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Just curious...

Many players have many different attitudes towards 40k games, and I don't just mean "WAAC", casual and competitive-but-nice, I mean, when you play a game of 40k, how do you see it?
I see it as an exercise in silliness, where you can be serious one moment, then have your weakest guardsman beat up a Warboss.

When I build a list, I like to fit a theme, and to bring fluffhammer to the table, with competitive elements, ofc, but I activity avoid cheese.

And... "I like big tanks and I cannot lie!"

When i play i imagine it as an epic battle taking place, have a whole headfilm goin on and all. I prefer to use fluffy lists or things i like the look/theme of over functionality (planning to build a 1k unbound list of chicken walkers for gaks and giggles) and i enjoy it when both armies have some color and a nice background, being able to build up a nice narrative and story behind the whole reason for their fighting.

My general attitude towards 40K anymore is apathy. "Oh look! Another Imperial Knight...", "Oh look! Wave Serpent Spam...", "Oh look! Riptides!"

Just general apathy. The game just isn't exciting anymore. A rushed new edition, bland codexs, and poorly written rules that always devolve into disagreements and stupid roll offs with dice. Maelstrom of War cards were great, but quickly fell away due to Battle Forged vs. Unbound.

As a Space Wolves player for a long time, I should have been excited for the new SW Codex. Instead, meh. I bought it as soon as I could, then read it and... apathy.

Just a general malaise and apathy.

Depends on my opponent.

Against competitive players or in pick-up games I will bring optimized list and try to completely crush my enemy. That attitude might change mid-game, when I see that my opponent is having a streak of bad luck or simply isn't as competitive as me. Challenging an Orikan in hulk-mode to fight my warboss 1 on 1 in the middle of the battlefield would be one of such things. A competitive player can't expect any mercy though, I have completely tabled people using the new ork dex quite a few times now.

The other type would be playing know fluff players or participating in campaigns, apoc games etc. Those games aren't about winning games, but about having cool moments. To those games I'll just bring the units I like to play and tend to do ridiculous things, such as charging a valkyrie from the top of a ruin (in 5th, your base just needed to touch the hull) and then running across the wreck to attack space marines on the top level of another ruin on the other side of the road, or carefully positioning a huge unit of nob bikers for the sole reason of being able to declare a charge in all directions at once.

I treat it like a heavily invested game of chess. Yes, I may have an army of rooks going up against queens, but it makes me rely on tactics and brainpower rather than . Plus, I have personally painted all of my guys, so I feel even more invested when they destroy other units or get mowed down.

I know a lot of people hate 40k, at least the way it's "balanced", but I still love playing and painting my armies and each game gives me a burst of anxious excitement.

Anything goes. LOW, unbound, narrative, funky objectives, I'll play it. The only game I've ever turned down was a 4v1 4k a side recreation of Armageddon. I couldn't face the thought of watching the Ork player move 4k of models.

Beer is a must, as is loud music. Don't care if I win or lose as long as I get to roll some dice, slag off GW and trash talk my mates (and hopefully stomp their favourite unit).

Forgot to say - I've recently started to only take units that I've painted. I would never run my Emperor's Children in anything other than multiples of 6. I nearly always go with my favourite models ( <3 you Avenger Strike Fighter/Land Raider with FW Inquisition doors)

Fortunately my meta is entirely agreeable so I won't ever really have to turn down a match. We share opinions on what is reasonable and not and do our best to work out good games.

But damn, we have slapped a lot of band-aid fixes onto 6th (None have bothered with 7th) and by now we are almost wondering if it's better to just invent a new game system, though I doubt anyone has the energy to do so at this point.

I think of it like a novel, in which all the characters are named and have their specialties, and they all contribute to the final victory somehow (or not).

This means that certain characters become redshirts, basically, like my buddy's Defilier we've nicknamed "Slappy" because he likes to punch stuff - and he often dies horribly.

Other times, this means that units gain grudges, for example, my Warhound, Rex Invictus, seeks to destroy my friend's Tau warlord in every battle, because it's been crippled by him and his bodyguards before.

Or my Legio Cybernetica Magos, who is allied to my Taghmata Omnissiah list from Gavros IV. She absolutely hates the traitors, and has consistently rolled well in combat against them despite all odds. It's always entertaining putting her against a Chaos Lord or somesuch.

Before the game, when building a list, I decide what units to take based on a theme, what I've painted recently (I hate using unpainted models) and no real thought goes in to optimising. I'll build a competent list, but not one designed to crush my enemies ruthlessly in a game of toy soldiers!

In game, I will use whatever my army can do to win (that's the point, after all), but at the same time if there's ever a rule dispute I find it in favour of my opponent. If they ever forget/mid something I'll let them go back and retake it. Basically, I do my best to win, but at the same time I ensure my opponent is having fun. If there's ever a conflict between the two, the latter is more important.

I also view the game as an internalised 'film', so what on the table is a dice roll in my head is a life-or-death struggle against the enemy.

 Paradigm wrote:
Before the game, when building a list, I decide what units to take based on a theme, what I've painted recently (I hate using unpainted models) and no real thought goes in to optimising. I'll build a competent list, but not one designed to crush my enemies ruthlessly in a game of toy soldiers!

In game, I will use whatever my army can do to win (that's the point, after all), but at the same time if there's ever a rule dispute I find it in favour of my opponent. If they ever forget/mid something I'll let them go back and retake it. Basically, I do my best to win, but at the same time I ensure my opponent is having fun. If there's ever a conflict between the two, the latter is more important.

I also view the game as an internalised 'film', so what on the table is a dice roll in my head is a life-or-death struggle against the enemy.

What he said.

I treat it like an over-the-top sci-fi explosion of special weapons, special rules, destruction, and hilarity on my turn.

Then on my opponents turn, I grind my teeth....in a good way

I was trying to do it all. Make an optimized themed list back in 5th ed. 5th ed had a myriad of flaws such as 24" Charge distance for cavalry and beasts!

6th ed came along and bashed my defiler in the face with a nerf bat real hard.

7th ed came along real quick and snapped my drakes neck in half.

My attitude towards GW is, they have to make money so they have to make their customers eat gak. Guess what? Your army is now obsolete! time to buy a new one! Happens all the time so I should know and not be upset.

I am leaving wh40k and selling my army real cheap. Please check out my sales thread link in my sig if you want any.

In the long run, the game boils down to one player, of varying skill, fielding an army of plastic crack painted of varying quality against another player of varying skill doing the same using rules with varying degrees of balance. If you try to take it too seriously, you are probably going to lose your sanity.

All-out fun and excitement no matter what the mission or the opponent.

Like anything in this life, it is what you make it. Nothing has value except that which you place upon it.

I'm told my enthusiasm is infectious. I love all aspects of the hobby. Painting is an excellent personal challenge and creative outlet where gaming is a great social experience. My gaming group is a pretty varied group with it's share of nay-sayers but the discussions are fun.

I always try and weave a story. I'm very creative and visualizing things has always came second nature to me, every game of 40k is like chapter in my favorite book. Over the years my regiment's characters and overall fluff has been determined by my games. Everything from my Company commander going from young inspirational noblewoman to the iron maiden of battle who has beaten a traitor marine to death she is now, has been from games played. I've yet to write out a batrep but I would like to start and share my regiment's story.

Heck if I had any talent for writing I could have turned it all into a series of novels by now!

I find each game to be just a time to have a boatload of fun, and toss as many dice as I can a turn. I play Orks, meaning I really can't take the game as seriously as other players. Even if I face a net list when I slap a fluffy or goofy list on the table and I know I'll lose, I'll have fun doing it.

Too many players seem to take the game far more seriously than it needs to be. I can't say I've played any other game that has such a serious fanbase. I suppose it could be argued they are so serious and critical because they love the game. And that's fair. But...still. Lighten up just a little? Pwease?

My opinion is, I suppose, that of a 'scrub'. I just want to play the game, and have a good time doing it. Win or lose. I know some more serious players who get annoyed when I don't take it serious. And that makes me laugh on the inside. They have the same attitude towards 40k that a lot of guys have towards competitive video games. I can't count the times now I've been chewed out by Street Fighter/Smash Brothers 'pro' players because I'm a 'scrub' and 'waste their time'. I'm sorry, I thought this was a game, and a game is to have fun? If you're not having fun...maybe you should rethink your take on the game you're playing.

 casvalremdeikun wrote:
In the long run, the game boils down to one player, of varying skill, fielding an army of plastic crack painted of varying quality against another player of varying skill doing the same using rules with varying degrees of balance. If you try to take it too seriously, you are probably going to lose your sanity.

Plastic crack is my favorite way to refer to 40k.

I treat it as fun, perhaps more as an 'epic battle' than something silly. My perspective has changed as I play different armies. Space Marines I was more competitive, Tau (Riptide-just-released-Tau) I was bored since it was a shoot-em-up. Now that I play Tyranids, I see everything as a threat and the gross imbalance.

I suppose that's why I don't take it too seriously. When you know you're not number one and you aren't terribly competitive (save for 2 x electro tl dev flyrants), you are more relaxed and able to deviate from the norm, take risks, or enjoy the game IMO. With Tau I fretted wounds on my Riptide. Now I run my tervis up.

It's a fun way for me to spend a few hours with friends and tell a cool story over the course of the game, same as it always has been.

I see it as a tactical exercise in taking my favorite models and trying to outplay whatever my opponent puts on the table.

My last game was space wolves on foot with mech guard allies vs an AM/SM detachment with Devastators spam backed up by swarms of deep striking Tempestus. Wickedly fun, and though his masses of AP3 were daunting, I managed to pull through purely on the strength of Bjorn the Meat Grinder and the plucky squads of chimera mounted guardsmen who ran around claiming tons of objective points for me, with victory clinched by Knut the Unluckiest Wolf Scout arriving to sweep two units of devs off the board one turn after the other while everyone (except Knut) miraculously made their cover saves against the incoming shots.

Every time a new cheese list surfaces I won't be satisfied until I beat it with a less than optimized all comers list. I've Squigged Draigo with Zogwart, killed a wraithknight with Deffcoptas in a king-kong esque duel, and shot down a flyrant and finished him off with Shokk Prods. My sights are set on a Transcendant C'tan list next or maybe a Knight, seeing as I've already beaten serpent spam and Riptides lists.

I lose more than 2/3rds of the time but I like to think nobody enjoys playing against broken lists more than me.

To the OP, I'm right there with you. I like to somehow stick to fluff, and avoid cheese, but still have a decent competitive list. My attitude probably isn't the best, I'll admit. I can become quite the sourpuss is my rolls go horribly for most of the game, and for other various factors, though most of the time I just enjoy rolling the dice.

 jreilly89 wrote:
I treat it like a heavily invested game of chess. Yes, I may have an army of rooks going up against queens, but it makes me rely on tactics and brainpower rather than . Plus, I have personally painted all of my guys, so I feel even more invested when they destroy other units or get mowed down.

I know a lot of people hate 40k, at least the way it's "balanced", but I still love playing and painting my armies and each game gives me a burst of anxious excitement.

I think of it more as a game of Yahtzee.

I DO actually enjoy playing 1-off games against friends, because we can decide how silly the game should be. I completely stopped playing tournaments, partially due to local rules being broderline insane. But now that more and more people are playing other games, 40K is getting less and less time, meaning I am seeing 40K as "that game I used to play."

 Moktor wrote:

 jreilly89 wrote:
I treat it like a heavily invested game of chess. Yes, I may have an army of rooks going up against queens, but it makes me rely on tactics and brainpower rather than . Plus, I have personally painted all of my guys, so I feel even more invested when they destroy other units or get mowed down.

I know a lot of people hate 40k, at least the way it's "balanced", but I still love playing and painting my armies and each game gives me a burst of anxious excitement.

I think of it more as a game of Yahtzee.

I DO actually enjoy playing 1-off games against friends, because we can decide how silly the game should be. I completely stopped playing tournaments, partially due to local rules being broderline insane. But now that more and more people are playing other games, 40K is getting less and less time, meaning I am seeing 40K as "that game I used to play."

I can totally understand that. I have yet to play a tourney (don't plan on it unless I get a super list) and the cheesiest I've had to face was two broadsides in a Tau list, so I suppose that's why I remain pure :d

Used to love it. Like...gave up fantasy and most other games to play, ran about 4-6 games a week. Played through all of 5th and couldn't get enough. Then 6th hit. Bought the book, caught my head spinning with too many changes, tried a game and had to stifle my vomit. After seeing 7th, I don't see a return to the game I loved. So I've started selling it off, and shake my head when I see giant knights and other foolish additions hitting the tables. The game I enjoyed is dead. So I've moved on to other things.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
Used to love it. Like...gave up fantasy and most other games to play, ran about 4-6 games a week. Played through all of 5th and couldn't get enough. Then 6th hit. Bought the book, caught my head spinning with too many changes, tried a game and had to stifle my vomit. After seeing 7th, I don't see a return to the game I loved. So I've started selling it off, and shake my head when I see giant knights and other foolish additions hitting the tables. The game I enjoyed is dead. So I've moved on to other things.

Would you come back if you could make some house rules? The roughest I've seen is 2-3 Riptides and one all Droppod army with one Stormraven

The point of 40K is to win, otherwise there would be no "points" and score-keeping, however since my meta is very casual, I strive to not make power-gamey lists that will shut down my opponents' ability to have fun. I generally have a base "theme" for a list, such as "mono-khorne" or "Blood Claws" or "AirCav" that I try to build the rest of my list around in as competitive a fashion as possible.

I play to win, but don't particularly care if I lose. In fact I really don't even give a gak what units my opponent uses. Screamerstar? Fine. Seercouncil? Don't care. While I restrain myself from using net-lists or the new hotness units, I don't impose that restriction on my opponents, so if they bring some power-gamer gak and crush me, that's perfectly fine. That just means that I can bring a stronger list the next time and not feel bad about it.

The only thing that bothers is gakky tables. I can't stand bare tables that don't have lots of LoS blockers and cover on it. I think that lack of cover makes up like 80% of the problems people come across in this game. A lot of the tactical nuance of 40K revolves around using cover and LoS to your advantage, so when people choose to play on a map that's basically an empty field with a couple area terrain rocks and a building or two laying around, it irks me a lot.

40k to me is a game, a game where there's a winner and a loser and I aim to win. I don't care if I lose, but I aim to win. I value well written rules and balance... needless to say I don't play too many games of 40k anymore

Obviously it's also an excuse to get together with people, but really, I can think of ton of other ways to get together with friends that don't involve me wasting hundreds of hours painting little toy soldiers first.

I started 40k when I was about 10 or 11, back then I didn't really care too much about the "game" aspect, it was just fun to put all my models on the table and have at it with my mates.

However, that got boring after a few years and now I crave something that is actually a decent game and not just an excuse to line my models up on a table and go "pew pew pew" with another nerd.

So yeah, I don't play 40k much anymore, I think about buying new models from time to time but haven't really bought much in the past 5 years.

These days I don't find much point in playing a game that sucks as a game.

Well, at the moment we just play fun games to test new codices (GK, SW) and get familiar with the new rule set.

The best part of 40k are apoc battles currently. A full day of gaming and many great moments.

I see it as a tactical game. The odds may be far out from being in your favour but that's the whole fun of it. It is more challenging, to me, to try to win a game or uncertainty than be very sure I'll curbstomp my opponent before deployment.

In this way, I get to try out units that no one likes to use and try to get some mileage out of them. Without trying them out and just labelling them poor from the armchair is not my preference.

So I have Repentia, Penitent Engines and Flayed Ones in my lists. Mostly deemed terrible units. But they do have their fun moments. And every explosion is great fun, regardless of which side it occurs on. :p

edited for spelling

Umiez alwayz whine like puny grots bout dis and dat. Dey say: "EY! Dat gun shoots betta dan my gun! And dat big metal 'fing is 'arder dan my big metal 'fing! I'm no happy now! I'd betta go whine on da internets!". Dat's not da proppa way of doin' stuff. If ya see somefin' dat's betta dan wut you got - go cunnin' and still smash dat! No matter how often you failz. When you evenchuly win, you get bigga and greena!