real strategy game, and that 40k tournaments, as such, are silly.

But it seems like you've already taken a step back from the madness, which is a good thing. As for having fun, just talk to people. Not everybody tries to play 40k as if it's chess and then explodes in nerdrage when it isn't, and not everyone sees success as a binary state (whether you win or not). Just find the right people, and you'll enjoy yourself.

Just like any other social activity.

And just like other games too. I was in a D&D group once where people complained about things being overpowered and unbalanced and tried to "beat" each other's characters. If it can happen in a collaborative storytelling game like D&D, then it can certainly happen in... well... as collaborative storytelling game like 40k.

First problem is you are playing in a tournament first.....you won't have fun with all kinds of power gamers there (depends on your local area and what people bring though).
It is good that you are going in with the mentality of just playing for fun. That is what I do makes everything way more fun!

Play stuff people don't normally take or take a themed list like people said earlier.
These tend to be the most fun lists to play for me because when I bring my Tau people don't expect me to bring Piranhas and Stealth suits....no riptides and then other fun stuff like that.

Not sure what army you play but just pick something fun!

First thing that you need to do,In order to enjoy the game, is to surround yourself with others who enjoy the hobby. You say that you enjoy the painting and modeling aspect? Excellent! I think that when you look in the painting and modeling forums, you tend to find a lot more people who are positive about the hobby. Other forums, you may have noticed, not so much. Incidentally, many of the most vocal whiners about 40k don't even play the game anymore and have moved to other systems. These people, along with most chronically negative people, are best ignored.
Similarly, find a gaming group of like minded people who enjoy playing just for fun and who are positive about the hobby. Being around good friends who are sharing a hobby that they all enjoy is kind of what this is all about.