Wargaming

How to pass, fit in, eventually set an example, and ultimately lead the way.
zbigi
Posts: 978
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:04 pm

Re: Wargaming

Post by zbigi »

Why not just ignore the GW and stick to a specific ruleset version forever? Could you convince your play group to do that?

vexed87
Posts: 1521
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:02 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Wargaming

Post by vexed87 »

The new rulesets keep the game fresh and address balance issues. Some players don't really consider that viable in the long run, but it's a good option for a frugal group. Players who want to play with new units wouldn't be able to use them in older rule sets, I think that would be the main issue for most people.

Aside from playing behind the curve on last years rulesets, 40k can be played on a tight budget if you know a few tricks. Rather than buy the rule books and codexes, you can download a PDF of the rules for free from games workshop and in place of the codex, you can use an app called battlescribe which has all unit stats.

40k minis can be 3D printed on a resin printer, at a fraction of the cost of the official models, so long as you don't care about playing in an official tournament, most players don't mind proxy prints, and it's common place to use them at independent tournaments. The cost of assembling an army becomes far less prohibitive, but there are still upstart and consumable costs for the printing equipment. I bought one before I took an interest in 40k, but if you want a large army, it's a no brainer. The savings on building units increase as you build the bigger units too, which are extortionate to buy new. There is a learning curve on 3D printing. But once mastered, the printing adds an enjoyable hands on involvement in accumulating the miniatures, rather than just consuming official models. You can really customise your models. Of course this requires skill in model design and manipulation, but I found the modest investment of time, mainly YouTube tutorials, straightforward enough.

Here are some models that I recently printed

Image

You could keep costs down further if you have access to community printing labs, or can find someone to share the costs with, which is what I've done. I have an arrangement with a neighbour, he uses my printer and resin supplies at a slight mark up, which in turns pays for the equipment.

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grundomatic
Posts: 413
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:04 am

Re: Wargaming

Post by grundomatic »

zbigi wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:53 am
Why not just ignore the GW and stick to a specific ruleset version forever? Could you convince your play group to do that?
Totally a viable option. My closest 40k friends totally would.

I think my real problem is that I don't like the "game" part of Warhammer. The rules are poorly designed, IMO, and on top of that my brain can't process and remember everything it needs to in order to play well. I should have said this before. My grouchy rant was incomplete. I need to check out One Page Rules, which is an independent (and free?) ruleset to see if I like it any better.
vexed87 wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 3:01 am
The new rulesets keep the game fresh and address balance issues.
There is no balance, just a pendulum that swings back and forth.

You are right, though, about being able to play on a budget. My Warhammer hobby is net $ positive the past couple years. Last I heard Battlescribe was being taken down, or at least no longer updated.

The print quality on those models looks great.

vexed87
Posts: 1521
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:02 am
Location: Yorkshire, UK

Re: Wargaming

Post by vexed87 »

For anyone interested, I didn't know about battlescribe being removed from app stores, but APK files are still likely available. A quick Google revealed a couple of possible alternatives, plus discussion that the PC app still works, and the people who manage the data are releasing their own app to replace battlescribe. Sorted. 😀

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grundomatic
Posts: 413
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:04 am

Re: Wargaming

Post by grundomatic »

I finally followed through and listed my Warhammer books for the going rate on ebay. One already sold, and I had an offer on another I declined, which I am now regretting. I do not want to be holding the bag when a new edition hits.

While I'm not getting into 3D printing anytime soon, I am going to take advantage of Heroforge's 3.99 STL file sale and get a custom mini for D&D and have a friend print it out.

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grundomatic
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Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:04 am

Re: Wargaming

Post by grundomatic »

My friends and I finally tried One Page Rules, and we are in love with tabletop wargaming again. We like everything about it better than Warhammer.

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grundomatic
Posts: 413
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:04 am

Re: Wargaming

Post by grundomatic »

Casual vs Cooperative Gaming

I went and played a Magic tournament at a store for the first time in a long time. I love my friends and our casual/cooperative gaming, but I really wanted a dose of some competition. No managing power level, no managing expectations, just sit down and try to win. Damn, it was fun.

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