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What keeps you going? As you can see in my signature, I'm not doing too well in this edition (although I've only played Tau and Tyranids so far) and as much as I can enjoy a cool story even if I'm getting stomped, it does make me hesitant to go through all the fuss of transporting an army and arranging a game.

What do you do to get yourself back into the spirit and ready to lead your tiny dudes/ladies/monsters/robots into the fray again?

I often look at why i lose, and work towards bettering myself

I also do things that mix it up a bit and get into everyone in my little community and there Victory and failure.
I also push myself and play against the top players as much as i can so i do improve myself.
If i just do not feel like a game myself, I go and watch and chat with others.

This hobby can be so deep in many ways, and i find for myself to keep motivated its so important to share it with others.

I don't get too down quickly, I tend to try to stick with one army for a long time and make tweaks to try to do better. Jumping around to different armies rarely helps unless the play style of a particular faction doesn't suit you.

Generally, I take a step back and play much more chill games for a while. step back to power levels, play vs people I know just play fun lists, and enjoy myself. Those games tend to be better anyway.

I git gud.

When it's just game after game, well, I start buckling down and really exploring WHY I haven't won. Nice thing since 8th edition is that each time I've lost, I have clear strategic and tactical reasons why I lost. I can see points in the game where had I done things differently, I would have made a better decision, regardless of the dice rolls.

However, I find the hardest thing is to keep playing and keep being positive and enjoyable as an opponent when I'm just getting CRUSHED. I mean when it's not even funny. I have a tendency to start pointing out my dice rolls, which I know isn't something that people want to hear. I try to make fun with the dice rolls and keep laughing and whatnot, but I can only imagine that it gets old fast. Usually I'm still able to keep things enjoyable right through the end.

When I can't, say it's been a long day, or I really am just being crushed, then I start to degrade. I sit down, look up at the table, throw dice, and wait for my turn. I then go on tilt and forget that I'm still needing to play to win. Sure, you might not often come back from these things, but there is a CHANCE, and an opponent whom deserves that you give it your best, and yourself whom deserves that you give it your all. That's what I need to remember in my games like this.

I'm essentially 0-6 for 8th ed right now, but I've enjoyed five of those games (which were all nail-biting finishes or games which I conceded defeat).

I'm just careful about who I choose to game with - the goal being to have a fun close game rather than beat each other to death. I've also skipped the scenario rules for 4/6 games and just created up story-driven scenario which has produced excellent games each time.

 Elbows wrote:
I'm essentially 0-6 for 8th ed right now, but I've enjoyed five of those games (which were all nail-biting finishes or games which I conceded defeat).

I'm just careful about who I choose to game with - the goal being to have a fun close game rather than beat each other to death. I've also skipped the scenario rules for 4/6 games and just created up story-driven scenario which has produced excellent games each time.

I would check out the "Open War" objective deck. I think the title really turned people off it, but tbh its the best mission set 40k has available right now. If you want a clean, simple, balanced mission, just draw the deployment and mission cards, if you want to make things more narratively interesting, bring in the twists and ruses and such.

My new favorite format has actually been "chicken missions" where we play 100-150 power levels and you can bring anything you want in that range, but whoever brings less gets to use either a bonus card or a sudden death objective. so far it's been a very balanced 50-50 between the underdog and the person who brought more stuff.

Losing is really just a facotr of dice rolls my friend. Do not get down in the dumps about it. Just stay positive and you will start to win some games. Try getting some new pretty dice. That helps me break out of a funk.

What list have you been using, what experience do you have in playing 40k and what experience do your opponants have?

I write it into my fluff. Part of the reason my regiment transitioned from a regular IG regiment to a superheavy tank regiment is that the original regiment was damn near wiped out wholesale during an apocalypse game - and having rolled for it, the regimental commander, Orlov Malinenko, and the Regimental Commissar, Illya Krasnov, was slain.

His daughter, Katerina, living with her mother (Catherine Lynaris), remained on Provosa (the shrine world where she was born) though she kept the Malinenko family contacts on Concordia (hive word in the same system), and when she learned of her father's death, she used her pull as a Planetary Senator and aristocrat and got the nearby Forge Complex of Titanomache to begin supplying the Concordian regiment with superheavy tanks, and took command of them herself when the tithe came 'round again.

So the 1st Concordian was wiped out fighting alongside the Fire Foxes (yes I know, it's his fluff) chapter of Space Marines against Chaos. The Imperium was victorious, but out of 34 Concordian vehicles, only six made it through the battle and the regimental command structure was decimated (the Lord Commissar and Regimental commander were both slain).

I used that awful loss as a springboard for a new reorganization into the 2nd Concordian, and got inspired to build a whole new army out of it, and write entirely new fluff.

I don't let win/loss record be my primary motivator.

Ask your opponents for feedback.

As a former till monkey, I've been responsible for introducing hundreds to GW games - from intro to beginners. Some of them are even still around!

Nothing improves a gamer's knowledge like their opponent pointing out their own squeaky bum time moments - turns in the game where you nearly had them, but failed to capitalise. They see things you miss, and that feedback helps

When I can't get my competitive game solid enough, I will start playing my games, and then afterward asking my opponent what they think I'm doing wrong.

Most gamers are happy to 'educate' someone at great length. Getting them fresh off a big win is also usually the time they're at their most magnanimous.

As primarily a player who is geared towards tourneys but consistently performs in the lower 50%, I have found that yes my most memorable games are those in which I have played hard, and were close. Of course, my MOST memorable are those that are won but squeaked out at the very end against great odds. That feeling of triumph when all seems lost is my greatest reward.

As a secondary reward having a vast host of bejeweled army men advancing across a beautifully arrayed table top is very viscerally pleasing.

Truthfully, I am a little misanthropic but not so much that it gets in the way of a good time, the OPPONENT can really make or break my enjoyment in the game. If I feel they are trying but being gentlemanly and conversational... THAT really makes or breaks a good game.

So, I seek out good opponents FIRST, regardless of army/competitiveness/playstyle etc. The guys I try to play at my FLGS are very competitive, but are gentlemanly and permissive. We remind each other about a missed psychic phase or forgotten charges etc. There are never rules arguments, and we defer to the opponent's judgement if their is a discrepancy in LOS or measurements. Rules disagreements are simply rolled off or discussed at the end of the game.

I fell out with the people I hobbied with a couple dozen years ago.
Moved. Met some new people. Moved.
Stayed out for a few years, 6 or 8 maybe.
Watched battle reports, joined Dakka, painted, got on airbrush.
Hobby helped me through wife losing a baby, my losin a job, us fighting a crazy neighbor through court for all kinds of nastiness (just nuts stuff, really, wow, causing the miscarriage re above)...
I mean, we find our way through.
My mom loved painting, after her cancer - so I found Warhammer models.
This got me in, and keeps me going - it is who I am.

I've not been playing too much lately (1 game in 8th in fact). I lost horribly, which was quite demoralizing. However, as I retool my army a bit, I think I'll be fine (I just need to get the retool done first, thankfully not too many miniatures are left to paint for the main thrust of it). When I first started playing back in 6th I didn't win a game for around 6 months, playing regularly. Then I finally had a good handle and had learned how to play to start winning, and got a better than 50/50 win/loss ratio. It'll be the same with 8th, I just have to put the initial time in.

I found I was losing absolutely every game as Sisters of Battle this edition. It's my most worked on and expansive army so every game I tend to take more seriously even if it's just a lighthearted casual game. All my units just seem important to me and every bad roll feels like a blow.

To solve this I've put them on their fancy shelf for now and I've been running the most stupid grot filled grot list ever. Most of the units in it that aren't standard grots, I've hand crafted. Weirdly enough, this list has won 90% of it's games.

The one I didn't win I just thought about what weapon options I took and what might have done better in the situation. That and how better to place and arrange my grot web line to take combatants before they hit the precious vehicles.

 mmzero252 wrote:
I found I was losing absolutely every game as Sisters of Battle this edition. It's my most worked on and expansive army so every game I tend to take more seriously even if it's just a lighthearted casual game. All my units just seem important to me and every bad roll feels like a blow.

To solve this I've put them on their fancy shelf for now and I've been running the most stupid grot filled grot list ever. Most of the units in it that aren't standard grots, I've hand crafted. Weirdly enough, this list has won 90% of it's games.

The one I didn't win I just thought about what weapon options I took and what might have done better in the situation. That and how better to place and arrange my grot web line to take combatants before they hit the precious vehicles.

That's weird. Most sisters players I know (myself included) are doing rather well this edition. Better than IG actually.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
That's weird. Most sisters players I know (myself included) are doing rather well this edition. Better than IG actually.

I just don't have the vehicles, probably. A lot of my force is standard BSS which are really garbage compared to dominions. Plus my opponents typically play things that move incredibly quick or pop up all around me. Or just thousand sons. Try moving thousand sons off terrain with that 2+ save while you basically have a bunch of flamers and BSS bolters..it's insane.

The grot list however has so much crazy versatility, that I can prepare against anything with the same units. Anti horde? Fill half the vehicles with multiple grotzookas at 2d3 s6 each. Lots of tanks? s8 damage 3 rokkits everywhere. Plus I just have no issue losing grots. A local guy was dropping his orks and selling off models so I bought his beautifully painted FORTY GROTS. That really helped kit the army into gear.

Op, if what I interpreted from your fluff is true it sounds like your playing a very Tank heavy IG army. IG tanks are cool, but I find that you need more than that if you want a balanced ig army to win.

What does your list look like? What tanks are you taking? Finally, what are you playing against?

My IG don't typically win either, but that's because I play then fluffy and not seriously. Sentinels with missile launchers, squads with heavy bolters, mortar teams, and leman russes for anti Tank /Mc. I have won 1 game of the 3 I have played with them but all have been fun. I love plopping mortars on top of unsuspecting genestealers or gaunts lol.

Azuza001 wrote:
Op, if what I interpreted from your fluff is true it sounds like your playing a very Tank heavy IG army. IG tanks are cool, but I find that you need more than that if you want a balanced ig army to win.

What does your list look like? What tanks are you taking? Finally, what are you playing against?

My IG don't typically win either, but that's because I play then fluffy and not seriously. Sentinels with missile launchers, squads with heavy bolters, mortar teams, and leman russes for anti Tank /Mc. I have won 1 game of the 3 I have played with them but all have been fun. I love plopping mortars on top of unsuspecting genestealers or gaunts lol.

It depends on what tanks you're talking about. My superheavy tank companies usually pull close games (last one was a 12-10 loss) even if they don't win.

Ive lost one game (my first) won two and had to call one short. And I've had fun with all of them. The lose was particularly hilarious because my opponent kill more of his own guys than I did. Thanks Perils of the Warp.

Just try to find the fun things about the individual games even if you are losing OP.

Try playing different point levels. Some armies scale far better at lower point levels than higher point levels. Each one seems to have its own sweet-spot.

But without knowing more about your collection and what you're playing i can't comment further.

The trick, if you can do it, is to play to win but not care if you win.

Sure, winning is fun. But if you place that condition on your outcome, you will often be frustrated. As such, focus on having a good time. Narrate the game. Make jokes. The game should be fun, not just winning.

 3orangewhips wrote:
The trick, if you can do it, is to play to win but not care if you win.

Sure, winning is fun. But if you place that condition on your outcome, you will often be frustrated. As such, focus on having a good time. Narrate the game. Make jokes. The game should be fun, not just winning.

This is probably saying what I should've said better.

I play to win (though I don't listbuild to win :X) because that's what my army would do in the fluff. If they lose, they suck it up, it goes into my fluff, and they move along (unless they were wholesale wiped out, as I mention, then I usually refluff them or repaint them to represent reorganization). I keep the narrative of the game as the point of playing, even if I am trying to win tactically on the tabletop.

jbeil wrote:
What keeps you going? As you can see in my signature, I'm not doing too well in this edition (although I've only played Tau and Tyranids so far) and as much as I can enjoy a cool story even if I'm getting stomped, it does make me hesitant to go through all the fuss of transporting an army and arranging a game.

What do you do to get yourself back into the spirit and ready to lead your tiny dudes/ladies/monsters/robots into the fray again?

Usually i make small goals for my self even if im losing. so say kill that knight titan

or some HQ or a flyer

achieving them makes me happy.

I've enjoyed the game so much more now that I field dozens of useless freakin' grots. Mostly because I expect them to die, but when they actually wound things it becomes ridiculous.

Warning: Opponents may not enjoy you fielding dozens of grots, they take a while to move.

I usually do well but I lose too. When I do, I look back at the choices I made during the game and how I could improve. I also do this after I win.

Win or lose, you can always learn something new, if you are observant.

One thing I learned from watching a person play. Never charge a 500 point terminator squad with a squad of twelve boyz. That's how you lose models.

Being observant is key to strategy and pre-planning though. Sometimes it's far too late to fix a problem, but there's always next game.