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So this thread was inspired by a "things that bug you in 40k" i feel like this community in general is far to salty i thought i would try to bring some positive vibes into it

for me it is the amount of fluff available and how the whole universe has stories written about it, another thing that i love is the massive youtube community producing nearly endless high quality content

The fact it has a complex intricate universe that isn't too neat or perfectly nuclear but like real life can be unclear, uncertain, inconsistent and morally ambiguous while at the same time offering occasions simple situations where the solution is clear abd obvious: KILL THE BASTARDS!

The friends I've met playing 40k.

The game specifically, Dreadnoughts and Tanks.

Everything Orks. Probably one of the better divergence made after going "fantasy in space" with many of the Tolkien fantasy races. Just something about a race that in universe is 100% dead serious playing it straight. But from the perspective of an outside observer the Orks are this crazy, brutal, and at times comical race that is both completely absurd and also one of the most successful races in the 40k universe.

Notably Nobz, Flash Gitz, Killa Kanz, and Meganobz are my favorite units in the fluff and on the tabletop (when their rules aren't hot garbage)

The models themselves and the overall background. While I've often found myself snickering at GW's attempt to copywrite/trademark the stuff they've derived, borrowed or stolen from, the way they've put it together has kept my interest for the past 30 or so years.

I like that everything in 40K is absolutely over the top and ridiculous and a homage to other Sci-Fi.
Orks in space.
Genetically enhanced Zombie-guys with spiked helmets and "rothail-volleyguns".
Terminators, Dreadnoughts.
Stratagems.

The fact it got me into tabletop gaming since the spritely young age of 11 and I've never looked back.

Dreadnoughts - particularly when equipped with the rotating fist of doom!

The thing I really like, is how they're always using historically sourced imagery into the setting. Frequently vehicles and equipment will appear archaic or even obsolete, just to reinforce the idea that the Imperium is on the decline, ancient, and obsessed with death and mortality.

The sheer vastness of 40K - there is always something to explore next, collect, convert, play, customise etc. It is "the one game to rule them all" for me, no matter how good or crappy the actual rules are at any particular moment.

I'd say the universe itself. Not so much the stuff GW has written lately lore-wise, but the potential. As is almost always forgotten...space is big. The key components are solid and well written out. This means the opportunity to do almost anything is vast. While it all started out as slightly jokey and derivative, 40K has actually slowly been crafted into arguably a massively well detailed and supported IP. I think that's the most surprising thing to me.

nou wrote:
The sheer vastness of 40K - there is always something to explore next, collect, convert, play, customise etc. It is "the one game to rule them all" for me, no matter how good or crappy the actual rules are at any particular moment.

yep this.

and

Not necessarily in this order.
The fluff.
Playing with friends.
Building lists.
The cool moments you had in a game 10 years ago and will never forget.
The models.
The whole hobby aspect building and converting the models. but painting not so much ^^.
The Gothic style. and the overall visual style of 40k.

I would have to echo the rest of the post's in this thread, the wealth and depth of background material whilst still allowing such freedom to create your own stories along with the hilarity and brilliance of the Space Orks are the two things that really set 40k apart from other fictional universes.

That even though it is often flawed it is always exciting to play. And I can't get enough of that plastic. Also, new book smell.

Coloured spray paints!

Being a grown up so not relying on Christmas/Birthday windfalls.

Clearing backlogs of stuff I was given but never got round to (or giving old models a new lease of life).

Gaming with friends, enjoying the emerging stories.

Small 3 game narrative campaigns.

Camaderie.

Recreating or revisiting nostalgia.

 nordsturmking wrote:

nou wrote:
The sheer vastness of 40K - there is always something to explore next, collect, convert, play, customise etc. It is "the one game to rule them all" for me, no matter how good or crappy the actual rules are at any particular moment.

yep this.

and

Not necessarily in this order.
The fluff.
Playing with friends.
Building lists.
The cool moments you had in a game 10 years ago and will never forget.
The models.
The whole hobby aspect building and converting the models. but painting not so much ^^.
The Gothic style. and the overall visual style of 40k.

Basically all of this. But with the painting. I possibly only enjoy painting Malifaux more.

I really enjoy:

Building and converting models - I really enjoy getting into a new kit and looking at all the bits and thinking of all the different ways I could use them

Constructing army lists - I love when a new book comes out just building various lists with it. Opening up my spreadsheet and just looking at the various options, how could I make a list focused around X unit work, etc.

Playing in tournaments - nothing is quite as exciting as piling in the car with my friends and heading to a venue and spending a weekend playing 40k. I love meeting new people, seeing new armies, the thrill of the competition itself, just the entire scene.

Reading the novels - I got into the hobby via Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghost series and still enjoy spending a weekend just reading a good 40k book. The fluff may not hold true to the tabletop but that doesn't change the fact that I enjoy it.

Wow.. there's a lot to cover. So here's my favourite things:

#1 - The Tactics: I love the way tactics are currently functioning. You have a lot of choices, and those choices are RELEVANT. Target priority is huge. Spending Command Points is big and fun. units are fast. Positioning of a unit is important, but exact models often aren't.

#2 - The Balance: Maybe some people would want to shoot me on this, but I feel the game right now is at the most balanced it's ever been. There are a few that are lagging behind, but by and large, everyone's got something to bring to the table. But it's not just the game-to-game balance, but also the balance of phases. Shooting is important, Psychics are important, Movement is important, and Assault is important! I honestly don't feel like any previous edition had this much balance between the phases of the game, with too much in one and not enough in the other. AND it's also the unit balances! Big things are good, but little things are REALLY good too! It's what I always hoped for - Little things lose to slightly bigger things, but really big things lose to little things while killed other medium-to-big things. This rock-paper-scissors effect is great.

#3 - The way Characters work; I love it. Characters have a big impact, even if they're not getting into combat, and they're hard to snipe out. When you do take down an buffing character, the effect on your opponent's army is immediate and substantial. This is a great spot to be.

#4 - The way the damage system is working; With every big thing getting a ton more wounds, I was concerned, but now I'm overjoyed. Big guns that do multiple damage aren't very effective against infantry (even if they kill one in one shot), but are extra lethal to other big things. This makes these weapons anything BUT a one-size-fits all. Having an array of weapon choices in your army can be very effective, and if a player goes too deep on one weapon choice or another, they risk coming across armies that are much more resilient to that weapon's type.

 nordsturmking wrote:

Building lists.

I probably spend an absurd amount of time building lists.

The over-the-top fluff (especially the ability of mashing together stuff and references from very different sources), the ever-detail increasing models and the social thing this game does (my first friends in Lisbon were made due to 40k)

In order

The fluff
30k
Painting
Modelling
Converting
40k

If it wasn't for the fluff I would not play the game, kinda obvious I know but I've seen other games with cool models but totally lacking in fluff or not enough, I love infinity but lack of novels (not sure if this is still true) in the universe meant I lost interest pretty quickly.

Two fully painted armies that are fluffy and set up in such a way on an epic table where it all look epic!

I love list building. Trying to squeeze everything I "need" into 2k to only get to 2002, not have anything I could possibly cut and then starting all the way over.

I love the "my dudes" mentality (that GW seems to be trying to kill). Conversions, non-standard paint jobs and counter-meta army comps keep me interested. I wish there was a more robust character creation/customization ability but I can see how that leads to crazy imbalanced units but I wish there was more than just choose your relic and warlord trait.

Competitive games against competitive players. I love playing against an army/general better than me. Learning what makes them "better" and how I can adapt to beat them. The post-game debrief is probably my favorite part of these games where we sit around and talk what could have/should have happened, where we made mistakes and what we could have done better.

The hour after a tourney where people get together and talk about their battles, mvps, worst/best rolls, TFGs, regrets, salt.

The skill of some of you real painters. Crazy conversions, gemstone bases, paint jobs I could never do in a thousand years but that keep me trying to get better.

Grimdark. I just love the brutality and dark age future vibe. How everything is pushed to 1000. Destroying an entire planet because there is the possibility of chaos taint, nids devouring entire swaths, eldar fighting for their afterlife, the simplicity and brutality of orcs, the devotion of chaos. It's all very fun as a thought experiment pushed to the limits.

Whining on the internet. It's fun to cry about how OP everything not in a codex I run is. Blaming GW for personally nerfing my favorite units just to shaft me and only me while boosting what TFG plays.

Classic, grungy, grimdark art like this:



Overall the aesthetic of 40k. No other sc-fi game matches it for me. Infinity's models are gorgeous but the anime/cyberpunk style just doesn't have quite the same draw and stuff like Deadzone seems like a pale imitation.

Using 40k's awesome fluff as a spring board for creating your own warbands/chapters/craftworlds/kabals etc. naming your own characters and developing your own stories throughout campaigns.

Painting and converting (especially Chaos). Both things I love but yearn to get better at.

I just love how insane the universe is. The utter hopelessness. The almost complete dehumanization. The endless slaughter. And yet. Every time I make my last stand with my last guardsman. I know there is a chance. There is always a chance

I love dynamic the lore and miniature range are. I have been in the hobby for 20 years and am still loving it!

I've seen complaints that 8th Edition has dumbed the game down and boiled out some of the tactical depth - which is true, but it's also made the game a lot more fun than it has been in... well, ever. 4th through 7th the game was far too slow and dull to thrive on its own merits; you played it because your friends did. 8th Edition seems like a much quicker and less formal affair, and I think the game itself is more entertaining for it.

 vim_the_good wrote:
I just love how insane the universe is. The utter hopelessness. The almost complete dehumanization. The endless slaughter. And yet. Every time I make my last stand with my last guardsman. I know there is a chance. There is always a chance

Yep. Always a chance... for the last thing for that Guardsmen to hear

"Send in the next wave"

This forum and the people on are pretty solid. Y'all have definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the hobby.

I've also got a solid local group of good guys, I'm finally turning out completed armies and not just cool units, and I think these rules play about as well as any edition has. I'm having fun... but I miss the guys I started out with back in the days of Rogue Trader.

I like impractical vehicles. Every time someone complains about the Leman Russ's turret or its lack of suspension I enjoy the Leman Russ even more. Their engines are so strong, the aircraft are all flying bricks. That's just how awesome the engineering is in the 41st millennium!