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Hello Dakka!

I don't know if "Dashofpepper" is meaningful to you, but I've been gone from the hobby for a long time. I used to be ultra-competitive. In 2009-2011, I spent tens of thousands of dollars on models, travel, hotels, tournaments, food, liquor - flying and driving around the country to as many GTs and regional RTTs as I could fit into my schedule. For a while, rankingsHQ (which shut down in 2014) had me as the #1 player in the world. I was hyper-aggressive - I wrote exquisite tactical articles like that one on how to exploit every facet of a game to table people. I polarized the community. For example, here's my series of battle reports on the Alamo GT. I won Best General by going 5-0, but didn't win Best Overall because I had the lowest sportsmanship out of anyone there... ...because the sportsmanship score was subjective. I tabled one of my opponents in 2-3 turns without losing a single model. He gave me a 0 for sportsmanship because "I had a WAAC army that wasn't fun to play against."

In fact, the whole reason I started doing battle reports - picture intensive tactical battle reports - was because I'd been keeping track of my tournament record each year, and my W/L/D record would be like 198-1-0. People on Dakka would accuse me of lying. So I started documenting my tournament participation. I had a huge ego. I had a branded clothing line. I had a 40k sponsorship. I escalated things. Someone would talk gak about my army on Dakka, how it wasn't competitive, how they'd beat it and me... and I'd challenge them to show up at a GT with me and play for pink-slips with a TO holding our armies in escrow, and they could put their money where their mouth was, or STFU. In an effort to bring up the competitive level of players at one of the stores where I lived at the time, I made a deal with the store for a publicity stunt. The store declares me their 40k Store Champion. Anyone who supports the store and buys $50 worth of merchandise gets a challenge token. They use that challenge token to challenge me to a game, and if they win, they get a free $90 Battleforce box that I'd pay for out of my own pocket.

It didn't inspire anyone, it backfired. The players went NUTS. OMGHETHINKSHESBETTERTHANUS. They went GAKKING NUTS. They threatened to boycott the store if they didn't ban me. The store owner gave in and did so. I have a hundred stories like it - and every one of those fueled the fire for the anti-Dash-haters to circle-jerk about what an donkey-cave I was, the sportsmanship scores were all justified, and how I was cancer to the hobby. I moved away from that area (North Florida) and things got better - but the reputation was already tarnished.

In 2011 at the Nova Open. I won Best Sportsman. Pinnacle of my career. I retired on the spot. I was tired. Tired of being Dash, tired of drama, tired of defending myself, tired of feeling like I was working a second job to maintain my brand...

Seven years later, I live in North Florida again. Some of my co-workers who are 40k players - but don't know my "brand" from previous local nonsense are trying to get me back into 40k. I'd gotten rid of all my models, everything. Branded battlefoam bags, professionally commissioned and painted armies, modeling supplies, everything.

I'm starting over, and intentionally starting with a low-tier army like non-soup pure ultramarines so that no one sees my army and thinks, "Dash is back." I'm making them angry marines because (1) My wife and I are pissed about the lack of financial restitution (and communication) from the guy who was supposed to be selling all my crap and WE ARE ANGRY (2) My favorite part of 40k has always been drinking and role-playing, and ANGRY MARINES ARE GAKKING AWESOME, and (3) I *ALWAYS* made my army decisions based on what the anti-flavor-of-the-month armies were. When 4th edition orks were supposedly the crappiest in early 5th edition, I played Orks. Pink Orks. Pink, Pajama-Suited Orks. This is Ghazghkull's Harem. I traveled around the country beating up neck beards with pink pajama suit orks that my wife painted. Dark Eldar still had a 3rd edition codex, and when I learned that DE were "worse than orks" I switched to Dark Eldar. Near the end of 5th - maybe 6 months before I quit, after DE had gotten a new codex and were pretty good, Necrons were the new "Worst codex" and I switched to Necrons. Since I like being silly, I kept with the pink theme and made a Garden of Silence. One of my first battle reported games with them was a 2k Necron vs 4k combined Tau+Space Wolf game. Here's a battle report of my awesome garden-themed ladybug CLOSE COMBAT NECRONS duking it out at a tournament.

When I started looking at the hobby again here in 8th, I was going to go back to my roots and Drukhari...then I learned they're the top-tier army now; Ynarri nonsense with Eldar allies. Where in 5th edition, FotM Space Marine armies backed by Matt Ward ridiculousness was the over the top crap - everyone was running Blood Angels, Grey Knights, and Space Wolves because they were OP, and 9 of every 10 tournament games was against one of them or an IG parking lot. Space Marines suck now without Knight support and mostly IG army lists.

I'm all about it. Lemme take the crappiest army, make a super fluffy, pure space marine angry marine army, non-soup, low-model count because I don't know gak about 40k anymore, and while I'm going to be unintentionally slow-playing EVERYONE because I don't know how to play, don't know how to use my army, and don't know anything about their codices, less models should help.

I'm going to take an gakload of pictures. I'm going to roam around getting my gak pushed in my competitive army lists, writing battle reports, posting all of this around the internet, and crowd-sourcing my competitive improvement. I'm going to try keeping it all light-hearted and fluffy, because I don't want to be where I was a decade ago. I'm going to write more hysterical nonsense like How To Be A Professional 40k Player. Let's see if I can keep from racking up any Dakka suspensions or bans.

Its going to be awesome. Its going to be fun. There's going to be more liquor. There's going to be angry marines. I found the guy who I feel MADE Angry Marines a thing, and convinced him to take money to make me some, which is his first commission job.. He's brilliant. Angry marines make me laugh. They match my personality.

I look forward to meeting you all, reacquainting myself with you all, meeting new people, and hopefully this time, not being in the middle of any gak. Unless there is rum, then I look forward to drinking with you. Unless you're a kid. Then I'm drinking your rum too.

PS, in all of these years, why has Jon not made an emote for an ork drinking booze? THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY YAKFACE. GET WITH THE TIMES.

...OK.

If nothing else, this should be...interesting.

And, yeah, er...welcome back to Dakka Dakka?

(Can't have the End Times without more of this I guess! )

Hi,

Welcome back to Dakka

Yay!

PS. Abandon 40k and play Kill Team.

I don't remember you! You were before my time on this website, i suppose. So welcome back!

Also i don't drink so you can have all of my rum.

 amazingturtles wrote:
I don't remember you! You were before my time on this website, i suppose. So welcome back!

Also i don't drink so you can have all of my rum.

I am anxiously awaiting my supply drop. ANGRILY AWAITING.

I learned a lot from reading your stuff back in the day. I suspect competitive 40K is dead to me for good at this point, but I really enjoyed it then, so thanks and welcome back!

 kestral wrote:
I learned a lot from reading your stuff back in the day. I suspect competitive 40K is dead to me for good at this point, but I really enjoyed it then, so thanks and welcome back!

Dead to you why?

FWIW, im my head the difference between competitive and non-competitive is this:

*A competitive person sees losing as a failure that contains a learning opportunity.
*A non-competitive player sees losing as one of two equally acceptable outputs to participating.

-A person’s competitiveness can be judged by how MUCH they value that learning opportunity.
-A competitive person’s maturity can be judged by their emotional response to failure’s presentation of a learning opportunity.

That’s it. I was hyper-competitive - every loss resulted in me latching on to the person who beat me as an unwilling mentor while I grilled them for data on how I could prevent loss, play differently, think differently. I was free with my praise for them, and WANTED to lose. I played in tournaments because I wanted to find someone with something left to teach me. I gave away prize support everywhere - threw away trophies - because I never played for that. I wanted to play my best and be outclassed, so I could find an opportunity to lose and learn a lesson.

The drama that surrounded me then was because I assumed at the time that everyone thinks like me. If you come to a national GT with an army that I table in two turns, you need mentoring. The way I want mentoring. So I would try coaching them the way I want to be coached. It led to the “OMGDASHTHINKSHESBETTERTHANUS.”

Anyway, be competitive. Its how we improve ourselves.

Welcome back. I remember you (vaguely) from back in the day. It was just about the time I was drifting out of 40K, but I used to play competitively before that, and I used Orks. Haven't gotten a game in with them in like, 7 years now.

The new edition seems fun, and since you stopped playing around the same time I did, I will be interested to see what your ideas about the game are now.

But come on mate, you can't say you didn't think you were better than most of the players at playing 40K back in the day, because by a pretty stable metric, you were. I dunno that people were wrong to think that, but maybe they shoulda been more comfortable with it.

Anyhow, always better to have interesting contributions to read here!

I remember you and the vast amounts of Drama.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
I am anxiously awaiting my supply drop. ANGRILY AWAITING.

As it turns out the fact that I don't drink means that do not actually have any rum! i am sorry about this! but not so sorry as to buy rum.

Have some ginger ale. instead.

 Dashofpepper wrote:

 kestral wrote:
I learned a lot from reading your stuff back in the day. I suspect competitive 40K is dead to me for good at this point, but I really enjoyed it then, so thanks and welcome back!

Dead to you why?

Several reasons really. I was heavily motivated by prizes back in the day, especially the 'Ardboyz army which would have been like winning the lottery. I came within a couple of VPs of winning one too. Nowadays I have plenty of figures, can afford to buy what I want and am not motivated in that way. Tournaments used to represent a chance to play on really nice tables, often against painted armies. Now I have my own. Mostly though it is the rules changes. Mastering 40K in the 4-6 editions was fun and an interesting challenge. Could I master the new stuff? Sure, but it never stays still long enough for someone who plays infrequently to really enjoy that mastery. I reached the point where I was lucky to get 5-6 games out of a codex before major changes of one sort or another invalidated everything I'd learned. I'd rather put my mental effort and time into other things - the payoff just isn't enough. I love a good competitive game, but as you point out, it really helps to "get on the level" for the enjoyment of all concerned.

 kestral wrote:

 Dashofpepper wrote:

 kestral wrote:
I learned a lot from reading your stuff back in the day. I suspect competitive 40K is dead to me for good at this point, but I really enjoyed it then, so thanks and welcome back!

Dead to you why?

Several reasons really. I was heavily motivated by prizes back in the day, especially the 'Ardboyz army which would have been like winning the lottery. I came within a couple of VPs of winning one too. Nowadays I have plenty of figures, can afford to buy what I want and am not motivated in that way. Tournaments used to represent a chance to play on really nice tables, often against painted armies. Now I have my own. Mostly though it is the rules changes. Mastering 40K in the 4-6 editions was fun and an interesting challenge. Could I master the new stuff? Sure, but it never stays still long enough for someone who plays infrequently to really enjoy that mastery. I reached the point where I was lucky to get 5-6 games out of a codex before major changes of one sort or another invalidated everything I'd learned. I'd rather put my mental effort and time into other things - the payoff just isn't enough. I love a good competitive game, but as you point out, it really helps to "get on the level" for the enjoyment of all concerned.

I don't think it ever dawned on me that someone would be motivated by the prizes, because I didn't value them, and sometimes make the mistake of assuming people think like I do, hold the same values I have, and approach things the same way I do. The moving target of knowledge that all these editions and rules changes make *is* frustrating. I looked at the game in 6th, and decided it was too complicated to try learning. In 8th, folks say things were distilled down into simplicity again. We'll see.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 amazingturtles wrote:

 Dashofpepper wrote:
I am anxiously awaiting my supply drop. ANGRILY AWAITING.

As it turns out the fact that I don't drink means that do not actually have any rum! i am sorry about this! but not so sorry as to buy rum.

Have some ginger ale. instead.

I am anxiously awaiting my supply drop of Ginger Ale. I can do Seagram's 7 and Ginger Ale in a pinch. IN A PINCH.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Da Boss wrote:
Welcome back. I remember you (vaguely) from back in the day. It was just about the time I was drifting out of 40K, but I used to play competitively before that, and I used Orks. Haven't gotten a game in with them in like, 7 years now.

The new edition seems fun, and since you stopped playing around the same time I did, I will be interested to see what your ideas about the game are now.

But come on mate, you can't say you didn't think you were better than most of the players at playing 40K back in the day, because by a pretty stable metric, you were. I dunno that people were wrong to think that, but maybe they shoulda been more comfortable with it.

Anyhow, always better to have interesting contributions to read here!

I wholeheartedly agree that I thought I was better than most players in 40k as demonstrated by metrics like tournament rankings. The personal growth I've achieved over the years is to learn that I am not responsible for trying to make the people I play against better. People who didn't have fun getting spanked by me...I didn't have fun spanking them either. I'm driven to learn, improve, excel, and COMPETE. The only lesson I get out of tabling someone in a turn or two is that they are not a suitable opponent for me. There were a lot of problems that stemmed from [me] attempting to filter the data I was observing through my values, and responding to stimuli accordingly.


Whether or not a non-competitive player without the emotional maturity to manage losing should be competing or not is not something I can control.

But I tried.

And the harder it failed, the harder I tried, because I could not fathom that someone would put themselves in a position to oppose me competitively, and not ALSO be driven to learn, improve, excel, and COMPETE. When all of my appeals to logic didn't work, then I would throw money at the problem, trying to financially solve it.

"If you don't like losing to me, and I can't appeal to your drive and motivation to logically improve yourself to not lose, I will give you $100 if you can beat me."

I don't UNDERSTAND people, but my personal growth has been to learn to recognize that this exists, and it is not my responsibility to fix.

Competitive 40k is dead to me because it's about titans, 3 different armies in the same army, and pure cookie-cutterness.

I'm an old school 40k player (like from before it actually came out). This current edition does not resemble the 40k I like.

Kill Team is a good alternative.

 DarknessEternal wrote:
Competitive 40k is dead to me because it's about titans, 3 different armies in the same army, and pure cookie-cutterness.

I wonder how accurate that is? From my initial research, it looks like I could have returned to my DE roots, picked up Dark Eldar in 8th edition and been successful with a mono-army build. I didn't do that because I have always enjoyed picking the anti-FoTM armies, going to events, and beating the FoTM cookie-cutter armies. That's why I picked Ultramarines to get back into 40k with. My research indicated that Space Marines are the "Worst army" and without "IG Soup" they can't compete.

That's all a cookie-cutter army is. If you don't have the skill to lead, you have to follow.

Hulksmash helped me make a pure Space Marine army. It's full of things that Dakka says are bad choices. Hulksmash thinks it will be pretty decent, I'm a solid tactician, and I'm going to do my best to beat people's faces in with it. With an artificially handicapped army.

What happens if I'm wildly successful with them? Are they now a cookie cutter list? That's the joy of competition - finding the angle, the exploit, the edge, trying to get better, perfect your game, and at the top of it...using non-traditional choices and tactics to take down the "powerhouse netlists." In most of 5th edition (my last point of reference), the powerhouse armies were Razorspam SW, Psycannon Spam GK, Chimera / Parking Lot spam IG. Eight out of 10 tournaments games were going to be against one of those three. I picked Dark Eldar (3rd edition DE codex in 5th edition) because NOBODY played them, because they were universally agreed to be the worst codex. If not the worst, tied with Necrons, worse even than Sisters of Battle. I was stomping people with Orks, and wanted to raise my handicap, so I downgraded to DE. After a ridiculous year or two of rolling people with DE, they got a new codex, got more powerful, became more popular, and I downgraded to Necrons, the new "Worst army" in 40k.

I want that again. I'm gonna run pure, non-soup Space Marines. I'm going to model them to disadvantage myself as Angry Marines. The internet agrees my list is bad. I'm going to try getting really, really good with it. I want my angry marines to double power fist those titan and knight netlists into shock. Every time I lose, I'm going to pore over every detail, comb over over move in minute, excruciating detail to figure out what I did wrong. I'll write battle reports, take pictures, and crowd-source out to other people to tell me what I did wrong. That's part of why I did well back in the day. I spent so much time figuring out what I did wrong, asking what I did wrong, posting what I did so people could point out what I did wrong, so I could learn from it and get better.

I'm looking forward to the journey. I'm probably going to lose, a lot. I have to relearn to play, I'm doing it with the "worst codex," and not using a "good list" from that codex. I'm going to learn that list and its tactical applications up, down, left, right, sideways, in five dimensions. If there comes a day when I feel supremely competent in my generalship, and my losses are attributed solely to my list not being able to compete, then I'll relook at my models. But until then, its gonna be a blast.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
I wonder how accurate that is? From my initial research, it looks like I could have returned to my DE roots, picked up Dark Eldar in 8th edition and been successful with a mono-army build. I didn't do that because I have always enjoyed picking the anti-FoTM armies, going to events, and beating the FoTM cookie-cutter armies. That's why I picked Ultramarines to get back into 40k with. My research indicated that Space Marines are the "Worst army" and without "IG Soup" they can't compete.

What'd you look into for your research?

Didja try the ITC's rankings?
First link is to the main branch, with access to players and factions:
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/itc-2015-%20rankings/


This second one is drukhari faction only:
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/itc-2015-%20rankings/

That *I* manage to be ranked 35th (I just looked that up for this post) out of 558 other DE players that are registered on the ITC listing tells me there's a lot of crappy players playing DE. I say so because my W/L record is almost exactly 50% W/L for games in RTTs and GTs (8th ed). One would think a top tier army would have the top 100 guys doing well at tourneys. Heck, the top 30.


Point being, I don't think DE are top tier. And, I as mentioned in a different post, DE do play much like they did in 5e. However, as you have stated that you want to take the worst pile of poo 40k has to offer, you're lookin' good with the ANGRY MARINES or perhaps another old favorite of yours, Necrons.

 Brothererekose wrote:
[
What'd you look into for your research?

Didja try the ITC's rankings?
First link is to the main branch, with access to players and factions:
https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/itc-2015-%20rankings/

Truthfully:

I looked up my old 40k tournament buddies and had chats. Brad Townsend (Hulksmash), Nick Nanaveti (Yermom here, now brownmagic on his own website - who is eventually going to get his $49 piece of flesh from me for his professional opinion), Paul Murphy (now a big blogger), Reece (like anyone needs to be told who he is), and a host of other folks, and asked their opinions where I could get in touch with people.

I haven't looked at ITC yet. I'm WAAAAY not there yet. The literal order of one of these things:

-Hulksmash sent me the top armies from a few tournaments, where there was a lot of DE / Ynarri stuff going on.
-I stopped into Dakka and saw a lot of gnashing of teeth over DE.
-I bought the Drukhari codex and read it cover to cover twice, then tried to figure out how to build a force organization chart out of it.
-I read about bigger point limit games, time management issues and chess clocks in tournaments.
-I panicked that I would be running a high model count army in a time restricted venue, while being inexperienced, and that I'd be slow playing people.
-I called Hulksmash and told him I was panicking, and needed a different army that was more newbie friendly, was low model count, wouldn't scare people or make them think "OH LOOK, DASH THE WAAC IS BACK TO RAPE SOME MORE, WHAT A GAKHOLE"
-We settled on Angry Marines, Counts as Ultramarines.
-List building commenced.
-Model purchasing against that list building commenced.
-I tied into Vyler here on Dakka - the GAKKING GENIUS behind every Angry Marine lore that I love, and offered to throw money at him if he'd make mine.
-Angry Marine Commission commenced.
-List refinement took place to adjust for CA2018.
-List finalized.
-Five Days ago, I had 2-3 turns worth of a 500 point demo game at my FLGS to learn to play a bit.
-Three days ago, I learned how to use battlescribe, and input my angry marine army into Battlescribe to learn how force organizations are built.
-Two days ago, my wife and I concluded negotiations on how deeply I can engage my commission artist on this army, and what her painting involvement is going to be (she's going to paint the angry marines from my 500 point army, and the proxy angry marines should I ever need one to stand in against TFG who needs to see "model for scale."

Because while this is awesome, I can TOTALLY SEE some guys saying, "I have LOS to your Whirlwind because I can see the angry marine at the end of the smoke trail." Then I'll have to say, "Alright douchecanoe, let me substitute in a non-converted whirlwind so you can gauge line of sight."

 Dashofpepper wrote:
Truthfully:

I looked up my old 40k tournament buddies and had chats. Brad Townsend (Hulksmash), Nick Nanaveti (Yermom here, now brownmagic on his own website - who is eventually going to get his $49 piece of flesh from me for his professional opinion), Paul Murphy (now a big blogger), Reece (like anyone needs to be told who he is), and a host of other folks, and asked their opinions where I could get in touch with people.

Only Reece knows me here on the West Coast. And pfffff, what does *he* know about 40k?

srsly, though, Drukhari are probably very good in the hands of a good player. In my hands, a solid 50% W/L army. I believe I fit in your other thread's "non-competitive" player category, I will be equality happy (mostly) with a Win or Loss.

That said, I don't see the Top Guys that I know about, here on the West Coast, using DE. Now, I'm asking myself, Dash is already into ANGERY MARINES, why am I trying to play down drruhari? I guess it is because DE will always be a favorite of yours, and I genuinely feel they're an army that operates and expert level with almost no room for forgiveness.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
I haven't looked at ITC yet. I'm WAAAAY not there yet.

There's good, concrete data to be gleaned, so you might give it some attention. srsly

 Dashofpepper wrote:
The literal order of one of these things:

-Hulksmash sent me the top armies from a few tournaments, where there was a lot of DE / Ynarri stuff going on.
-I stopped into Dakka and saw a lot of gnashing of teeth over DE.

In some corner of dakka, there are likely dakkaites still gnashing their teeth about 5e Ork Bikers, IG Parking Lot, Rifleman Dreads and AP1 vs Skimmers (4e). Maybe even Rhino Rush (3e). Space Dwarves.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
-I bought the Drukhari codex and read it cover to cover twice, then tried to figure out how to build a force organization chart out of it.
-I read about bigger point limit games, time management issues and chess clocks in tournaments.
-I panicked that I would be running a high model count army in a time restricted venue, while being inexperienced, and that I'd be slow playing people.

That was me, but I bought a chess clock and I'm finishing most ITC games within 6 turns, occasionally running out of time ... but still winning half of those games.

srsly, Regarding chess clocks, they really help sharpen up your game, eliminate Slow Play, and are just a general boon to the game. Buy one. Use it as you'll want the familiarity once you're back in the GT scene.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
-I called Hulksmash and told him I was panicking, and needed a different army that was more newbie friendly, was low model count, wouldn't scare people or make them think "OH LOOK, DASH THE WAAC IS BACK TO RAPE SOME MORE, WHAT A GAKHOLE"

I had read of you widely when you were active, and learned at your DE posts in humble tutelage. Without proclaiming it, I certainly became a little DoP DE student.
...
29 inch wyche charges in 5e. Remember those? ... good times.

 Dashofpepper wrote:
-Two days ago, my wife and I concluded negotiations on how deeply I can engage my commission artist on this army, and what her painting involvement is going to be (she's going to paint the angry marines from my 500 point army, and the proxy angry marines should I ever need one to stand in against TFG who needs to see "model for scale."

Getting one's spouse to sign the permission "Trip Slip" is indeed important.

"concluded negotiations " < --- It's a rhetorical question, but inquiring minds would want to know what Mrs. DoP got out of it (and painting your models is definitely *not* on that score).

Good luck.

 Brothererekose wrote:
I guess it is because DE will always be a favorite of yours, and I genuinely feel they're an army that operates and expert level with almost no room for forgiveness.

DE were always that way though - unforgiving. I *really* liked it. Make a mistake, lose the game. It's THRILLING. Like Russian Roulette except...less permanent.

When I picked them, I picked them solely because people said they were weaker than Orks - the worst, oldest codex in 5th edition, running a 3rd edition army where half the rules didn't work anymore, so you couldn't use them. As it turned out, they had STR7 AP2 small blast templates, and the country-wide-Matt-Ward-fervor was all about MEQs. It was awesome.

I love DE because they are unforgiving. I *picked* them because a long Dakka poll said they were the worst codex. The same exercise repeated this time - "What is the worst army?" resulted in Space Marines. My wife likes Angry Marines. And here we are. One day I'll commission a 2,000 point Drukhari army. I will do unspeakable things with them. Angry marines are a nice introduction. They're fun. They're non-threatening. They shouldn't ruffle feathers. They should disarm any legacy "I hate Dash." If they don't, I'm charming. If that doesn't work, I have booze. If that doesn't work, I'll start taking off clothes. Maybe mine. Maybe theirs. WHO KNOWS?!?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Brothererekose wrote:
concluded negotiations " < --- It's a rhetorical question, but inquiring minds would want to know what Mrs. DoP got out of it (and painting your models is definitely *not* on that score).

That's it actually. She wanted to be involved in the hobby, do some painting, and we were negotiating her scope.

On a possibly unrelated note, we did just pay a jeweler to make her a custom Zelda ring. It is a singular work of art.

Well, i guess the fireworks begin anew, and i need pocorn.

Albeit the worst army you could've chosen would've been one of the FW index army lists like DKoK, Elysians and Renegades, probably since they generally don't participate in tournaments.

(or at most had one unit that was souped into a army that got nerfed so hard it barely exists anymore.)

GL
HF

What a throwback. Kevin here. My dad and I still play though we quit at 6th and didn't return until 8th last fall.

We actually had a conversation about that Alamo GT again just the other day.

Nice! I was wondering some time ago whether Dash was ever coming back, or if all that Cpt Morgan had turned him into raging alcoholic. Looking forward for your reports of wholesale massacre again!

Not Online!!! wrote:Well, i guess the fireworks begin anew, and i need pocorn.

Albeit the worst army you could've chosen would've been one of the FW index army lists like DKoK, Elysians and Renegades, probably since they generally don't participate in tournaments.

(or at most had one unit that was souped into a army that got nerfed so hard it barely exists anymore.)

GL
HF

Hey Not Online! I’m not the same Dash anymore. I’ve matured and learned to try seeing other peoples’ perspectives. Re-reading what I wrote then makes me wince. I still think the same things, but the filter has changed.

For example....eight years ago, if we were to describe the the variables that describe the competitiveness of an army as a functional equation, where each variable is subjectively scored by people using heuristic weighting, I would fundamentally disagree with someone’s math because they value things differently than me.

Dice. Some people think 40k is a game of dice. Eight years ago, when someone says 40k is a game of dice, I would present data - usually involving my own experiences, that counter that hypothesis, but presented in a fashion of “Prove me wrong, my math is right, I can prove it. Then I would prove it. Voluminously. With data. Irrefutable logic. When people didn’t agree with my math, but instead of presenting data to support a counter-hypothesis would use logical fallacies to attempt to “win” the argument, I would invariably use the nicest words I could think of to say, “You are intellectually not equipped to engage in this conversation.”

Today, I realize people can CHOOSE to make 40k a game of dice. Maybe they don’t have the tactical acumen to understand how to trivialize dice outcomes. Maybe they do, but aren’t willing to treat 40k like work. No matter what, it is subjective math, and the only wrong answer is to not attempt to understand someone else’s point of view. I still want to convince people to think like me because I think I’m right, but I don’t think it is my job to “fix” people. I am no longer offended by disagreement. I am intrigued by difference and discovering other people’s data sets.

Wolf 11x wrote:What a throwback. Kevin here. My dad and I still play though we quit at 6th and didn't return until 8th last fall.

We actually had a conversation about that Alamo GT again just the other day.

****ING ****!!!!! I wrote a THREE *****ING PAGE RESPONSE and Dakka thought I logged out due to inactivity and my browser wouldn't go back. It was gooey. It was heartfelt. Let me recap because I'm frustrated and don't want to type it all out again.

-I remember you! My wife remembers you!! Do you remember her making fun of your name for not being villianous enough to be a Necron player?
-You and your dad were a bright moment of friendship in a GT that was in every other way (except for seeing Smitty again) otherwise pretty disastrous. My wife and I spent the weekend stressed out because was reading in the lobby and a group of the locals who didn't know who she was started talking out there about how they were coordinating to slow-play me out of ****ing the locals out of a GT win. Between that toxic culture, the backstabbing, the actual slow-playing that resulted in all the drama, the post GT "You weren't supposed to win" BS, and all the negative publicity surrounding subjective sportsmanship by aforementioned toxic community, you guys were a literal breath of fresh air.
-People using your army as an exampe for why Necrons needed buffing is what inspired me to turn my Lady bug and daisy Necrons into an OMGCLOSECOMBATNECRONS army and taking it to tournaments instead of DE. I don't know if you ever saw any of the battle reports, but you inspired that gak. =D

If we meet again, remind me to buy you another beer and reminisce!

Backfire wrote:Nice! I was wondering some time ago whether Dash was ever coming back, or if all that Cpt Morgan had turned him into raging alcoholic. Looking forward for your reports of wholesale massacre again!

Oh...I'm still drinking. In fact, I'm 3/4 of the way through a bottle of red wine typing this. Fun fact: My ANGRY STANDARD BEARER in my soon to be Angry Marines army is going to be modeled with a maglocked stormbolter so that he has a free hand for chugging a miniature bottle of Captain Morgan. It will be glorious. WYSIWYG is IMPORTANT.

I really think you need to play some 8th to get over yourself. Pretty sure nobody cares how great you considered yourself. I played before you, during the time you quit, and will play long after you tap out again.

I remember you trying to come back a year or two ago. The consensus was, just don't. Not my words.

Your in it for what the game can do for you not what can do for the game. With live steam media and services such as twitch. Its all out there. Things aren't like they were. A mystery curtain is pulled back for all to see.

 Byte wrote:
I really think you need to play some 8th to get over yourself. Pretty sure nobody cares how great you considered yourself. I played before you, during the time you quit, and will play long after you tap out again.

I remember you trying to come back a year or two ago. The consensus was, just don't. Not my words.

IIRC he contemplated comeback during 7th edition few years back, or was there another false start after that?

 Byte wrote:

Your in it for what the game can do for you not what can do for the game. With live steam media and services such as twitch. Its all out there. Things aren't like they were. A mystery curtain is pulled back for all to see.

Well, back when he was fresh people were saying to DoP how his success in local tournaments meant nothing, GT level was something else. As it was, he did just fine there too. Doubt there is anything mythical in 8th which he couldn't handle. Any way as I see it this is win-win-win: if he comes back and beats everyone it's hilarious, if he fails miserably and gets his ass handed to him that is even more hilarious, if he does ok debate starts why he did worse/better than expected and it will be hilarious too

I think the 'crappy armies' line is quite overstated - DE and Orks what he played with in 5th were hardly weak armies, even if they were not absolute top like IG/SW/GK. Even with the outdated 3rd Ed codex, Dark Eldar were not a pushover back then.

Anyway, I hate 8th edition and I have no clue about current meta. Still follow scene a bit for old times sake.

Despite the competitive furor, I have always been fluffy AF. I dipped my toe into the water in 7th edition, learned that people could bring anything to the table - like Eldar+Necrons - and decided that 40k wasn’t the game for me, because I like 40k for the story. I could go be competitive in ANYTHING. But I consume 40k lore insatiably.

7th edition disgusted me, so I got rid of all my 40k stuff.

8th edition .... peer pressure made me dip my toe in again. I don’t like soup. I think armies should be pure. I’m not going to soup up to become competitive. The army I’m building isn’t “competitive.”. I’d have to make soup to do that. I will not.

If I one day switch to Drukhari, I will not have Eldar Alies. I’m sure I COULD do Ynarri and DE and Shining Spears and Eldar psykers, and I could try to rule the competitive scene. I won’t. I will not compromise my fluffy standards to make a more competitive army. My Ork army wasn’t competitive. My DE army wasn’t competitive. My 5th edition Necron close combat army wasn’t competitive.

And now, there’s a big thread over in the army list section about how the army I’m building isn’t competitive. It’s pure SM. No allies. Poor choices. It can’t compete. It’s missing the powerful units in the codex.
As always, I don’t care. I’m here for the fluff. I am extremely tactically competent - probably because I’m a military guy with an West Point education with a deep understanding of warfare. My professional career relies on being 10 steps ahead of the game. It may be an unfair competitive advantage that I have my background. Chess players study too. I expect an educated chess play to beat my butt. I would not blame it on the color of my pieces or the luck of who went first. The winner is the player with a deeper understanding of the game, who can think through many scenarios at once for turns in advance.

I can’t NOT think that way. It’s how I was taught. If a burger flipper can outthink me on the tabletop, they’re in the wrong line of work and I will hire them.. That isn’t arrogance - it is recognition of my strengths and weaknesses. I can’t paint. I have no talent. I’m socially awkward, and oftentimes tact-less. I don’t understand people’s emotions. I am selfish. I have many weaknesses. But I think like a computer. I can process a massive amount of simultaneous data and distill it into an equation - turn complex business and cultural conflicts into quantified multiple choice options. I think in OODA loops, can formalize risk assessments on the fly.

So I’m a great 40k general. The cost of these traits is that I’m awkward, which people interpret in different ways - aloof, or grandiose, or hostile, or arrogant. To me, those are irrelevant adjectives because data is data.

I don't know about all that intro post. But i remember you dash. You used to have well articulated tips on my armies. I think it was DE at the time. Great stuff. Hope you are doing well. Nice to have you back for a spell.

Just...wow.

I hate to say it*, but I'm going to root for you, Dash. I believe people can change, and I hope you can bring your new maturity to the tournament scene.

Worst case, it'll be a hell of a fireworks show.

--B.

*People will try and pour their negativity upon me.

Do you still have the Pink Necrons Dash?

Just back to Dakka myself after a couple of years away, so just finding my feet again.