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An article about the importance of fluff when playing Warhammer 40k and Magic The Gathering: Warhammer 40k Armies Need A Reason To Fight

How much importance do you place on having a back story and a reason for your army to be on the field of battle?

None. I'd never turn down an opponent over whether it makes sense whether my army would fight theirs, and my satisfaction isn't decreased by any stretch but maybe increased in the opposite scenario where I do play a fluffy game, but not to any great extent.

I'd also probably not actively seek out opponents whose army would be fluffy to fight against. Comes down mostly to the way people play in my local area and the fact that this has lead to me preferring games where I get a challenge.

While I wouldn't turn down an unfluffy matchup I tend to choose factions which have a legitimate reason to fight pretty much anyone. Chaos Marines, and I'll likely be building up a Minotaur force pretty soon.

Quite a bit - even if I've just decided it's a training exercise (although usually, it's more like ahh the 'nids are everywhere all guns fire on my position).

The background and flavor of the 40k universe is what drew me to the game, and why I'm still interested. I wouldn't turn down a game if my opponent disagreed, and I wouldn't necessarily expect him to "play along", so to speak, but rest assured gears will be turning on my side of the table!

Fluff is not needed for me to play the average game. But fluff is incredibly important for scenarios and campaigns. Good fluff makes the game infinitely better.

Not needed for me. Well, that's not entirely true - with my last battle report series I did turn down playing a couple of tau players because they in no way whatsoever fit in with the narrative that I was trying to bring to a conclusion. That was only a couple of times I can think of, though, and rather extenuating circumstances.

As for any given one-off game, the fluff makes it super, super easy to justify any faction fighting any other faction, including, in most cases, a faction fighting itself.

Not to say that Draigo fighting Draigo isn't a bit tacky...

None

Although I love hearing about stories and wouldn't be against investing a significant amount of time into creating a story for my army or the battle about to be had.

I mean when we spend so much $ and time on the models and the hobby it makes sense for us to invest emotionally in them aswell. I WANT it to sting when my warlord gets blown up. I love that guy.

It just means it's even more awesome when he strikes down a combatant in a challenge. I feel that's 40k at it's best.

Bring it on. 40k is a universe where you can easily justify match ups. Except maybe Tau v Tau or GK v GK.

The reason is they are the enemy, and the enemy must be killed.

The game is so much about the fluff that it would be stupid to ignore it. I understand that some people don't mind about unfluffy fights, but I enjoy having a story for the battle.
In our little gaming group we have played few little tournaments and for each of them we like to write a small backstory. IMO it makes more enjoyable because since you've used a lot of time making/painting the army (and since painting isn't mandatory either), it is just fair that you put some time to the games as well.

But once I saw Lamenters fighting allied with Alpha Legion and later the same day Imperial Guard & Deamons VS Dark Eldar & Necrons... Just... why..?

Weapons Testing.

Doesn't matter who. As long as its convenient.....
Sometimes small time SM chapters or IG regiments are *ahem* convinced to be target practice. Need to test these prototypes and experiments somehow... Otherwise there is no data to be gleaned from an idle machine.


In random battles I usually don't put much into it. unless I feel like it. Like a recent string of Eldar/Tau vs My IG was a pursuit of my Regiment chasing the Xenos due to rumors they may have a STC fragment. The Xenos continue to take heavy casualties from their unfamiliarity with the highly experimental weapons systems my Ad mech controls regiment has, but as many rumors of STC's are, a fragment has yet to be located among the casualties, burnt out wrecks of Xeno tank or chared frames of wraith constructs, even the body of the Seer's hold no proof of the existence of an STC, but it cannot be concluded that there is no fragment until the Xenos are exterminated from the system....

Apoc, battles that string together (roughly) like the one above, or especially large battles I conjure something up.

Battle doesn't need a purpose; battle is its own purpose. You do not ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Do not ask why I fight.

 Luke_Prowler wrote:
Battle doesn't need a purpose; battle is its own purpose. You do not ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Do not ask why I fight.

Got to love the classics...

I dont turn down games. Having said that, I agree that many army combos make it really hard to immerse in the hobby. So if you want a bit of chess with your dice games, you're getting it. But if you want simulation or fantasy in your game, you may often be disappointed.

I love imagining the battle between the races for supremacy. But when someone takes Orks and Tau together, its like that moment when you're with a girl and then the smell hits you... and all interest fades. Sure, she might put out but at what cost to your nostrils?

Anyways, fluff is being burned in big piles to sell models atm. They really need to sell the company soon.

40k was always about playing a game with mates and having a few beers - for me. And this was in Rogue Trader.

WHY they were fighting was pretty much irrelevant apart from "The imperium HATES ALL Xenos, so why wouldn't they?"

(No, this wasn't about underage drinking - well, at least not here. 40k didn't start up until after my 18th year, so I was all nice and legal to drink.)

IMO fluff is an important aspect to any army. I mean come on your going to spend hundreds of dollars buying it, hours painting it, so why wouldn't you take a couple days to think up a cool back story for your force?? I would never turn down a game do to unpainted models or lack of fluff but those things just make the games that much funner!

 jackflashultra wrote:
I mean come on your going to spend hundreds of dollars buying it, hours painting it, so why wouldn't you take a couple days to think up a cool back story for your force??

That, to me, is like saying "I mean, come on. you're gonna spend hours on playing, hours on setting up, why wouldn't you take a few hours of that time to cook your friends a nice three course dinner?"

Yeah, it doesn't ruin the game in any way, but it's hardly necessary and has very little to do with what I have done before.

I demand exactly nothing to fight any army. I'm sure my Sister Superior has a good reason to kick your ass.

I think it helps make the game more interesting, but it isn't a requirement because a lot of people simply don't care enough to go through that stuff. Games can take a long time, and not everyone wants to take extra time above that to sort out the fluff.

That said, I have put a lot of effort into the background of my own army and fanon to make fighting any faction more plausible. I think Tau are the greatest offenders with their limited empire and non-FTL travel, but your experience may differ.

Selorian wrote:
An article about the importance of fluff when playing Warhammer 40k and Magic The Gathering: Warhammer 40k Armies Need A Reason To Fight

How much importance do you place on having a back story and a reason for your army to be on the field of battle?

I don't turn down games per say, but during the game and afterwards, I love to think up a story. Sometimes, while playing, I chat with my opponent about the fluffy point to the game, and usually they just give me an irritated look (Most of them are old, grumpy veterans, who don't want little me interfering with their internal competion). This also annoys me in turn, as I play for fun and to create great stories, but don't really like playing to win that much.

I do, however, have a friend whom I am having a campaign against - My Tau Mechanized Assault Cadre and his lost Necron Tides. We are ccurrently fighting for a planet which was Exterminatus-ed not long ago. The Ethereals besically said "Go there, it is important!", and hailing from the faithful T'au Caste, my Cadre obliged. As it turned out, the planet was a minor Tomb World with an uplink to a pocket-dimension, from which an unknown Necron Dynasty was emerging. Now, we have had four battles, with me as succesor in all of them - The Tau's cunning might be too much for the mindless Necrons!

He help me keep going, and I always look forward to our games, but I must admit that these vets make it hard to love the hobby.

Theone of the best parts about playing Dark Angels is that you always have a reason to fight Imperials. Those gosh darned Fallen running around making a muck of things!

I usually bring out fluff when playing games of Apocalypse, trying to form a couple of teams out of who would be willing to fight with each other for an Objective.

I don't care what Apoc says, I have trouble having Space Marines and Tyranids allied against other Space Marines....never gonna happen.

By the time I set up, fluff is gone from my mind. I just care about gettin' a game before I have to leave.

I play IG, so if I come against other imperial forces, I just claim that they're traitors, and let the emperor decide who's right.

In team play, it depends on who I'm with and against. If I'm with traitors, I just say we're fighting for survival. Really, I just make up the most plausible reason for my Guard to be fighting. Even if it's a silly one, that way we can have a few laughs during combat.

... it's a paintball scrum.

As the imperial guard its easy to be on any side. It usually involves me being tricked, mind controlled or fighting on the right side haha. Either way as long as i think im fighting for the emperor and not the farseer on the other team i am fine.

They looked at us funny. UNLEASH THE ION CANNONS. For the Greater Good!

 Psienesis wrote:
... it's a paintball scrum.

They're guardsmen, it's lasertag!

fluff should never be banished from your mind. This game is so much more engaging with fluffy matchups squaring off. adds to the argument of "who would win... Batman or Greeen Lantern?" type of thing.

 Jancoran wrote:
fluff should never be banished from your mind. This game is so much more engaging with fluffy matchups squaring off. adds to the argument of "who would win... Batman or Greeen Lantern?" type of thing.

Exactly!!!