Preferred Style of Batreps

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**krodarklorr**

Hey guys. I'm just making a quick post to get some info for my Youtube channel. I'm trying to get into posting more batreps since I've been slacking off (also haven't been playing the game much lately). But the normal style I film (and also prefer watching, personally) are the larger hour-long videos. They're also much more of a pain to record and edit.

So, I want to ask the Wargaming community. Which style of Batreps do you guys actually prefer watching? I still plan on doing the longer ones, but if I play a quick game here and there, maybe I could start doing some quicker turn by turn style videos. It would definitely be easier on me.

So, give me yo feedback, guyz!

**jreilly89**

I prefer the longer style ones. The turn by turn recaps aren't bad, but I feel like you miss out on a lot of the build up and the reactions, especially when things go "just as planned".

Also, where are you located? I've always wanted to go be on a BatRep, but MWG is in Canada and Striking Scorpion is in London so that's a bit much for travel purposes.

**krodarklorr**

jreilly89 wrote:
I prefer the longer style ones. The turn by turn recaps aren't bad, but I feel like you miss out on a lot of the build up and the reactions, especially when things go "just as planned".

Also, where are you located? I've always wanted to go be on a BatRep, but MWG is in Canada and Striking Scorpion is in London so that's a bit much for travel purposes.

My gaming group is located in Eastern Virginia. not sure where you are, but I have noticed we're one of the few channels that are in the US.

**Blacksails**

I miss when pics were the preferred method.

I don't think I've found a video format that's enjoyable.

**Nevelon**

Blacksails wrote:
I miss when pics were the preferred method.

I don't think I've found a video format that's enjoyable.

I agree with this. I prefer to read my batreps, not watch them.

If I am watching something I’d rather it be short and to the point. But I’m probably not your target demographic for youtubeing, so take that with a grain of salt.

**the_Armyman**

The single most important thing to a batrep is fully painted models with on a table with fully painted terrain. The moment I see unpainted models or crappy homemade terrain, the "channel" gets changed. Oh, and no excuse for not shooting in HD.

I don't like watching dice rolls unless it's critical to the game. I prefer phase recaps, and I don't mind a little chatter. But, in all honesty, most gamers don't have the chops for banter. Talking on camera is a skill and requires the right type of personality, and most of what you and your friends think is funny probably isn't funny to other people.

Lastly, I don't like watching tournament style lists. I'd rather see two people taking the stuff they like, rather than trying to beat the other person into submission.

**krodarklorr**

the_Armyman wrote:
The single most important thing to a batrep is fully painted models with on a table with fully painted terrain. The moment I see unpainted models or crappy homemade terrain, the "channel" gets changed. Oh, and no excuse for not shooting in HD.

I don't like watching dice rolls unless it's critical to the game. I prefer phase recaps, and I don't mind a little chatter. But, in all honesty, most gamers don't have the chops for banter. Talking on camera is a skill and requires the right type of personality, and most of what you and your friends think is funny probably isn't funny to other people.

Lastly, I don't like watching tournament style lists. I'd rather see two people taking the stuff they like, rather than trying to beat the other person into submission.

This was actually very helpful, so thank you! Unfortunately we don't have the budget for awesome terrain, though I've put a little money into collecting some. Most of my stuff is painted, but not all of it. Of course that'll change soon. But I know where you're coming from.

**Slayer-Fan123**

I want them to read like a lab report. A total analysis of each turn, pointing out mistakes in both the writer and the opponent.

Also, both opponents shouldn't be using gakky lists.

**vipoid**

Blacksails wrote:
I miss when pics were the preferred method.

I don't think I've found a video format that's enjoyable.

This.

**KaptinBadrukk**

I've never written a batrep, but I'd go for banter style.

I keep trying, but give up writing the battle report mid-battle.

**Ashiraya**

vipoid wrote:
Blacksails wrote:
I miss when pics were the preferred method.

I don't think I've found a video format that's enjoyable.

This.

Yeah. Videos are not my game.

Remember the old WD batreps? The ones that were actually good?

Ah, those were the days.

**vipoid**

There was a chap on Warseer - ColShaw - who did a lot of really great written battle reports with his IG armies.

Sadly, I believe 6th and 7th killed his and his group's interest in 40k, so he hasn't done any (or even played) in ages.

**ColdSadHungry**

Frontline gaming did some video batreps a while back where at the end of each turn they spent maybe 1 or 2 minutes talking about why they did what they did, what they plan to do next and what they anticipate their opponent would do next. I loved that and you don't see it anywhere now.

Tournament lists are boring to watch - i like to see things mixed up. I don't mean completely fluffy lists, maybe a semi competitive list. It's just good to see units that you don't normally see.

Also I second fully painted armies with great terrain. I also turn off when i see naff terrain. I can handle one or two unpainted models but i absolutely hate seeing proxies in a batrep

**Dalek Sec**

I don't really follow MWG since the BTP incident but I really enjoyed their banter-style battle reports from a few years with Dave and Dan.

**Jimsolo**

Non video format.

I don't like my information processing to be limited by the speed of someone else's speaking voice. I don't want to have to pause and rewind every time I want to compare a movement or image to an earlier one.

For batreps I think an article with clear pictures is the best format.

**Suicidal.Simian**

I have enjoyed your style of battle reports for some time now. I do agree that pictures and written outlines are nice as well. I'm not too picky when it comes to painted models or terrain. I know not everybody has time to devote to such things.

**HoundsofDemos**

Pictures.

For the life of me i hate video reports.

**the_Armyman**

I like picture batreps, too, but you all do realize that he's asking for feedback on a YouTube channel, right?

**RuneGrey**

I gotta agree - even the best video battle report tends to pale besides an average written report with halfway decent photos. Most people don't have the sort of pacing needed to make an interesting battle report, and I'd prefer to consume an entire battle in 5 minutes rather than watching for over an hour.

**War Kitten**

I prefer longer banter-style batreps (like MWG's banter batreps). I also like written ones

**Yoyoyo**

SN is by far the most enjoyable for me.

Great photos, fun writing, quick and to-the-point, interesting lists and scenarios.

**Drasius**

Yet another vote for pics and words. I find many, many people don't have the voice to make an hour long video interesting, not to mention a bunch of umming and ahhing and walking around the table. Not to mention it's much easier to skip through stuff in text/pics than to try and find the start of turn 3 if you're still talking about stuff I don't care about.

I want to hear (and see with pictures) why you deployed where, what your plan was (and why it didn't work) or how you countered your opponents plan. Special notes on crazy roles or unlikely outcomes should also be included, since they are make the game memorable for the players and are something to get excited about as well as letting the reader who is unfamiliar with some unit know that it was in fact unlikely that those 3 crisis suits lost combat to the 5 man devastator squad after charging them.

A clear turn structure is also of huge benefit, so we don't get lost as to why making a run move or turboing across the table is suddenly a big deal. The difference between setting up for a last turn objective grab on turn 4 or tactical positioning against reserves on turn 3 can be quite large.

**vipoid**

With regard to video batreps, one thing that always gets on my nerves is when people don't say what lists were used.

I don't like having to try and work out wargear and such from snatches of conversation throughout the video.

**oldzoggy**

There are some other things that are extremely important for me.

Nothing has to annoy me
-I don't want to get confused by the camera work
- I don't like some over he top sound track to it
- I don't want to listen to annoying dudes I would not enjoy playing agianst
- I don't want to look at huge rule errors all the time.
- I don't want to see proxies that confuse me

It has to look good
-Nice terrain
-Nice painted miniatures
-I like players who at least give me the illusion that they like what they are doing.
- I have to know what is what

It has to be interesting.
- I want to see solid tactics
- I like to see battles with relevant armies
- I like to see battles that I have not seen before
- I want to see different table set ups
- I like it if I can hear the players talk / banter

Finally there has to be a reason why I would want to look at the video.
There are different reasons why I like to watch battle reports.
1: I like to have them in the background when I am painting. The talking is the most important in the video then. You would have to compete with sit and talks , banter batraps and painting with Jay.
2: I like to watch actual tactics from time to time. These have to show me something new. So If there is a new formation, codex, good rarly used tactics etc. It has to be something that would like to know how it works and how it does on the field, while still offering an interesting and enjoyable battle report. There are not that many good battle reports who actually fill this role. Most battle reports are either low quality and bother line annoying or extremely casual and high quality. Gaming with the mountain and reeces videos are what you are competing with.

**ionusx**

i think that battle reports are only fun if they arent meta games. high end meta netlists fighting one another for spectacle is boring as absolute sin. its math and the odd rng swing and things playing out the same way every time.

i liken it to the famous patron warrior mirror match in the finals of a livestreamed hearthstone tournament earlier in 2015 where the viewership of the game tanked like a stone down a well. it was because it was the meta and because it was boring as feth to watch play out.

show me units that never see table, show me the formations nobody takes, show me some crazy hq relics nobody uses. thats entertaining. thats surprise. 40k has hundreds of units and easily over 75 formations out there. and yet the meta is like 10 formations and the same units over and over. thats not fun its boring as feth

i also enjoy seeing two people out there having fun, staged gak to try and make better tv, i also am not a fan of rule lawyers or snot nosed arrogant pricks. i deal with them enough at my flgs to the point where playing with them makes me want to hit them in the mouth (i have no one else to play with so thats my excuse) i dont want to watch them while im trying to relax

**vipoid**

Honestly, I think I'd aim somewhere in the middle - not super-competitive, but not horrible lists either.

Or, if you do use horrible lists just to try out random/fun stuff, please, please, please acknowledge that they are so.

I do not appreciate hearing stuff like "Wow, Wyches are amazing. I can't believe DE players don't use these titans of destruction." after they laid waste to an opponent's gretchin-spam army.

**wuestenfux**

Well, I prefer to read battle reports based on pics like those of jy2.

**Vector Strike**

I really like Matt's MWG batreps. They're fun and enjoyable to watch. The rolls, the reactions, the chit-chat... sadly, they generally goes wrong with some rules.

End of turn-style I find to be pretty boring.

**krodarklorr**

the_Armyman wrote:
I like picture batreps, too, but you all do realize that he's asking for feedback on a YouTube channel, right?

Feedback for my channel. I'm mainly getting a consensus if starting to do shorter batreps would be worth my time, as I'm not sure how many people enjoy them. But I'm also curious as to which form people overall prefer.

**oldzoggy**

vipoid wrote:
Honestly, I think I'd aim somewhere in the middle - not super-competitive, but not horrible lists either.

Or, if you do use horrible lists just to try out random/fun stuff, please, please, please acknowledge that they are so.

I do not appreciate hearing stuff like "Wow, Wyches are amazing. I can't believe DE players don't use these titans of destruction." after they laid waste to an opponent's gretchin-spam army.

This. games don't have to be 5 wraith knights vs grav biker spam.. that is just stupid.
But some actual viable tactics would be great. A game centred about kroot murdering biovores can be fun to watch but is totally irrelevant to the actual game. I would love it if you actually managed to trap an opponent wfb style or use clever tank shocks, manage to trap destroy some fleeing units, used the fearless gtg trick successfully or pulled off some rhino blos sniping. Hell even the dark eldar eldar ld reduction army might be fun to watch.

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Checking out your channel get ready for some critique.
This is the video I watched. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmNcYrh06mQ

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My impressions and unfiltered thoughts ordered chronologically. behind the spoiler since it is big and you know it spoils the battle report ;_)

Spoiler:

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In your case I would edit it to be shorter.