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2019/10/11 18:56:20
Subject: Interesting video I found that, for me, relates closely to tabletop wargaming
I honestly hadn't thought about it this way. I have a lot of fears when it comes to 40K (and AoS, Kill Team, WarCry, Warhammer Underworlds, and more).
I fear the time investment. My attention span isn't really long. After about 90 minutes, I want to be moving on to something else. With some experience in AoS, Blood Bowl, and games like Silver Tower taking several hours to play through, I am concerned that I'm going to burn out fast because of the time it's going to take.
I fear not knowing the rules. So, while I've been in the Warhammer hobby since mid 2015, my time playing games is very minimal, and I honestly don't know the rules. I'm much more of a painter and a fan of the lore. Not knowing the rules is going to cause games to DRAG out, and my opponent might very well get impatient or frustrated.
I fear the people. This one may sound strange, and I understand that, but the people that play at my local GW aren't people I'd ever want over at my house to play a game with my stepson around. They are honestly nice guys. So far as I can tell, I've only met a couple that are "That Guy" or that I truly don't like. But, for example, these guys use language that would make a sailor blush... quite often. The manager (who is one of the good guys) even gotten in trouble for the way these guys treated other customers in the store or that were leaving the store. If you know them like I do, they aren't bad guys... just really don't know when to reign it in at times.
I fear how tricky my army will be. I do have several armies to choose from that I've collected over the years, but if I don't enjoy the first two or three games because the army I picked is overly complex and my lack of knowing the rules and when to use abilities and command points, it might just turn me away from the game forever.
I fear the number of armies I have. This sounds like a very stupid fear to have, but I'm afraid I'm going to try five different armies for my first five games (skirmish or full game), and not enjoy any of them as I don't understand their rules and nuances enough. But, I don't want to leave all my models at home and just focus on one army.
I also fear not having the right army. Even with number of armies I have, I'm afraid I don't have the right one. I'm afraid of putting in many hours of time that could be spent doing anything else only to realize, in the end, that none of them match the style of army I want to play. I'll find out that X army I don't have ends up being the exact style of army I really want to play, but at this point, I won't be able to afford it. Yes, I know that armies can be sold. But, I just haven't seen the market around here. And, I'm sure the stores that carry these models are not going to want me advertising that I'm selling armies in their store... that's money they lose.
But, I've also realized that, even with all these fears, I could honestly love the game and have the exact army that fits my play style. I just need to get out there and play... not care about not knowing the rules, not care about not knowing all the nuances, not care about who I play against at first, not worry about which army I bring to the table first. I just need to get out there and play.
Not sure if any other hobbyists have felt this way, but I figured I'd throw it out there and see what people think.
SG
40K - T'au Empire
Kill Team - T'au Empire, Death Guard
Warhammer Underworlds - Garrek’s Reavers
*** I only play for fun. I do not play competitively. ***
2019/10/11 19:46:52
Subject: Interesting video I found that, for me, relates closely to tabletop wargaming
I wish I was a mod so I could re-title threads like these. "I Found a Video That Inspired Me To Stop Worrying and Start Hobbying". You're not writing for a commission, you don't need a clickbait title, not that it's amazing when news or magazine writers clickbait, but there is no reason for it to be a part of forum culture.
I think the video is right in so many ways, the human brain is unfortunately all too animalistic, making me click on clickbait threads for example...
You can lengthen and shorten your attention span. If your short attention span something that is making your life worse you can stop doing things that promote a shorter attention span like cookie-clicker games and social media and start meditating.
The rules are short this edition and nobody is going to crucify you for not knowing all the rules, stay away from Space Marines and you'll be fine.
Most 40k players are out of shape, if they turn into zombies they'll have a hard time chasing you, nothing to be afraid of there. Nobody really cares about you that much, it's mostly just in your head and the only way to get out of your head is to get out there. Brady from APG made a video about his armies and mentioned how he used 40k to help him get out of a depressive episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvAuuok341c
Play 500-pt games, those are super simple and don't take long, play with no Stratagems or just the basic 3 from the rulebook, ask online what the best 5 Stratagems are for your chosen faction, make a check-list and memory map and bring it to battle. Buy the datacards and stuff for your favourite faction to help you remember rules and stats. It's fine if you don't use your Stratagems optimally, most people don't.
Read the rules enough, read enough articles and play enough games to get good at a faction, maybe cut down on the number of gaming systems you play and limit yourself to one army so you have enough free time to dedicate to learning that one faction inside and out.
I wouldn't spend too long looking for the right army, mold yourself into the right general for your army instead. If you become a general in the military you're not going to restructure everything and make everything fit perfectly into your mold, there's some give and take and you can slowly change your collection into a direction you'd rather have it in.
2019/10/11 20:47:42
Subject: Interesting video I found that, for me, relates closely to tabletop wargaming
I fear the people. This one may sound strange, and I understand that, but the people that play at my local GW aren't people I'd ever want over at my house to play a game with my stepson around. They are honestly nice guys. So far as I can tell, I've only met a couple that are "That Guy" or that I truly don't like. But, for example, these guys use language that would make a sailor blush... quite often. The manager (who is one of the good guys) even gotten in trouble for the way these guys treated other customers in the store or that were leaving the store. If you know them like I do, they aren't bad guys... just really don't know when to reign it in at times.
I.. don't get this. If you don't want them around your stepson and the store manager got into trouble for the way they're treating other customers, they aren't nice guys. Full stop. There isn't any way to rationalize that.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/10/11 20:48:32
Efficiency is the highest virtue.
2019/10/12 04:50:30
Subject: Interesting video I found that, for me, relates closely to tabletop wargaming
Fear?? It's a hobby. Just play a few games every now & then.
And yeah, because you hardly play (and jump between armies) you'll likely suck at the actual game. At least for awhile.
I fear the time investment. My attention span isn't really long. After about 90 minutes, I want to be moving on to something else. With some experience in AoS, Blood Bowl, and games like Silver Tower taking several hours to play through, I am concerned that I'm going to burn out fast because of the time it's going to take.
So you play small games - 500-maybe 1k pts. Or you set some time/turn/objective limit that fits your attention span. And you only play every other week.
I fear not knowing the rules. So, while I've been in the Warhammer hobby since mid 2015, my time playing games is very minimal, and I honestly don't know the rules. I'm much more of a painter and a fan of the lore. Not knowing the rules is going to cause games to DRAG out, and my opponent might very well get impatient or frustrated.
Well, there's only 1 cure for that. Read the rules! Plus the errata etc for whatever army you're using atm.
You don't need to know the rules for the other guys army. You don't need to worry about the rules for what you're not using. If you need to, keep the rules handy & look things up as you need to. If your opponent can't accommodate you on this? Note who they are & cross them off the list of people worth playing games with.
I fear the people. This one may sound strange, and I understand that, but the people that play at my local GW aren't people I'd ever want over at my house to play a game with my stepson around. They are honestly nice guys. So far as I can tell, I've only met a couple that are "That Guy" or that I truly don't like. But, for example, these guys use language that would make a sailor blush... quite often. The manager (who is one of the good guys) even gotten in trouble for the way these guys treated other customers in the store or that were leaving the store. If you know them like I do, they aren't bad guys... just really don't know when to reign it in at times.
Well, you're not inviting them home.
Keep your child away from them.
When they act poorly in public? Call them out on it. If the man-childs want to act like foul mouthed children, then treat them like as such. Up to & including not playing with them. Surely there's other options of where to play.
I fear how tricky my army will be. I do have several armies to choose from that I've collected over the years, but if I don't enjoy the first two or three games because the army I picked is overly complex and my lack of knowing the rules and when to use abilities and command points, it might just turn me away from the game forever.
Pick one. Play it, & only it, for about 2 months. Each game try different strats etc. Know that, as I said above, you're going to suck at first. Don't worry about winning, just play. It's through play that you actually learn the rules.
I fear the number of armies I have. This sounds like a very stupid fear to have, but I'm afraid I'm going to try five different armies for my first five games (skirmish or full game), and not enjoy any of them as I don't understand their rules and nuances enough. But, I don't want to leave all my models at home and just focus on one army.
Dragging all of your models around is impractical. Just pick one army & focus on that for about 2 months. This will be what you use wether you're playing 2k pts, 1k pts, 500 pts, Kill Team.... At the end of two months you'll have some xp with this army & then you repeat the process with a different one.
If you also play AoS? Do the same thing.
I also fear not having the right army. Even with number of armies I have, I'm afraid I don't have the right one. I'm afraid of putting in many hours of time that could be spent doing anything else only to realize, in the end, that none of them match the style of army I want to play. I'll find out that X army I don't have ends up being the exact style of army I really want to play, but at this point, I won't be able to afford it.
.
So answer this question: What/How do you really want to play? Do you want to shoot the enemy to death? Chop them up in HtH? A mix? Play "Good Guys"? Bad Guys"? Do you love tanks? Are there particular models you like? Particular lore? Just favorites that you've painted up over the years? Once you figure that out you'll find your army.
But, I've also realized that, even with all these fears, I could honestly love the game and have the exact army that fits my play style. I just need to get out there and play... not care about not knowing the rules, not care about not knowing all the nuances, not care about who I play against at first, not worry about which army I bring to the table first. I just need to get out there and play.
I wouldn't say "Don't care". Just don't worry about it at first. Definitely not to the point where it prevents you from playing.
Thanks for sharing. I need a reminder like that now and again.
As to the fears, I get it. Sounds a lot like anxiety, so if you haven’t talked to a professional about that, I’d suggest that you do. I can’t speak to the US, but in Canada, medication to treat mild to medium anxiety costs about $0.30 a day, and is the single most important investment I make towards my family and my own happiness and functional-ness.
Regarding people, I have a hard time “meeting people”. I’m an introvert by nature, have trouble faking interest, and have a somewhat bombastic personality. It may sound crazy, but it takes *years* of contact before I’m comfortable enough that a person gets the “full me”. Buuuuttt... I do take active strides to try and expand my social circle by one person each year. Which again, probably sounds crazy to some people but represents a significant investment on my part. So you might find one or two people through the game store that, without the mob around, may be comfortable company to game with.
As to “the right army”, do you have an idea of how you like to play games? I was fortunate in my first love in 40k was Imperial Guard. I think it was my 4th army, I waited till plastic Cadians were a thing. Along the way, I learned to play melee marines with Chaos (1st), then glass-hammer mobility with Dark Eldar (2nd), then flexible/reactive with loyalist Marines (3rd) before attrition / piece trading with Imperial Guard (4th). And then Melee marines again with red-marines (5th, codex changes with the rules).
I enjoyed playing each faction, and bought in with a vague idea of how I wanted to play, and built accordingly. Slowly, over time.
That said, I’ve had plenty of purchase paralysis over the years. GW releases rules, so I slowly buy and build something but now it’s crap by the time it’s painted and ready for play. Most recent examples were a drop pod, and a squad of Grav Bikers with a Smash Master on bike. Great in 7th, less great going into 8th.
Which, to side track a little further, is my key reason for liking Kill Team from a modelling / playing perspective. Buy a squad of Grey Knights, you only need to build 5 of them, and you have a playable kill Team.
If you can, I’d suggest talking to a professional about anxiety. All of the above concerns are hallmarks of anxiety.
To the specifics of faction choice, tell us what you like to play, and what you’re most successful with.
